Name: Andrew Getraer

Occupation: Executive director of Rutgers Hillel

Address: Highland Park

Family: Married for 18 years to Jean, a teacher at Netivot Montessori Yeshiva. They have five children: three sons, Sandy, 14, a freshman a Torah Academy in Bergen County, and 11-year-old twins Alec and Benjy, students at Rabbi Pesach RamonYeshiva, and two daughters, Lindsay, 7, and Sarah Jo, 4½, students at Netivot Montessori School. Parents June Getrayer and the late Joseph Getraer z'l of of Greens Farms, Connecticut.

Community affairs: Active Member of Congregation Ahavas Achim in Highland Park where he is several times a week. As Hillel director and an ex-officio, serves on the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County. Coaches baseball for the Highland Park Recreation League. As Hillel director, attends and supports Jewish events across the whole community such as the Israel Parade.

Hobbies: "Keeping up with my five kids. I like to read, hike and am a big fan of the Patriots and the Yankees."

Self-portrait: " I'm someone who is passionate and enthusiastic about Jewish life in general but about everything I do. If I'm going to be involved in something, I'm also very enthusiastic about it. I think I really have two aspects: most people see me as enthusiastic and passionate, but I'm also fairly thoughtful and quiet. "

Motto: "Say little but do much"

Greatest accomplishment: "My happy marriage and five beautiful children. Professionally it's working with young adults who are making life decisions that will affect the Jewish community."

Bad habits: "I'm a night owl and I don't get as much sleep as I should."

Favorite TV Show: "I watch a lot of PBS. I like history documentaries. I was actually featured on the TV program The Boneyard on the History Channel because of a previous job that I had marketing for a renewable energy company. They wanted to feature the company that I used to work for, and I was interviewed in an episode that went on the air this past summer. But I haven't seen it yet."

Favorite food: "That's a really difficult question because I like everything. I love different kinds of food and I love to cook. My favorite thing is to find whatever is in the refrigerator, all the odds and ends, and make a gourmet meal for the family from what we have."

Best childhood memory: "Passover Seders where I would sing every song in the Haggadah with my father. We would have Passover with my grandmother and my aunt and depending on the year, it would be with my aunts, uncles and cousins. We would go through the whole Seder and sing all the songs. Now that my Dad is gone, it's especially meaningful that my children love to do the same thing with me. They learned the songs when my father was alive and they look forward to them every year.

People don't know that I...used to work at NBC TV as a page and then at NBC News production. Then I was on the air on a little station doing environmental reporting in White River Junction, Vermont. This past summer I was on the History channel show The Boneyard talking about geothermal power plants. I don't have cable and didn't see it.

Last book I read: "Presidential Courage" by Michael Beschloss. He's a renowned presidential historian. I enjoyed how leaders overcome opposition. A number of the presidents he featured had to overcome their own prejudices and limitations to do something that was right. I've always enjoyed about reading about presidents and leadership."

The biggest asset in the local Jewish communities: "G-d. People tend to forget that everything we have comes from one source. We have so many resources in this community that come from one source."
The biggest problem in the local Jewish communities: "We have two problems. One is too many Jews take things for granted. If you are in a smaller community, you don't take things for granted. We have to remind people of the meaning of being Jewish. People have forgotten why being Jewish is important. People not affiliating, or being active, is because people don't know why being Jewish is important to them and our community."

If I had more time I would..."Write more. A number of years ago I sold a screenplay, but it was never produced. I would also like to spend more time with my family because I'm out lots of nights with Hillel events."