What was most palpable in the room at the shul dinner was the exceptional warm spirit of the kehilla. Though they refer to themselves as a congregation, members of Ahavas Yisrael of Edison seem a lot more like a close family.

Congregation Ahavas Yisrael held their first-ever shul dinner on Sunday, March 10, at the Torah Links facility in East Brunswick. Emcee Avi Berger noted that the function was the shul’s first big event since COVID-19 and their first dinner after holding 10 annual breakfast fundraisers.

The shul came together to present guests of honor awards to Joseph Frish and Barbara Ungar Frish and service awards to Ari and Leah Kotowitz, and to honor the youth of the shul who now serve in the Israeli Defense Forces. Shul Co-President Jay Culang noted that the event attracted 145 attendees, and Co-President Zev Moskowitz praised Rebbetzin Rivka Jaffe and Chaya Davis for organizing the event.

Rabbi Gedaliah Jaffe, the shul’s rav, poignantly summed up the intent of the gathering by stating in his remarks that the names of the parsha of VaYaKeil (to gather a group together) and Pekudei (to account for individual items) may seem to be very different ideas. But they actually show how Yiddishkeit successfully balances both ideas, because once you have a connection to the tzibur, only then can your individual talents come out in the best way.

Looking to the future, the shul has embarked on a building campaign to expand capacity and will utilize the empty lot the shul purchased adjacent to the current building, along with a full redesign to the existing facility.

Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County editor of The Jewish Link. He’s an enormous fan of organizational dinners and just can’t wait to cover your shul’s, school’s or rabbinic association’s annual dinner. He can be reached at [email protected].