Volunteering and Shomrei Torah both play an important part in the lives of Carol & Henry Ramer.  When they moved from Paterson to Wayne in 1981, the Ramers wanted to affiliate with the same kind of conservative synagogues they had been raised in, Carol at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center, Henry at Temple Emanuel in Paterson. Shomrei Torah was a perfect fit. Since then the Ramers have marked important family milestones here: the Bat Mitzvahs of their daughters Paula, and Sarah, and the deaths of Carol’s mother Shirley Rosenthal and Henry’s father David. Rabbi Mark officiated at the wedding of Paula and Jordan Brenner, who live in Chappaqua, NY. Both daughters also studied at our Hebrew School.

Fast forward to now. Paula is an associate lawyer with the New York firm of Kaye Scholer. Sarah completed her third year of medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, where she also will get a Master’s degree along with her MD degree. A doctor and a lawyer - wow - a Jewish parent’s dream.

Since the early ‘80’s Carol has pursued diverse activities at the Synagogue. A former member of the Sisterhood Board and now the Synagogue’s Board of Trustees, Carol manages ad sales for L’Chaim and was chairperson of the Hazak Committee, working specifically with seniors. Henry is a regular at morning minyan and is co-chair (along with Diane Seltzer) of the newly reorganized Social Action Committee.

Most recently Carol and Henry co-chaired the successful Mahzor fund raising drive, the most tangible results of which are the brand new mahzorim first being used this Rosh Hashanah. From a small group of generous donors they raised more than enough to cover the purchase of the books. Now each individual volume can be dedicated by Synagogue members to their families or in honor or memory of loved ones. Not only did the Synagogue obtain much needed new books without depleting general funds, but future dedications will produce an income stream for years to come. Ideally this could be a model for future fundraisers: show contributors a tangible return for their donation and try to link it to some aspect of Jewish observance or tradition.

Henry and Carol are native New Jerseyans, both having attended college here - Carol at Douglass and Henry at Rutgers. Both got graduate degrees at Columbia University, Henry at the Law School and Carol at the School of Social Work. Carol also has a Certificate in Gerontological Studies from Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Both also attended Camp Wasigan and Camp Ramah. Their parallel lives came together when they were “fixed up” by a mutual friend who worked at the Legal Aid Society. Carol currently works as a reverse mortgage consultant for MetLife Bank in Cedar Knolls, Henry as an attorney at Williams Caliri Miller & Otley in Wayne.

Henry’s volunteering began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil in the 1960’s. He also was chairman of the Board of Passaic County United Way, on the Board of the American Red Cross and legal chairman for New Jersey Common Cause. Now he wants to spend more time working with the Jewish community and specifically Shomrei Torah.

Earlier in Carol’s career she was a social worker at Roosevelt Hospital in NYC and Jewish Family Service in Teaneck. Her current job in reverse mortgages keeps her in touch with issues concerning the elderly.

“We get a warm feeling from the broader Shomrei Torah community, it’s like an extended family,” says Carol. “The familiarity of the prayers and friendliness of the people make us very comfortable here,” she said.

Henry says, “Here at Shomrei Torah we got our daughters off to a good start on their lives as Jews. We are confident they will build on that foundation and continue on that path.”

When not involved with the Synagogue, Carol designs and makes her own beaded jewelry. Henry is an avid gardener, exercise enthusiast and student of foreign languages, including Hebrew.