Advertise on podcast: EXTRAordinary PEOPLE

BILL SCHRIMMER was born on November 20, 1923, in Dresden, Germany. He was born to a Jewish family who produced lubricants and leather polish for the German military. As a boy, Bill witnessed the loss of friends and many of the horrors committed under the Nazi regime. As he continued his education in a private school, participated in various youth groups, and learned to speak five languages, he saw his father imprisoned in Buchenwald. He then fled with his family. They found temporary refuge in England before embarking on a ship to the United States where he worked and participated in many organizations. Bill served as a certified referee for the US Soccer Federation for two decades. He married his wife, Thea, in 1949; they shared two children, six grandchildren, and ultimately, seven great grandchildren. He currently lives in Monroe, New Jersey where he is an active participant in many clubs where he addresses groups, telling his life story. Bill will turn 103 this November.

Jeff Lejfer is the child of Holocaust survivors and was the leader of several Jewish organizations. Upon retirement, after a very successful 50-year career in insurance, as the creator of New Day Underwriting Managers, an award-winning insurance agency, he became a renowned speaker, visiting several civic and school groups. Jeff loves enlightening young people especially about the Holocaust and his life growing up. He has been married for over 50 years and is the proud parent of two sons and grandparent of four. He proudly shares that he grew up on a chicken farm and makes homemade gefilte fish from his mother’s and grandmother’s recipe.

Ann Vipamaneerut is the owner of Rice Factory, a restaurant in Milltown, New Jersey featuring Thai foods. Her given name is Vilailuck Vipamaneerut, but all of the patrons and friends affectionately know her as Ann. Ann, who is 54 years old, has lived in the United States for over 27 years, and earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Saginaw Valley University in Michigan in 1996. After returning to Thailand, she came back to the United States in 2000 where she and her husband Paul worked as servers in a restaurant. On November 4th, 2014, they decided to start their own business and opened the Rice Factory. They have been serving customers with their unique dishes ever since.

Bea Lurie is the daughter of two child Holocaust survivors, her father, Sol, and her mother, Evelyn Rebecca Lurie, whose parents escaped from Poland with two toddlers. Bea learned by her parents’ actions the importance of helping those in need and devoted her career to making a difference in the lives of others as a leader of nonprofit organizations and government agencies, and as an owner of two businesses. Bea also is an active volunteer in her community and at her local synagogue. LIFE MUST GO On is the remarkable story of Sol Lurie, a child survivor of six concentration camps during the Holocaust, who continues to be a beacon of hope. After a bucolic childhood in Kovno, Lithuania, Sol was just eleven when the Nazis invaded and he and his family were forced to move into the Kovno Ghetto. The Kovno Ghetto was one of the only ghettos to later become a concentration camp, and Sol was among just a few Jewish survivors from Kovno. In this inspiring story of tenacity, character, faith, love, and forgiveness, we follow young Sol through heartbreak and fear, torment, and torture. Through Sol's eyes, we learn the history of the communities in Eastern Europe, especially Lithuania, which has in the wider history of the Holocaust. Along the way, we meet the righteous few who helped save young Sol's life. After being imprisoned in six other concentration camps for a total of four years, Sol was liberated from Buchenwald on his 15th birthday. To this day, he still joyfully celebrates every year the day he was born and liberated. Miraculously, Sol’s three brothers and his father also survived the Holocaust. Her inspiring story was written with Dr. Steven Leonard Jacobs, also a child of survivors and genocide scholar.

Jonathan Hunger is the author of Agitate!, a revealing memoir of how he was able to overcome his fears by the example of Frederick Douglass. Jonathan is a native New Yorker who grew up primarily in New Jersey. He attended the University of Maryland for his undergraduate degree, and soon after spent a year working on construction as part of AmeriCorps with Habitat for Humanity. Following his term of service, he attended The College of New Jersey where he received his Master of Arts in Education, and spent the next ten years working in public schools in New Jersey and Maryland. After realizing that teaching was ultimately not the right fit for him, he returned to graduate school to pursue a career in international relations. Surprisingly, however, instead of finding work in international affairs, Jonathan ended up in a park ranger trainee position with the Department of the Interior at the Frederick Douglass Historic Site in Washington, DC. and it was this experience that inspired him to write his first book. Jonathan lives in the Baltimore suburbs with his family.

Renee Weingarten is the creator and founder of Renee’s Reading Club, featured on Facebook, since 2017.  Today, the club has over 62,000 members with members in every state in the United States and in over thirty countries around the world.  Renee’s Reading Club is a site for sharing book recommendations, monthly “new book” release announcements and the popular live weekly author “Facebook Live” events throughout the year. Many well-known authors are members of the club who participate in these events.  Renee, an avid reader, has been a librarian for over forty years and lives in Atlantic Beach with her husband of 43 years and their Goldendoodle, Sophie.  They are the proud parents of two and grandparents of three young children.

MARIO FRONZONI was born on Valentine’s Day in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A resident of East Brunswick, New Jersey for 43 years, Mario is married, the father of two, and grandfather of three grandchildren. After retiring from a career as a professional engineer in Mechanical Engineering and Management, and after securing five US patents, and, as lead engineer on the latest aircraft carrier (CVN 78) steam condensers for the US Navy, Mario began to pursue his passion for sports in earnest. In particular, he has become a leader in promoting the current national craze for pickleball. Mario reveals his knowledge of this popular sport and thoughts on why so many people, young and old, are obsessed with this form of exercise and recreation.

MILT HEUMANN received a BA from Brooklyn College in 1968, and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1976. He taught as an assistant and associate professor at the University of Michigan from 1973 to 1980, was a Guggenheim Fellow at Yale Law School from 1980 to 1981, and has been a professor (1981), and then Distinguished Professor (2013) at Rutgers until the present. He was Chair of the Department of Political Science at Rutgers from 19997 to 2003. During the 1980’s and 1990’s he was also an occasional Visiting Lecturer (for courses on criminal sentencing) at Yale Law School. Professor Heumann has written extensively in the field of criminal justice, and more recently also in the “right to privacy.” Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson cited Prof. Heumann’s research extensively in her undergraduate honors thesis at Harvard College, another indicator of his lasting impact on undergraduate students.

Sarah Esposito, PA-C, is a certified Physician Associate at Integrated Dermatology of NJ, located in East Brunswick, New Jersey.  Sarah received her Bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of Delaware. She then graduated with a Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Seton Hall University, where she was awarded membership in the prestigious Alpha Eta Honors Society, the National Honors Society for Allied Health Practitioners.  Prior to joining Integrated Dermatology of NJ, Sarah worked in emergency medicine for over three years. She has trained extensively in dermatology since joining the specialty in 2014. In addition to medical dermatology, Sarah is skilled in the surgical removal of skin lesions and cancers.

Dee Gwiazdowski has been in the design field for thirty-two years, nineteen of which have been with Ethan Allen as a Design Consultant. This is a second career for Dee. She is both passionate and dedicated to creating spaces that are well designed, functional and reflect her client's lifestyle and needs. Each of her projects takes into consideration the rooms' architecture and furnishings that her client wishes to incorporate into the design. Dee is a Diamond Spirit and Gold Spirit award winner.

Marj Billker Graves joined the Army Nurse Corps during her final year of nursing school in 1967. She served as a head nurse on male orthopedic wards at Darnall Army Hospital, Fort Hood, Texas, and at Ireland Army Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky. As a Captain, Marj volunteered for Vietnam where she continued to serve as a head orthopedic nurse with the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh. During her tour of duty, she was selected as the nurse for a two-person medical team to accompany both the Bob Hope Christmas Tour in 1971 and the Sammy Davis, Jr. USO Show in 1972. After a return assignment in the United States at Madigan General Hospital, Tacoma, Washington, she resigned her commission to marry her husband, Bob, also a Vietnam Veteran. She was selected as Kentucky’s Vietnam Veteran for USA Today’s 2012 Veterans Day issue, has been featured in numerous articles in The Courier-Journal,  was inducted into the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame, is a recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Distinguished Citizen Medal, and in 2023 was the first female veteran to serve as Grand Marshal of Louisville’s Veterans Day Parade. She is a retired Occupational Health Manager from UPS.

Simply put…Ian is camp, and camp is Ian. He began his career as a camper, counselor, Division Leader, and administrator at a traditional day camp in New Jersey. Ian has only missed 2 summers at camp since he was 3 years old! He takes pride in his hands on approach to camping. His personal leadership and spirit are reflected in Black Bear Lake’s rich traditions, extraordinary staff, and quality program. Ian is an active member of the American Camp Association and regularly attends and participates in industry events and conferences to find ways to further improve the camp experience. Ian graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Economics and a focus on Business Management and Entrepreneurship. He lives in Monmouth County with his wife Dara, whom he met at summer camp!

Mayor Brad Cohen was elected to the office in November 2016. The Mayor began his public career in 2010 when he was elected to the East Brunswick Board of Education. Working with a dedicated group of Board members, he helped navigate the schools through difficult economic times in the wake of the Recession and the draconian cuts in State Aid. He was named Board President in 2014 and helped select the new Superintendent of Schools. Balancing fiscal responsibilities with massive needs in information technology, strategic planning, and infrastructure, the future Mayor chose to use his skills to improve the quality of life for all the residents of East Brunswick.

Larry I. Brandspiegel joined the East Brunswick Jewish Center in August 2018 as Cantor and Director of Education before being ordained as a rabbi. Affectionately known as Rabbi/Cantor Larry, the spiritual leader now serves as the President of Jewish Educators Assembly and spiritual advisor of the Northern New Jersey Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s clubs. With over 30 years experience, he continues his work as cantor while infusing the evolving congregation with renewed energy.

Kate Lancaster is in her ninth year working as a middle school teacher at Jamesburg Public Schools. She is also a certified Reading Specialist and was recognized as an Exemplary Educator for the 2023-2024 school year for her strong knowledge and skills, inspiring presence, and positive impact on students, colleagues and the school community as a whole. Kate's own experience, as well as her work in the public school system, connected her with the Minding your Mind nonprofit and she is now heavily involved volunteering for their organization through the annual A Celebration of Life gala in Spring Lake, NJ. Her efforts have assisted in fundraising close to $300,000 over the past three events. She is passionate about ending the stigma associated with mental health issues and takes pride in her commitment to making a difference in her community.