News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

With great sadness, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and our Jewish Community Relations Council join with the Greater Boston community to mourn the loss of Ezra Schwartz, who was viciously murdered on Thursday, November 19, 2015 by a Palestinian terrorist.

Hundreds of Miami’s most committed philanthropists will join together on Thursday, December 17 to celebrate Jewish community and pledge their support for the most vulnerable at the Pacesetter Event.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation is now accepting applications for Summer 1016 Jewish overnight camp scholarships for children between the ages of 8 and 17. This is the 14th year Federation is offering need-based scholarships available to Miami-Dade County families to help make Jewish overnight summer camps more affordable.

An estimated 3,000 members of our community joined in unity at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach on Sunday, November 15 in response to the alarming rise in global anti-Semitism, in support of Israel and in commemoration of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation thanks you for your support of our vital work through donations made on Give Miami Day, an annual community-wide day of online giving organized by The Miami Foundation.

A new initiative of the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation seeks to improve the quality of life for local residents by creating “VolunTeams” that focus on different ages and geographic areas to best serve specific community needs.

A first-of-its-kind app is bringing history to small screens at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach through survivor testimony, historical video footage, timelines, interactive maps and archival photographs.

Jewish middle school students reaching Bar or Bat Mitzvah before August 2016 are encouraged to demonstrate their commitment to the Jewish community by participating in Young Lion of Judah, a uniquely volunteer program presented by the Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) and the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

Five Miami Jewish day schools have taken steps toward adopting a cutting-edge approach to Jewish education — known as “Blended Learning” — that combines traditional teaching instruction with technological tools to introduce highly personalized student experiences and new models for lifelong learning.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) are outraged by the heinous terror attacks committed in Israel this week. We condemn the murderous hate crimes perpetrated during the stabbing attack that injured six Israelis at the 14th annual Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance and in the firebombing in Duma, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, which killed an 18-month-old Palestinian baby and severely injured his parents and siblings.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Community Relations Council are deeply disappointed with the details of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s Nuclear Program, signed on July 14, 2015. Regretfully, we have no choice but to oppose it and we urge others to join us.

Summer is a great time to do something good for the community. Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center, the central clearinghouse for volunteerism in Miami, has organized a list of opportunities for teen, college and adult volunteers. Community service hours are available for students, too!

Attention teens and college students! If you’re looking for a meaningful way to spend this summer, join the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and other teens from around Miami in Summer of Service.

In the wake of the July 14 announcement of an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, Federation and its JCRC urge close Congressional review, robust and reasoned public debate, and a renewed commitment to work together in a bipartisan fashion toward the shared goal of eliminating the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Over the past decade, North Dade has enjoyed several waves of immigration from different Latin American countries. In fact, the 2014 Greater Miami Jewish Federation Population Study found a 64 percent growth of Hispanic Jewish adults from 2004 to 2014.

Hurricane season is here, and it’s time to prepare. For the ninth consecutive year, the Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) is organizing the Jewish Volunteer Emergency Response Team (JVERT), a database of volunteers who will be called upon to assist in the event of a hurricane or other emergencies in the community.

Individuals frequently find themselves in turmoil when confronting illness, death, divorce or other significant personal tragedies. Mishkan Miami: The Jewish Connection for Spiritual Support, a program of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, provides a variety of resources, including compassionate counsel and companionship, to members of our Jewish community to build hope and resilience in the face of despair.

Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus will host “D-Day and the Road to Liberation,” a Holocaust remembrance program, on Sunday, June 7 at 1 p.m. at the synagogue, 20350 Northeast 26th Avenue in Aventura. The event is supported by the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, a Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.