News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

As a new school year begins, the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation wants kids and teens to know about Mitzvah Miami, a group of volunteer and community service projects just for the younger generation.

As we have done each year since 2008, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and our subsidiary agency, the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), held an art contest for the cover of our 2013/5774 High Holiday greeting card. The winning entry was created by Alejandro Sabo in 2012, when he was a sixth-grade student at Jacobson Sinai Academy in North Miami Beach.

In the heat of the South Florida summer, leaving the house and the comfort of the air conditioner is often the last thing any of us has the energy for, especially anyone of a mature age. While many senior Miamians head north for the summer months, there are still plenty of activities for those who are still in town.

Twenty-four-year-old Sasha of Minsk, Belarus, told Federation leaders at The Jewish Federations of North America’s Campaign Chairs & Directors (CCD) Mission, her life began the day she discovered she was Jewish.

Miami-area youth are busy this summer going to camp, exploring Israel and making a difference through various Greater Miami Jewish Federation-funded programs and agencies.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation partnered with Taglit-Birthright Israel to provide an exclusive Miami community Birthright experience for young adults ages 22 to 26 from Sunday, June 2, 2013 to Thursday, June 13, 2013.

This summer, the staff at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation has joined together in a creative way to raise even more dollars and deliver more aid to those who need it through a summer fundraising competition—one of the many activities the team participates in throughout the year to help support the Annual Campaign.

On June 28, campers celebrated a special Shabbat Friday morning during the inaugural summer of Camp Klurman at the Galbut Family Miami Beach JCC on the Simkins Family Campus. Donors to the JCC’s capital campaign joined them for challah, Shabbat songs and lots of smiles.

The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation has launched a new endowment program that will empower every member of the community to have a long-term impact on Jewish institutions and organizations at home, in Israel and around the world.

The Young Lion of Judah Program, a unique B’nai Mitzvah project for students becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, brought to you by the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

Women from around the community were “Reaching Out, Taking Action and Stepping up,” at the Women’s Philanthropy (WP) of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation “Day for the Soul” event which took place on May 22 at Briza on the Bay, Miami.

Thanks to the enthusiasm of a few high school students, the entire southern Israeli town of Yerucham, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s partnership city in Israel, has become crazy about robotics. And recently, the Yerucham High School Robotics Team won some heavy honors.

A new task force will increase public awareness and concern about the dangers and prevalence of human trafficking in Miami-Dade County and Florida.

In March 2013, 15 teenagers from Pardes Channa-Karkur, Israel, went on a 10-day trip to Ethiopia, on a mission called “Roots,” to gain a better understanding of the sacrifices and difficulties their parents and grandparents had to endure to give them a more prosperous life as Israelis.

From the Yiddish Theater and nickelodeons to Hollywood and Broadway, the Jewish people have made tremendous contributions to the world of entertainment. Through the month of May, Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) honors the Jewish fingerprint upon the nation’s popular culture.

The Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation takes great pride in the thousands of dedicated volunteers who committed their time and energy this year to make a difference.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation is joining with other Jewish organizations across America to ask Jewish individuals over 18 years of age and of all backgrounds and interests to participate in an important new intergenerational survey. Y