News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

On September 5, 1972, during the Olympic Games in Munich, eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic Village, killing two members of the Israeli team and taking nine hostages. In the ensuing battle, all nine Israeli hostages were killed, as were five of the terrorists and one policeman.

As many B’nai Mitzvah students search for meaningful ways to involve themselves in the Jewish value of tikkun olam, (repair of the world), the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Young Lion of Judah Program gives them a unique opportunity to bridge generational divides and forge lasting bonds with Holocaust survivors.

AJC Latino and Latin American Institute, along with over 30 local Jewish organizations, will host a community-wide memorial ceremony at Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center (ATJC) on the 18th anniversary of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires.

While natural disasters cannot be averted, the best defense in dealing with them is to be prepared. For the eighth consecutive year, the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is continuing its campaign to organize the Jewish Volunteer Emergency Response Team (JVERT), a data base of volunteers who will be called upon to assist in the event of a hurricane or other emergency in the community.

At a time when so many families are struggling to pay for even the most basic necessities, finding dollars to send a child to college can be even more challenging. But thanks to the Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF), some Jewish Miami-Dade County students were able to find the “last dollars” they needed to participate in higher education.

Laura P. Koffsky was recently installed as President of Women’s Philanthropy of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation for 2012-13, along with a full slate of new officers and Board members.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council and its umbrella organization, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, have worked to counter anti-Israel divestment efforts in several Christian churches. At the end of June, leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will consider a report that calls for divestment from three companies for their sales to Israel. Click here to raise your voice against these efforts.

This summer, the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation will be offering a wide range of service programs for teenagers ages 12 through 18 as a part of the new Teen Summer of Service program. Teenagers will have the opportunity to assist the elderly, serve as assistant teachers, provide food to those in need, work at summer camps, or even travel to Boston, Chicago, DC or Israel.

The 18th Annual Ministering to the Elderly Conference will focus on “Holding On While Letting Go,” a detailed examination of the challenges facing Baby Boomers as aging caregivers, on Monday, May 20.

“Transitions in Life and Beyond” is the theme of the 17th Annual Conference on Ministering to the Elderly, being presented by The Jewish Chaplaincy Program of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, in collaboration with Miami Jewish Health Systems and Jewish Community Services of South Florida, taking place on May 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 5200 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami.

Summer is here and Jewish community centers across Miami-Dade County are offering a variety of activities to meet the interests of any child. Camps run from June 17 to August 9, 2013.

The Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) of The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation will host its 2012 Spring Seminar on Tuesday, May 8 at Temple Israel, 137 NE 19 Street, Miami. The keynote speaker will be attorney Charles A. Lowenhaupt, an advisor to high-net-worth families around the world.

All eyes are on Miami Mega Mission Israel 2012 as the largest Jewish community mission in more than a decade journeys to sites across our spiritual homeland. Click here for links to all the media coverage from reporters in Miami, in Israel and more.

Just 17 days remain until Sunday, April 22, the day the El Al charter plane departs Miami International Airport, taking 400 Miami Mega Mission participants to Israel – and joining more than 300 more in our spiritual homeland for the journey of a lifetime.

If you’re one of the 700 members of Miami Jewish community participating in the Miami Mega Mission to Israel, don’t miss the orientation session on Wednesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Miami Downtown, 1601 Biscayne Boulevard.

Another 20 compassionate volunteers have graduated from Refuat Ha-Nefesh, the Jewish Spiritual Care Visiting Program of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Jewish Chaplaincy Program and Jewish Volunteer Center.

Hundreds of members of our community will gather at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach on Sunday, April 15 in observance of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). Together, they will honor the memory of the six million Jewish people who perished at the hands of the Nazis and pay tribute to those who survived the horrors of the Holocaust.