News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Hurricane season is here, the tropics are brewing and it’s time to prepare. For the ninth consecutive year, the Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation 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.

The Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is ready in case of the threat of hurricane with the Jewish Volunteer Emergency Response Team (JVERT) data bank. An orientation session will be held on July 28.

On May 30, 2013, five volunteers from Miami embarked on a two-week adventure through the rough terrain of Israel’s Negev to live and work in the city of Yerucham, as part of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Volunteer BaMidbar (Volunteer in the Desert) program, offered in partnership with Skilled Volunteers for Israel.

Holocaust survivors and their families can now search an amazing online database of photos and documents, thanks to an exciting new project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an overseas partner of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. The Shared Legacy Project allows users to search within the JDC’s digitized archives from the World War II era.

For the second year in a row, the Jewish Volunteer Center and the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation are partnering for the Young Lion of Judah program, pairing B'nai Mitzvah students with Holocaust survivors. The program is designed for students who are seeking to put more mitzvah in their Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Summer camps serve as a place for young children to form friendships, create memories and enjoy various summer-fun activities. One camp in Szarvas, Hungary — created by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s overseas partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation — aims to do all of the above in addition to changing and enriching the lives of its campers.