News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

During these challenging economic times, when more people in our Jewish community have been forced to seek assistance from social-service agencies, many of those very agencies are struggling to maintain services as they face cutbacks from the government and other funding organizations.

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is offering video-based, mini-course featuring world-renowned experts on Israel and the Middle East. The free course is made available through a partnership between JCRC and Jerusalem Online University (JOU) that will enable Jewish individuals and organizations to benefit from JOU’s Israel educational resources.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its local partner agency, the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), are introducing The Jewish Lens to the Miami Jewish community. This year-long educational program is a gateway for young people to explore Jewish identity and values through photography.

Miami’s partnership city of Yerucham, Israel, is receiving a fully equipped ambulance, thanks to a special gift from a longtime Federation donor. Through its relationships with organizations, communities and individuals throughout the Jewish world, Federation is able to match philanthropists with specific funding opportunities.

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.

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.