News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

At a time when antisemitism rages across universities, 40 students from Hillels in Florida participated last week in a trip to Poland to learn firsthand the lessons of the Holocaust — and came away with a deep sense of self, a strengthened connection to Judaism and the courage to stand up for Jewish students on campus.

As we remain vigilant in our support of our brothers and sisters in Israel during the ongoing war with Hamas, our Jewish family in Miami is also deeply concerned about how anti-Israel sentiment and skyrocketing antisemitism are affecting our local community.

“If we learned anything from our few days in Israel, it is that the Israelis will prevail. They have the heart, the spirit, the resilience and the capability,” said Women’s Philanthropy Chair Elise Udelson, who took chaired the Miami Solidarity Mission to Israel earlier this month,

As the war continues, so, too, does life in Israel, including simchahs like weddings, even when the brides are called to serve in the IDF. The bridal boutique at Women’s Spirit is ensuring wartime brides have everything they need to celebrate their special day, even if that means only a brief respite from the front lines.

Miami’s Jewish women are highly dedicated to fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakah, even beyond their own lifetimes — and it shows. As of this week, 250 women have signed commitments to perpetuate their Lion of Judah-level contributions to the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign, making them Forever Lions.

When you give to Federation today, Jewish lives change for the better. Help ring in a new year of strength and resilience by enabling all the ways the Greater Miami Jewish Federation supports Israel in its time of crisis.

Anyone who has attended Jewish sleepaway camp, whether it was 10, 20 or 30 years ago, can attest that their memories of those summers are some of the happiest, most formative and long-lasting of their adolescence.

With so much disinformation about the war in Israel — particularly from the media — learning and sharing the most accurate news about the latest events can be frustrating and difficult.

Fifteen community leaders, including 10 mayors, spoke during a Miami-Dade Mayors Press Conference Denouncing Antisemitism hosted yesterday by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation's Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).

The waves of trauma following October 7 have extended far beyond Israel and its citizens, as Jewish communities around the world face significant mental health challenges.

Just 23 days remain in 2023. Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Jews in Miami, in Israel and in more than 70 other countries worldwide. Time is running out to donate this year to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign.

Crispy latkes, brightly shining candles, gifts for the little ones … for a family struggling financially, these Chanukah items might be a luxury they simply cannot afford.

As global feminist organizations dismiss — and even question — the gender-based war crimes committed by Hamas terrorists, Israeli NGO Maslan has been tirelessly treating survivors who suffered unimaginable trauma on October 7.

“We are mourning,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog. “My nation is in deep agony; the people of Israel are in deep, unprecedented agony.”

Tell America’s leaders to stand with Israel as part of the American Jewish community's National Mobilization Week. We know that Israel has every right to defend itself against the brutal terror of Hamas, and that Israel must be given adequate time to fully and permanently eliminate Hamas as a military threat.

What do you say to the father grieving his two sons who died fighting Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attack? Recently, 16 rabbis from Miami-Dade and Broward counties and other communities grappled with this question — and more — as they visited Israel to hear firsthand from some of those affected by the war, strived to bring solace to victims and their families and let them know they are not alone in their sorrow.

Now is the time to review your 2023 charitable giving and make some tax-smart decisions while also favorably impacting the lives of others, including those experiencing the hardships of the ongoing Israeli war with Hamas.

Thousands of Israelis — including 700 survivors of the Tribe of Nova Music Festival — are receiving mental health support and trauma therapy through the newly established National Resilience Center.