News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Jewish Federations rejoice as 20 living hostages return home to Israel.

Greater Miami Jewish Federation, its JCRC and the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami welcome the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas

Federation and our Jewish Community Relations Council are proud to partner with AJC to mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the historic declaration of the Second Vatican Council that transformed Catholic-Jewish relations worldwide.

With tremendous joy and relief, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, our Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami (RAGM) welcome the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza that, if goes as planned, will result in the release of all remaining hostages in the coming days.

Give back this Thanksgiving holiday by participating in the 17th Annual Everything but the Turkey, hosted by Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center in Miami Beach on Sunday, November 16 at 2 p.m. and in South Dade on Thursday, November 20 at 6 p.m.

As rising numbers of Israelis are facing food insecurity, Federation has allocated funding for vulnerable individuals and families. Grants are helping distribute food and hygiene packages to evacuated families who have recently returned home; provide a hearty breakfast to at-risk students before class begins at the Mofet School in Jerusalem, deliver food parcels twice a month to elderly residents in Jaffa, Tel Aviv and Bat Yam (along with complementary social and emotional support through volunteer and social worker visits) and support nonprofits specializing in food rescue and redistribution.

Is the cost of a psychoeducational evaluation for your child preventing you from accessing the services they need to succeed in the classroom? A grant from Federation’s Miami Jewish Abilities Alliance (MJAA) can help!

Last week, Federation ensured that vulnerable Jews in Ukraine could celebrate the sweetness of the holiday by distributing Rosh Hashanah food baskets to more than 7,000 people. Many of those receiving the packages are internally displaced persons, for whom the assistance is truly a blessing.

It has been nearly two years since Hamas unleashed its barbaric October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel murdering more than 1,200 innocent men, women and children, taking 251 people hostage, of which 48 still remain in captivity.

With antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric abounding, now is the time to become an influencer in a student's life — by providing leadership in a Jewish day school. Federation partner CAJE | The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education provides the tools educators need to grow professionally and confidently engage Jewish students in meaningful ways.

Mark your calendar for one of the biggest real estate networking events of the year: the 24th Annual Sunset Over Miami, Wednesday, November 5 at the Braman Miami Showroom. Presented by Federation’s Real Estate Division, the event invites architects, attorneys, brokers, builders, contractors, developers, lenders and professionals affiliated with these trades to a chic cocktail reception in the heart of Miami.

For the second year in a row, nearly 800 teens from Israel’s war-affected communities spent their summer at Jewish camps across North America. Campers2Gether, a collaborative initiative supported by Federation and our longtime partner The Jewish Agency for Israel, among others, provided young Israelis a healing respite like no other and allowed them to form powerful connections with their North American Jewish peers.

Federation’s BeWell Miami is offering Youth Mental Health First Aid, an evidence-based training program to better equip adults working with youth. Presented in partnership with Jewish Community Services of South Florida, the complimentary course teaches how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance abuse concerns in adolescents ages 12-18.

Amidst surging antisemitism and threats to the Jewish community, Federation has partnered with Secure Community Network (SCN) to create a state-of-the-art Regional Threat Center (RTC) in Miami.

Miami-Dade County municipal elections are fast approaching and JCRC’s Election Toolkit aims to educate, engage and inform voters.

In its ongoing mission to advance Holocaust education, the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, a Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, has created the Fruma and Murray Berger Scholarship in Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust.

“It works miracles,” said Ashkelon’s Chief of Security, Adir Shay, of Federation-supported Or Rishon mental health training for Israeli public servants. Fifty-five percent of Israel’s population have reported feeling impacted by trauma.