News from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Before you ring in the New Year, consider making a contribution to the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign. Your donations help Jewish people in need in Miami, in Israel and in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Nearly one out of every four Israelis goes to bed hungry each night. Your donations to the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign helps support Leket Israel — the National Food Bank, which feeds thousands of vulnerable Israelis.

More than 500 volunteers joined forces to give back to our community for Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center’s (JVC) 11th Annual Community Days of Service, held on December 21-25. Sixteen service projects at Miami nonprofit organizations ranged from cooking for and feeding the homeless, to wrapping gifts for hospitalized children, to making macaroni and cheese for food banks.

Students from University of Miami Hillel and Hillel at FIU recently participated in Taglit-Birthright Israel and visited Miami’s partnership city of Yerucham. The groups enjoyed a drum circle and saw the crater from Mount Avnum.

The Hebrew Free Loan Association of South Florida (HFLA), a subsidiary of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, wants to help you. Do you need financial assistance to care for an elderly parent? What about unexpected home repairs, medical expenses or help to pay for life cycle events?

Thanks to your donations, Holocaust survivors in Israel know that they are never alone. Through Federation's overseas partner the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), 8,000 survivors find friendship and fun at 120 Café Europa social clubs throughout Israel.

With high unemployment and inflation rates, many Jews in Argentina are again experiencing economic instability and the lack of basic necessities. Federation overseas partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, is helping those who suffer from food insecurity through Mezonot.

The innovative work of The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), a Federation subsidiary, has been published in ejewishphilanthropy. Valerie Mitrani, CAJE's Director of Day School Strategies and Initiatives and Julie Lambert, Senior Educational Consultant, co-authored “The CAJE-Miami Model: A Decade of Lessons Learned,” highlighting CAJE’s efforts at improving the quality of teaching and student learning over the past decade.

Women filmmakers take the spotlight at the 22nd annual Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF), January 10-24, 2019. This year, a record 25 female directors from 12 countries are premiering their movies and more than half of all festival films have women serving in key roles as writers, directors or producers.

At-risk youth in Israel are gaining important social skills, self-confidence and career development opportunities, thanks to your donation to the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign. Through Shades of Sweet, a program run by Federation’s overseas partner, The Jewish Agency for Israel, young adults in Israel work as chocolatiers in two Pardes Channa-Karkur chocolate shops, developing an interest, and possibly even a career, in the confectionary world.

As we say goodbye to 2018, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is counting on your contributions to support Jewish needs in Miami, in Israel and around the world.

Congratulations to UM Hillel for being honored with the Philip H. and Susan Rudd Cohen Outstanding Campus Award at the Hillel International Global Assembly in Denver, Colorado.

Seniors struggling with food insufficiency, especially during the holidays, can find a hot meal and companionship at one of five meal sites provided by Jewish Community Services (JCS) of South Florida, a Federation beneficiary agency.

Your donation to the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign is helping strengthen the Ethiopian-Israeli community in Israel. In addition to supporting programs that focus on education and teacher training, Federation dollars are funding a variety of initiatives in 2019.

On behalf of the Officers, Board of Directors and Staff of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, we wish you a Happy Chanukah! As you celebrate the Festival of Lights, may your home be bright with happiness and love. Click here to watch our Chanukah video.

To celebrate the Chanukah season, PJ Library is providing a holiday experience for more than 700 children across Miami-Dade public and private secular schools.

Hungarian Jews are reinforcing their Jewish heritage and traditions, thanks to your support of the Annual Federation/ UJA Campaign.

As the end of the year approaches, you may be looking for some tax-smart strategies to help plan your charitable giving. The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation can help.