News From the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

August 13, 2020 - The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Community Relations Council celebrate the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This diplomatic breakthrough includes the establishment of reciprocal embassies and formalization of several bilateral agreements in mutually beneficial areas ranging in scope from security to technology and from healthcare to the environment. We hope and pray that this leads to similar normalization and peaceful diplomacy with neighboring Arab countries, with the fervent belief that it is only through such commitment that the region and the world will achieve a durable, just and lasting resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.

More than 1,000 members of Miami’s Jewish community received free kosher food last week at the second Kosher Food Distribution Drive-Thru organized by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Volunteer Center.

Base Miami, a program aimed at engaging young professionals and families in deep exploration of their Jewish identity in a home-based setting, is now a proud Federation program. Base Miami is centered around the home of Rabbi Adam and Jessie Gindea in Brickell.

This summer, Federation joined other organizations under the umbrella of the Jewish Service Alliance to create Serve the Moment. The four-week “summer of service” program engaged 18-29-year-olds with the intent of initiating 100,000 acts of meaningful, community hands-on volunteering projects.

Federation overseas partner The Jewish Agency for Israel is helping the most vulnerable older adults in Israel cope with the pandemic. Residents of Amigour, a housing community supported by The Jewish Agency, are receiving food, other necessities and emotional support. For Etya Papugayev, the help has been a lifeline.

With $165,000 in grants from Federation and in-kind donations from individual donors, local agencies Miami Jewish Health and Jewish Community Services of South Florida have been able to secure additional personal protective equipment (PPE) to enhance the safety and well-being of frontline healthcare workers and social workers while on the job.

As the pandemic has dramatically changed the world, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, through its Coronavirus Response Task Force, has mobilized the financial resources to provide immediate help to the most vulnerable.

Federation long-standing overseas partner, The Jewish Agency for Israel, created a COVID-19 Loan Fund for Communities in Crisis, an emergency initiative that helps Jewish institutions around the world bridge immediate gaps in cash flow amid the pandemic.

Primary election day is approaching on August 18 and our Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) wants to keep you informed on the key issues and political races.

Federation is now accepting applications for its 2021 Jewish Incubator Grants, which will support nonprofits that strengthen Miami’s Jewish community through innovative and impactful programs.

Federation emergency grants distributed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic are helping older adults living in our partner city of Yerucham, Israel connect with family and friends.

With the idea to build a more inclusive Jewish community, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation recently launched Miami.JewishAbilities.org, a user-friendly gateway that links individuals with disabilities and their families to services, support and resources. This website — the first of its kind in Miami — developed out of a grassroots effort to meet a community need.

July 16, 2020 – This is a critical moment for our country. We find ourselves in the midst of a deadly pandemic, global economic strife and an alarming level of toxic polarization that threatens the very fabric of our society. In addition, we are at the same time also facing unprecedented levels of anti-Semitism and an increase in anti-Semitic sentiments from both sides of the political spectrum.

Perhaps you or someone you know has lost a friend or loved one? How do you cope with losses during this strange time?

In the wake of the pandemic, Federation partner agency the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education has created a gap year semester program aimed at incoming college freshman and rising sophomores attending US higher learning institutions.

As families continue to feel the impact of the pandemic, the Jewish community is helping fight food insecurity.

Last week, the three residents of Moishe House Brickell enjoyed an evening of community with a virtual mezuzah hanging at their new home. Friends and family, including Federation leaders and Moishe House Founder and CEO David Cygielman, gathered by Zoom as Rabbi Adam Gindea of Base Miami officially blessed the home.

The Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation has emerged as a lifeline for thousands of Miami residents whose lives have been disrupted by the current COVID-19 pandemic.