It's Happening In Miami

Thousands of community members experiencing food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have been relying on Federation’s Free Kosher Food Distribution Drive-Thrus to help them fill their fridge and pantry. On Friday, August 19, from 9 to 11 a.m., packages of kosher meat, fresh produce, milk, eggs, challah, dry goods and other supplies will be placed in the trunks of waiting cars at Federation’s next drive-thru event at Federation Headquarters, 4200 Biscayne Boulevard. Partners in the food drive include Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC), our primary human service agency Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Repair the World Miami, Farm Share and Miami-Dade County. We are also grateful to a number of generous donors for their support, whose loyalty allows us to continue our work. Cars will enter the parking lot via the northbound lane of Federal Highway. Participants must remain in their cars and wear masks. All CDC COVID-19 safety guidelines will be followed.

June 1 marked the start of hurricane season and Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) is here to help in case a storm threatens. You can join the 2022 JVC Emergency Response Team (JVERT) to support our community if a disaster strikes. JVERT is seeking volunteers to remove debris, deliver meals, visit the homebound, provide comfort and more in the event of a weather emergency. Click here to register to be a part of JVERT and participate in a meaningful way to give back. For more information, email [email protected].

Hillel International is sending your graduating high school senior a gift to celebrate their accomplishments and help them get a head start on their college journey. Members of the Class of 2026 can click here to claim their gift and connect to current students and Hillel staff at their college or university. In addition, grads will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win a $500 gift card!

Federation’s Annual Campaign supports seven Hillels across Florida – Central Florida Hillel, Hillel at FSU, Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, Hillels of the Florida Suncoast, UF Hillel and UM Hillel. Campus Hillels are more than 600 colleges and universities around the world help students strengthen their Jewish identity through educational opportunities, holiday celebration, activities, travel experiences and mentoring. The programs are unique to each community and can include weekly Shabbat dinner, outings to local events, game nights, guest speakers, service projects and more.

Participate in our confidential and anonymous mental health survey to be entered in a raffle for a $50 gift card! Are you the parent of a teen or young adult or do you work with them in a professional setting? Federation wants to hear from you — and them!

According to the US Surgeon General, teens and young adults are facing a dangerous mental health crisis. Federation’s Youth Mental Health Task Force is conducting a brief, confidential and anonymous survey of teens, young adults, parents and professionals to assess the area's most pressing needs and ensure appropriate services are available.

Make your voice heard and participate in the brief survey by clicking here. It should take no more than 10 minutes and your participation does a world of good.

Wish you could take your job remotely to Tel Aviv for a month? Now you can with Onward Israel’s Career Passport program.

If you are a Jewish young professional 22 - 32 years old, with a job that you can do remotely, this program is designed for you!

Participants receive housing in Tel Aviv and access to a co-working space, with the freedom to experience Israeli life and culture like a local.

Enjoy day trips, weekly workshops and a Shabbat retreat alongside others your age from all over North America and beyond.

Program cost includes housing in Tel Aviv for 4 weeks, educational trips and workshops, bus transit cards, and basic medical insurance. Participants are responsible for flights, food, and personal expenses.

Apply for the Summer Track by June 7 and get 50% off for a special early bird price of only $500!

Regular price: $1000, not including flights or food.

Learn more and apply here!

Applicants must not have participated in an organized program in Israel of at least 3 months’ duration.

This program is heavily subsidized by a variety of philanthropic bodies including Federation, Masa Israel Programs and the Birthright Foundation.

Dates:
Summer Track: August 22 - September 18, 2022 - early bird deadline June 7, regular price by June 17
Fall Track: October 24 - November 20, 2022 - apply by July 18
Winter Track: December 1 - December 29, 2022

Spots are limited!

Learn more and find out how to apply at the Career Passport site here

For any questions about this program, contact Lena Kushnir of Onward Israel at [email protected].

Join our community's response to the war in Ukraine by donating to the Ukraine Relief Challenge, and your contribution WILL BE MATCHED, DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR. A generous member of the community is committed to helping the Greater Miami Jewish Federation raise critical funds for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Donate now and double the impact of your philanthropy.

Since the war began in February 2022, thanks to your support, Federation has been working with our overseas partners the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, The Jewish Agency for Israel, World ORT and others to provide life-saving assistance to millions of displaced Ukrainians. But there is more work to be done. Now is the time to come together. Please click here to make a meaningful donation.

Dennis Prager Shabbat Keynote Address: How to Raise a Mensch - How to Be a Mensch

Saturday, May 28 at 9:30 am at Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus - 20350 NE 26th Ave, North Miami Beach, FL 33180

Join us for Shabbat Morning Services Saturday, May 28 at 9:30 am with a special keynote address by Dennis Prager "How to Raise a Mensch- How to be a Mensch"

Dennis Prager is a best-selling author, columnist, and one of America’s most respected and popular radio talk show hosts. He is the co-founder of PragerU, which has garnered more than 5 billion views on its website, mobile app, and social media channels.

Free event. Open to the community.

For more details, visit: http://btbrc.org/event/dennis-prager/

Dr. Marc E. Agronin, Senior Vice President, Behavioral Health, and Chief Medical Offer for MIND Institute at Miami Jewish Health, will be the keynote speaker at the second session of a series for Certified Legal Advisors (CLA) presented by Federation’s Professional Advisors Council (PAC) on Wednesday, June 1 at noon.

During the online session, available via Zoom, Agronin will discuss “Planning for Care in the New Normal: How to Understand Age-Related Changes in Cognition and Decision-Making When Working With Your Clients.”

PAC engages professional advisors to educate them about planned giving opportunities for their clients through Federation. After attendance of at least three programs in the PAC series, CLA professionals are recommended for certification and are listed on Federation’s website as a resource for donors to seek professional guidance in formalizing their legacy commitments.

Click here to learn more about the speaker.

Click here to RSVP. A Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

Bows and Arrows of Love##

by Rabbi Moishe Kievman Chabad Chayil

Lag BaOmer is a festive day on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the anniversary of the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Also known as the Rashbi (an acronym for his name), he was the author of the Zohar, a foundational work of the Kabbalah, who requested that the day of his passing be celebrated, and not mourned.

It also commemorates another event. In the weeks between Passover and Shavuot, a plague raged amongst the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva and on Lag BaOmer the dying ceased. The Talmud tells us that the plague affected the students of Rabbi Akiva “because they did not act respectfully towards each other.” Thus, Lag BaOmer carries the theme of the imperative to love and respect one’s fellow (ahavat yisrael). Lag BaOmer teaches us that while working to help improve our fellow man, we must never allow these efforts to compromise our love and respect for him.

It is traditional to light bonfires on Lag BaOmer eve, commemorating the immense light that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai introduced into the world via his mystical teachings.

Children customarily go out into the fields and play with imitation bows and arrows. This commemorates the midrashic tradition that no rainbow was seen during Rabbi Shimon’s lifetime.

Rainbows first appeared after Noah’s flood, when G‑d promised to never again devastate the world. When the world is deserving of punishment, G‑d sends a rainbow instead. Rabbi Shimon’s merit protected the world, rendering the rainbow superfluous.

But there’s a much deeper meaning behind the bow and arrow game, with a lesson not just for Lag BaOmer, but something we can apply every day of the year.

The first weapons devised by man were designed for hand-to-hand combat. But a person's enemy or prey is not always an arm's-length away, or even within sight. Soon the warrior and hunter felt the need for a weapon that could reach a target a great distance away, or which lies invisible and protected behind barriers of every sort.

With a bow and arrow, the tension in an arched bough of wood is exploited to propel a missile for great distances and slash through barriers. The inventor of this device first had to grasp the paradox that the deadly arrow must be pulled back toward one's own heart in order to strike the heart of the opponent, and that the more it is drawn toward oneself, the more distant an adversary it can reach.

Chassidut teaches us that the same rules that apply to tools of destruction, apply to tools of construction - the tools we use to help build each other. And this is the deeper theme and lesson of Lag BaOmer: In order to reach a friend or relative who is otherwise unreachable, we have to first dig deep within our own heart. The deeper place from within our heart this love comes from, the deeper it will penetrate in our loved ones heart. The more we work on our own character, the more our children will work on theirs.

The Rebbe writes in Hayom Yom “If you rebuke your brother and he does not listen, then it is you who is to blame. Words that come from the heart, enter the heart”. If you haven't penetrated their heart, dig deeper within your own heart.

This year, Lag BaOmer is Wednesday Night - Thursday, May 18-19, 2022. I encourage you to join a Lag BaOmer celebration taking place at any Chabad or synagogue near you. You are of course welcome to join us at Chabad Chayil in HIghland Lakes for a bonfire, bbq and kumzitz, to G-d willing take place Wednesday, May 18 at 8:30pm. There’s no charge and you can bring your own music instruments to join the kumzitz. For the complete history and more lessons you can learn from this fun and Kabbalistic holiday visit www.ChabadChayil.org/Lag.

About the author: Rabbi Kievman is the ambassador of The Rebbe to Highland Lakes, FL. He is founder of CHAP - an afterschool program for Jewish children in Public Schools, rabbi at The Family Shul & together with his wife directs Chabad Chayil. He can be reached at (305) 770-1919 or [email protected]

Getting ready for college today requires much more than school supplies and textbooks. With the alarming rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on many campuses, it is essential for Jewish high school seniors to be prepared for what's ahead.

Join the Greater Miami Jewish Federation International Division and the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education for a special educational and social program, Sunday, May 15 from 3 to 7:30 p.m. in Miami Beach.

• Learn about campus resources that support Jewish life
• Gain knowledge and access tools to advocate for Israel
• Dine, dance and mingle with other incoming freshmen

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. To register, visit JewishMiami.org/college Address will be provided upon registration.

Space is limited. Dietary laws observed.

If you, a family member or friend require special accommodations to attend this program, please let us know. We will do our best to assist you.

*For more information, contact Jessica Meiler-Tangir at [email protected] or 305.705.0800."