It's Happening In Miami

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."

Women's Philanthropy invites you to a special program on Wednesday, May 11th from 10:30am-Noon at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 770 NE 125th St. North Miami.

Please join us for a guided private tour of the exhibit My Name is Maryan. The exhibit is a monographic presentation of four decades of paintings, sculptures, drawings & film by the iconoclastic, ground-breaking Polish-born artist Maryan. To learn about the exhibit, visit mocanomi.org.

We are honored to have Dr. Helen Sachs Chaset as our docent. Dr. Chaset is a long-time educator & daughter of two Holocaust survivors who was born in a displaced persons camp in Hannover, Germany.

Free parking available immediately east, west & south of museum. Handicapped parking is behind museum.

LIMITED space available & RSVP is required to participate. Please RSVP to [email protected]

We respectfully request that only those who are fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours in advance of this event attend. We thank you for your understanding & cooperation.

Federation’s holy work is made possible by the generosity and commitment of our volunteer leaders. Join us as we reflect on the challenges and accomplishments of the year, recognize leaders and elect the slate of officers for the coming year.

We look forward to honoring our Greater Miami Jewish Federation Outgoing Board Chair, Isaac K. "Ike" Fisher, and prior Board Chair, Jeffrey Scheck. We will also welcome Federation Board Chair-Elect Ariel Bentata and the officers, board of directors, trustees, and leadership council.

Additionally, the following emerging leaders will be honored for their outstanding commitment to the Federation:

Stanley C. Myers Presidents' Leadership Award: Jaclyn Bergman and Keith Ginsburg

Sandra C. Goldstein Young Leadership Award: Lecia Rothman and Yosef Shwedel

Robert Russell Fellowship Award Dr. Jaime Ghitelman

June 2, 2022 6 pm Hilton Miami Downtown 1601 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132

RSVP: 84th Greater Miami Jewish Federation Annual Meeting:

Click Here to RSVP

Under 40? Click Here to RSVP

Yodeah will be presenting a one hour virtual program for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its affiliated organizations on hereditary cancers in men and women in the Jewish, Black and Caribbean communities. Please join us for this life saving program for you and your family and find out how you can be tested. The program will include time for questions and answers. Friday, May 13 from 11:00am until 12:00pm.

HFLA Provides Interest-free Loans for Those in Need

If you need us ... BORROW

If you know someone ... REFER

To find out how you can apply for an interest-free loan, visit JewishMiami.org/hfla or call 305.692.7555.

Applications are now open for Miami Diller Teen Fellows, a leadership program for Jewish 10th and 11th graders living in or attending school in Miami Dade County. Throughout the year-long Fellowship, teens develop leadership skills, connect in a global network of peers, strengthen their Jewish identities and create ripples of good throughout the world.

The program includes monthly Sunday workshops, 3 Shabbatonim (weekend retreats), a ten-day peer-to-peer exchange and hosting the Yerucham Diller Cohort in Miami and a three-week Israel Summer Seminar in July.

Diller Teen Fellows empowers teens to become leaders of tikkun olam and provides them the tools to become a force of change throughout their lifetime.

* This is an exclusive leadership cohort limited to 20 students. Apply now through May 31, 2022. Visit dillermiami for eligibility information and to learn more.*