It's Happening In Miami

Seven actors bring to life the extraordinary story of violins played in ghettos, forests and concentration camps... and of the passionate Israeli violin maker determined to restore them. Now heard in performances all over the world, they are called the Violins of Hope. Musical underscore played by The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony. The live event with the actors will be in English, with simultaneous translations to Spanish. The performance will be available to watch between April 7-9 with Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

April 8, 2021 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM In observance of Yom Hashoa, join us in this beautiful musical experience. violins.eventbrite.com

Join us April 7 at 12 noon for an interesting webinar discussion about Covid's impact on the world now and in the future.

Click below to register:

[https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8XPRGeMNTAqBIqze8ZyYxQ]

by Rabbi Moishe Kievman

Chabad Chayil

The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated this year from sundown on Saturday evening, March 27, 2021, until after nightfall on Sunday, April 4, 2021, with its highlight, the festive “Seder” dinners on the first 2 nights of the holiday. The festival of Passover commemorates the freedom of the Jewish nation from enslavement in Ancient Egypt in 1313 BCE. After many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, G‑d sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message to: “Let My People Go.” When Moses’ warnings were dismissed, G‑d sent upon Egypt ten plagues, the last one being the killing of the Egyptian firstborn while “passing over” the Jewish homes—hence the name of the holiday.

This year’s observance, with the holiday beginning on Saturday evening, is a relatively rare occurrence on the Jewish calendar, bringing with it unique rituals and prayers. The next time the holiday will be on Saturday evening is in 2025, followed by 2045 the time after that.

To commemorate the unleavened bread that we ate when we left Egypt, we don’t eat—or even retain in our possession—any leavened grains known as chametz during the holiday. Chametz includes any food or drink that contains even a trace of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives, and which wasn’t guarded from leavening or fermentation. Instead, we eat matzah—flat unleavened bread, at least for the two Seder nights, when it's a Mitzvah (biblical commandment).

Our Rabbis explain that chametz is symbolic of haughtiness and egotism - traits so harmful that they are at the root of all negative traits. This is one of the reasons why even the most miniscule amount of chametz is forbidden - for these negative traits must be completely nullified.

Few Jewish holidays evoke the same warm sentiments as Passover. Memories of family and friends gathered as the four cups of wine are poured, the four questions asked and the Matzah served, all contribute to Passover’s popularity in the Jewish community. Bringing the warmth and tradition of this festival to every major city in the world, Chabad is inviting all residents who are in good health, to participate in covid-safe, socially distanced, Community Seders to be held on March 27 and 28th at locations throughout South Florida.

The Passover Seder is a feast that includes reading, drinking wine, telling stories, eating special foods, singing, and other Passover traditions. The central observance of Passover—eating matzah, the unleavened bread—will take center stage at the Seder, with handmade round shmurah matzah, “The Rolls-Royce of matzah,” available to all.

The Seders take participants through the wondrous liberation of our ancestors from Egyptian bondage, while sharing the relevance and beauty of the age old festival in our modern lives. Included in the Seder will be a delectable catered dinner paired with a variety of fine imported wines and handmade round 'Shmurah' Matzah.

Passover is not simply a celebration of the historic liberation of an ancient people. Passover is about our own personal liberation – physically, emotionally and spiritually, a message that rings true this year perhaps more than ever before in our lifetimes as we still face the challenges of the pandemic. Passover inspires us to break free from the shackles restraining us from reaching new heights – in our lives, relationships and connection with G-d.

For those unable to attend the Seder, Chabad Chayil is this year offering Seder-Kits to-go, including hand-made Shmura Matzah, the Seder plate with all the traditional seder-plate foods, packaged and ready for your Seder.

Chabad's community seder is part of a global Passover campaign that began in 1954, when the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, launched the Shmurah Matzah initiative. This year, over 500,000 people will participate at Seder at over 4,000 Chabad Centers throughout the world and an estimated four million hand-baked Shmurah Matzahs will be distributed.

We encourage you to contact your local Chabad or Synagogue to join the Seder nearest you. You are of course welcome to join us at our Seder in Highland Lakes. To learn more about the holiday, order a ready-made fully-prepared Seder plate, Shmura Matzah, RSVP for the seder or need help selling your Chametz, call (305) 770-1919 or visit ChabadChayil.org/passover, where you can also download for free a beautiful brand new Haggadah with easy to understand explanations.

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]

March 24, 2021 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Event Type: Virtual

Contact: Igor Alterman at [email protected]

University of Miami Hillel invites you to celebrate Purim, play Bingo, and raise money for the Jewish Life at the U.

Our annual fundraisers are known to be fun and engaging, and we are excited to make the most of it this year as well! Prizes, online auction, Mishloah Manot (Purim Baskets) for all registered guests!

Register HERE!

Join us for JDC’s virtual Passover event, celebrating a year of hope and impact in Ukraine, Poland, Israel, and beyond.

Wednesday, March 31 at Noon EST

This program is free of charge and open to all.

SAVE YOUR SEAT NOW!

“In every generation a person is obligated to regard himself as if he came out of Egypt”

Since the pandemic began, we have all endured challenges and pain and harnessed our resilience as individuals and a global Jewish community. And still, we ensured that the world's poorest and most vulnerable Jews received life-saving care.

Together let’s turn the pages of our year and tell the Haggadah — the story — of how we collectively save Jewish lives and build Jewish life around the globe. Let’s celebrate how far we’ve come, as we look ahead toward a brighter future.

Join JDC for inspiring stories and the opportunity to learn how we’ve adapted and evolved to bring light into a year of darkness. Let’s look ahead with optimism — together.

Masa Yom HaZikaron Virtual Memorial Ceremony will take place on April 13th at 1 PM EST

SUNDAY, MARCH 14 @ 3pm ET / 12pm PT

COOKING | Knafeh – The Queen of Arab Desserts

Presented by Harry Rubenstein

Crispy shredded phyllo dough. Molten cheese. Butter. Sugar syrup. Pistachios. These are the elements of knafeh, a delicious Middle Eastern dessert with numerous regional variations, though, it’s origins can be found in the Palestinian city of Nablus. These days in Israel, knafeh is all the rage, with dozens of knafeh joints in Tel Aviv alone. There’s even a knafeh delivery service! Luckily, with fairly simple ingredients, you can make a delicious knafeh at home in a short period of time. Ingredient list provided if you plan to cook along!

RSVP HERE!

MONDAY, MARCH 15 @ 8pm ET / 5pm PT

DIY | Veggie Gardening – Get Your Hands Dirty!

Presented by Ekar Farm

It's not just about the taste of sun-ripened tomatoes, or the snap of heirloom beans, or the health benefits of kale. It's about the satisfaction of working with earth, sun, and rain to bring food from home to table. Join Ekar Farm staff as we prepare for a new season of growing just around the corner. You'll learn just how easy it is to grow your own, and a bit of Jewish wisdom about our relationship to the earth. All you'll need is some of your favorite vegetable seeds, a seed starting tray or egg carton, and seed starting soil mix. We'll provide the tips you need for growing success!

RSVP HERE!

To ensure the health and safety of volunteers and community members, we must adhere to the COVID-19 CDC guidelines. Masks are required. Please remain in your car and open the trunk when it’s your turn in line. Volunteers will place food in your trunk. (If you are able, please print and place this on your dashboard.)

Thursday, March 18 9-11 a.m.

First come, first served while supplies last Please do not arrive before 9 a.m.

Greater Miami Jewish Federation Stanley C. Myers Building 4200 Biscayne Boulevard

We thank the following donors who have helped our community fulfill the mitzvah of bringing food to the hungry during this time of great financial distress, when so many individuals and families are experiencing food insecurity:

Joyce Bloch
Sherry and Neil Cohen
Himan Brown Charitable Trust
The Fain Family Foundation
Yleana and Yoram Izhak
Katz/Squires Family-Valerie, Michael, Danielle and Scott
The Richard and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation
Barbara and Richard Furman
Jerry M. Lindzon
Janice and Alan Lipton
Jill Braufman and Daniel L. Nir
Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst
Saul Schottenstein Scrip Program
Jacqueline Simkin
Sol Taplin Charitable Foundation
We are also grateful to those contributors who have asked to remain anonymous.

Farm Share, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider.

The unprecedented nature and rapid spread of COVID-19 has exposed critical risks to our local economy as well as our systems of health care and education.

As we approach the 12-month mark of this prolonged crisis, our partners at the United Way of Miami-Dade are conducting a Pandemic Impact Survey to measure how Miami-Dade households have been affected by the pandemic including the financial burden on families in our community. The survey aims to collect responses from a wide range of households, income levels, as well as, small business owners.

Your confidential participation, which will take no more than 10-15 minutes, is critical to understanding COVID’s impact to date as well as help inform long-term recovery efforts. A preliminary report will be published this summer.

Take the survey HERE.