Volunteers and host families are needed for the upcoming 2017 JCC Maccabi Games and ArtsFest in Miami! More than 1,000 volunteers and 1,200 teens will help the Games come alive at the Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center from Sunday, August 6 to Friday, August 11. Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) is helping coordinate the effort. With drop-off points throughout the city, host families in both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties are encouraged to volunteer. Volunteers can bring a child under 17 to enjoy the Games when registered as a spectator. For more information, click here.

Earlier this month, 200 French Jews made aliyah aboard a special flight organized by Federation’s overseas partner The Jewish Agency for Israel. This is the largest aliyah flight from France and anywhere in Europe this summer. In response to the unprecedented demand from French Jews seeking a new life in Israel, The Jewish Agency has developed a special plan to help facilitate aliyah from France and ease French Jewish olim (immigrants) into Israeli society. Since 2000, more than 10 percent of the French Jewish community has immigrated to Israel.

Federation, Friends of Israel Scouts and the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center (MARJCC), came together to form a Miami chapter of Tzofim (Israeli Scouts), which will launch this fall. Tzofim is a youth movement for Israeli-American, Hebrew-speaking children in North America that seeks to strengthen their Jewish identity. MARJCC's Children, Youth and Family Program Director Dror Gershoni said, "We established the chapter in response to requests by our local Hebrew-speaking community. It's part of our efforts to engage the Israeli community." Click here for more information on the Miami chapter.

Every year, Federation’s Tzedakah Fund provides emergency assistance to Jews in Miami, helping with everything from basic necessities to indigent burials and more. If you are looking for a meaningful way to honor the memory of someone special, send get-well wishes or celebrate a simcha, consider purchasing a Tzedakah Fund card. For a contribution of $18 or more, a beautiful tribute card will be sent inscribed with your personal message. To contribute to the Tzedakah Fund, click here.

Thanks to your generous donations to the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign, 1,700 Jewish campers from more than 30 countries are enjoying immersive, inspiring Jewish experiences this summer—and every summer—at Camp Szarvas. The rural Hungarian camp, run by Federation’s overseas agency, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), helps build the next generation of Jewish leaders. Click here to make a donation to the Annual Campaign.