Strengthening the Jewish Future…
In Their Own Words

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation remains strong thanks to members of our Heritage Society, Forever Pacesetters and Forever Lions.

Each year, The Foundation makes a sizable allocation to the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign and the overall Federation infrastructure thanks to the legacy of those who came before us. This past year, that distribution totaled $4.4 million from Campaign Endowment Funds and the Jewish Community Trust Fund. These funds help provide Federation with the resources to care for those in need, meet unexpected challenges and plan for the future, now and forever.

In Their Own Words

Shari, Patty, Louis and Brittany Gurkin

Patty and Louis Gurkin

For Patty and Louis, life is about experience and the experiences that are most meaningful for them are those spent together as a family. Temple Beth Am was the center of their family’s Jewish life while their daughters, Shari and Brittany, were growing up and attending Temple Beth Am Day School.

Patty and Louis have been supporting the Greater Miami Jewish Federation for over 20 years. Their involvement deepened when they traveled to Israel with the Federation – first in 2012 and again in 2018 when they participated in the Israel at 70 Mission with their daughters.

The Gurkins see these travel experiences to Israel together as way to actively share their Jewish values with their daughters, placing an importance on doing good in this world through volunteering and charitable giving. Both University of Miami graduates with master’s degrees in engineering, Shari and Brittany moved to New York and are bringing their Jewish values to life through their involvement in several charities as proud Lions of Judah and now Forever Lions.

This past year, Louis made a significant legacy commitment of $3 million to Federation in Patty, Shari and Brittany’s names. He wished to do something that honored his wife and daughters and would also impact the Jewish community far into the future. “It was important to Patty and me that we set an example for our children and friends and show that even average hard-working people can make an impact now and in the future.”

Marian and Paul Kruss

Marian and Paul celebrated a unique Mother’s Day, not only because it was during the coronavirus quarantine, but because they made legacy commitments through gifts of life insurance to support the Jewish organizations they care about including the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center and Jewish Community Services of South Florida. And instead of flowers, Paul gifted Marian with a Lion of Judah pin.

As one of Miami’s newest Lions of Judah, Marian said, “Paul and I could not imagine a more meaningful Mother’s Day gift than becoming a Lion and a Forever Lion by establishing this endowment fund, a gift that will ensure the continuity of our community and will help sustain the valuable work of our Federation.”

Several years ago, Paul had already made a Heritage Society-level legacy commitment. This additional legacy gift makes Marian and Paul Forever Pacesetters.

“It is our greatest privilege to fulfill one of our life's most important aspirations: a legacy gift that will help further strengthen our wonderful Jewish community, our diaspora Jewish sisters and brothers around the world and especially our beloved Israel. We feel very proud to be part of such an exemplary Jewish community – one that is strong, diverse, united and caring, with Israel at its heart. In particular, we love and are inspired by how our Federation and its agencies, with our amazing professional staff and volunteers, band together to achieve our vital mission of caring for the most vulnerable among us, while supporting every aspect of Jewish life in Miami and worldwide.”