News from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Landon, Lauren and Liam love summer camp at the Dave and Mary Alper JCC. This past summer, the time was even more meaningful when their brother, Logan, joined the experience. Logan has special needs and his impairments have made it difficult for him attend school or camp with his siblings.

Your donations to the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign help make a difference in the lives of aging Israelis. Last year, nearly 300 of Israel’s neediest elderly, many of whom are Holocaust survivors, received nutritious food parcels twice a month.

Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will join forces on Wednesday, January 16 for a community-wide forum on the critical issue of BDS at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Sholom.

This year, the Women’s Amutot Initiative allocated nearly $300,000 from the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign to 26 organizations that improve the lives of Israeli women.

Join the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach for HOLOCAUST EDUCATION WEEK from Sunday, January 27 to Friday, February 1.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation Women’s Impact Initiative announced $53,000 in grants to be distributed to 11 local agencies that support the unique needs of Jewish women and girls in Miami-Dade County.

Jewish teens looking for a meaningful volunteer experience can be part of J-Serve 2019 on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 21 from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Participants from the G2: Global Intergenerational Initiative recently returned from an amazing week of discovery, exploration and volunteering in Israel.

Jewish overnight camp scholarships are available for children between the ages of 8 and 17.

More than 500 volunteers joined forces to give back to our community for Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center’s (JVC) 11th Annual Community Days of Service, held on December 21-25. Sixteen service projects at Miami nonprofit organizations ranged from cooking for and feeding the homeless, to wrapping gifts for hospitalized children, to making macaroni and cheese for food banks.

Before you ring in the New Year, consider making a contribution to the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign. Your donations help Jewish people in need in Miami, in Israel and in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Students from University of Miami Hillel and Hillel at FIU recently participated in Taglit-Birthright Israel and visited Miami’s partnership city of Yerucham. The groups enjoyed a drum circle and saw the crater from Mount Avnum.

Nearly one out of every four Israelis goes to bed hungry each night. Your donations to the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign helps support Leket Israel — the National Food Bank, which feeds thousands of vulnerable Israelis.

The innovative work of The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), a Federation subsidiary, has been published in ejewishphilanthropy. Valerie Mitrani, CAJE's Director of Day School Strategies and Initiatives and Julie Lambert, Senior Educational Consultant, co-authored “The CAJE-Miami Model: A Decade of Lessons Learned,” highlighting CAJE’s efforts at improving the quality of teaching and student learning over the past decade.

Women filmmakers take the spotlight at the 22nd annual Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF), January 10-24, 2019. This year, a record 25 female directors from 12 countries are premiering their movies and more than half of all festival films have women serving in key roles as writers, directors or producers.

At-risk youth in Israel are gaining important social skills, self-confidence and career development opportunities, thanks to your donation to the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign. Through Shades of Sweet, a program run by Federation’s overseas partner, The Jewish Agency for Israel, young adults in Israel work as chocolatiers in two Pardes Channa-Karkur chocolate shops, developing an interest, and possibly even a career, in the confectionary world.

The Hebrew Free Loan Association of South Florida (HFLA), a subsidiary of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, wants to help you. Do you need financial assistance to care for an elderly parent? What about unexpected home repairs, medical expenses or help to pay for life cycle events?

Thanks to your donations, Holocaust survivors in Israel know that they are never alone. Through Federation's overseas partner the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), 8,000 survivors find friendship and fun at 120 Café Europa social clubs throughout Israel.