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Aug 27, 2018

Israeli Holocaust Survivors Find Community at Café Europa Social Clubs

Federation helped 8,000 Holocaust survivors attend 120 Café Europa social clubs in Israel this year, working together with our overseas partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. At the clubs, they find social and emotional support through the distinctive program, which also preserves their legacy for future generations.

Each Café Europa offers activities driven by the participants themselves, reflecting their unique interests and sensibilities. What’s universal is that Café Europa brings survivors warmth and community, and empowers them to create fulfilling experiences to share together. Together they form touring choirs; establish libraries with books in their native languages; organize lectures, workshops, and literary evenings; celebrate Kabbalat Shabbats, holidays and birthdays; create musical performances and plan field trips throughout Israel, giving Café Europa myriad forms throughout its many locations.

In each location, the program provides a critical forum for aging elderly survivors to share their experiences not only with each other but also with the youth in their communities. Local high school students join the seniors as volunteers and take part in joint activities like arts and crafts, hikes and excursions. This next generation learns the survivors’ stories, and together, they forge an intergenerational community and contribute to the collective memory of the Shoah.

Tzipora, a 77-year-old Café Europa participant in Karmiel, Israel, shared, “The feeling of a common destiny unites me with the other survivors I’ve met here. It allowed me to open up emotionally and to become socially active for the first time.”

Jewish Miami Offers Kever Avot

Jewish Miami Offers Kever Avot

Offered at a variety of cemeteries and virtually on Zoom, participants will join together in memory and prayer and light a yahrzeit candle for those who brought light into this world. Following the short program, you can visit the graves of loved ones with relevant materials provided.

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Limited Number of High Holidays Services Seats Available

Limited Number of High Holidays Services Seats Available

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami are once again partnering with local synagogues to make High Holiday services accessible to all.

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All Are Welcome to Worship in Jewish Miami

All Are Welcome to Worship in Jewish Miami

As we approach the High Holidays, it’s important to remember that all people — those with disabilities and those without — want to participate in community prayer. That is why Federation’s Miami Jewish Abilities Alliance (MJAA) is sharing valuable resources to elevate worship and celebrate Judaism.

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Women’s Philanthropy Installs New Board

Women’s Philanthropy Installs New Board

Hundreds of people from across Jewish Miami gathered recently at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens to thank the outgoing Federation Women’s Philanthropy Board of Directors for their outstanding service and to install new leadership for the coming year.

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