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

Rosalyn & Charles Stuzin

Giving back to the community has always been very important to Rosalyn and Charles Stuzin. “We support educational institutions, theater, art museums, dance and music, but Jewish causes are our number one priority,” said Roz.

Both Rosalyn and Charles grew up with parents who stressed the importance of Jewish traditions and values. Belonging to temple and celebrating the holidays was an integral part of their lives. Religious school, bar mitzvah and confirmation were milestones. Charles loved Temple Israel where his parents were very involved and Roz enjoyed temple-sponsored activities at Temple Judea.

Charles was born in Miami and Roz arrived when she was a year old. Both families were among the first Jews to move to Coral Gables in the early 1950s and unfortunately, faced antisemitism. “My life as a young Jewish girl was a conflicted one,” Roz said. “My parents were very religious southern Jews from Charleston who settled in Miami in the late 1940s. Because of the excellent school system, they moved to Coral Gables, which was a cold and prejudiced community at the time.” Charles’ family, originally came from New York, moved to the Gables for the school system as well and the two met at Coral Gables High School.

Both recall feeling like outsiders growing up as young Jewish children in Coral Gables. “Being comfortable was not part of our vocabulary. The community did little things that were annoying,” Roz said. “Religious holidays were not excused absences at the public school so during the High Holidays when we stayed home from school to go to services, we had to bring in notes from our parents saying we were sick.”

One Passover, the police visited Charles’ family because a neighbor reported that the cars of their guests were illegally parked. Despite the fact that his family was involved in banking and local politics, the non-Jewish children were unkind. The schools celebrated Easter and Christmas and required students to recite the Lord's Prayer and read portions from the New Testament daily after morning announcements.

“In the sixties, more Jewish families moved to Coral Gables and there were a growing number of Jewish kids at Gables High. We were still discriminated against, but it was subtler. We could not join the social clubs, but we could join the language and science clubs and be part of the band and debate. So we were recognized in the honor societies; brought home Westinghouse Science Scholarships and Silver Knight Awards, bringing academic credit to Gables High,” Charles remembered. “The Jewish kids at Gables were affected by the prejudice of the community so they became very insular, meeting in certain halls before classes and sitting together at one long table in the cafeteria.”

Roz and Charles emphasized the importance and need to support Jewish causes and the State of Israel based upon their experiences as children. They wanted their children’s life to be different.

“We want all Jewish children to have the opportunity to explore their religion in a warm, accepting atmosphere,” both said. “Federation fills that need for today's young people. Miami has come a long way from the prejudice of the 1940s and 1950s, but it still lurks beneath the surface and could rear its ugly head again. This is why we think it is important for our family to establish a legacy gift to make sure there is a strong Jewish lifeline available to support future generations of our children.”

Rosalyn and Charles Stuzin established an annual campaign endowment fund in each of their names through a gift in their will, making them Forever Pacesetters. This commitment will perpetuate their Summit level gift to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Annual Campaign beyond her lifetime.