jacksonville jewish news - november 2015

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JAGUARS TO HOST JEWISH COMMUNITY TAILGATE

HELPING HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN NEED

November 2015 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5776 • www.jewishjacksonville.org • JaxJewish @jaxjewish • Volume 28, Number 5 • 28 pages

A publication of the

Students at DuBow Preschool get hands on experience4 Page 15

Th e biggest and most exciting event of 2015 is right around the corner as the River Garden Foundation is hosting its an-nual Gala, ‘Meet Me in Havana’, Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Marriott at Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa. SunTrust Bank will return as the premier gala Sponsor and River Garden is proud to have the Honorable John and Gena Delaney as the evening’s honorary chairs.

Th is unique and elegant event will open up the world of Cuba right before your very eyes, as you enter the world of vintage Havana. Th ose in attendance will be enthralled throughout the evening by the fabulous world-renowned Chez-zam Entertainment Group. Th e event begins at 7 p.m., with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and an enticing silent auc-tion, then will continue with dinner, dancing and entertainment. More than 600 guests are expected at this fun fi lled event which the community looks forward to each year.

For those not familiar, the gala directly benefi ts the residents of the River Garden Hebrew Home and helps to ensure that the frail elderly of the community are taken care of in the manner they so deserve. River Garden relies upon philanthropic support and deeply appreciates the gener-osity of the Jacksonville community. For more information about the event, please contact Kathy Osterer at 904-886-8430 or [email protected].

BY KATHY OSTERERChief Development Offi cer

River Garden Galato have Cuban fl air

Society of Healers tohost guest speaker on Jewish genetics

On Sunday, Dec. 6 at 10:30 a.m., the Federation’s Society of Healers division will host, Jon Entine, television news producer and pioneering author on the DNA of Jewish history and identity. Recent DNA re-search and genetic studies offer extraordinary insight into the origins of the Jewish people and its impact on all of us. His talk, ‘Abraham’s Children: The DNA of the Jewish People,’ digs into his fascinating research and will explain, among other things, how the study of Jewish genet-ics is making major inroads in medicine.

“It’s literally saving thou-sands of lives around the world,” Entine said. “There are

some 40 known Jewish dis-eases, disorders that originated in single Jews and then spread throughout Jewish commu-nities,” he added. “You can inherit some genetic disorders from either a mother or father—the breast cancer mutations are examples, but many diseases, such as Tay-Sachs, result from the virulent combination of mutations carried by both.”‘Abraham’s Children’, was featured on the cover of Reform Judaism magazine and profi ledon a Jewish Life Television report viewed on YouTube more than 500,000 times.

“With recent advances in genetics, we now know that grouping people by race, mak-ing distinctions by such super-fi cial characteristics as skin color, is a very simplistic and misleading way of describing human diversity,” he went onto say. “Today, geneticists use the terms ‘ancestry’ or ‘popula-tions’ when describing how groups of people have evolved. Scientists today allow for a much more complex under-standing of human differences, studying distinctive ‘popula-tions’, which have different body types, disease proclivities, and even behaviors. Because of

BY ERIN COHENSociety of Healers Director

See JEWISH GENETICS, p. 13

rGEN’s Huts, Hula, and Havdalah parties long into the night

Palm trees, leis, and the now infamous Mitzmacher Maui Mojito were all the rage at the third annual rGEN Sukkot event, ‘Huts, Hula and Havdalah’. Hosts Jaimee and Jon Mitzmacher helped set the tone with tropical drinks and fes-tive Hawaiian music, while

Rabbi Howard Tilman of the Jacksonville Jewish Center led a pool-side Havdalah service. The evening also helped welcome many new individuals and couples in the community, who along with the regulars all celebrated in the beautiful Mitzmacher Sukkah.

BY JEANINE HOFFrGEN Director

See rGEN PARTY, p. 12

Remembering former Jacksonville Jewish Center executive director Don Kriss

See DON KRISS, p. 7

On Shabbat morning, Sept. 19th, just about the time that Don Kriss’ soul de-parted his body, we read the words spoken to Moses at the end of his God-given mis-sion to shepherd the Israelites to the very threshold of the Promised Land. “This day I am 120 years old; I can no longer come and go, and the Lord has told me that I shall not cross the Jordan. Be strong and resolute, be not fearful or in dread because the Lord your God Himself will walk with you; God will neither fail nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:2, 6). Moses was granted the blessing of 120 years, which, even if not understood literally, has become the traditional way to express the thought that one has attained fullness of years.

At the age of 61, Don lived but half of Moses’ lifespan; we are keenly aware that he has been taken from us far too soon. It may be said that he too, stood at the threshold of a Promised Land -- one that

beckoned with the hope of watching his grandson Finley grow up; sharing the jour-ney to old-age with Janet, his beloved soul-mate of 37 years; taking satisfaction from watching the synagogue he served continue to grow and thrive with his help until the age of retirement. It is hard, perhaps impossible, not to think about the many experiences Don might have had were it not for his untimely passing. Yet I cannot help but hear an echo of Don in the words of Moses to the Israelites: His insistence that those who would live on after him be strong and resolute; the reassurance that God will give us the strength to do what we need to. We draw on that memory for solace because Don spoke to us as a com-munity in so many ways: with his deeds, his smile, his compassion, his uncompro-mising insistence on accountability; his willingness to admit when he was off-base, his expectation that others be ready to do the same when they were wrong.

BY RABBI JONATHAN LUBLINERJacksonville Jewish Center

Jacksonville Jewish Center president Alyse Nathans with executive director Don Kriss

What JFCS is doing and how you can off ersupport

LEARNING ABOUT RECYCLING

Page 13

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Fun, food and football to be had on Dec. 20 before kick-off

John Entine

.com

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Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015 Like us on Facebook: JaxJewish Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @jaxjewish

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community news

w Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

The Jewish Community Foun-dation of Northeast Florida, Inc. is proud to release its new Logo design to the public. The new logo is part of a broader rebrand-ing campaign taking place at the JCF.

“During the past twelve months, the JCF has hired Jeff Klein as its new Executive Direc-tor, Kevin Rogers as the new Proj-ect Coordinator, selected SEI as the new investment management fi rm and created a new strategic plan,” said JCF President, Dr. Sue Nussbaum. “We felt that one way to communicate our excitement

about these changes was through a new logo.”

In the coming months, a new website will be launched along with new informational and educational pieces that help explain and clarify the JCF’s role in creating and managing fi nan-cial resources that will sustain our community for many years to come.

“We had two goals in creating a new logo, the fi rst was to make sure the design was modern and clean,” Nussbaum added. The sec-ond was that it needed to refl ect a strong Jewish identity and we are thrilled that the new design achieves both of these goals.”

BY KEVIN ROGERSJewish Community Foundation

New primary insignia

New logo accompanied by organizational wordmark

Fla Hospital Association names Richard Sisisky 2015 trustee of the year

BY BETH STAMBAUGHBaptist Health

Richard Sisisky, a trustee for Baptist Health and former Jew-ish Federation of Jacksonville president, was honored as a 2015 Trustee of the Year at the annual Florida Hospital Association (FHA) Celebration of Achieve-ment in Quality and Service Awards dinner in Orlando, Oct. 8. The program recognized a total of 14 hospitals and indi-viduals across the state who have achieved notable accomplish-ments and had signifi cant impacts on their local communities.

Sisisky was recognized as a passionate leader who is focused on the delivery of better health-care in north Florida. Through his work, Sisisky helped defi ne the recently announced affi liation between Baptist Health, Flagler Hospital and Southeast Georgia Health System, a highly integrat-ed network of locally governed, not-for-profi t hospitals serv-ing contiguous markets called Coastal Community Health.

“I am truly honored to be se-lected as a Trustee of the Year by

the FHA,” Sisisky said. “Know-ing that I am playing a role in helping Baptist Health improve the health of the greater Jack-sonville community is extremely rewarding.”

Additonally, he was recog-nized for his role in creating the Baptist-JCA Wellness Connex-ion, which offers members of the Jewish Community Alliance and patients of Baptist Primary Care free health coaching and wellness services. He also was honored for his generosity in creating the Sisisky-Kleppinger Lecture Series to raise community aware-ness of the unique health care issues facing women. Sisisky has been a highly involved member of governance at Baptist Health since 2002.

“Richard is an extraordinarily engaged and visionary leader who is involved in every aspect of governance at Baptist Health,” said Baptist Health President and CEO Hugh Greene. “In addition to his many board leadership roles, Richard is chairing our health system’s comprehensive campaign with a focus on secur-ing our future for generations to come.”

Photo by Larry Tallis

JCF unveils brand new logo and brand identity

• B&C Financial (p. 26)• Beachview Rentals (p. 7)• Beirut Restaurant (p. 10)• Bob Ham Eyewear (p. 4)• The Bolles School (p. 17)• Borland Groover (p. 26)• Brandon Pest Cntrol (p. 9)• Dott ie Shafer Wilson

Realty (p. 5)• Etz Chaim Gala (p. 17)• Erica Jolles Realty (p. 24)• Florida Hadassah (p. 28) • Impressions (p. 23)• Innovative Financial

Solutions (p. 16)• Jacksonville Children’s

Choir (p. 26)• Jax Hadassah (p. 18)• Jacksonville Jaguars (p. 13)• Jacksonville Jewish News

(p. 25)• Jewish Federation of

Jacksonville (p. 12)• Jewish Museum Fla (p. 11)• JJC Sisterhood (p. 3)

• Jerry Seebol (p. 23)• Judi Garwood Axa

Advisors (P. 7)• Larry Tallis Photo (p. 25)• Margo’s Catering (p. 6)• Nancy Rubenstein Realty

(p. 23)• NE Fla Conservatory (p. 8)• Paige Wajsman Realty

(p. 8)• The Palazzo (p. 27)• Pediatric Dentistry (p. 23)• River Garden (p. 15)• Shalom Jacksonville (p. 25)• Spivak’s Institute (p. 9) • Stein Mart (p. 6)• Terk Oncology (p. 2)• TRC Solutions (P. 16)• The Tax Man (p. 23)• Tumbling Kids ( p. 24)• Vandroff Insurance (p. 10)• Villages of San Jose (p. 14)• Winn Dixie (p. 27)• The Women’s Board (p. 3)

At the Jacksonville Jewish News, our advertisers are precious to us. It is with their support that the Jacksonville Jewish community has a newspaper. Advertising revenue also off sets the cost of production, so Federation dollars can be dedicated to helping Jews locally and over-seas. Please continue to live generously and support our advertisers:

Business Directory .......... p. 23Community News ..........................................p. 3-4, 6-8, 25-26Education ........p. 9-11, 15-18Federation News ........p. 12-14 Foundation ..................... p. 21

JCA ................................. p. 19JCFS ................................ p. 20 Lifecycles ......................... p. 23Opinion & Cartoons ........... P. 5River Garden ................... p. 22Synagogue News ..........11, 24

For your advertising needs, please contact advertising sales representative Barbara Nykerk at 904-733-4179 or Eta Perras at 904-629-0466.

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page 4 Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015 Like us on Facebook: JaxJewish Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @jaxjewish

JJN Ad Directory - Nov. 2015 JCA Baptist Wellness Connexion offers a trio of programs for month of November

The JCA Baptist Wellness Connexion offers ongoing well-ness programs at the JCA as part of a commitment to improving the well-being of the entire commu-nity. For the month of November, the JCA Baptist Wellness Con-nexion has programs led by JCA Baptist Wellness Coaches and other wellness educators covering a wide range of wellness topics.

Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., the Wellness Connexion’s Women’s Wellness Circle will address sleep hygiene with wellness coach Amaris Chrispell, RN, and certifi ed personal trainer Karen

Appelbaum. In this program, par-ticipants will get a better under-standing of the role sleep plays in overall heath and learn strategies, as well as techniques for getting the rest your body deserves but most of all needs.

Monday, Nov. 9, from 9-10:30 a.m., diabetes clinical educator Janice Apter will offer guidance and education about the disease.

Apter, who is a certifi ed instruc-tor and Baptist Health nurse will teach more about the prevention and management of this chronic disease.

Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m., join ‘Don’t Worry’ with holistic medicine and cardiology board certifi ed doctor Mona Shah, to discuss how stress directly affects your health. This program will teach participants techniques to promote natural healing through increased relaxation.

All of these programs are free and open to the community, however advance registration is required by contacting the JCA registrar at 904-730-2100, ext. 228.

By Jewish Community Alliance

Jacksonville Hadassah plans a pair of events for month of November

Godparent LuncheonHadassah’s annual God-

parent Luncheon will be held Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. at the St. John’s Town Center’s Maggiano’s Restaurant. The guest speaker will be Debbie Regent, major gifts offi cer from the national offi ce in New York. For additional information, contact Tricia Bettman at 904-737-3764 or [email protected].

Panel Discussion for Parents

Join us for an interactive program on the special chal-lenges and opportunities of raising Jewish children when one parent is not Jewish. This talk is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19th at 7 p.m. There is no charge to attend and refresh-ments will be served. RSVP to Liat at 904-372-7996, [email protected] or see the event’s offi cial ad on page no. 24 in this month’s issue of the Jacksonville Jewish News.

BY HELEN HILLJacksonville Hadassah

Jax Jewish Singles to sample Greek cuisine

Join the Jax Jewish Singles as we return to one of our favorite locations for Greek and Euro-pean cuisine, Athens Cafe. Please call 904-221-8061 for the exact date and time or email [email protected]. Opa!

BY FRANCINE SMITHJax Jewish Singles

Laurie DuBow (right) and family members watch as his granddaughter Shira removes the drape and reveals the newly named theatre in his honor at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville

On Saturday, October 3, Laurie DuBow was joined by his family, friends and a host of well-wishers as the Lawrence J. DuBow The-atre at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts was named in his honor. The event marked a year-long journey that was sparked by his innate curiosity and his desire to provide new opportuni-ties for children. It evolved into a collaboration which will benefi t Northeast Florida students for many years to come, and culmi-nated in a breathtaking, high-def-inition live broadcast of Verdi’s Il Trovatore from New York City’s Metropolitan Opera in the newly-named, state-of-the-art Lawrence J. DuBow theater.

This all began because DuBow loves opera and while attending a ‘Live from the Met’ broadcast at a local movie theatre, he met Jillian Leigh, the executive director of Opera Jacksonville who was there with some of her students. Her small, volunteer-run organization

had introduced opera to about 300 Duval County students each year since 2008, using broadcasts of The Met: HD Live and hav-ing teachers trained to use The Metropolitan Opera curriculum to promote learning and understand-ing of arts education for students.

DuBow wanted many more students to have the opportunity to experience the magic of The Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, but he soon learned the pro-gram was limited because of the expense and logistics of viewing the broadcasts at a local movie theater. So a wonderful col-laboration was formed between himself, Opera Jacksonville, Duval County Public Schools, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, the Metropolitan Opera and The Community Foundation of Northeast Florida. The end result was Duval County becoming only the third school system in the nation where ‘The Met: HD Live in Schools’ could actually be beamed into a local school. Douglas Anderson’s performance theatre was selected to receive the necessary technical upgrades, and

its transformation was funded by the DuBow Family Foundation. It was an exceptional gift from a quiet philanthropist who has shared so much with the Jewish community and so many others, because as he is so fond of saying, ‘It’s all about the children.’

“What a magnifi cent opportu-nity to be able to open the eyes and ears of so many students to the incomparable world of the New York Metropolitan Opera,” DuBow said. “Our children deserve a world class experi-ence, and the ability to increase that exposure by tenfold with this program was the inspiration for my family and for The Com-munity Foundation for Northeast Florida.”

The generosity of Laurie and the DuBow family, along with the Baker Family Advised Fund, the Jay and Deanie Stein Unrestricted Fund and others who have sup-ported this effort, will allow Op-era Jacksonville to expose more than 3,000 children each year to high defi nition broadcasts of the New York Metropolitan Opera.

BY SUSAN EDELMANCommunity Foundation for NE Florida

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts names theater in Laurie DuBow’s honor

opinion

JEWISH NEWSAdvertising Representatives

Barbara Nykerk • 904.733.4179Eta Perras • 904.629.0466

Editor & Communications DirectorMatt Franzblau • [email protected]

Communications CommitteeJon Israel, ChairShirley Bielski

Helen HillMichele Katz

Joan LevinAndrea Mail

Rachel MorgenthalAndrew OceanMarsha Pollock

Federation PresidentSandy Zimmerman

Federation Executive DirectorAlan Margolies

8505 San Jose Blvd. • Jacksonville, FL 32217Th e Jacksonville Jewish News is published monthly. All submit-

ted content becomes the property of the Jacksonville Jewish News. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of the Jacksonville Jewish News or its publisher, the Jewish Fed-eration of Jacksonville. Th e Jacksonville Jewish News is not respon-sible for the Kashruth of any product advertised.

Copy deadlines: All news, photographs, etc., must be received by the 6th of each month, and sent to [email protected].

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acksonvilleacksonville

As I write this column, Jews all over the world are reading parshat Noah, from the book of Genesis. Most of us know the story of Noah: the one with the ark and animals, a fl ood, a dove and a rainbow. Th ere is a problem well before we delve into the story - a problem that many sages and commentators have struggled with throughout the centuries. Th e parsha opens, “Noah was a righ-teous man; in his generation, he was above reproach; Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

Our sages question the mean-ing of this text and furthermore, question the extent of Noah’s righteousness. Our tradition attempts to answer this uncer-tainty by comparing Noah to our biblical forefather, Abraham. When God informed Noah about the impending destruction of all living fl esh from the Earth, Noah did not intercede, he was silent. When Abraham was told about the imminent fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, he argued with God and interceded on behalf of the righteous people living in the city. As loud as Abraham’s voice was, Noah’s silence was deafening.

Silence is prevalent in Jewish history, especially now, as much of the world, once again, sits silently watching the terror in Israel. Once again, Israel is left in the wilderness alone. In the deafen-ing silence, our Israeli brothers and sisters are being attacked, but there are no warning sirens. People are at risk while living their everyday lives - walking in the street, waiting at a bus stop, riding a bicycle, praying in synagogues, and yet, silence surrounds Israel. Social media and news headlines are fi lled with words of condem-nation and blame against Israel for doing all she can do to ensure safety and peace for her citizens. Th ere is nothing that refl ects Is-rael’s attempts to make peace with her neighbors.

Now, more than ever, we must break the silence. Now more than ever, we must put our political and religious diff erences aside and stand together as one people. Now more than ever we must make our voices heard by those who lead our country. Now more than ever, we must stand up against the baseless hatred and ignorance that runs rampant on social media feeds and news headlines. Now, more than ever, we must reach out to those beyond our Jewish com-

munity and teach people that we are a faith that values all life.

Our Jewish faith teaches us to pursue peace and freedom for all humanity. We may not be able to change the situation in the Middle East from Jacksonville, but we can certainly ensure a promising and peaceful future for us here in our own city. It will happen when we seize opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue with those who judge us and Israel based on what they see in the news, not based on personal encounters with members of our Jewish com-munity. Only then, will people be able to look beyond the headlines

and see the reality of the situation. Only then will people see us and value us for who we truly are.

I hope and pray that by the time this reaches your eyes, our Israeli brothers and sisters will once again be able to carry on with their everyday lives with joy. I hope and pray that God will spread a shelter of peace over Jerusalem, Israel and all the world. I pray that God will bring healing to the broken hearts and wounded people, strength to those in mourning, courage to those who live in fear, and fortitude and wisdom to those who lead. May God’s light shine down upon us all, so that, Bayom Hahu, On that day, God’s name will be one and we will be one. With God’s help and our hard work, may that day come soon.

Rabbi Matt Cohen, is the associ-ate rabbi at Congregation Ahavath Chesed. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He was ordained a Rabbi from Th e Hebrew Union College, in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2012. During his rabbinic studies, Rabbi Cohen served as rabbinic intern at Temple Adath Israel in Lexington, Ky., and as student rabbi for congregations in Texarka-na, Texas, Terre Haute, Ind. Prior to his rabbinic studies, he began his

congregational career as member-ship coordinator for Fairmount Temple in Beachwood, Ohio, where he also created and coordinated a group for young adults in their 20s and 30s and directed the synagogue religious school music program.

At the Temple, Rabbi Cohen oversees the B’nei Mitzvah Program and the Temple Youth Program-ming, teaches the 11th and 12th grade Mechina class, and assists Rabbi Lief with all rabbinic duties. As an accomplished musician, Rabbi Cohen oft en leads congrega-tional worship services with music, heading the teen-band known as ‘Th e Jew Crew’, in addition to the synagogue’s newly formed adult band, called ‘Th e Friday Night Live Band’.

RABBINICALLYSPEAKING

BY RABBI MATT COHENCongregation Ahavath Chesed

JJN’s Rabbinically Speaking: The Deafening Silence

www.jewishjacksonville.org Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

Rabbinically speaking is a monthly column written by clergy members in the Jackson-ville Jewish community. If you are a Rabbi, chazzan or religious leader in the Northeast Florida region and would like to contrib-ute your inspirational thoughts for a monthly column, please e-mail [email protected] with your name, organization, congregation and which month you are interested in writing for and what topic, specifi cally you would like to write about.

Sherry Chait is quick to meet any cause, person in need or op-portunity to give back with an enthusiastic can do attitude and an open heart. Whether it has to do with supporting Beth El - The Beaches Synagogue, Hadassah, a Kenyan orphanage or a newly arrived Congolese family, even a newly forming family adopting foster children right here in Jack-sonville, Sherry has an energized action plan to make sure they have what they need to feel safe, secure and cared for.

Her philosophy is that no deed is too small to have a positive im-pact in someone’s life and that she has a responsibility and legitimate desire to be someone who reaches out to make that difference.

If you have someone in mind you would like to nominate for Mensch of the Month, who vol-unteers both their time and efforts to the Jacksonville Jewish community, simply submit their name, photo and a short write up about them to [email protected]

page 6 Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

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Sherry Chait Dedicated community volunteer

November ~ 2015N b 2015

Motm

Synagogues team up for fourth annual Jewish community mitzvah project

Congregation Ahavath Chesed and The Jacksonville Jewish Center, are for the fourth time, teaming up for the Jewish Com-munity Christmas Day Mitzvah Project, so that members of the Jewish community, can perform mitzvot. This year there will be more opportunities for volunteers to be a part of the giving as we will be providing Meal on Wheels for approximately 500 people through the Aging True program. Donations of cookies are also needed as they will be packaged and delivered to First Respond-ers in the Jacksonville area. Last year there were more than 4,000 cookies that were donated but your support will be needed again either buy baking or buying this time around. Dinner will again be cooked for the Ronald McDonald House on Christmas Day and in addition, this year we will also provide a meal for those who will be at the Gabriel House of Care on the campus of Mayo Clinic. Volunteers will also get the chance to help out with an art project on a visit to River Garden.

Plenty of people will be needed for Mitzvah Day, includ-ing those who can fi ll the role of cooks, packagers, drivers, bakers and runners. Cooking and packag-ing for the Meals on Wheels and cookies will be done Thursday, Dec. 24, at the Temple and the delivery of both the dinners and the cookies will be done Friday, Dec. The meals at both Ronald McDonald House and at Gabriel House will be taken care of at each location on Christmas day. The delivery of both meals and cookies are a perfect time for families to do mitzvot together but the meal preparation at

Ronald McDonald House is for older teens and adults only. Gabriel House will allow children to be involved in helping with the preparation of their Christmas dinner with adult supervision.

For more information or to put your name on the list to help, please contact Wiatt Bowers at [email protected] for the delivery of meals or cook-ies, Mike Elkin at [email protected], for packaging of meals and being a runner on delivery day or Rhoda London at [email protected] for baking and packag-ing of the cookies. For cooking for Meals on Wheels, cooking for Ronald McDonald House or Gabriel House and visiting River Garden, contact Rhoda Goldstein at [email protected].

Approximately 20 volunteers will be needed to cook in the Temple kitchen, 30 to package meals, another 30 to package cookies and 10 apiece to cook and serve at Ronald McDonald House as well as to do the same at the Gabriel House. There will be about 60 routes for deliver-ing Meals on Wheels and to deliver cookies. River Garden will welcome seven to 10 families from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., Friday the 25th to help residents and to visit with them. Volunteers will be placed in a position of their choosing as it is fi rst come fi rst served.

BY RHODA GOLDSTEINJewish Community Mitzvah Project

River Garden Auxiliary in need of items and volunteers for upcoming garage saleBY EVELYN PECKRiver Garden Auxiliary

River Garden Auxiliary is hav-ing a garage sale, Sunday, Nov. 8th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4578 San Jose Blvd. Lots of items are needed but please note we will not be taking adult clothes and books. All accessories that are in good condition will be welcomed, including men’s and women’s shoes, hats, jewelry and scarves. Baby’s and children’s shoes and clothes are also needed, as are all kinds of household items such

River Garden Auxiliary will be having a garage sale Sunday, Nov. 8th at 4578 San Jose Blvd., from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

as small appliances, fl orist vases and fl owerpots. The garage sale will be easy to fi nd as there is a dry cleaners near the intersection where San Jose Blvd. turns left at Hendricks Ave. Items will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting Monday, Nov. 2 and last-ing through Friday, Nov. 6 at the above location. For more informa-tion or to volunteer, please call Evelyn Peck at 904-268-0597 or Mimi Kaufman at 904-626-2472. Volunteers are desperately needed to work in shifts, so call today.


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Don KrissContinued from p. 1

Don Kriss was a great poker player, though I never saw him with a deck of cards. He could cultivate an incredible poker face so that you weren’t quite sure what he was thinking or if his words were serious or not. This gift could make adults uneasy at times, but it was downright unnerving to kids -- especially those talented at mischief mak-ing around the building, and who believed that Don was prepared to personally escort them to a Sibe-rian gulag. But beyond the frown was the broad smile of a man who had grown up as, to use his term, ‘a shul brat,’ or a kid who spent a lot of time with his grandfather at the Hebrew Educational Alliance, the synagogue in Denver that was part and parcel of his earliest years. He could tell you about climbing up to the catwalks and dropping bits of ceiling plaster on to the rabbi’s head during ser-vices. While as the synagogue’s Executive Director he had to protect the building from youthful mischief makers, secretly he had a soft spot in his heart for them, because their hutzpah reminded him fondly of his own childhood.

Being the Executive Director of a synagogue is an incredibly challenging job. Imagine complet-ing a jigsaw puzzle in multiple dimensions simultaneously, in-teracting with staff, members, lay leaders and community leaders all at the same time. On the best of days when there are no surprises it can be daunting. Of course, the days when there are no surprises are few and far between; you can almost anticipate that the unan-ticipated will happen on any given day. Yet Don went to work on the knots of synagogue life with dedication, skill and patience. He also had an incredible talent of transforming confrontations into conversations, and conversations into new understandings. Execu-tive Directors deal at times with angry individuals -- some with justifi able complaints, others less

so. Don was an impartial listener who worked hard to make each person feel that he was heard. If ever an individual left Don’s offi ce without feeling he or she had been taken seriously, I am not aware of it. That isn’t to say he was always able to give people whatever they desired; but he certainly made them feel like they mattered, which was a core belief for him.

It should surprise no one that Don Kriss was recognized and respected among his professional peers. Because he was not one to toot his own horn, many might not realize he served on the Board of Governors of the North American Association of Synagogue Execu-tives (NAASE). In recent years he completed an additional level of professional certifi cation as a Fel-low in Synagogue Administration, and lovingly recreated NAASE’s Administrative Resource Center as a gift to the Executive Direc-tors of congregations within the Conservative movement. In a beautiful tribute to him, Harry Hauser, the Executive Director of NAASE, expressed appreciation for, “His mentoring and counsel-ing of colleagues over the last two decades, which will most certainly pay dividends in the years ahead, to our profession and the communities we all serve, as those students-turned-teachers in succession assert infl uence and impact in their own right, guided by the principles and values he

taught and exemplifi ed.” Others who have shared their sadness at Don’s passing include several rabbis from the St. Louis Jew-ish community, including Jeffrey Stiffman, the Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shaare Emeth, which Don served before com-ing to Jacksonville. As Rabbi Stiffman wrote me, “He was the best administrator with whom I had worked in my over forty years with our congregation. His warmth, smile and joy of being Jewish made him beloved by so many. Our almost 2,000-family congregation was so enriched by his dedication and creativity.”

It is hard to believe that Don Kriss’ tenure at the Jacksonville Jewish Center was only four and a half years. Indeed, I thought I was mistaken; it seemed that he had been here much longer, and I had to double-check this to make sure I was correct. This is surely a testament to the indelible mark he has made on all of us. We wonder how in the world we will manage without him but we will go on because Don has left us a better and stronger institution capable of dealing with these challenges; we will go on because Don would have wanted that. We will go on because the values that animated the depth of his character and life suffuse this synagogue, and they are eternal and imperishable. Today we are sadder, but better off because Don Kriss lived and worked among us.

Kriss was the Center’s executive director for four and a half years

JCA Mini Cultural Arts Fest continues with fi lm, books, music and more

The JCA Mini Cultural Arts Festival opened on Oct. 29, with a wonderful event featuring U.S. Ambassador Dennis Ross, who discussed his book, ‘Doomed to Succeed’. The arts fest, which includes the 19th Annual Jew-ish Book Festival, continues with more literary, music and performance events for the entire community. On Sunday, Nov. 1, the festival will feature a musical performance by violinist Sergiu Schwartz and pianist Tao Lin at 3 p.m. This concert will take place at the JCA and is free to the entire community, thanks to the generos-ity of Henson Markham.

The festival continues with several literary presentations by acclaimed authors Dan Eph-ron (Killing a King, Nov. 2), and Steve Katz (Blood, Sweat, and My Rock and Roll Years, Nov. 4), as well as a theatrical performance, on Nov. 8 by the JCA Theatre Department of the children’s book, Picked on Poin-dexter, written by local authors Denise Trager and Mary Ellen Panaccione. More literary pre-sentations include authors B.A. Shapiro (The Muralist, Nov. 10);

Lee Mandel (Unlikely Warrior, Nov. 11) and David Bernstein (I’ve Got Some Good News and Some Bad News: You’re Old, Nov. 12). These writers will pres-ent selections from their work and participate in audience discussion. Books will also be available for signing and sale at these events which all start at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m., the festival will feature a show-ing of the fi lm The Green Prince, followed by a discussion lead by a local psychologist. These events are free and open to the entire community, so for more infor-mation, contact Thelma Nied at 904-730-2100, ext. 227 or [email protected].


Beth El - The Beaches Sisterhood to hold wine tasting event, Nov. 12th

There will be plenty of fi ne wine for folks to taste, Thursday, Nov. 12 as Beth El – The Beach-es’ Sisterhood will host a special wine tasting event. The tasting will take place at the synagogue (288 N, Roscoe Blvd., Ponte Ve-dra Beach) and will begin at 6:30 p.m. The cost is just $10 and des-sert and coffee will be provided. Spouses and signifi cant others are welcome, so please send RSVP’s to Bobby Adler at [email protected].

By Beth El - The Beaches Sisterhood

Community news


Most of what is known about colonial St. Augustine comes to us through the Archives General of the Indies in Seville, Spain where very rare Jesuit documents relating to the founding of the nation’s oldest European City be-came available from the Vatican Archives, Seminole State College Professor Diana Reigelsperger Ph.D., jumped at the opportu-nity to read, study and translate some very revealing records. Reigelsperger, a specialist in the study of interethnic relations and settlement on the Spanish Florida frontier, will report her fi ndings at the Monday, Nov. 16 meet-ing of the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society, to be held in the Flagler Room of the old Ponce de Leon Hotel, 74 King Street, St. Augustine, on the Flagler College Campus.

The researchers of the St. Au-gustine Jewish Historical Society are eager to learn if the docu-ments shed light on the Limpieza de Sangre laws that forbid anyone with Jewish blood from travel to the New World. Society members also are looking for clues that the early settlers of our region saw the natives they found as the so-called Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Limpieza de Sangre laws were common in Spain in the 16th

century and important to such Catholic orders as the Francis-cans. However, the founder of the Jesuits, Ignacious of Loyola shunned the rules, saying “Jesus himself would have thus been forbidden to travel to the New World!”

If the early Jesuits saw the natives as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, then their efforts to convert them were clearly part of an ef-fort to hasten the return of Jesus, who would return when the Jews accepted him as divine. If the Jesuits saw the natives as the Ten Lost Tribes, this would also ex-plain some of the colonial burial practices of natives, uncovered during archaeological excavations at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine. This captivating talk is free and open to the public and no advance reservations are neces-sary. Call 804-914-4460 with questions or for more informa-tion.

BY MERRILL SHAPIROSt. Augustine Jewish Historical Society

Diana Reigelsperger

J Institute offers athletic, innovative, and exploratory programming for Nov.By Jewish Community Alliance

This month’s programming at the JCA’s J Institute is sure to have something for everyone. Get fi t, get cultured and partici-pate in the following informative and engaging programs. For a fun take on yoga, try ‘Acro Yoga’, Wednesdays, Nov. 4th , 11th and 18th from 7–8:30p.m. This exciting new class combines the breath work and fl exibility of yoga with the strength and bal-ance of acrobatics.

If you have been sidelined by an injury, and want to continue building strength and fl exibility after physical therapy, or sim-ply just want to get back into the swing of exercise, ‘Back on Track’ with personal trainer Pa-trice Dickman will get you on the road to full functionality and well

being. Those interested are also encouraged to join holistic health provider, Dr. Jon Repole for ‘Breaking the Sugar Addiction’ and learn how to manage sugar intake, feel healthier and have more energy throughout the day.

Exercise your creative side with two introductory writing workshops, ‘Intro to Fiction Writ-ing’ with journalist and author Ron Whittington on Nov. 3 and ‘Creative Writing Basics’ with freelance writer and short story author Stephanie Natale Frus, scheduled for Nov. 9. Another ex-citing and inspirational J Institute

offering is LEAN IN 2.0, the next generation of women’s program-ming. In a lecturing session scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16, from 7 – 8:30 p.m., participants will learn how to ‘How to Mul-tiply Your Time’, by discovering truly effective means of juggling daily tasks and responsibilities with author Rory Vaden. Regis-tration on all these programs is available online at jcajax.org/ji or for more information, call the JCA registrar at 904-730-2100, ext. 228.

Cornerstone of old Jacksonville Jewish Center building to be placed in parkBy Springfi eld Improvement Assoc.

The Springfi eld Improve-ment Association and Archives is proud and pleased to announce that it has arranged for the corner-stone from the burned Jackson-ville Jewish Center to be placed in Klutho Park. The stone repre-sents a very important period in Springfi eld history as well as an incredible contribution made by the Jewish Congregation, which dominated the Southwest quad-rant for almost 50 years, which is why it was such a terrible tragedy when the building was lost.

The offi cial dedication of the cornerstone took place Sun-day, Oct. 11, as Center Rabbi, Jonathan Lubliner was on hand as were quite of few of those who went to Hebrew School, attended services, and were married there. It was a special journey for this group in order to get permis-sion to place the stone in the park. SIAA sees this project as a chance to give back to the com-munity all while enhancing the parks, which has been the aim of the organization since its found-ing in 1904.

The cornerstone of the old Jack-sonville Jewish Center building was preserved, despite a fi re which ruined the majority of it.

St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society to host talk on Jesuit documents

Beth El - The Beaches to show movie about Jewish comedic humor, Nov. 15

Beth El – The Beaches Syna-gogue will show the documen-tary, ‘When Jews Were Funny’ at its next member and guest mixer scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. This insightful and often hilarious fi lm surveys the history of Jewish comedy from the early days of Borsht belt to the present. It ultimately explores not just ethnicity in the enter-tainment industry, but also the

question of what it means to be Jewish. Popular comedians from the past and present provide an abundance of surprising opinions and witty humor as they explore areas that infl uenced their humor; some denying that their comedy refl ected anything of Jewish culture. A wine and cheese social will be held prior to the viewing. For more information, contact Gail Greenfi eld at gailsgreen-fi [email protected] or call her at 904-534-7381.

BY GAIL GREENFIELDBeth El – The Beaches Synagogue

Have some news that you want to share with the JJN? Whether it’s a milestone achievment accomplished by a friend or family member as-sociated with the Jacksonville Jewish community or simply a story, event or announcement to be shared, drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also contact newspaper editor Matt Franzblau at [email protected] or 904-448-5000, extension 212.

www.jewishjacksonville.org

education

w Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

Reading brings one kindergarten mom back to the future from 1985 to 2015

This year my daughter started Kindergarten at Martin J Gottlieb Day School. Starting Kinder-garten is one of those milestones that feels big, because somehow, the fi rst day of Kindergarten seems to mark a leap ahead in the growing up process. I can even remember going off to Kinder-garten at Cohen Hillel Academy in Massachusetts in 1985... I wore mismatched socks to be like Punky Brewster and one of those plastic charm necklaces where the charms clipped on and off and you could trade with friends. And jelly shoes... Of course jelly shoes. My teacher was Mrs. Reiss Baker and I remember she talked to us with a very kind voice and I loved listening to her read us stories.

My daughter loves her teacher

this year. Ms. Lewis has tons of energy and is getting them passionate about reading. A few weeks into the year, our monthly PJ Library book arrived. My kindergartener opened it, looked at the pictures and handed it to me, “Read it, mommy!”

I opened my mouth to read the title, and staring back at me, right there on the cover... “by Sharon Reiss Baker”. What?! I did what anyone would do in 2015... I Googled her! Yep, she wrote it! I read the book to my daugh-ter and got a little teary-eyed. I explained to her, “Do you know who wrote this book? My kindergarten teacher! And here you are, my little kindergartener, reading a book written by your mommy’s kindergarten teacher!” That night, I used the email Google found on her writer’s website and wrote to Mrs. Reiss Baker. She replied the very next day and within her lovely letter said, “I loved seeing the picture of your daughter. You do know that she looks incredibly like you as a kindergartener, right? In other words, adorable.”

Oh, also? She told me I could call her “Sharon” now. I guess I’m all grown up.

BY EMILY CARPENTERMartin J. Gottlieb Day School parent

Carpenter’s daughter(2015)

Carpenter (1985)

Michele Block Gan Yeladim’s bountiful basket bidding opens

The JCA is looking quite cheerful lately as the shine of cellophane glimmers from the enormous, gift-laded baskets on display in the lobby. These lavish baskets are part of the annual Mi-chele Block Gan Yeladim Bounti-ful Basket silent auction taking place from Nov. 2-18 to benefi t school-wide gardening, compost-ing and recycling curriculum and related activities. This fund-raiser is unique in that all school families and local business may participate at the level of their comfort. All items in the bounti-ful baskets are donated and parent volunteers assemble the items into beautiful themed baskets which appeal to people of all ages.

“There really is something for everyone as we analyze results from previous years and plan with volunteers for what makes the most sense,” said basket commit-tee chair person Shoshana Woess-ner. “We always have a Shabbat or a Jewish holiday offering, and new this year we have added something called ‘Brain Games’ because our parents are interested in providing play opportunities

with an educational intention.” Volunteers worked tirelessly to

create the clever, fun and luxuri-ously themed baskets, so stop by and make a bid. Proceeds rein-force the concept of tikkun olam and support children learning about repairing the world through gardening and recycling.

BY MOLLY SWEETMichele Block Gan Yeladim

The annual Michele Block Gan Yeladim bountiful basket silent auction will take place Nov. 2-18



JEWISH NEWS


JaxJewishTVJ

Torah Academy of Jacksonville obtains federal grant for its staff to receive professional development

Torah Academy of Jackson-ville is the proud recipient of Title II Federal Grant monies. Title II funds are used to provide high-quality professional development for teachers in core subject areas. Core academic subjects include English, reading or language arts, math, science, foreign languages, civics and government, econom-ics, arts, history, and geography.

Title II funds may also be used to improve the knowledge and skills of teachers and principals concerning effective instructional practices. These can be used to provide training in how to teach and address needs of students with different learning styles as well as methods of improving student behavior in the classroom and identifying early and ap-

propriate interventions to help students that have different learn-ing styles. Training is also avail-able for teachers and principals to better involve parents in their child’s education, in addition to better understanding and use of data and assessments to improve classroom practice and student learning.

After conducting an initial needs assessment, based on

student data as well as a teacher survey, Torah Academy of Jacksonville will be spending the majority of the monies allocated toward general studies teachers participating in online profes-sional learning classes provided through the ASCD (Association and Supervision of Curriculum). The school will also be creating Professional Learning Com-munities or PLC’s within the Academy, fostering collabora-tive learning during its planning workdays.

By Torah Academy of Jacksonville

Every afternoon, learning and fun continue at the DuBow Preschool. One of the fabulous advantages of being part of the Galinsky Academy and the Jacksonville Jewish Center is that the children and faculty benefi t from fantastic specialty teachers, clergy, and amazing facilities. After lunch, older preschoolers enjoy a daily class at the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, where the children explore a variety of medium in Mrs. Gutterman’s art studio, try out instruments, in addition to dancing and singing in Mr. Bavington’s music class, as well as enjoying story and pup-pet time with Mrs. Hallett in the library. They also play ball games in the big gym with Mr. Tolisano, and last but not least, Fridays end with Judaic Adventures with Rabbi Lubliner, Rabbi Tilman, and movin’ and groovin’ with Hazzan Holzer.

A fi ne array of specialty

classes are also offered each week, including Sports Fun with Coach Marla twice a week, Fairy Tales In Motion and Tumbling, Gymnastics & Games by Mark Spivak’s Dance Studio as well as Color Splash with Natalie Dayan. As one can see, there is never a dull moment in the afternoons at the DuBow Preschool, so stay tuned to learn more about what those who stay for Kids Club end up taking part in. This year’s Kids Club theme is favorite children’s authors, including Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, and many more.

BY SHEREEN CANADYDuBow Preschool

No dull moments at DuBow Preschool in the afternoon

Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

EDUCATION


DuBow Preschool offers fall classes of fun for everyone

Stroller Workout - Enjoying fall weather with specialty classes

Cooler weather means more motivation to exercise outside. Did you know taking your work-out outdoors has shown many bonuses as opposed to exercis-ing inside? A recent New York Times article reported on studies done comparing outside activity to inside. “In virtually all of the studies, the volunteers reported enjoying the outside activity more and on subsequent psychological tests, scored signifi cantly higher on measures of vitality, enthu-siasm, pleasure and self-esteem and lower on tension, depression and fatigue after they walked outside,” the article was quoted as saying. In October, new specialty classes began, including a ‘Fun & Games’, which was 100-per-cent old school outdoor games. For November and December specialty classes include Partner Class, Bust Your Turkey Gut, Holiday Boot Camp, Circuits of Mommyhood and more. Stroller Workout offers a fi ve class pass (good for 3 months) for just $20, or pay a la carte at $5 per class, so be sure to join us before it’s Latke Season! Classes are held outside the DuBow Preschool at The Jacksonville Jewish Center on Mondays at 9 a.m. More informa-tion and pictures are available at facebook.com/strollerworkout

Music – A baby’s First Lan-guage

Did you know that babies can remember melodies as early as two months old? That’s why music is a wonderful way for a

parent and their baby to bond. Family Music & Movement has been offering classes since 2013 and is a wonderful fi rst class for a little one. “My 16-month-old got the hang of the schedule and songs after the fi rst class and has been participating more and more each time we attend,” one mom said of the benefi ts of the class. “He loves listening to the songs in the car, especially right before class,” she added. Sessions are all four weeks long and cost $38 and every family will receive a class CD to take home. Find out more at facebook.com/familymusicand-movement.

Shalom Baby - Your child’s fi rst playgroup

If you’re new to the area, or to parenthood, Shalom Baby is for you. Open to the entire Jewish community (affi liated or not), Shalom Baby is a relaxed play-group which meets at the DuBow Preschool twice a month on Fri-days at 11 a.m., and is geared for parents with babies and toddlers. Some of the upcoming dates and activities are:

Nov. 6 - Family Music and Movement: Jewish Edition

Nov. 20 - Thanksgiving CraftDec. 4 - Chanukah Fun at the

Bartram Trail library in Julington Creek (special location)

Dec. 18 - Toy and Clothes Swap (bring gently used clothes and toys to swap or donate)

Shalom Baby is always free, and is a great place to meet old and new friends as we end each playgroup with Shabbat songs, challah and juice. For more information, call 904-268-4200, ext. 143 or email [email protected].


Block Gan educators take part in Sheva learning communities

Last month, the seventh an-nual Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool and Kindergarten Early Childhood Symposium, Creat-ing Wonder, brought together Northeast Florida’s teaching community for a stimulating eve-ning to celebrate early childhood education. Now, faculty members are creating their own wonder in a newly adopted JCC initiative aimed at developing peer groups called Sheva Learning Communi-ties.

In Sheva Learning Communi-ties, teachers have the opportu-nity to support each other through peer mentoring, teaching obser-vation and group study sessions as well as discussions about the everyday challenges they con-front in their classrooms. In the Sheva learning framework, there

are seven core values which help guide educators in their studies and give roles to all aspects of the educational narrative. Children are constructivist learners, direc-tors are visionaries, educators are professionals and families are engaged partners. Environments are inspiration for inquiry, while physical education represents Sh’mirat HaGuf, the act of taking care of our bodies, and the study of Israel tells the story of Jewish people. These values are fodder for readings and group discus-sions both large and small.

“We meet to study articles and research books and presenta-tions together, while visiting each other’s classrooms and provid-ing feedback to each other about our observations,” said Rachael Ledesma, lead teacher of four-year-olds for over a decade at the JCA. “It’s so valuable to have guidance and refl ection from col-

leagues,” she added.In addition to the smaller

Sheva peer groups, Block Gan teachers also meet in larger formats to participate in discus-sions with expert consultants. In September, JCC Vice-President of Early Childhood Education and Family Engagement, Mark Horowitz visited the school dur-ing its monthly faculty meeting. Horowitz shared his valuable insights on research trends and exemplary practices in the fi eld of early childhood education with the Block Gan faculty. When teachers are part of a learning community of colleagues and are afforded time for personal and professional development, they build collegial spheres of under-standing, while helping to create and exchange ideas and expand their competency, ultimately enriching the quality of education for the student.


The seventh annual Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool and Kindergarten Early Childhood Sympo-sium, entitled ‘Creating Wonder’, brought together many from Northeast Florida’s teaching community

synagogue news

Jacksonville Jewish Center to show ‘The Final Victory’ documentary

Th e Jacksonville Jewish Center is proud to host the screening of the award winning documentary, ‘Th e Final Victory’, which is the response to the Nazis’ ‘Th e Final Solution’, where they set out to exterminate the Jewish people. Despite their devious plans, here we are - still standing, and stron-ger than ever. Our ‘Final Victory Trust’ expresses the power of the Jewish spirit that had risen from the ashes of the Holocaust. Th e fi lm production team is doing this

by producing and showing excit-ing documentaries that propagate the positive Jewish infl uence and donation to the world.

Celebrating 70 years since the victory over Nazi Germany, we are bringing you the story of Dr. Felix Zandman, who was one of the most distinguished scientists of the 20th Century. Dr. Zandman started his journey hidden in a shallow grave in Poland during the Holocaust and his achieve-ments are celebrated at the Smith-sonian Museum. His innovations are in-use all over the world:

cellphones, airplanes, computers, medical devices and at one time, he held 77 patents for his techno-logical innovations. He is also the founder of Vishay Intertechnol-ogy, which is now a multi-billion dollar global corporation.

Zandman brought forth the magnifi cence of the Jewish mind, with an out-of-the-box thinking that is credited for his miraculous survival. Th e Final Victory is his story but is also representative of the Jewish People as a whole. ‘Th e Final Victory has fi ve award winning productions which were

translated into many languages, and broadcast on Israeli national TV and in other countries, win-ning international awards. Th is special screening is sponsored by Th e Weiss-Leibo Fund for Excel-lence in Adult Education and will take place Sunday, Nov. 15 from 12:30-2 p.m. at the Jacksonville Jewish Center. Light refreshments will be served and kids ages 13 and older and weclome. Additon-ally, babysitting can be arranged if necessary. For more information please visit JJCJAX.org or call 904-292-1000.

By Jacksonville Jewish Center

Dr. Felix Zandman, the inspiration for the movie, ‘The Final Victory’

The Temple partners with the Sanctuary to feed the hungry here in Jacksonville

While we may read in the daily papers about people who are hungry in countries far away, the equally bad news is we do not need to go beyond our own city limits to fi nd similarly hungry people. It is this reality that spurred a continuing relationship between Congregation Ahavath Chesed (The Temple) and The Sanctuary at Mt. Calvary, located on Jacksonville’s northside. In May, the two congregations gathered together to share Soul Food Shabbat. Kabbalat Shabbat worship included the traditional prayers, punctuated by the music of Temple’s Friday Night Live Band and the spiritual songs of The Sanctuary’s Praise Team. Both Rabbi Lief, Senior Rabbi at Temple, and Pastor Newman from the Sanctuary, challenged the congregation to move beyond prayer and to take action to ad-dress the social issues we fi nd in our community.

Mike Elkin, Chair of Temple’s Tikkun Olam Committee jumped into action, saying “I am not

one to simply talk about issues, I want to do. I have learned from Rabbi Lief, that it is my responsi-bility as a Jew to partner with God to make the world a better place,” he added. “ While we may not be able to solve the problem, we can make life a bit better and I know that when we galvanize others to join the effort, we can make things even better.”

Elkin partnered with Angela Tomkins, Assistant Minister at The Sanctuary, and set a goal to create 400 food bags for hungry families in the community which surrounds The Sanctuary. That goal was more than twice the number of food bags distributed each month. Oct. 24 was the date set and both congregations began

collecting bags of rice, cans of corn and green beans, dried beans and corn bread mix. The Sanctu-ary went to its regular chicken supplier, who was so taken by the partnership that they agreed to in-crease their participation as well. The congregations blew through their goal of 400 food bags.

“It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we work to-gether as once again we learned the power of community,” said Wiatt Bowers, Vice-President of Religious Affairs. “There are many sanctuaries where we can express our gratitude for God’s bounty as this partnership is in its infancy and we are committed to its growth.”

By Congregation Ahavath Chesed

Etz Chaim names Labovitz as its new youth director

Etz Chaim Synagogue is thrilled to announce the hiring of its new youth director, Ben Labo-vitz. Originally from Baltimore, Labovitz has been a senior adviser to the teens in the synagogue’s NCSY program and has demon-strated his dedication and many talents for the last fi ve years, which is why everyone is excited for him to offi cially join the team. At Etz Chaim, he will oversee its growing Shabbos and Yom Tov youth programs for all ages as well as all social events for the youth at the synagogue. The new hire will also serve as the Chapter Director of the award winning NCSY Chapter. Labovitz has a knack of fostering great ruach

(spirit) and has quickly become a beloved fi gure in the synagogue. Additionally, he was recently married to his wife Laura, and the two have since relocated to Jacksonville.

By Etz Chaim Synagogue

Baltimore native Ben Labovitz will assume the role of Etz Chaim Synagogue’s new youth director

JAFTY’s annual social action banquet planned for Dec. 4

The Jacksonville Area Federa-tion of Temple Youth or (JAFTY), which is the Temple’s high school youth group invites you to an evening ‘Under the Stars’. The group’s Social Action banquet will be held Friday, Dec. 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed immediately by Kabbalat Shab-bat worship. The First Friday with JAFTY worship experience will include interpretive read-ings authored by JAFTY-ites and music provided by The Jew Crew, teen band led by Rabbi Matthew Cohen, Associate Rabbi at The Temple. Brotherly Love is the theme of this worship experi-ence and the entire community is invited to attend.

The proceeds from the annual JAFTY Social Action Banquet enables JAFTY-ites to partner with selected youth in the JFCS foster care program. “Each child in our care has a set of personal-ized goals as most children have school achievement expectations as well as goals centered on social skills development,” explained JFCS Executive Director Colleen Rodriguez. “The children are told that those who meet their goals by early December will be able to participate in a very special Holiday Shopping Spree with Temple’s JAFTY-ites. Since our

children do not have their own money, they are unable to do any holiday shopping for their foster families or for their siblings, so we are very grateful to JAFTY for providing this experience for our kids” she added. “The amount of money raised at the Social Action Banquet and the number of children who have reached their goals determines how much money each child has to spend. A JAFTY-ite helps each foster child use the money wisely and it is an amazing experience to watch the interaction between them, which is why I often wonder who learns more from each other,” she boasted about the experience.

Camp Jenny is JAFTY’s other social action focus. Each Memo-rial Day weekend, inner-city children from the Atlanta area are brought to Camp Coleman for a camping experience organized entirely by teens from through-out the region. Staff for Camp Jenny is a highly prized position and selections are made based on proposed program activities. “Each year, JAFTY-ites work so hard on their program proposals because Camp Jenny is amazing,” explained Jodi Gilmore, JAFTY Social Action Vice-President. “I will take any opportunity to be at Camp Coleman and being there at a program we run ourselves is just so awesome.”

By Congregation Ahavath Chesed

www.jewishjacksonville.org Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015w


federation NEWS

rGEN PartyContinued from p. 1

The Lions of Judah to have ‘soleful’ annual luncheon, scheduled for Dec. 3

Th is winter, the Women’s Divi-sion Lions of Judah are invited to put a little soul in their soles at their annual luncheon, which will take place Th ursday, Dec. 3. Th e event will feature, Jane Weitzman, executive vice president of Stuart Weitzman and founding vice president of Stuart Weitzman Retail. Weitzman will speak to donors about where Jewish philanthropy stands today, as she highlights the incredible experi-ences she has had volunteering closely with Th e American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) as well as a multitude of other Jewish charity organizations. Th e 11:30 a.m. luncheon will be hosted

at the home of Monique Miller and will be chaired by LOJ chair, Debbie Banks-Kitay. Th ose that are currently Lions of Judah, be

sure to look for mailed invitations soon, as well as emails about the upcoming event.

“Th ere has been a lot of buzz about our LOJ luncheon this fall as we put our best foot forward to welcome Jane Weitzman, to speak on the connection of the soul and Jewish Philanthropy,” Banks-Kitay said. “We are so fortunate that Monique has graciously off ered her home for our program; the perfect fi t for our Lion event.”

Weitzman spearheaded philanthropy for her company by generating funds to support breast and ovarian cancer research and awareness. Her eff orts were brought to life through innovative charity events in the brand’s stores and on its website such as the

Stuart Weitzman Celebrity Breast Cancer Auction. She serves on the executive committee and boards of UJA of Greenwich, Th e Ameri-can Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and 70 Faces Media. She is also on the Trust Board of Boston Children’s Hospital and the board of the Greenwich JCC. Additionally, she serves as the vice president of programming at the Jewish Book Council. Jane and her husband, Stuart have two daugh-ters, Elizabeth and Rachael and a granddaughter, Eva.

In the spirit of community and giving back, we ask that all guests bring one or more pairs of new children’s or women’s shoes to the event. If you cannot attend the luncheon, but would

still like to donate shoes, please drop them off to the Federation offi ce by Wednesday, Nov. 25, aft er which time they will be donated to Jewish Family & Commu-nity Services. Th e Lion of Judah programs are for those donors in our community currently giving at the $5,000+ level. For more information about the program, please contact Erin Cohen at 904-448–5000, ext. 205 or [email protected].

BY ERIN COHENWomen’s Division Director

Jane Weitzman

Rabbi Howard Tilman Sarah Fraden, Peter Hammer, Eric Wallace Isaac Levitan Susan Wolchok, Steven Wolchok, Laura Vinger

www.jewishjacksonville.orgw Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

federation NEWS

Jags to host Jewish community tailgate before Dec. 20 game vs. Atlanta Falcons

Save-the-Date as the Jackson-ville Jaguars will host a Jewish Community Tailgate on Sunday, Dec. 20 at EverBank Field, be-fore their game with the Atlanta Falcons. The tailgate is being co-presented by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jewish Federation of Jacksonville, Jewish Community Alliance, Jewish Family & Com-munity Services, Jewish Com-munity Foundation of Northeast

Florida, River Garden Senior Services, Beth-El The Beaches Synagogue, Congregation Ahavath Chesed – The Temple, Etz Chaim Synagogue and the Jacksonville Jewish Center. At-

tendees will have the opportunity to participate in pre-game festivi-ties and even win an autographed prize. Details regarding ticket purchases and pricing will be coming soon via email, Face-book and the Jacksonville Jewish News. Our synagogues and local Jewish agencies are looking for-ward to a great turnout from our entire Jewish community! For more information, please contact Jeanine Hoff at [email protected].

BY JEANINE HOFFJewish Federation of Jacksonville

Jewish GeneticsContinued from p. 1

their cohesive history, Jews are considered a genetic goldmine.”

Entine is the Director of the Genetic Literacy Project at George Mason University. He is a think-tank scholar with an exper-tise in ancestry, genetics, Jewish history and Jewish identity. He is the author of seven books, including ‘Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People’, which examines in a dramatic, literary fashion the history of the Jewish people and our deep ancestral connection to modern Israel through the prism of DNA. His acclaimed bestseller, ‘Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate History and Why We’re Afraid to Talk About It’, ad-dresses the Jewish domination of basketball in the fi rst half of the 20th century.

Before his recent literary suc-cess, Entine spent 20 years as a network TV news producer at the three major U.S. networks, winning 20 journalism honors, including a National Press Club Award and Emmys for specials about the Reform movements in China and the Soviet Union. He served as Tom Brokaw’s long-time producer at NBC News and executive in charge of documen-taries, and was a producer with ABC 20/20 and Primetime. He draws on his production skills as a former television news executive in his presentations on a range of issues, including the DNA of

Jewish History, Jewish Diseases, Jewish Achievement and Jewish views on sustainability.

The new Society of Healers co-chairs, Dr. Dina and Dr. How-ard Fetner invite you to join them for what is sure to be an incred-ible learning opportunity. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from Jon Entine, an expert on Jewish history, ancestry, and DNA,” they said. “This is an ex-ceptional chance to better under-stand the science behind genetic disease and Jewish ancestry-- a fascinating and important topic.”

Dr. Ronald and Joan Levin and Dr. Paul and Dr. Marte Wasser-man have graciously partnered with the Federation to bring Jon Entine to Jacksonville and we thank them for their generosity and their desire to bring greater awareness to this research. The brunch and program will be held at Epping Forest Yacht & Coun-try Club and there will be an $18 ticket fee to attend this event. Registration and payment in ad-vance of the event is appreciated. To RSVP call 904-448-5000, ext. 209 or go to jewishjacksonville.org/jonentine.

For more information about this event or get involved with the Society of Healers division, con-tact Erin Cohen at 904-448-5000, ext. 205 or [email protected].

rGEN’s Break-the-Fast is yet another delicious successBY JEANINE HOFFrGEN Director

rGEN’s Annual Break-the-Fast was a massive success as this event, which has been a highlight of rGEN’s annual program cal-endar, saw its largest crowd ever, hosting more than 50 young pro-fessionals and newcomers from the Jacksonville Jewish Com-munity. Hosts Shylie and Jesse Bannon have hosted several other events for rGEN including last year’s wildly successful ‘Whisky Business’. Shylie also chaired ‘Super and Thank You Sunday’, Federation’s largest one-day fundraising phone-a-thon event.

Break-the-Fast is known for its entryway into Jewish communal life for many members in our young adult community. rGEN also hosts an annual Passover Seder, and details on that event will come soon.

November Jewish Java to feature Elder Source rep.BY ISABEL BALOTINShalom Jacksonville Director

You are invited to Shalom Jacksonville’s signature monthly program, Jewish Java, which is the perfect place to schmooze with new people as well as friendly locals and to fi nd out the latest happenings in the Jew-ish community. It doesn’t mat-ter how long you have lived in the community, you are always welcome to join us and enjoy a free coffee with food entrée pur-chase. The next Java is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4th from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Village Bread Café (11110 San Jose Boulevard) and will feature the Elder Source of Jacksonville program. Director of Development Heather Corey, will share the many services and programs that are available through this organization. Areas

such as insurance counseling, home care and respite care, care-giver support, educational and so-cial activities will be highlighted, so feel free to invite your friends and neighbors.

For more information about Shalom Jacksonville and its programs, please contact director Isabel Balotin at 904-448-5000 ext. 206 or [email protected]. The Federa-tion’s Shalom Jacksonville is the offi cial Jewish welcome wagon of Northeast Florida, so those who are new to the community or are newly interested in Jewish life are encouraged to contact us.

Shalom Jacksonville is on a treasure hunt for new members of the Jewish community

Chances are, if you attended High Holy Day services this year you noticed many new faces in your synagogue or temple and I am pleased to report that many of these new people have been touched in some way by Shalom Jacksonville and our other won-derful Federation programs. One may be wondering how do we get these new names? The process is really quite simple as we contact the synagogues, Jewish schools, partner agencies, realtors, as well as peruse the local busi-ness journal. Sometimes even people like you alert us to a new Jewish neighbor or co-worker that has moved into the area but many times, I receive calls or emails from people contemplat-ing a move to the area. Shalom Jax representatives in Nocatee, Sweetwater, Amelia Island, and the Beaches give us a heads-up about new residents that have recently or soon will be moving into the area. Each year we add approximately 200 new names to

our database, which are shared with our Jewish agencies and synagogues on a quarterly basis.

This fi scal year began with a pair of successful screenings of ‘Welcome to Kutsher’s’, which is a fi lm documenting the last Jewish resort in the Catskills. The fi rst two screenings were held at River Garden, but the October showing was at Beth-El at the Beaches and in November we will enjoy the documentary at Temple Bet Yam in St. Augus-tine. The debuts thus far have been a smashing success, as to our delight, we have gathered names and addresses of more 25 new people. I would also like to thank River Garden for co-host-ing these four events.

Additionally, our monthly Jewish Javas are casual and friendly events which provide a

welcoming entry point for our newcomers, locals and anyone newly interested in the Jew-ish life. Representatives from Federation partner agencies have spoken to our group periodi-cally and have been successful in recruiting volunteers.

In 2016 we look forward to our meet and greets in individual homes in Avondale/ Riverside, Julington Creek , Fleming Island, Fernandina Beach, World Golf Village and Ponte Vedra. We so much appreciate the hospitality of our generous hosts who open their homes and hearts to our newcomers. In the spring we will again hold Passover in the Matzo Aisle at Winn-Dixie and in May we will cruise the Amelia Island waterways and learn about the rich Jewish history of the area. During the summer months will we look forward to our annual ‘Shaloha’ event. Our goal is to engage as many newcomers as possible, create opportunities for them to make new friends, while helping them navigate our com-munity and guide them on their personal Jewish journeys.

BY ISABEL BALOTINShalom Jacksonville Director

Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

federation NEWS


Partner Spotlight: JFCS provides vital services to Holocaust survivors

BY COLLEEN RODRIGUEZExecutive Director

More than 70 years aft er its traumatic end, the enduring legacy of the Holocaust lives on, through the stories, experiences and life lessons shared by 50 Ho-locaust survivors in the Jackson-ville Jewish community. Th ey are an amazing group of people and we are fortunate that they have chosen to make Jacksonville their home. Several years ago, Leslie Kirkwood and Bob Fischer made a commitment to ensure that our Survivors were known and that their stories were told. In 2010, JFCS was honored to be asked to form a Survivor group and begin working with them and their fam-ilies. Now, fi ve years later, thanks to funding from the Jewish Fed-eration of Jacksonville and other donors, a JFCS Case Manager devotes her time exclusively to as-sisting our community’s survivors and their family members.

An advisory committee of fi rst

and second generation survivors guides our eff orts and feedback from the committee helped shed light on a vital need to bring Sur-vivors and their family members together. Modeled aft er a program that the JFCS in West Palm Beach off ers, we began holding quarterly social gatherings. Th ese gather-ings greatly help the survivors decrease isolation and reinforce connections to one other. Th ey provide a safe place to share their life experiences and struggles, while allowing them connect with one another. Many Survivors were surprised to fi nd that there were close to 40 others like them living just a few miles away. Over the years, this group has formed a close bond, even helping to devel-op a Survivor Hagaddah, the fi rst of its kind, weaving the stories of survivors into the Passover Seder.

Sadly, as time has passed, we have learned that roughly 50-percent of our survivors are now living in poverty. JFCS feels strongly that this is not acceptable

and is working with AJFCA, our local Federation, and the JFCS in West Palm Beach to ensure that all of our Holocaust survivors are accessing Claims Conference dollars to which they are entitled, in addition to in-home services, meals, transportation and case management services. Th rough a special collaboration, the JFCS in West Palm Beach receives the Claims Conference Allocation for our local Survivors and in turn we access those dollars to pay for up to 25 hours per week of in-home support services for each survivor. We hope to be able to expand these services with additional dollars that may come available through AJFCA.

Th rough our Gen 2 group, we also provide support to the second generation of survivors. Gen 2 started as a grassroots eff ort from adult children who met one an-other through Holocaust survivor events. Children of survivors share a unique bond - they, too, are sur-vivors as they have grown up in

the shadow of the Holocaust. Th e enormity of that trauma oft en im-pacts their parents’ and their own coping abilities in addition to their world views. Th e result can be a culture of silence, whereby doors to history are potentially shut for themselves and future generations. Processing those experiences and feelings in a caring, therapeutic venue is essential for healing and strengthening family relationships for generations to come. Gen 2 creates a forum for adult children to establish connections with one another as they explore and share their parents’ stories with future generations.

To make a diff erence in the life of a Holocaust survivor today, contact Kathy Wohlhuter, JFCS director of development & marketing at 904-394-5727 or [email protected]

Th is past year during alloca-tions, the Jewish Federation of Jacksonville allotted $294,500 to help JFCS serve the unmet needs of those in the Jacksonville commu-

nity, who are less fortunate. Some of those deprived of basic necessities include the 40 Holocaust survivors who call Duval County home.

To make a contribution to the Federation’s 2016 annual cam-paign, call 904-448-5000 or go to jewishjacksonville.org.

JACKSONVILLE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

BY THE NUMBERS ...50 - No. of Holocaust survivors living in the area

20 - No. of Holocaust survivors living in poverty

$264,000 - Amount of money required to meet survivors’ needs each year


EDUCATION

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J Away Eco Day at Jax Beach a sand fi lled, fun adventure


More than 60 people, includ-ing JCA families and friends, took to the sea last month for J Away Eco Day at Jacksonville Beach. Participating families met on the beach near Huguenot Park for a morning spent learning about sea turtle endangerment and con-servation from Florida Fish and Wildlife biologist David Jones. The day culminated with a fun sand art project and snacks. JCA

J Away programs aim to engage members of the community who reside outside of the immediate geographic area. “It’s a great way to bridge the gap and bring our quality programs to children and families who might not otherwise make it to our part of town,” ex-plained JCA Director of Strategic Implementation Katie Kight. “It also gives our families a chance to go somewhere they might not ordinarily fi nd themselves,” she added.

A fun day at the beach for Michele Block Gan Yeladim J Away families

Reduce, reuse, recycle Parparim class is a success at the DuBow Preschool

The Parparim classes (three and four-year-olds) at the DuBow Preschool are currently engrossed in hands-on projects and learn-ing through its creative cur-riculum. The curriculum is based on sound developmental theory and evidence-based research. It is a project-based program that balances both teacher-directed and child-initiated learning, with an emphasis on responding to children’s learning styles and building on their strengths and interests. Presently, the Par-parim classes are working on the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle unit as each week they read fi ction and non-fi ction books and then work on projects related to the theme.

Last week they read the books ‘Something From Nothing’, by Phoebe Gilman and ‘Don’t Lose It – Reuse It!’ by Nancy Noel Williams, then they talked about how each person can help keep the earth cleaner and cut down on the amount of trash we produce by reusing paper, metal, and plastic. Kids also learned about tikkun olam, and how each child could help repair our world.

The students collected a variety of materials that would have been discarded and were given the task of creating something new. One group cre-ated a planter out of old soup cans, while another created a fort out of discarded boxes. The children were so inspired that they used recycled materials to create beautiful decorations for

the sukkah, as well as collages for their families, puppets, and life-sized robots using boxes, paper towel rolls, empty egg cartons, cans, and odds and ends. They even strengthened their fi ne motor skills while cutting up egg cartons to use as power buttons for their robots. They then asked their teachers what was next and were given more learning and fun as the reply. The next unit of study will be, clothing, as the kids will collect clothing to donate to needy neighbors, in addition to learning about how clothes are made, complete with a sewing lesson. They will also discover the various types of out-erwear worn around the world by different cultures and in a variety of climates.


Three and four-year-olds in DuBow Preschool’s Parparim class learned about recycling through hands on examples as well as books that teach about the importance of reducing and reusing

Learning not only for students at Martin J. Gottlieb Day SchoolBy Martin J. Gottlieb Day School

Given the ubiquity of technol-ogy in virtually every aspect of our lives, Martin J. Gottlieb Day School off ers interactive discus-sions exploring topics related to the ways education is adapting to the modern, technological world. A program called ‘Parent Con-nect’ helps educate parents about the new realities of learning in the information age. Th ese learn-ing sessions include discussions

which are moderated by educators Andrea Hernandez and Karin Hallett, who say that “technology has changed every sector of soci-ety, but education can be slow to adapt because of people’s personal memories of their own school-ing as well as concerns for their children.”

Previous topics have been focused on changes at Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, such as Th e Daily 5, an early literacy program, and digital blogfolios, in which

students document their own learning. Universal concerns like use of social media and growth mindset have also been explored. Upcoming sessions are open to the entire Jewish community. Th e next opportunity to attend one of these discussions is Monday, Nov. 30 at 8:30 a.m. in the Kramer Li-brary at the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School at which time the topic will be ‘Kids and Screens’.


EDUCATION

J Play hosts informative ‘fun with food’ event at Michele Block Gan YeladimBY MOLLY SWEETMichele Block Gan Yeladim

Although playing with food is usually discouraged, the JCA is making an exception during their November J Play, Fun with Food event as Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool invites families with young children to spend the themed morning playing, singing and craft ing edible treats.

When young children are en-couraged to be involved in cook-ing and meal preparation, they are more likely to form healthy eating habits and make proper food choices. Shared cooking time presents parents with the oppor-tunity to model healthy behaviors, and an invitation to help in the kitchen can be a confi dence boost-ing gesture for children to receive from mom or dad. In 2012, Block Gan adopted practices from the Discover CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) pro-gram, a JCC Association initiative

aimed at infusing the curriculum with opportunities for healthy eat-ing and exercise. One of the major tenets of the Discover CATCH program is to teach children how to distinguish between ‘Go Foods’, like fresh fruits and vegetables and ‘Whoa Foods’, like chips and cook-ies. During J Play Fun with Food, families will also get to enjoy a

healthy breakfast.J Play Fun with Food takes

place on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Th e fee per family is $15 and just $10 for JCA valued members. For more information or to register, call 904-730-2100, ext. 259 or [email protected].

Learning what ‘Go’ and ‘Woah’ Foods were quickly turned into fun

It was a Sukkot to remember at the Torah Academy of Jacksonville

BY RABBI YEHUDA BROWNTorah Academy of Jacksonville

Sukkot was celebrated in a style befi tting the Holiday of Joy as Torah Academy of Jacksonville students were engaged in a variety of entertaining and educational activities. Tuesday morning began with general studies and segued into a fun-fi lled Chol HaMoed carnival. The afternoon program kicked-off with an opportunity for students to demonstrate their raw creativity. They were divided into four large groups, each receiving a variety of art supplies, and were challenged to work as groups to create 3-D Sukkot. The results proved their artistic aptitude as well as their ability to work to-gether even when lacking central imperatives.

After a barbecue and fries, students participated in carnival activities such as sack racing, apple bobbing, beanbag tossing, infl atables and much more. They also had an opportunity to learn about the laws of Sukkot, hands-

on by building scale models of a variety of different types of Sukkos, each of which was halachically invalid for a differ-ent reason. On Wednesday, after pizza, the school exuberantly sang festive songs with the accompani-ment of a three-piece orchestra comprised of their teachers and principal.

Students then participated in the fi rst installment of a Jewish trivia competition called Yedios KIaliyos. They were divided by grade level, and challenged to demonstrate their knowledge of the laws and customs of this holiday season. Correct answers were rewarded with an opportu-nity to win prizes. The festivities concluded with a screening of an Israeli comedic mystery fi lm de-signed to instill Jewish values in the students. A great time was had by all, as the successful fusion of learning about the holidays and participating in its festivities with hands-on experiences created memories for a lifetime.

Academy students working on holiday art projects in the sukkah

Potato sack races taking place at the Chol HaMoed carnival

Students take a time out from playing carnival games to eat ice cream


education

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Martin J. Gottlieb Day School’s middle school mitzvah program enters it’s 20th year of service

Martin J. Gottlieb Day School’s middle schoolers are proudly continuing a long-stand-ing tradition, which was founded in 1961. A vitally important com-ponent of their Jewish day school education is to take their learning outside the school building every Friday by doing mitzvot (good deeds) in the form of community service projects around Jack-sonville, for Jews and non-Jews alike.

The goal of the ‘mitzvah pro-gram’ as it is commonly known, is to take Jewish learning and put it into practice. The program was started by Middle School Vice Principal Edith Horovitz

in 1996. “When middle school students experience what they are learning it becomes real for them,” she explained. “We want each child to become a mensch, and these experiences touch their lives in a way that classroom learning can’t. In other words, they are taken to the next level by doing them.”

This year’s projects that have been completed thus far include preparing and delivering brown-bag meals to students at the Mal-iVai Washington Youth Founda-tion on the Northside, in addition to baking and delivering Rosh Hashanah honey cakes to the elderly across Jacksonville. They have also sorted through food donations at Feeding America.

By Martin J. Gottlieb Day School

The Martin J. Gottlieb Day School middle school’s mitzvah program began in 1996 and was started by vice principal Edith Horovitz

In July and August, I spent 10 hours instructing my faculty a new methodology for teaching Torah. We laughed, we listened and we came to that inevitable conclusion that represents the shared grief of all Religious School teachers, that there is simply so much in Torah, and too little time to teach it all. Philosophical Inqui-ry, a question-based and largely student-driven strategy for having

open-ended discussions eases this legendary pressure. It presents a small slice of a Torah portion and provides for a deep exploration of a limited number of verses. It also encourages discourse, debate, personalization and curiosity and creates an environment that welcomes Jewish commentaries and midrash. Each week, I provide the teachers the verses for each age cohort and some suggested questions and activities. Our entire school views the current week’s parasha (portion), but each grade does so from a diff erent

angle. Each year, we will look at new verses, but more importantly we will teach the value of an ever-new, yet tried and true tradition of repeated readings.

School opened up Sunday, Sept. 20th, placing week one right between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, so the Torah reading from Yom Kippur was of course used to drive that day’s learning. Th at reading begins with the words, ‘Atem Nitzavim hayom kulchem, lifnei Adonai Eloheichem, which loosely translated means, ‘You are arranged (standing) here this

day before Adonai Your God’. Th e teachers were able to fi nd the reading in their chumashim or online and sent me their lesson plans, thus beginning our online conversations through which they teach and inspire one another. Quickly, they began to imagine the conversations generated by the text that they’ll soon be facilitat-ing in their own classrooms. Some are planning their set inductions, the playful ways that they’ll hook their learners through introduc-ing the vocabulary even before the students see or hear the Torah’s

words. Eventually, the teachers’ exchanges wended their way to subjects and tangents that sur-prised and delighted us all.

“I’m never going to think of standing the same way again,” one teacher remarked, adding playfully, “but I’m glad we read the Torah over and over again each year, because there is no way to teach it all.” Students at the Temple will have the blessings of teachers like this one, this coming year and hopefully, for many years to come as we stand ready to teach them all.

Breaking down the Torah into manageable chunks

BY NAOMI CHASETemple Religious School Director

acksonvilleacksonvilleJEWISH NEWS



JaxJewishTV


EDUCATION

Torah Academy of Jacksonville stresses pride in school through student govt.

The Torah Academy of Jack-sonville launched its fi rst Student Government program to encour-age student involvement and ownership. The program consists of the co-presidents, Chaim Go-ranson and Tammy Fisch, as well as their seventh and eighth grade classmates who serve as vice-presidents, secretaries, treasurers, fundraisers, photographer and other supportive roles. With each trimester, Student Government will lead the school in programs themed around self-development, middos and school pride.

Our sages teach us that fol-lowing the destruction of our Holy Temple, our Torah institu-tions now represent the home of God. With that in mind, the fi rst trimester’s focus followed the theme of ‘taking pride in our school’. To launch the new campaign, student government hosted a poster contest, where each grade was given a different part of the school and prepared a poster on how to treat it with respect and dignity. Congrats to the fourth grade for tackling the main hall and winning fi rst place in the contest and Mazel Tov to the second grade for doing an amazing job on the bathroom and water fountain area and placing

second.It’s the school’s belief, that

when students are in a clean, safe environment they benefi t greatly. When the learning environ-ment is neat and treated with the dignity it deserves, the learning is that much better. This initia-tive also teaches students the important middah (attribute) of respecting things that do not be-long to them. When we take pride in our school, we begin to respect our school, our teachers, our friends, our work, and ourselves. Teaching children to love school isn’t the easiest task, but when it includes interactive activities, it gets the student body enthusiastic and ready to learn!

BY TAMMY FISCHCo-President Torah Academy

Each trimester, students from the Torah Academy’s newly launched student government program will lead the school in programs themed around self-development middos as well as school pride

Block Gan faculty to att end national educationconference in Orlando

This month, several Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool and Kindergarten faculty members are hitting the road for a teachers-only fi eld trip. The select group of educators is Orlando-bound to participate in the NAEYC or National Association for the Edu-cation of Young Children’s annual conference, Nov. 18-21. This year’s program is slated to be one of the most valuable professional development opportunities in the country, attracting teachers from around the world, as it touts doz-ens of keynote speakers and hosts hundreds of exhibitors with the latest developments in the fi eld of early childhood education.

“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity as I can’t think of a better way to enhance my own teaching style than by sharing ideas with other professionals in my fi eld,” says teacher Carly Poole. The four-day conference is open to educators both nation-

ally and internationally who teach young children. NAEYC membership and accreditation has many professional benefi ts and sets the bar high for schools to achieve and maintain excellence.

“Achieving and maintaining NAEYC accreditation requires a signifi cant commitment and rigor-ous self-study process,” says ECE Director Theresa Levy. Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool and Kindergarten is one of only 11 other early learning centers in Duval County that hold the NAEYC accreditation, and the only NAEYC accredited Jewish preschool in all of Jacksonville. The school has held and main-tained the accreditation for the past 24 consecutive years.

“NAEYC sets the standard that all programs hold themselves accountable to unparalleled excel-lence in early childhood education and we welcome the opportunity to meet and learn from the leaders and visionaries in early childhood education at the annual,” Levy added.


The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) will hold it’s annual conference, Nov. 18-21 in Orlando

JEWISH COMMUNITY ALLIANCE 2015 FEDERATION ALLOCATION: $208,000

JEWISH COMMUNITY ALLIANCE

jca happeningsOctober 2016

Cheshvan/Kislev 5776

For more information or to reg-ister for programs at the JCA, call 904-730-2100 or visit our offi cial website at www.jcajax.org.

Vandroff Art GalleryTh e paintings of Nadine Terk will be featured from Oct. 30 – Dec. 2. Nadine received her M.S. in Art History and Archeology from Co-lumbia University. Her work has been exhibited locally and abroad and she will be present for her opening on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Film: The Woman in GoldNow is your chance to see this most memorable fi lm, starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds, on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 12 p.m. It’s part history, part mystery and fabulous. A snack will be served at the viewing. Th is event is free and open to the entire community.

Creative Writing Basics WorkshopLearn the craft of creative writing with short story author Stephanie Natale Frus on Monday, Nov. 9, from 7-8:30 p.m. Th e fee is $8 and $5 for JCA valued members. Reg-istration is required by Nov. 5.

JAway HavdalahTh is free family cookout and movie night is on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. Contact Betsy at 904-730-2100, ext. 245 or Katie at ext. 231 for more information. Reser-vations are required by Nov. 9.

Youth Basketball LeagueJoin an organized, competitive, social and recreational league that develops young athletes into fun-damentally sound players while having fun. Th e fee is $150 and $100 for JCA valued members. A mandatory skills assessment will be held on Sunday, Nov. 8. For assessment time and league schedule, contact Coach Rio at 904-730-2100, ext. 250.

Ready, Set, Go!On Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 12 p.m., in preparation for a visit to the Harn Museum of Art in Gaines-ville, Cindy Edelman will give a preview of the exhibits we will visit. Th is program is free to the entire community

One on One with the

Temple’s Rabbi CohenOn Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 12 p.m., meet with Rabbi Matthew Cohen, associate rabbi at Th e Temple (Congregation Ahavath Chesed), to talk about growing up Jew-ish, the rabbinate and more. Th is program is free to the entire com-munity but reservations are kindly requested.

Cool Car CorralOn Sunday, Nov. 8, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., enjoy cars from the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Tailgate and en-joy food and fun during the event. Reservations are required by Nov. 4. Th e fee is $7, and JCA valued members are free.

Individualized MedicineJoin Dr. Alexander Parker, associ-ate director of the Individualized

Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic, for this fascinating discussion about the future of medicine on Th ursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Th e fee is $5,a and JCA valued members are free.

Red Cross CPR Certifi cationCPR/AED certifi cation will be available for professional rescu-ers, public safety employees and lifeguards on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 1-6 p.m. Th e program includes a book and pocket mask and the fee is $105 and $70 for JCA valued members.

Babysitter’s Training CourseLearn to prepare for an emergency if home alone or babysitting on Monday, Nov. 30, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Th e fee is $75 and $50 for JCA valued members.

8505 San Jose Blvd.Jacksonville, FL 32217904-730-2100

jca.jax.org

‘Thanksgivukkah’ comes to the JCA

2013 saw the rare occurrence of Thanksgiving and Chanukah coinciding for the unique oppor-tunity to celebrate the holidays together. Although the occasions do not coincide this year, the JCA has a fall family holiday program to recognize them both. On Sunday, Nov. 15, at 12:30 p.m., join the JCA for Thanks-givukkah, a community event featuring fall-themed cooking

and dining décor, for the whole family to enjoy. For this festive program, Morah Karen Morse will share recipes for the upcom-ing holiday feast and instruct in seasonal decorations for all ages.

Organized by the JCA’s new-est department, Family and Jew-ish Programs, this event is just one example of how the JCA brings Jewish values and themes to community programming. In addition to special holiday programs like Thanksgivukkah,

Family and Jewish Programs also holds weekly Shabbat celebrations and collaborates with other JCA departments for sporting events, nature outings and concerts. The fee to attend Thanksgivukkah is $15 and just $10 for JCA valued members. For more information about this program and others within the Department of Family and Jewish Programs, contact Dave Flagler at 904-730-2100 ext. 271.


The JCA will hold ‘Thanksgivukkah’, Sunday, Nov. 15 which is a fun fi lled event, open to the entire community

Get down and boogie at the JCA this February!

Get out your bell bottoms and leisure suits and join us for an evening of nostalgia, great food and entertainment as on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m., the Jewish Community Alli-ance’s annual fundraiser event will transport you back in time to the 1970’s. This year’s chairs, Glenn and Michael Miller and Alison and Brent Trager, are busy planning an elegant eve-ning with a groovy twist.

“This year’s event is going to be a memorable and fun evening of cuisine, music, dancing and entertainment from the 70s,”

said Michael Miller. “It supports such a wonderful cause so you won’t want to miss it.”

The JCA’s annual fundraiser benefi ts many programs includ-ing senior activities, preschool, after school care and camp tuitions for families in need. Last year the JCA awarded more than $330,000 in scholarships for children, families and senior adults. Sponsorships and ticket sales are crucial to the success of this event. For more informa-tion regarding tickets or spon-sorship opportunities, contact Lior Spring at 904-730-2100 ext. 318 or [email protected].


A mandatory skills assessment will be held Sunday, Nov. 8 for those inter-ested in playing in the Jewish Community Alliance’s Youth B-Ball League

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@jcajax

@jaxjca

TheJCAJAX


JEWISH FAMILY & COMMUNITY SERVICES 2015 FEDERATION ALLOCATION: $294,500

JEWISH FAMILY and COMMUNITY SERVICES

PJ LibraryPJ Library, the award winning free program for books and music is open to all families with Jewish children in Jacksonville. If your children are between the ages of six months and eight years, they are eli-gible. Please sign up now by going to www.pjlibrary.org/communities/jackson-ville, or calling Whitney Kuvin at 904-394-5724.

Meals4YouJFCS in partnership with River Garden is pleased to bring you our meal program, Meals4You, From our kitchen to yours. Meals are delicious, nutri-tious, convenient and de-livered right to your door. Jewish dietary laws are observed, so call Whitney for more information at 904-224-6287.

Call2Go Call2Go is the transporta-tion program at JFCS. We work with Checker Cab and are happy to sched-ule rides for Shabbat and the holidays at no charge. We also provide rides for medical appointments and quality of life events. Call Whitney for more infor-mation at 904-224-6287.

Jewish Healing NetworkBecome a Jewish Heal-ing Network Volunteer at JFCS and help us fulfi ll the Mitzvah of Bikkur Cho-lim. If you are interested in helping, you can make a weekly visit or phone call to a senior, or even help us deliver food to those who cannot get out. Please call Gail at 904-394-5723 for more information or to sign up.Homecare ServicesHomecare Services are available to residents of the Jacksonville community. A partnership between JFCS and Alpert Jewish Fam-ily & Children’s Service in West Palm Beach enables JFCS to off er up to 25 hours per week of homec-are services to Holocaust survivors, through funds from the Claims Confer-ence. Services include light housekeeping, medication management, assistance with bathing, meal prepa-ration and running of errands. Please call Naomi Mirensky at 904-394-5777 for more information.

Briefs Gen2 Holocaust survivors invited for writers’ workshop

Second generation Holocaust survivors are encouraged to join author and facilitator Stacey Goldring for a second season of writing exploration with the Gen2 Writers’ Workshop. Now in its second season, the workshop is for those who choose to write and share their work in an environ-ment which is welcoming and supportive. Consequently, writing can often lead to interesting topics of discussion and commonality. The Gen2 workshop will meet at

11:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday each month and is followed by a delicious lunch catered by Tomato Crush. The November workshop

will take place Tuesday, Nov. 10, at JFCS.

“The workshop is an oppor-tunity to write about what you’d like, and even though writing prompts, ideas and templates are offered, there is never any pressure to create something,” Goldring explained. “Everyone is welcome, so don’t think you have to know how to write to partici-pate.” The writers’ workshop is an excellent opportunity to spend time engaging with others who have similar experiences. “Ev-eryone brings their own unique

history to the table and we all learn from one another,” Goldring added.

Knowing that everyone’s schedules are always busy, discus-sion is underway about forming an additional night group, so be sure to let JFCS know if you are interested in that extra session. To fi nd out more or to participate, please contact Gail Furman, Jew-ish Services director at [email protected] or call her at 904-394-5723.

By Jewish Family & Community Services

Stacey Goldring

JFCS ads staff members to its foster care services

JFCS has increased the number of its staff members who will be serving children in foster care from 15 to 20 counselors. The organization has been serving an average of 250 children who have been removed from their parents due to abuse and neglect. In the

next fi scal year JFCS will be serv-ing closer to 325 children who are in need of foster care and in some cases adoption services. Jewish Family & Community Services’ experience with dependent chil-dren and its strong relationship with the courts enables them to effectively expand these services here in Duval County.


ElderSource and JFCS form new Medicare counseling partnership

Open Enrollment for Medicare is now here and at ElderSource and JFCS, we understand that it can be very confusing with the new changes made each year. Because of that, we are continu-ing our efforts to provide you with unbiased counseling to help you maximize your benefi ts. JFCS is partnering with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs to host free counseling with trained

professionals who can help you make the right choices in Medi-care plans. We are able to provide these services by appointment only, so to schedule yours, please contact Hilary Rotenberg at 904-394-5722. JFCS is located at 6261 Dupont Station Court East in Jacksonville.


Pair of Holocaust survivor related events to be held

Join the Holocaust Family Gathering’s Chanukah celebra-tion, Sunday, Dec. 13, featuring live music by Rabbi Matt and the Macabees to be held at Etz Chaim Synagogue. Then, on Sunday, Jan.

31, a ‘Story Corps’ video pre-sentation will be held, consisting of conversations with Holocaust survivors and Sandalwood High School students. For more infor-mation about both events, please call Naomi Mirensky at 904-394-5777.

By Jewish Family & Community Services Gen2 Program Planned

at UF’s Judaica Library

The Gen2 Holocaust Survivors Writers’ Workshop is planning a special program open to all Holo-caust survivors and their families, scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 24 at the University of Florida’s Isser and Rae Price Judaica Library. The event is organized by Dr. Rebecca Jefferson, head of the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica, the University of Florida and Stacey Goldring, facilitator of the Second Generation Holocaust Survivors Workshop, in addition to JFCS. The program will last from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and will include a curator-led library tour, as well as a second generation program, discussion and lunch.

“The library is an incredible, breath-taking collection and is a safe harbor for Judaic literary treasures that tell the story of our collective historical experience, “

Goldring explained. “It is vital that survivors understand their stories are critically important, not only for themselves and their fam-ilies, but in a wide historical con-text.,” she added. “Visiting this wonderful library makes tangible the importance of writing about one’s experience and helps make the connection real.” The library is home to more than 100,000 volumes of Judaic literature and related materials and ranks as one of the foremost academic libraries of Judaica in the world. To fi nd out more about the library, visit http://cms.ufl ib.ufl .edu/judaica/Index.aspx.

JFCS’s Gen2 writers’ work-shop is an excellent opportunity to spend time engaging with others that have similar experiences. The library event will offer another opportunity for workshop writers and their families to connect. To attend this free program, please contact Gail Furman, Jewish Services director at [email protected] or call 904-394-5723.


JFCS volunteers go above and beyond to bring food to those who need it

The Department of Jewish Ser-vices would like to give special thanks to Cynthia Randall and Carole Morris, who both helped JFCS deliver meals to clients in need outside of the Mandarin area. Cynthia and Carole are Direct Service Aides, members of the JFCS Child Welfare Program.

The Meals4You service pro-vides nutritious meals to seniors,

families, or individuals recuperat-ing from illness and recent hospi-talization. Every week we deliver 100 or more meals to clients in Jacksonville. The months of September and October have been challenging due to the holidays, however, Carole and Cynthia made time in their busy schedules to make sure everyone received their much needed meals. We most defi nitely could not have reached as many clients without their help.


Sheridan shares her story with Holocaust survivors

More than 65 local Holocaust survivors and their families par-ticipated in the ‘Power of Truth Telling’, presented by Frannie Sheridan, this past October at the Temple. During the event, Sheridan shared her courageous journey out of secrets and lies and her journey back to Juda-ism. Survivors and their families were touched by her story and in return shared their own moving experiences. The audience was delighted with the presentation

and enjoyed the delicious Kosher dessert buffet catered by Tomato Crush.


The University of Florida’s Judaica Library will be host to a Gen2 Holocaust Survivors writers’ workshop, scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 24

Frannie Sheridan (left) poses for a picture after her recent visit


JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA

JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA 2015 FEDERATION ALLOCATION: $88,422

MONEY MATTERS

By JEFF KLEIN,

Executive Director

Donor Advised Fund Program; Just Do It!

A friend of mine recently told me about his love aff air with Nike, which was his very fi rst stock purchase. His initial purchase of 1,000 shares of the company’s stock cost him about $10,000 or about $10 per share. Today those same 1,000 shares are worth $122,000 and he’s kept most of the footwear and apparel com-pany’s shares through thick and thin, which is why Nike has turned out to be a wonderful investment for him. Anyone lucky, or smart enough to have acquired Nike stock when the company fi rst went public in 1980 has done quite well. My friend is a charitable fellow, so a number of years ago he decided to open up a Donor Advised Fund and set his sights on funding it with $20,000.

Th e JCF Donor Advised Fund program is ideal for transferring appreciated assets like stock or even real estate. Once established, you can use your DAF like a charitable bank account to satisfy your com-mitment to the Jewish Federation’s annual campaign, a gift to your favorite hospital or university and even pay your synagogue dues. Donors may use DAF’s to contrib-ute to any non-profi t for charitable purposes. In my friend’s case, he wanted to make the donation to his DAF in the smartest way possible and remembered hearing that it is usually better to contribute appre-ciated stock than to write a check for the same amount.

His stock had appreciated ten-fold since fi rst acquiring it, so he reasoned that he could sell $20,000 of his stock and use the proceeds (minus the sales commission) to open his fund. Th en, at tax time, he would owe capital gains tax on the on the appreciation. He also knew that his charitable deduction could off set that amount. Still, he asked himself, ‘why incur the capital gain and extra tax at all?’ Th is reminded him why it is so smart to give appreciated stock instead of cash because two benefi ts are better than one.

Because the JCF is a qualifi ed non-profi t, he decided to donate some of his long-term appreci-ated Nike stock instead of cash. By doing this, he received a charitable deduction for the gift and avoided paying capital gains tax. Trans-ferring the stock was easy, as my friend and his broker were given precise delivery instructions and the charitable transfer was com-pleted almost immediately. His gift was valued and documented for tax purposes, and the stock was sold with all proceeds (undiminished by capital gains taxes), going to his newly-established Donor Advised Fund.

With the above story in mind, how about you? Do you have appreciated assets in stocks or bonds that could be used to make a smart gift to charity? You and your professional advisors should assess when it makes sense to make such tax-wise gift s and how to do it. Th e JCF Donor Advised Program provides excellent customer service and ease of operation. For more in-formation please call the JCF offi ces to set up a time to learn more about Donor Advised Funds.

JCF to hold professional advisory committee seminarBY KEVIN ROGERSJewish Community Foundation

Keri Bracy

The JCF Professional Advisory Committee is putting together a free Financial Seminar to be held in November. This seminar, en-titled ‘Hope and Change at Year-end’, features four highly skilled and qualifi ed fi nancial profession-als. Those professionals include Keri Bracy (Agentia Partners LLC ), who works extensively with clients to identify and man-

age their insurable needs; Jeff Klein, the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Founda-tion of Northeast Florida, as well as Mark Kraus from Innovative Financial Solutions, Inc., who is a fi nancial advisor specializing in asset accumulation, manage-ment and protection, and James A Nolan III, an attorney from Gray/Robinson, who practices in the areas of estate planning, taxation and Elder Law.

Mark Kraus

Training sessions to be held for JCF partners on Create a Jewish LegacyBY KEVIN ROGERSJewish Community Foundation

The JCF is making prepara-tions to move to the next stage in this exciting Create a Jewish Legacy program. Arlene Schiff, national executive director for CJL, will be in Jacksonville, Thursday, Jan. 7, to provide training and consultation to our partners and synagogues as we move toward completion of the CJL program. The Create a Jewish Legacy is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), which assists communities through partnerships with Jewish Foundations and Federations.

This partnership helps promote after-lifetime giving to benefi t Jewish day schools, synagogues, social service organizations and other Jewish entities. Through training, support and incentives, CJL motivates Jewish organiza-tions to secure legacy gifts, stew-

ard donors and integrate legacy giving into the philanthropic culture of the Jewish commu-nity. If you haven’t completed a declaration of intent or would like to discuss how to transform your declaration into a formal document that insures your chari-table intentions come to fruition, contact Jeff Klein – Executive Director, at 904-265-6855 or jeff.klein@jewishfoundationnefl .org.

Arlene Schiff

• SEI Investment Advisor You will recall that the JCF Board voted to retain SEI Investment Advisor as the Foundation’s Investment Manager. This is an exciting step at the JCF, refl ecting the growing needs of the organi-zation along with the donor and partner organizations. Glenn Har-ris, JCF’s client manager at SEI, is planning to be in Jacksonville, Dec. 3-4 to introduce himself and SEI to the community, so keep watching for updates on his visit.

• PAC Networking Event The Professional Advisory Com-mittee will host its fi rst network-ing event in November. To stay up to date on the details of this event or to fi nd out how to join this group, which there is no charge for, contact Kevin Rogers – JCF Project Coordinator, by phone at 904-394-0720 or email him directly: kevin.rogers@jewish-foundationnefl .org.

• We Are Growing Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Jeff Klein (JCF), Colleen Rodriguez (JFCS), Marty Goetz (River Garden) and others, a local individual created and funded a new endowment fund which will provide support for Jewish Family & Children’s Ser-vices in addition to River Garden.

• Mazel Tov! ... to JCF Board members: Mel and Debbie Gottlieb on the birth of their new granddaughter Reilly; Richard and Kimberly Sisisky on the marriage of their daughter Kendall; and Gary Wilkinson on his appointment as Judge on the Duval County Fourth Judicial Circuit Court.

• ReBranding Th e JCF rebranding eff ort is now complete. Have a look at our old logo compared with our new one, as the new mark will be used in all communication from now on.

Jewish Community Foundation sports brand new look

NEW Logo

Old Logo

Th e Jewish Community Foun-dation of Northeast Florida’s re-branding eff ort is now complete. Above and to the right are our new primary logos, compared to our old one. Th e new marks will

be used in all foundation com-munication moving forward.

Th e new logo consists of the three main letters ‘JCF’ which comprise our abbreviated name with a circle encompassing a tree outline inside of the ‘C’. Th e letters are blue, while the bottom

part of the circle is red and the outline of the leaves are green. Please see a larger example of our new signage and an in depth explanation on page no. 25 of this month’s issue.

By Jewish Community Foundation

www.jewishjacksonville.org Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015wpage 21

RIVER GARDEN 2015 FEDERATION ALLOCATION: $195,000

RIVER GARDEN SENIOR SERVICES


www.jewishjacksonville.orgw Jacksonville Jewish News • November 2015

LIFECYCLES

Nancy Rubenstein, REALTOR®

C: 973.722.5648 | O: 904.285.1800

[email protected]

Visit my websitewww.NRubenstein.FloridaNetworkRealty.com

© 2015 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.

BirthsMazel Tov to Hazzan Jesse and

Leora Holzer on the birth of their daughter, Dafna Yael Holzer, Fri-day, Oct. 9th. Proud grandparents are Aaron and Margie Holzer of Jackson-ville and Hazzan Henry Rosen-blum and Susan Ticker of Queens, N.Y. Great grand-mother is Frances Ticker of Rockaway, N.J., and her big sister is Rena Holzer. A Simchat Bat naming ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 29, where Dafna, will lovingly be brought into the Jewish covenant.

B’nai Mitzvah Corey Udell, son of Holly and Robert Udell, will be called to the Torah on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 at Beth-El the Beaches Synagogue. Sharing in the simcha will be Corey’s brother Ryan Udell, age 16, grandparents, Rona and Jerry Brenner of Ponte Vedra

Beach and Helen and Jeff Udell of Hunting-ton, N.Y, as well as many other aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Corey is a seventh grader at Landrum Middle School where he is an honor student, plays French horn for the wind ensemble band and has participated on the Landrum Lions baseball team. He also enjoys playing baseball for the Ponte Vedra Thunder travel team and has taken part in travel ball for a total of fi ve years. For his Mitzvah project, Corey has been assisting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in its efforts to fi nd a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. He has per-formed various functions for the foundation such as being actively involved in fundraising and writ-ing numerous thank you notes to sponsors which have participated in the JDRF sneaker fundraiser campaign. Jonah Matthew Willens, son of Sara and Michael Willens, will be called to the Torah on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015 at the Jacksonville Jewish Center. Shar-ing in the simcha will be Jonah’s brothers, Gabriel, Ari and Nathan;

and many other family and friends. Jonah is in the eighth grade at Fruit Cove Middle School, where he is in

the gifted program. He enjoys reading, creating art, listening to music, watching Dr. Who, caring for animals, and spending time with his friends. For his mitzvah project, Jonah is taking part in volunteer work at the Saint Johns County Pet Center. Sydney Mason Herbst, daughter of Sharon and Bradley Herbst, will be called to the Torah on the occasion of her Bat Mitz-vah on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015 at The Jacksonville Jewish Center. Sharing in this simcha will be her brother, Andrew; her grand-parents Anita and Howard Cohen of Beachwood, Ohio, Joann and Ernie Cohen of Orange Park, Fla. and Harriet and Jeff Herbst of Delray Beach, Fla.; and many more family and friends. Sydney is in seventh grade at Fruit Cove Middle School where she is a

second year cheerleader and mem-ber of the National Ju-nior Honor Society. For her Mitzvah Project, she has vol-unteered at Little Star Center, which is a private, non-profi t school that provides comprehensive, afford-able, individualized education and behavioral services for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental delays. In addition to her volun-teer hours, she is also collecting donations for items the school is need of.

Weddings Carolyn and Elliot Zisser, of Atlantic Beach joyfully announce the marriage of their daughter Alison Rebecca Zisser to Rob-ert Aaron Nathenson, son of Richard Nathenson and the late Judy Apt Nathenson of blessed memory and stepson of Carol Nathenson, of Pittsburgh, Pa. The wed-ding was celebrated on Oct. 11, in Amelia Island. Rabbi Corey Helfand, of Foster City, Calif., a college friend of the bride and groom, offi ci-ated. Alison and Robert reside in Philadelphia where Alison is a clinical child psychologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadel-phia, and Robert is completing his post-doctoral research fellowship at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylva-nia. Tamara Haas and Ze’ev Zar-zar were married, Wednesday Sept. 9 in Israel. The ceremony and reception took place at Beit Adromeda on the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv, Yaffo. The bride is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Randall Haas of Jacksonville and the groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Zarzar of Nachlaot, Jerusalem. The bride is a Profes-sional Organizer and the groom is a Computer Engineer at Phoenix Insurance Company. Fol-lowing a honeymoon in Thailand the couple will reside in Tel Aviv.

Sympathies… To the family of Florance Berman, who passed away Thursday, Sept. 24 at the age of 91. She is survived by her children, Rabbi Yisroel Berman, Rabbi Todd Berman, Rabi Marty Berman, Louise Levine and Shir-ley Jernigan as well as all of her grandchildren and great grand-children. Funeral services were held Sept. 25 at the Evergreen Cemetery in the Jacksonville Jew-ish Center section, with Rabbi Avi Feigenbaum offi ciating. … To the family of Zelda Mandell, who passed away, Friday, Sept. 25 in Ontario. She is survived by her husband Irving Mandell, sister Marilynn (Ira) Goldfi eld, nephews David (Ann) Goldfi eld and Daniel (Michal) Goldfi eld-Sadot; daughters Robyn (Ted) Badner, Melissa (Trevor) Mehl and Lori (Renny) Correia; and six grandchildren. Funeral services were held Sept. 27, in Toronto. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Eugene Kornblum Fund at the Jacksonville Jewish Center.

… To the family of Simon Katz, who passed away Monday, Sept. 21 in Colorado. Katz is survived by his parents, David Katz and Kyna Katz; grandmother Libby Katz; Simon’s sister Clara; Aunt Terri (Robert) Wilsie; and Great-uncle Dr. Mark Mannis. Contributions in his memory may be sent to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). … To the family of Edna Maltz, who passed away Monday, Sept. 28 in Jacksonville at the age of 94. She is survived by her chil-dren Robbie Price, Carole (Larry) Ort, and Howard (Leah) Maltz; grandchildren, Lewis, Genna, andMichael; and two great-grandchil-dren. Funeral services were held Oct. 2 in Miami. Contributions in her memory may be made to a charity of your choice.… To the family of Herbert Har-ris, who passed away Tuesday, Oct. 6. He was preceeded in death by his wife, Belle Markov-itz Harris and is survived by his daughter, Sharon Harris Juhas; his son Robert (Paola) Harris, grand-children, Vanessa Gross (Geoff), Blake Harris (Zane), Chase Harris (Adrienne), Lucas Harris and Marcus Harris; and great-grand-children, Annabelle and Harris Gross, as well as Foley and Fargo Harris. Funeral services were held Oct. 8 at the Temple Cemetery at Evergreen, with Rabbi Joshua Lief offi ciating. The family requests that contributions in his memory be made to the Wounded Warrior Foundation, or the Jewish charity of your choice.… To the family of Elaine Lemberg, who passed away Saturday, Oct. 3 at the age of 90. She is survived by her daugh-ters, Beverly (Harvey) Gutman, Myra D’Agostino and Phyllis (Curt) Resnick; nine additional grandchildren, including Steven Resnick, the Jacksonville Jewish Center’s Director of Setzer Youth Education; as well as four great-grandchildren. The funeral and shiva took place in New Jersey. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Dave & Elaine Lemberg Scholarship Fund, 1090 King George`s Post Road #304, Edison, N.J. 08837.… To the family of Joshua Per-ras, who passed away Thursday, Oct. 15. He is survived by his par-ents, Rabbi Gary Perras and Carol Perras, as well as his brothers, Avi and Doronne. Funeral services were held Oct. 19 at Beth Shalom Cemetery in Jacksonville. Contri-butions may be made to Chabad of Southside or the Huntington’s Disease Research Association.

Classifi eds Lidia’s Services: home clean-ing, sitting elderly weekends, hemming pants. Call or leave a message. 904-387-9293. Evergreen Cemetery Plot for Sale, $1500. Single plot, Beth Shalom section, SW 1/4 of Lot 11. Must be Jewish to be buried in this section. Call 904-735-3221.

business card directory

Dafna Yael Holzer

Corey Udell

Jonah Matthew Willens

Sydney Mason Herbst

Zisser & Nathenson

Haas and Zarzar

To submit an item for lifecycles, please email it to [email protected]. Due date is the 6th of the month. For guidelines of how to write Bar/Bat Mitzvah, wedding or obituary announcements, go to jewishjacksonville.org/news under “Share your news.”


synagogue NEWS

w

Etz Chaim Synagogue to host columnist Herb Keinon for its annual fall Shabbaton

Etz Chaim Synagogue is proud to partner with AIPAC for its annual fall Shabbaton. The two’s growing collaboration is driven by their mutual desire to strengthen the security of Israel and enhance the U.S. - Israel Strategic Alli-ance. The Shabbaton is scheduled for Nov. 6-7 and the synagogue’s scholar in residence for the week-end is Herb Keinon, a diplomatic correspondent at the Jerusalem Post for the past quarter century. Keinon took over the diplomatic beat in August 2000, just after the failed Camp David summit, and just before the outbreak of the Palestinian violence in September of that year.

In his role, he is responsible for covering the prime minister and the foreign minister, often traveling with the Prime Minister on his trips abroad. He has fol-lowed Ehud Barak to Paris, Ariel

Sharon to Crawford, Texas, Ehud Olmert to Annapolis, and Binya-min Netanyahu to Washington. As such, Keinon has up-close knowledge and an intimate per-spective of the country’s political, diplomatic and strategic chal-lenges - from Hamas to Hizbullah, Kadima to Likud. In addition to these duties, which entails writ-ing both news stories, features

and analyses, Keinon also writes a popular monthly ‘Out There’ column on the trials and tribula-tions of life in Israel. In 2014, he published a new book, entitled ‘French Fries in a Pita,’ which is a collection of the these columns that have appeared in the Jerusa-lem Post over the past 25 years.

Originally from Denver, Kei-non has a BA in political science from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an MA in journalism from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has lived in Israel for 30 years, is married with four children, and lives in Ma’ale Adumim, just outside of Jerusalem. There is no charge to attend the his presentations, as they are open to the entire Jewish community, but if you would like to participate in Shabbat dinner, please contact the synagogue offi ce at 904-262-3565 to make a reservation.

By Etz Chaim Synagogue

Herb Keinon

Jacksonville Jewish Center launches new online portal

The Jacksonville Jewish Center is thrilled to announce the launch of its new online portal, jjcjax.org. The website is a partnership with the Jvillage Network as the synagogue is now able to better foster engagement between its current and future members, working to develop a more active, connected, and fi nan-cially supportive community. The committee comprised of syna-gogue members, staff and clergy oversaw each detail of production of the new site and is thrilled with the outcome.

“It was really important for us to work with a company that understood our audience,” said Committee member and JJC Pro-gram Coordinator, Falyn Shilts. “That’s’ because there is a great deal of information which needs to be part of a synagogue web-site to make it engaging and user friendly.”

Website users will fi nd that it has an enhanced presence and provides members with up to date information for upcoming events, service times, and opportunities for synagogue involvement. It is also a gateway to information on Center offerings in education, so-cial action, Jewish life, and Jew-ish resources. The mobile friendly site will help when members when they are in need of informa-tion or simply need to contact the synagogue at home or on the go.

Thus far, the launch of the website has been well received and has created greater commu-nication between the Synagogue, its members, and the community at large. The committee’s goal was to create a website to serve the Jacksonville Jewish commu-nity with an interactive medium utilizing a technological format. For more information check out the online portal at jjcjax.org or jvillagenetwork.com.

By Jacksonville Jewish Center

The JJC’s new online portal is a partnership with the Jvillage Network

Celebrating Simchat in style

Congregation Ahavath Chesed - The Temple celebrated Simchat Torah in style early last month, with its Consecration Class of 5776

The Jacksonville Jewish Center Sisterhood in co-operation with RE:MIND will present ‘Hidden Family Stories’, Wednes-day, Nov. 11, at 12 p.m. This program will be a candid conver-sation about the stigma and ulti-

mate treatment of mental illness. A panel discussion with Frieda Saraga, Kim Miller, and Gabrielle Magid will enlighten us on their personal stories. Please hold this date as there will be more details to follow in a formal invitation. For more information please call Beth Shorstein at 904-868-4400.

By Jacksonville Jewish Center Sisterhood

Jacksonville Jewish CenterSisterhood to hold mentalillness panel discussion

community news


Welcome to Kutsher’s documentary to make St. Augustine debut

After three previous screen-ings in and around Jacksonville, the award winning, Welcome to Kutsher’s documentary will be making its initial debut in St. Augustine, Sunday, Nov. 8, as Temple Bet Yam (2055 Wild-wood Drive) will show the wildly popular fi lm at 2 p.m., free of charge. The movie, which won ‘Best Documentary Audience Award’ at the Miami Jewish Film Festival, is about the last true Catskills resort has had two previous successful showings at River Garden and another one at Beth El – The Beaches, before heading down south to St. Augustine.

Each outing has brought together people who spent their summers in the Catskills and enabled everyone to reminisce, reconnect and even make long lost connections from their previ-

ous experiences in the ‘Borscht Belt’. The showings are being sponsored by the Federation’s Shalom Jacksonville Division as well as River Garden Senior Services.

For those who don’t know, Kutsher’s Country Club was the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills. One of the legend-ary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, it was family-owned and operated for more than 100 years. The Catskills resorts were not only a Jewish refuge and family vacation paradise, they also gave birth to American stand-up com-edy, an NBA All-Star tradition, and all-inclusive resorts. This fi lm brings to life how Kutsher’s thrived at the center of all this growth and excitement.

Those wishing to attend the fi rst St. Augustine screening can RSVP by calling 904-819-1875, or by e-mailing the synagogue directly at [email protected].

BY ISABEL BALOTINShalom Jacksonville Director

Scan code to watch trailer on

Folks often come dressed up in their Catskills attire for screenings

Anti-Defamation League helps support Jacksonville Community

Last month, the Jacksonville Jewish community engaged with Hava Holzhauer, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Florida Regional Director who visited the area to share ADL’s mission and work and to learn fi rst-hand about local issues and concerns. The effort helped inform people about ADL’s work and it demonstrated ADL’s commitment to serve and support the Jacksonville and North Florida communities.

ADL was created over 100 years ago when anti-Semitism was rampant in the United States and abroad. Its founders realized that the fi ght against one form of prejudice could not succeed with-out battling prejudice in all forms. Therefore, its mission is twofold: to stop the defamation of the Jew-ish people and to secure just and fair treatment to all. As a Jewish organization, it strives to create a better world by being a force for change and a shield against hate and extremism. ADL’s work is as diverse as the groups it protects. Efforts include -but are not limit-ed to - drafting model hate crimes legislation that has been enacted in 45 states; monitoring and com-batting global anti-Semitism and extremism; providing the police with vital information about hate groups and white supremacists; helping school communities ad-

dress and combat bullying and cyber bulling; and educating and empowering individuals to rec-ognize and stand up to anti-Semi-tism, anti-Israel activities, racism, bigotry and discrimination.

Holzhauer shared this informa-tion and more with the commu-nity as she attended and spoke at local synagogues, participated in an intimate parlor meeting and gathered with local civil and hu-man rights leaders. In addition, she led a program for college bound students and their parents, ‘Being Jewish on Campus: Are You Prepared?’, to provide infor-mation and tools if anti-Semitism and/or anti-Israel behaviors occur on their college campus. The community was thankful for Holzhauer’s visit and was reas-sured that the ADL is available to support individuals and groups in the community when needed.

“Anti-Semitism is a disease that has not been eradicated and festers in all countries around the world and continues to put Jewish lives at risk,” beloved Jackson-

ville local, Evan J. Yegelwel said. Yegelwel has been a generous supporter of ADL and has been actively involved at the regional and national levels for more than 25 years. “When an American Jew is a victim of hate, ADL is the 911 number to call,” he added.

Andrea Mail, a committed sup-porter of Israel, Jewish causes and the ADL, shared these sentiments, saying that “as a mother of three young girls, I am deeply worried about rising levels of anti-Sem-itism, racism and violence and, therefore, I am so grateful for the tireless work ADL does to address these issues.”

Although ADL’s Florida of-fi ce is located in Boca Raton, its reach goes far beyond the southern region, supporting all of the Sunshine State with staff and locals throughout the area. For more information about the Anti-Defamation League, or if you are in need of assistance, please call the ADL Florida Regional Offi ce at 561-988-2900 or go to www.adl.org.

BY REBECCA REJTMAN BENNETTADL Consultant and Facilitator

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community news

Ehud Barak in Jacksonville

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak came to Jacksonville last month as part of the annual Florida Forum speaker series.

Barak was the fi rst of three prominent politicians and athletes to talk at the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts in order to benefi t the Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital.

jacksonville jewish news - november 2015

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