Jun 20, 2016
Four times larger than last year’s, a crowd from across Jewish South Palm Beach County raised the ruach in testament to the strength and joy of our united Jewish community at the local observance of Jewish Unity Day on June 6, 2016. Nearly two thousand strong, we gathered in all our vibrant Jewish diversity at the Carole & Barry Kaye auditorium at FAU in Boca Raton for a night we’ll all long remember. The evening was presented by the Deborah and Larry D. Silver Center for Jewish Engagement (CJE), a division of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, in partnership with more than 60 local synagogues, schools, agencies and organizations.
Jun 14, 2016
We at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) are anguished and outraged by the act of terror and hatred this past weekend at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. We join with communities worldwide in grief as our hearts and prayers go out to those mourning loved ones or recovering from their injuries. And we stand in solidarity with all whose lives have been shaken to the core by this attack that targeted LGBTQ individuals on Latin Night in what they counted on as a safe place.The shooter also appears to have been inspired by radical Islamic views, claiming the murders for ISIS. Acts like this call on all of us to be resolute in our fight against terror and resilient as we commit to maintain our daily lives, even in the face of the threat it represents. They call on us to stand together and work together to fight back. And they remind us that we must be ever vigilant.
Jun 10, 2016
We at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County are horrified and outraged by this week’s deadly shooting attack in a popular dining and shopping center in the heart of Tel Aviv. The rampage claimed the lives of four people and injured 16 others. As Federation Board Chair Anne Jacobson and President & CEO Matt Levin said to a crowd of nearly 2,000 from across our Jewish community at Jewish Unity Day last Monday night, “we need to count on each of us working together to address the challenges of our people today and those we will face in the future.”
Jun 10, 2016
A remarkable $33.2 million in 293 legacy commitments from 236 donors has been raised by eleven South Palm Beach County synagogues, Jewish agencies, schools and the Federation in only the first year of the local, community-wide “Create a Jewish Legacy” (CJL) planned giving campaign in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACY™ initiative. Successful well beyond expectations, and surpassing other LIFE & LEGACY communities, Create a Jewish Legacy partners celebrated in great style on May 23.
Jun 1, 2016
Anat Jatwes from Donna Klein Jewish Academy (DKJA) is the 2016 winner of the Grinspoon Teacher of Excellence Award. The award is sponsored by the Department of Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to recognize local teachers who make a lasting impact on the lives of Jewish children, and contribute to excellence in Jewish education.
May 17, 2016
Local estate professionals are invited to a special opportunity on June 9, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. to learn from two national and international experts and earn Continuing Education Units amid premium networking and a cocktail reception. The Jacobson Jewish Community Foundation Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) anticipates about 150 guests at its 32nd Annual Seminar for Professionals at The Polo Club to hear David Cooney, Partner at Ogier, Cayman Islands; and Al W. King III, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, South Dakota Planning Company, present “The Pros and Cons of Foreign/Domestic Asset Protection Trusts” along with legal updates and current developments in Asset Protection.
May 12, 2016
Once again, a vibrant crowd from across Jewish South Palm Beach County will come together in testament to the strength and joy of our united Jewish community. After overflowing the hall last year, the crowd will be gathering in a much larger venue - at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 6, 2016 at the Carole & Barry Kaye auditorium at FAU in Boca Raton. This community observance of Jewish Unity Day will bring local residents to join more than a million people in 24 countries across six continents. The multimedia program will feature three senior local rabbis from the Orthodox, Reform and Conservative movements, Congressman Ted Deutch and more. Jewish Unity was spearheaded last year by the parents of the three Israeli teens kidnapped and murdered on their way home from school two years ago. Their parents called for a day to bring back and strengthen the overwhelming unity felt during that tragic period, and to build on it proactively – as the Jewish community in South Palm Beach County has been doing even longer. Two of their parents will be special guests at the event.
May 10, 2016
Sinai Residences of Boca Raton held its grand opening celebration on May 3, marking the culmination of an eight-year-long endeavor and a festive dedication for the luxurious 23-acre senior living complex on the Federation campus. More than 500 guests from across the community attended, including local rabbis and community leaders and new residents of state-of-the-art Continuing Care Retirement Community. They enjoyed lunch, speakers and tours. The celebration also featured a ribbon cutting and dedication of the Ted & Barbara Wolk Spa and Fitness Center at Sinai.
May 10, 2016
Vowing, “Never again,” hundreds from the South Palm Beach County Jewish and Christian communities came together to commemorate the Holocaust in solidarity, with a march and an interfaith, intergenerational program coordinated by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. They gathered on Sunday, May 1, 2016, a few days before Yom HaShoah, in the Boca Raton Christian School (BRCS) gymnasium at 3:00 p.m.
May 9, 2016
Nearly 200 local estate planning professionals and others committed to philanthropic giving enjoyed a cocktail reception and dinner at Woodfield Country Club to honor their own. Thanks to the collaboration of Mark Schaum, Sid Savelle and Elyssa Kupferberg, they also celebrated the newly renamed Irving Eckhardt Mitzvah Society, recognizing the local resident whose estate left the largest unrestricted gift ever received by the Jacobson Jewish Community Foundation to date.
Apr 28, 2016
Amid premium networking, business leaders and professionals will have the opportunity to hear from Miami Marlins President David P. Samson at the 2015-16 season’s third Lewis Katz Industry Icon Series event. Samson will share his intriguing stories and insights on Tuesday morning, May 24, 2016, at the breakfast gathering for the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s Business & Professional Division (B&P). Well over 100 local professionals attended each of the past three seasons’ widely acclaimed Industry Icon events and they’ll gather once again in Zinman Hall on the Federation campus at 9901 Donna Klein Blvd. in Boca Raton. Breakfast will be served (dietary laws observed) and networking will begin at 8:00 a.m., and the program will start promptly at 8:30 a.m. The couvert for the morning is $36 per person.
Apr 25, 2016
The recent devastating earthquake in Ecuador has killed hundreds and injured thousands, ravaging coastal cities, with widespread damage and disruption. Catastrophic rainfall and fatal flooding have devastated Houston for the second time in a year, and vital centers for Jewish life have been brought to a standstill as families have been forced to flee their homes. Our Federation has joined relief efforts with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s (JDC) and Jewish Federations of North America. Please consider donating to these Jewish efforts to support vital humanitarian aid.
Apr 19, 2016
With enthusiasm abounding, the theme rang true for nearly 300 dedicated Federation and Jewish community leaders gathered in Zinman Hall for the 2016 Annual Meeting on April 12. The warmth and ruach, unity and commitment left no doubt: there “Ain’t No Mountain Chai Enough” to keep our community from doing what it takes to care for our Jewish family near and far, today and into the future. The evening’s emcee, Arthur Goldberg, and his wife, Hedy, chaired a night full of our year’s highlights and local luminaries, punctuated with Motown music.
Apr 18, 2016
Our Federation and its JCRC welcomed hundreds of distinguished guests to Zinman Hall on April 6, 2016 for Governor Rick Scott’s ceremonial signing of SB 86, which prohibits the state from contracting with or investing in companies that boycott Israel. The bill received nearly unanimous bipartisan support in the legislature, and Governor Scott was aptly joined by bill sponsor, Senate President-Designate Joe Negron, State Senators Maria Sachs and Joseph Abruzzo, and Representatives Ritch Workman and Jared Moskowitz. Also flanking the governor during the signing were Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Consul General of Israel Lior Haiat. Matthew C. Levin, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County welcomed all the dignitaries to the Federation campus and called for continued action to ensure that “if you do business with companies that won’t do business in Israel, you can’t do business in Florida and you can’t do business in South Palm Beach County."
Apr 15, 2016
In support, celebration and sisterhood, 101 caring, dedicated women came together on April 7, 2016 for the annual installation of the Women’s Philanthropy Board of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. Led by Women’s Philanthropy Board Member Elyssa Kupferberg, the “Stepping into the Future” brunch program in Zinman Hall on the Federation campus drew a continual chorus of laughter, tears and cheers. An inspiring D’var Torah by Rabbi David Steinhardt charted an inspiring course for the morning. Together the women celebrated the past two-year term of Women’s Philanthropy Chair, Judi Schuman and rededicated themselves to the future as new officers were installed and Judi passed the gavel to new Chair, April Leavy.
Apr 12, 2016
All women in the Jewish community are invited to attend a spring education event, hosted by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County on Tuesday, May 10, at 9:30 a.m. The breakfast program will feature author Sima Goel, whose book, Fleeing the Hijab: A Jewish Woman’s Escape from Iran, chronicles her journey to achieve personal freedom.
Mar 31, 2016
With the utmost sadness and deepest respect we share the news of the passing of Mildred Levine. Mildred’s funeral will take place in New York on Sunday, April 3. Mildred, along with Abner “Abby,” her late husband of nearly 70 years, was a leading figure in developing the South Palm Beach County Jewish community, and a dedicated philanthropist to numerous local and overseas organizations. Together, they formed a stalwart force in creating a strong foundation for one of the fastest-growing, most vibrant Jewish communities in the world.
