Community News

The Boca Raton Tribune C O M M U N I T Y

B’nai Torah Congregation of Boc a Raton Announces Gift from The Gerald S. Kramer Charitable Trust Boc a Helping Hands to Hold 16th Annual MONOPOLY Event & Casino Night

B’nai Torah Congregation, the largest conservative synagogue in Southeast Florida, announced that Boca Raton residents Donna and Gerald Kramer have gifted – from the Kramer 2020 Charitable Trust – one the largest donations the synagogue has ever received. The gift was made in honor of Rabbi David Steinhardt, Senior Rabbi at B’nai Torah Congregation, who has held the position for more than two decades. Mr. & Mrs. Kramer direct the Kramer 2020 Charitable Trust, and have also established a second trust, for Jewish organizations in the Boston, MA region, which will go into effect later this year.

“The Kramers have been long time suppor ters and Ner Tamid members since 2013, and I am profoundly appreciative that they have chosen to honor me in such a significant way,” said Rabbi Steinhardt. “Their gift wi l l h el p g r ow our synagogue’s foundation and allow for significant g rowth in the learning and programming we provide for future generations. T h e K r a m e r s are all about giving and ultimately leaving a better world for those who come after them.”

The prestigious Ner Tamid Society recognizes donors like the Kramers who make sizable donations to demonstrate their commitment to creating a Jewish Legacy and perpetuating Jewish life from Generation to Generation. B’nai Torah Congregation is currently in the midst of future planning for the synagogue and this donation represents one of the most significant gifts in the synagogue’s history.

“We thank Mr. and Mrs. Kramer for their dedication to Jewish life and commitment to the long-term future of our synagogue,” said Ed Sopher, President of B’nai Torah Congregation. “This is the Kramer Charitable Trust’s first gift to our synagogue and we are eternally grateful for their incredible generosity.”

The Kramers are longtime supporters of Jewish institutions, where they acknowledge membership, interest, and financial support are waning. The second trust will be used to support three Boston area organizations: The Boston Synagogue, Temple Israel of Nantasket Beach, and the Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts.

Mr. Kramer is the Managing Member of Extra Packaging LLC, which is a manufacturer and distributor of flexible packaging materials, including body bags, and employs about 80 people. The company is headquartered in Boca Raton and has locations in Peabody, MA and Eagle Pass, TX. Mrs. Kramer is the co-founder of the company and has served as Chair since its inception in 1998. On behalf of Extra Packaging LLC, the Kramers have donated PPE (personal protective equipment) v a l u e d i n t h e mid-six figures t o t h e C o nvoy of Hope. This is the second donation to this organization which responds to both domestic and international disasters, and these products will replenish its domestic supplies which were previously depleted for the crisis in Ukraine. The first one was in 2016 f o r E m e r g e ncy Water Storage Bags sent to Haiti, along with tarp material via Hands on Tzedakah.

The Kramers are originally from Boston and have three children. Son, Bryan Kramer, has one child attending the Mirochnik Religious School at B’nai Torah, and manages the family business worldwide. Daughter, Rachel Kramer Theodorou of Watertown, MA, has three children and is a Professor at Brandeis University in Waltham. Daughter, Leah Kramer, has one child, and is an internet entrepreneur in Cambridge, MA. Both daughters are also published authors.

For those interested, a charitable gift annuity trust provides income to the donor and future support for beneficiary of the gift. For more information, please visit www.btcboca.org.

Boca Raton, FL – Boca Helping Hands (BHH) will host the 16th Annual MONOPOLY® Event & Casino Night on Saturday, April 30 at 6 pm at The Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, 2425 West Maya Palm Drive, Boca Raton. The chairperson for the event is Rochelle LeCavalier, Executive Director of Luxury Sales at Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

Guests will vie for the Boca Helping Hands title of MONOPOLY® Game Champion, and the evening will include hors d’oeuvres and dinner, a silent and live auction by auctioneer Neil Saffer, casino gaming, and a DJ.

Boca Helping Hands’ Board President Gary Peters, who is a two-time National MONOPOLY® Champion, will serve as the MONOPOLY® tournament mediator. “This event is so much fun and unique,” Peters said. “Think about how you loved Monopoly as a kid. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the game again.”

Proceeds from the event will help assist 27,000 people in the South Florida community through BHH’s various programs, including hunger relief, job training, healthcare, emergency financial assistance, childcare, and weekend meals for Palm Beach County school children. Event sponsors include JM Family Enterprises, Gary Peters Family Foundation, Tandy and Joe Robinson, Rochelle LeCavalier, and Peter and Susan Brockway.

Tickets start at $250 and are available for purchase at BocaHelpingHands.org/MONOPOLY. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Karen Swedenborg, Development Manager, at 561-417-0913 ext. 202 or Karen@BocaHelpingHands.org.

Whistleblower Takes Legal Ac tion After Exposing Ongoing Drinking Water Contamination

A former Delray Beach wastewater inspector filed a lawsuit against the City of Delray Beach after she was fired for blowing the whistle on ongoing drinking water contamination.

Christine Ferrigan, a wastewater pretreatment professional with over thirty years of experience, was terminated from her position as Industrial Pre-Treatment Inspector for Delray Beach after she alerted the Florida Department of Health and Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General that reclaimed wastewater was contaminating residents’ drinking water and making them sick.

“Christine Ferrigan was an experienced and cons c i e n t i o u s C i t y e m p l o y e e ,” s a i d R i c h a r d C o n d i t , who co-chairs Mehri & Skalet’s Whistleblower Rights Practice Group. “T he type of employee that most taxpayers would want on their payroll. Instead of being rewarded for t r y i n g t o p r o t e c t public health, Ms. Fe r r i g a n wa s h arassed and eventually terminated.”

In November 2018, the Delray Beach Utilities Department received calls from residents that their drinking water was smelly and dirty and that some residents were getting sick. After conducting inspections, Ms. Ferrigan informed management that it appeared that reclaimed wastewater, intended only for irrigation, was contaminating drinking water systems.

The Delray Beach Utilities Department eventually reported the contamination issue to the Florida Department of Health but failed to disclose that residents were becoming sick. Ms. Ferrigan grew concerned as she realized that the City was not taking adequate measures to protect residents and ensure clean drinking water.

Ms. Ferrigan continued to work with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General (OIG) to bring attention to Delray Beach’s drinking water contamination issues and reporting failures. The DOH and the OIG confir med Ms. Ferrigan’s findings, with the DOH fining the City of Delray Beach over one million dollars in November 2021 for violations of the Florida Safe Drinking Water Act. As recently as January 2022, Ms. Ferrigan continued to report to the DOH concerns from city employees and customers about contaminated water. City employees also reported to In November 2018, the Ms. Fer rig an that Delray Beach Utilities m a n a g e m e n t wa s falsifying and conDepartment received cealing information. calls from residents I n r e s p o n s e to her cooperation that their drinking with the DOH and water was smelly and OIG, Ms. Ferrigan’s workplace grew indirty and that some creasingly hostile residents were getting and she faced ha rassment and retal sick. iation. In Januar y 2022, Ms. Ferrigan filed a complaint with the City’s HR department. Less than a week later, the City of Delray Beach fired her without notice for the reason of “reorganization” even though her position was funded in the budget for the fiscal year. After being terminated, Ms. Ferrigan filed her initial whistleblower complaint and an evidence preservation request. Shortly after this her son, also a city employee, was fired without notice. Ms. Ferrigan filed a detailed amended complaint with the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) on April 18, 2022 seeking relief from her whistleblower retaliation. She is requesting reinstatement, back pay and compensation for damage to her reputation, pain and suffering and other damages.

UF/IFAS Scientists Record First Case of Harmful Bac teria in Ubiquitous Weed Throughout U.S.

By: Lourdes Mederos

Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Ag ricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have recorded the first North American case of a harmful phytoplasma disease known for its threat to fruit, vegetable and orn a m e n t a l c r o p s in South America and the Middle East.

To make matters worse, scient i s t s c o n f i r m e d the host for the disease to be one of the most noxious and rapidly spreading weeds commonly found in a wide range of environments throughout the United States and into Canada.

Findings of the “First report of ‘Cadidatus Phytoplasma brasiliense’ in North America and in a new host, yellow nutsedge (Cyper us esculentus)” were just p ub li sh ed i n the journal “Plant Health Progress.”

“T he host of the disease is known as one of the most w i d e s p r e a d a n d problematic weeds found ever ywhere — c a l l e d y e l l o w nutsedge,” said Brian Bahder, assistant professor of entomolog y at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. “It is one of the most aggressive weeds that commonly grows in lawns, home landscapes, vegetable and flower gardens and agricultural systems.”

The phytoplasma species called Candidatus Phytoplasma brasiliense is documented in regions of Brazil and Peru to harm hibiscus, papaya and cauliflower. Subsequently, research showed the same species infects peaches in the Middle East country of Azerbaijan.

Bahder and his team confir med the phytoplasma and host in Fort Pierce. They found it while conducting research for a different disease – Lethal Bronzing — that attacks palm trees. Scientists were surveying and testing samples of grasses in hopes of finding a reservoir for lethal bronzing.

Research has shown that the adult planthopper insect that carries Lethal bronzing feeds on the palm’s canopy, and the nymphs have been recorded among more than 40 species of grasses and sedges.

Because of the close association of nymphs with grasses and sedges, speculation has risen about the ability of these plants to serve as a reservoir for the Lethal bronzing phytoplasma, Bahder said. For the surv e y, s c i e n t i s t s s a m p l e d t h r e e o f t h e m o s t abundant weeds known to ser ve as a host to the nymphs, Yellow nu t s e d g e b e i n g one of them. While testing the samples, three of the outcomes resulted in a positive result. “We thought we had found Lethal bronzing in one of the grasses, so we proceeded to genetically sequence the sample,” said Bahder. “The results confirmed it was not lethal bronzing but that it was another phytoplasma.”

The DNA sequencing of that speci m e n c o n f i r m e d their findings of a new phytoplasma in this weed, recorded for the first time in North America. Implications of the disease and its spread through this weed cause scientists to consider it a threat to agriculture and ornamental industries. UF/ IFAS scientists are seeking funding for the next steps of research. “The next logical step is to find out which insect is spreading the disease. The good news is that we caught this early,” said Bahder. “We don’t know if this is an isolated incident or if the insect is spreading in the grass, and if it will feed on the papaya, hibiscus or cauliflower – which are economically important in Florida. The point is that we don’t know the extent of this disease in Florida or what threat it poses.

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.

Findings of the “First report of ‘Cadidatus Phytoplasma brasiliense’ in North America and in a new host, yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)” were just published in the journal “Plant Health Progress.”