VITAL DOLLARS DONATED Fla. First Coast Relief fund nets nearly $400K to help those affected by Hurricane Matthew this past October Page 4
A CUBAN ADVENTURE
Executive Dir. at the Temple makes Jewish themed trip to the island Page 16
A NEW ERA FOR JFCS
Construction to the agency’s new building is now underway and progressing Page 30 A publication
February 2017
• Sh’vat/Adar 5777 • www.jewishjacksonville.org
•
JaxJewish
@jaxjewish
JaxJewishTV • Volume 29, Number 8 • 40 pages
Anne Frank Super Sunday is Feb. 5th, will you be our hero? exhibit to take BY SHYLIE BANNON center stage at MOSH in Feb. rGEN Super Sunday Chair
BY ARLENE WOLFSON Museum of Science & History
Those who haven’t already taken advantage of the opportunity to visit the ‘Anne Frank: A History for Today’ exhibition at MOSH still have time to be a part of this meaningful and important experience before it leaves town Feb. 12. For exhibit hours, events and more information, go to annefrankjax.com or theMOSH.org. Also in conjunction with the Anne Frank exhibition, the ‘Voices of Hope’ initiative, created with the greater Jacksonville community to promote productive discussions that address prejudice and discrimination, is offering several fascinating programs. Among them will be ‘Rosenwald’, a documentary about Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and renowned African American educator and civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. This film focuses on the story of the two, who worked together to build more than 5,000 schools for black children in the south in the early 1900s. The film will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Howard Dodson, Director Emeritus of the Schomburg Center for Black Culture in New York, who will explain Rosenwald’s connection to Jacksonville. Tickets are $10 and doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 904-8996038 or visit CummerMuseum.org/event/ rosenwald-movie-and-discussion. WJCT will also present ‘An Evening with Dr. Richard Freund - The Secret Escape Tunnel from the Holocaust in Lithuania’, Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a member of the Jacksonville Jewish community. On Sunday, Feb. 5, while many of the local citizens are busy preparing for Super Bowl parties, members of the Jacksonville Jewish community will volunteer their respective mornings to be Superheroes for the Jewish Federation of Jacksonville by participating in its annual ‘Super Sunday’ phone-a-thon. Super Sunday is organized by rGEN, the Federation’s young adults division, and sponsored by Gary and Nancy Perlman. This year, Superhero volunteers will aim to soar to new heights and surpass the total contributions raised on Super Sunday in 2016, totaling $161,000. These volunteers range from the youngest, who are students at the partner agencies of the Torah Academy of Jacksonville and the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, to those affiliated with the River Garden Senior Services. Together for a few hours, the volunteers will place calls to 3,500 homes, inviting members of the local Jewish community to become heroes in their own right, by continuing to support Jewish life in Jacksonville and abroad. The funds raised by the various community’s Superheroes who answer the call on Super Sunday support Jewish needs in Jacksonville, in Israel and worldwide, as
rGEN Super Sunday Chair Shylie Bannon
Federation’s Annual Campaign touches lives in more than 70 countries throughout the world. The immediate benefits will be felt by students in local day schools whose connections with their Jewish identities are strengthened on a daily basis in their educational environments, and also by Holocaust Survivors who are provided transportation, meal services, and care by the Jewish Family & Community Services (JFCS). Those who receive skilled nursing and rehabilitative care at River Garden in a religiously supportive environment will also benefit from
your generosity. Federation’s Campaign also sustains the Jacksonville community’s connection to Israel through subsidized missions and cultural programs through the Jewish Community Alliance, as well as supporting youth programs through the city’s various synagogues and Chabads. If you are ready to be the Superhero our community needs, both in our own backyard and abroad, please register to volunteer Sunday, Feb. 5th at jewishjacksonville. or/superheroes17. For more information, please contact Ariel Frechtman at arielf@ jewishjackonville.org or 904-448-5000, ext. 1208. If you are unable to join the efforts as a volunteer, earn your Superhero cape by answering the call you receive on Sunday morning, and joining the Federation in its mission to continue strengthening Jewish communities at home and throughout the world.
JCA leads impactful trip to Israel for local agency professionals
8505 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32217
Jewish Federation of Jacksonville
Monthly Periodical POSTMASTER PLEASE DELIVER BY FEB. 1ST
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 146
See ANNE FRANK EXHIBIT, p. 20 Enjoying lunch at the North’s Asaf Winery By Jewish Federation of Jacksonville
In early December, more than a dozen professionals from the Jacksonville Jewish community embarked on an eight day journey to Israel following 10 previous months of study here in the states. The group, comprised of 11 employees of the Jewish Community Alliance, a pair from Jewish Family & Community Services and another from the Jewish Federation of Jacksonville came together each month to discuss assigned topics and articles they were given prior to each session. The topics ranged from the history of the land to the modern day conflict and even modern day technology which spans a vast majority of the country. “The readings beforehand truly educated me and they reinforced things that I learned when I was a child, especially from a biblical and historical perspective,” explained JFCS Director of Development and Marketing, Kathy Wohlhuter. “They also gave us some context in understanding Israel
The 15 employees from the JCA, JFCS and Federation pose for just one of many memorable moments during their more than week long trip to Israel this past December
today.” With sufficient preparation and knowledge in toe, the group boarded a flight in Jacksonville, bound for New York’s JFK, which would eventually take them to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv the following day. Upon arrival the 11 woman and three man crew met their tour educator and bus driver and began a more than week journey which would take them on stops in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Masada and the Golan Heights. Important and educational sites such as the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and the ancient city of Tzippori in the north, provided each professional with important insight into the nation’s rich history and role in building a modern day and thriving society. “I think what we received on a daily basis was a complete narrative on how Israel came to be,” said Federation Communications Director Matt Franzblau. “To see how exactly the seeds were planted for the place we were rediscovering each day was a special experience because it was done through the lens
of people who helped plant those seeds and water them throughout the years.” While some like Franzblau had been to Israel before, others on the trip were traveling to this very sacred land for the very first time. One of those people included preschool teacher Cheryl Cumm who has been working at the ‘J’ for a total of 32-years. “Even though I am not Jewish, I found it very emotional to watch my friends and co-workers who are Jewish and see how connected they are to the land,” she said. “You get over there and you see this is where you belong and this is where it all happened, so that was very moving for me,” One of those coworkers who Cumm was
See JCA ISRAEL TRIP, p. 6
Scan QR code for paper online at .com