MARKING A MILESTONE MAKING MITZVAHS HAPPEN
River Garden CEO, Marty Goetz celebrates 40 years at the agency Page 5
ANNUAL CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH Takes on an historic theme for the Women’s Division this year with appearances from some famous Israelis Page 13
The Jacksonville Jewish community steps up on Dec. 25 and delivers food to 1st responders Page 11
A publication of
February 2018
• Sh’vat/Adar 5778 •
Federation makes an appearance on Ch. 4 in advance of Super Sunday
By Jewish Federation of Jacksonville
8505 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32217
Jewish Federation of Jacksonville
Published Monthly POSTMASTER PLEASE DELIVER BY FEB. 1ST
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 146
A significant twist has be added to a yearly tradition as the Jewish Federation of Jacksonville’s annual Super Sunday video will be aired on Channel 4’s River City Live, just a few days before Super Sunday, Feb. 4th. The segment will be carried live on WJXT during the 11:00 hour, Thursday morning, Feb. 1st, as hosts Eden Kendall and Mark Payton will interview board president Ken Jacobs about the Federation and its fundraising efforts. The segment will then be re-aired the following day at 6 a.m. on Ch. 4’s sister station, CW17 and posted online at news4jax.com. “We are extremely grateful to WJXT for publicly recognizing Federation’s unique Super Sunday event,” Jacobs said. “Each year, our community joins together on this special day to provide critical support to improve the lives of countless people in Jacksonville and throughout the world.” Before the in-studio interview with Jacobs, a special four-minute long pre-recorded video will be shown spotlighting two Holocaust survivors in the community who receive critical services from JFCS. Jacobs interview will then highlight Federation’s impact on both the secular and Jewish communities here in Jacksonville and the global Jewish community at-large. The video, which in Federation President Ken past years had Jacobs will be interviewed been filmed and produced by Federation staff was edited and put together in partnership with WJXT and its production team.
www.jewishjacksonville.org
•
JaxJewish
@jaxjewish
JaxJewishTV • Volume 30, Number 8 • 28 pages
The Executive Director’s Super Sunday message On Sunday,
Feb. 4, Federation will hold its annual phone-a-thon called Super Sunday. Chaired by our outstanding young leaders, Haley Trager and Ben Marsh, we hope to speak with hundreds of the members of the community requesting their Alan Margolies participation in the annual campaign. In our publicity for the event, we are asking for everyone to ‘answer the call’ and in the process encourage everyone to support the campaign and the work of our partner agencies in Jacksonville and abroad. Perhaps it is fair to question, why do we as Federation merit this consideration? There are, today, many worthy causes for
each of us to consider when we determine our expressions of tzedukah, or charitable donations. On page no. 17 of this issue of the JJN, we list the recipients of Federation funds from last year’s annual campaign, as we are the only organization in Jacksonville conducting an annual campaign to support all of these agencies, synagogues and Jewish schools. Over the course of the past 10 years, Federation has provided $3,000,000 to Jewish Family and Community Services, $2,000,000 to both the Jewish Community Alliance and River Garden, and more than $1.5 million for day school education. Federation has allocated more than $7 million
to overseas partner agencies. These recipients of Federation funds make Jacksonville a truly wonderful community in which to live and raise our children. Our overseas partners are providing life saving services to our fellow Jews all over the world, so it’s no wonder why Federation touches more Jewish lives than any other organization in the world. With this in mind, we do ask that you indeed ‘answer the call’ Super Sunday and make your gift to the 2018 campaign, or call before Feb. 4, at 904-448-5000 and make your gift in advance of the big day. Alan Margolies
Federation Executive Director
Chabad of the Southside and UNF team up to bring Anne Frank’s step-sister on campus By Chabad of the Southside
On Wednesday, Mar. 7, at 7 p.m., Mrs. Eva Schloss will share her experiences as the childhood friend and stepsister of Anne Frank, including accounts of the publishing of her famed diary in the 70th year since its initial publication. The presentation will take place at the Adam W. Hubert University Center (12000 Alumni Dr.) on the campus of the University of North Florida and will be suitable for audience members in their teens and older. UNF President and former Jacksonville mayor John Delaney will interview Mrs. Schloss from the stage for what is sure to be a compelling and memorable evening. The event will be free and open to the public however Chabad of the Southside, which honored to offer this event to the community, is actively seeking personal and corporate sponsors to help make this event possible. Please contact Rabbi Shmuli Novack at 904-646-4434 for sponsorships or to reserve your spot for a special VIP reception with Mrs. Schloss that will be held prior to the event. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m. where attendees will receive an
Anne Frank
Frank’s step-sister Eva Schloss
autographed copy of her book and have the opportunity to meet briefly with her for a contribution of $180. In 1938, Germany invaded Austria, causing many Jewish families to flee Austria to avoid persecution. Among the emigrants was eight year old Eva Geiringer, who with her mother, brother, and father moved first to Belgium and then to Holland, where one of her neighbors was a German Jewish girl name Anne of the same age. The two girls became friends and playmates and they
passed the time by skipping, playing hopscotch and marbles, and drinking lemonade that the girl’s mother prepared. Ultimately, both girls and their families were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Eva survived her experience and made her way to England, where she married Zvi Schloss and raised three daughters. Her eventual stepsister did not survive Auschwitz, but kept a diary that did.
See EVA SCHLOSS, p. 4
Jewish UNF student’s work is out of this world
Jewish Osprey President Lee Giat doesn’t let the constraints of Earth contain his curiosity perspective that not a lot of other people BY MATT FRANZBLAU Communications Director jjn@jewishjacksonville.org
As UNF sophomore Lee Giat scans the vast landscape of Jacksonville’s expansive borders, he does so from a unique perspective, both figuratively and literally. While many in the River City complete this same task from the congested highways and bridges that inhabit the densely populated municipality, the 19-year old Weston, Fla., native does so from thousands of feet above in the sky. That’s because Giat is a newly minted pilot, having obtained his license within the last calendar year. “Whenever you sit in the pilot’s seat and are in the air after take-off, you get this adrenaline rush because you can say, ‘I did it’,” Giat explained of his most unique circumstances. “To be able to be above everything else and know that you have this
can get at your age is very satisfying.” Coincidentally enough, Giat can claim a lot of things that many of his peers cannot at this stage of life. Aside from following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a licensed aviator, the Astrophysics and Multimedia Production double-major has also accrued a wide-array of experiences and accomplishments when it comes to broadcast videos and the dissemination of them to the far reaches of our planet. “I helped create a TV show with hosts from the United States and Russia,” said the UNF student Lee Giat explores the world aspiring journalist and scientist. “Me, my around him through a creative lens which is friend Daniel and my other friend Ricky filmed and posted in a special YouTube series filmed a 30-second video and sent it to the Eurasia Foundation, and we ultimately ended up winning the competition we entered at the Student Television Network Convention.” What followed for the then High School senior was a trip overseas with his friends
Scan code for paper online at
See SPACE STUDENT, p. 12
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