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Jewish News Jacksonville
2015
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Tevet/Kislev
JFNA chair to speak at Major Gifts
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page 23
page 14
January
CHANUKAH Community menorah lightings
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A publication of the
JEWISH •
Volume
27,
FEDERATION
OF JACKSONVILLE
Number
7
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24
Lions explore sorority life
pages
By Jewish Federation of Jacksonville
2015 Federation Campaign Chair Sandy Zimmerman announced the exciting news that Michael Siegal, chair of the board of trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America, will be the guest speaker at this year’s Major Gifts Event. Kimberly and Richard Sisisky will host the dinner meeting at their home on Saturday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. Siegal is chairman and CEO of Olympic Steel and is consistently recognized as an expert in the steel industry. Headquartered in Cleveland, Olympic operates 33 facilities in North America. Siegal received his Bachelor of Science degree from Miami University. He has received numerous business awards including Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Siegal is a past chair of the board of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. Steve Silverman, a former president of our local federation who serves as the treasurer of JFNA, said of Siegal, “It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to work with Michael on behalf of the Jewish people. Michael approaches his position from his background of being chairman of Olympic Steel and past national chairman of the Jewish National Fund with an acute awareness of what is happening in Israel and the U.S. relationship. Growing up and being involved with the Cleveland Jewish federation has given Michael a substantial advantage of what Clal Yisrael and Tikun Olum mean to the Jewish world and to his family, as well.” Federation Executive Director Alan Margolies noted, “Michael has been one of the most inclusive national leaders to head up JFNA in a volunteer role. During his two years as chair, the intermediate communities such as Jacksonville have received a significant increase in
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See EVENT, p. 21
Photos by L. Tallis
By ERIN COHEN
Women’s Division Director
On Dec. 4 our Lions of Judah gathered at the home of Diane Rothstein for a beautiful afternoon filled with laughter and learning. Dr. Shira Kohn shared parts of her research on Jewish sororities in the 1940s to 1960s from her dissertation, “A Gentlewoman’s Agreement: Jewish Sororities in Postwar America.” For those women who were in a sorority during college, it was a time to reflect and
take a trip down memory lane. And even for those who were not part of Greek life, it was a chance to learn more about the struggles these pioneer women faced when they attempted to become recognized on campus as a legitimate part of the Greek system. It was also a chance to ponder the future and what Greek life might offer our children in college life now or in the coming years. Thank you to Allison Jacobs, our Lion of Judah chair, and our committee – Jill Abel, Wendy Efron, Lynn Maiman and Debra Setzer – for helping us make the
program a success. For more information about the Women’s Division Lion of Judah program, please contact Erin Cohen at 904-4485000 x205 or erinc@jewishjacksonville. org. Thanks to all of our Lions who have already made their 2015 pledge to the annual campaign. If you have not yet made your pledge, please do so today. We look forward to seeing you at our next Women’s Division event, the Champagne Brunch on Sunday, Jan. 11, 11:30 a.m., at the Jacksonville Marriott.
Tackling human trafficking in Jacksonville By CRYSTAL FREED and REBECCA BENNETT Congregation Ahavath Chesed
So much of our identity and moral compass as Jews stems from our time as slaves in Egypt. Why do we care about the stranger and the oppressed? Because we were once slaves in Egypt, and God helped set us free. We are taught to remember this time in our history as we go forth to repair our world (tikkun olam). Although our ancestors were set free thousands of years ago, there are 27 million slaves in the world, more than ever before in our history. The cry is the same today as it was when Moses implored Pharaoh to “Let my people go!” Human trafficking is a form of slavery. It knows no international boundaries. Jacksonville is third in the state of Florida when it comes to
See HUMAN, p. 21
The icons represent places in our city where human trafficking cases have been investigated.