A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION The highlights from this year’s Community University Page 10
BOOK BURNING A Conversation about Censorship Page 8
GOING HIGH TECH Connecting Parents with their Kids at School Page 7
acksonville
JEWISH NEWS June
2015
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Sivan/Tammuz
5775
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www.jewishjacksonville.org
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JaxJewish
@jaxjewish
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A publication of the
Volume
27,
Number
12
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28
pages
Schwartz wins Women’s Division makes at One Spark pilgrimage to Israel BY JEANINE HOFF rGEN Division Director
Zack Schwartz, who recently relocated to Jacksonville, won first place in the Technology category at One Spark with his The City.Guide. Zack and his team received more than 1,200 votes and $16,000 in crowdsourced funding. In Zach Schwartz (R) creating The City. Guide, Schwartz explained to News4Jax, “Our goal and mission is to get kids off social media and out into the world by showing them basketball courts they never knew were next door.” Schwartz is an active member of both The Temple 20s and 30s (T3) and rGEN (Our Generation), the Federation’s Young Adult Division. Mazel Tov to Zack and his amazing team!
JJN sports new look BY MATT FRANZBLAU
Federation Communications Director
At first glance this month’s issue of the Jacksonville Jewish News may look a little different to readers. That’s because the JJN has undergone a bit of a facelift with a new masthead logo, type face as well as some new colors introduced into the paper’s palette. The font is meant to mirror the streak style Star of David incorporated into the Federation’s new logo last year. The colors also match the Federation’s with the more traditional blue taken from the words Jewish Federation and the Aqua hue coming from ‘of Jacksonville’ in the main logo. The script ‘Jacksonville’
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See New Look, p. 6
Women from the Jacksonville Jewish community take a trip 20 years in the making BY ERIN COHEN
Women’s Division Director
Last month, nearly two-dozen women connected with the land of Israel in a most extraordinary way. “Girlfriends Connect with Israel” was the first women-only mission trip with The Jewish Federation of Jacksonville in more than 20 years. It is safe to say, it will not be another two decades before the next women’s trip is planned for the Jacksonville community.
Some of the participants had been to Israel many times, while for others, this was their first time in the Holy Land. Regardless of where each woman was in their Israeli journey, all expressed that it was the experience of a life time. Led by Michal Granot, our brilliant, witty and thought-provoking tour guide, each day the group of 24 took a journey through the history of our people’s sacred land. “It was a fantastic and all encompassing Israel trip with the Federation,” remarked Susan Zyserman. “Our tour guide, Michal made the experience the best that I could have imagined!” The women experienced the land and discovered the vast history of the country in a variety of ways. There was hiking, biking and museum visits; there was high fashion and floating in the Dead Sea. There
was by fine dining and lots of shopping. At each stop along the way, strong and meaningful connections were made with the Israeli people. Most importantly, the group developed an appreciation for and saw first-hand the value of their Federation support. From the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) Absorption Center, to spending quality time with their Israeli “family” in our sister city of Hadera Eiron, to visiting Susan’s House, an American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) program for at-risk teens, it was powerful, to say the least to see the Federation’s dollars at work. Mission participant Jeanine Rogozinski said, “Seeing our Federation’s first-hand connection to Israel and its people was phenomenal and reassuring. Our presence there was palpable. It made me realize for the first time
See ISRAEL TRIP, p. 27
Temple’s annual Jewish Food Festival a tasty success By Congregation Ahavath Chesed
Congregation Ahavath Chesed’s fourth annual Jacksonville Jewish Food Festival attracted hundreds of people of many faiths throughout North Florida. This year’s theme was Jewish food from around the world, and the event, held May 3, showcased the diversity of countries Jews have called home throughout history. With something to please everyone’s taste buds, a total of 20 food vendors came together to offer many flavors, some more familiar than others, to please the palate. Caring Congregation’s chicken soup with matzo balls, usually reserved only for those who are ill in the congregation, was available for all to enjoy thanks to the cooking expertise of WRJ Temple Sisterhood. It was a truly a feast of the senses as festival participants enjoyed eggplant yahni from Athens Café, brisket sliders prepared by Margo’s Catering, and fatoosh from Beirut. Commonly shared concoctions such as Israeli couscous from Classic Kosher, falafel, taboule and hummus from Mandaloun were of course a big hit as
were the fried ravioli from Enza’s, the orzo and kale salads from from Taverna and The Well respectively. For those from an Ashkenazi background, there were corned beef sandwiches courtesy of River Garden, kosher hot dogs prepared by the Temple Brotherhood and a pickle selection, right from the barrels brought by Olive My Pickle. Kugel was prepared by Ira Millman, a temple member, who henceforth may be known as “the kugel man.” “The Food Festival is an opportunity to introduce the entire community to the breadth of Jewish cuisine,” said Mindy Grinnan, Food Festival chair. “Jews live all over the world, and Jewish cuisine has been influenced by what is available in the cultures in which we live.” Bubbe’s Bake-off, chaired by Jackie Simms and Linda Weinstein, encouraged bakers of all ages to re-create the flavors of generations past. The judges’ panel consisted of food editors, critics, cookbook authors and food columnists. Dan Tremper won first place in the cake category for his
Photo by Larry Tallis
See FOOD FEST, p. 25