LIONS Lion of Judah luncheon features story of courage page 4
PASSOVER Find a Seder or some Seder ideas at Passover in the Matzo Aisle. page 11
SCHOOL DAYS Zoo animals, Shoobee Shabbat and page 10 more
JEWISH NEWS Jacksonville
March 2013 • Adar 1/Nisan 5773 • Published by Jewish Federation of Jacksonville • www.jewishjacksonville.org • Volume 25, Number 9 • 24 pages
View JJN’s feature photos
Spotlight: Helping at-risk Israeli youth
Each month the Jewish News receives more photos than it has room to print. However the Federation’s website has plenty of room. So each month the Jewish News has been publishing extra photos from select events on its website. To find these gems, look in the photo captions and in the stories for the link. Past photo web pages have featured the Federation’s Girlfriend Connection, the Federation’s Chanukah Menorah contest and Etz Chaim Synagogue’s gala. This month will be scenes from Super Sunday. Next month will likely showcase Purim. If you are interested in your event being considered for the monthly showcase, email Communications Director Diane Rodgers at jjn@jewishjacksonville.org.
Annual speaker series to present ‘Wisdom’ By Jewish Family & Community Services
Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman will be the guest speaker at the JFCS 6th Annual Alexandra & Mark Miller Speaker Series to be held on Wednesday, April 17. Friedman is the director of Growing Older - Wisdom & Spirit Beyond Midlife. Friedman has pioneered the development of a Jewish spiritual vision for aging, healing and spiritual care. Her leadership has been recognized by her inclusion in the Forward 50 and the Sisterhood 50, listings of the most influential American Jews and women rabbis. Friedman has many publications, which include “Jewish Visions for Aging: A Professional Guide to Fostering Wholeness and Jewish Pastoral Care.” Friedman will make two presentations: •“Cultivating Wisdom Across the
8505 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32217
Jewish Federation of Jacksonville
POSTMASTER PLEASE DELIVER BY MAR. 1
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 146
See SPEAKER, p. 7
By DIANE RODGERS Communications Director
He returned to the school dormitory after a weekend with his family – with an attitude. There was obviously something wrong, but no one could get him to talk about it. That afternoon, after classes and synagogue, he walked to the farm to check on his animals. He reached for a rabbit and started to stroke it. The act of petting an animal releases endorphins in the person and the animal. It creates a calming effect in both. Then he started to speak. “It’s a tool we can use for these guys,” said Gabriel Azuby, who supervises the boys’ work at the farm at Ben Yakir Village in the Hadera-Eiron region of Israel. The Jewish Federation of Jacksonville has
partnered with the region and selectively funds the village, a Jewish Agency for Israel program. About 100 seventh-to-ninth graders live at Ben Yakir, separated into five groups, in the dormitory school. “They learn here and live here,” Azuby said. “We try to give them an opportunity to have a different life.” They attend synagogue on campus three times a day, but their education isn’t limited to school and synagogue. “We try to let them experience other things: computers, sports, ceramics, horses,” Azuby said. The goal is to find something each boy is good at and provide experience to show him, “You are the best.” Many boys come from environments in which they are trained to believe the opposite.
At left, Gabriel Azuby greets a young camel. Other photos: Boys care for dogs, horses, hamsters and other animals at Ben Yakir Village. “They came from a place where people didn’t believe in them,” Azuby said. At the farm, the boys are in charge from beginning to end, literally. The boys recently helped with the birthing of a kid, as in baby goat. They feed the animals. They exercise the animals. The clean the animals’ pens. At home, the people in their lives know their history. At the farm, “The animal doesn’t judge them,” Azuby said. The result? Improved self-esteem. “You understand you are not unuseful … You can do something with your life,” Azuby said. At Ben Yakir, boys learn a skill that helps them heal. “That’s why I feel good about my job,” Azuby said. “I know I have a very strong tool for these boys.”
Join River Garden’s anniversary celebration
By River Garden
River Garden’s 67th Anniversary Day celebration will be held Sunday, March 17, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Shari Shuman, River Garden Home board member, will chair the day, which has become a wonderful intergenerational community event. The afternoon will include musical entertainment by Dan & Viv, a barbecue, kiddie train rides, a bounce house, pony rides, clowns, face painting and desserts provided by the River Garden Auxiliary. Sharon Smith and Alice Sherman will serve as the auxiliary’s co-hostesses with Ellie Hodz as honorary hostess. In addition to the outdoor festivities, the annual business meeting of River
Garden Senior Services will begin at 4:30 p.m. New officers and board members will be installed. Organizers hope that many community members will attend this meeting. River Garden has served thousands of families in this community over 67 years. Come and celebrate what River Garden – with support from the entire community – has accomplished. The occasion will also mark the conclusion of the River Garden Capital Campaign. The success of this campaign allowed for building expansion, area repurposing and, after 23 years on the Mandarin campus, the refurbishment of most of the home. This will help the agency further develop outpatient therapy
programs, adult daycare and home healthcare services to the community. Learn what the success of this capital campaign has done to assist River Garden in meeting the needs of residents and their families, for today and into the future. “Each year more and more people come out and join the River Garden family in celebrating this wonderful home and campus that our Jewish community has built,” said CEO Martin Goetz. “All of us can be truly proud.” The community is invited to attend this celebration. For more information, contact Skip Willbach at 904-288-7855 or email swillbach@rivergarden.org. River Garden residents, families and staff look forward to celebrating with you.