HISTORY Discover how Florida’s first Jewish settlers made a living in this first of a series.
COMMUNITY U Federation’s Community U attracts 550 page 3
CAMPAIGN Women’s Champagne Brunch a success page 2
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Jewish News Jacksonville
May 2013 • Sivan/Nisan 5773 • Published by Jewish Federation of Jacksonville • www.jewishjacksonville.org • Volume 25, Number 11 • 28 pages
Introducing Jacksonville’s Jewish agency presidents
Hal Resnick, Federation
Jacksonville Jewish agency presidents for the 2013-2014 year are: Hal Resnick, Jewish Federation of Jacksonville; Jan Lipsky, Jewish Community Alliance; Mark Green, Jewish Community Foundation of Northeast Florida; Mark Lodinger, River Garden; and Francine Kempner, Jewish Family & Community Services. Introducing:
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Hal Resnick is the new president of the Jewish Federation of Jacksonville. Hal and his wife Barbara moved to our community from Boston in September 2000, where they located in Ponte Vedra Beach. During his 35 years in leadership and organizational development, Hal earned international recognition as a leading authority and innovator in organizational transformation, working with clients in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. He intended to retire when he moved here but his love for his work has kept him engaged in his profession. He maintains an active private consulting practice, now primarily serving clients in Jacksonville. As an entrepreneur, Hal founded Work Systems Associates in 1980. This management consulting firm developed a number of systems to set strategic direction, develop leadership talent, build executive teams, establish quality improvement systems, and achieve transformational change. In 1996, Hal founded Generation21 Learning Systems, a software company that developed one of the seminal webbased training and knowledge management systems. He served as its CEO through its
Jewish Federation of Jacksonville
Mark Green, Foundation
Jan Lipsky, JCA
acquisition in 1999 by Renaissance Learning. Prior to his career as an entrepreneur, Hal was a university professor at Boston University, Temple University and Wayne State University. He was also the director of organizational development for the Raytheon Data Systems Company, responsible for more than 5,000 individuals in 147 locations around the world. He earned his baccalaureate degree from the City College of New York and his masters and doctoral degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit. Hal and Barbara became involved in the Jewish community shortly after their arrival. They immediately joined Beth El at the beaches and the Temple. Hal served on the Temple board for a number of years, including a term as the vice president for programs and services. Hal and Barbara then became involved in Federation. Hal has served on the board for eight years, and Barbara has worked on a number of committees and events, while becoming a Lion of Judah. Hal has served as the major gifts chair, the campaign chair, and now assumes the presidency. Hal and Barbara have also been involved in Jewish Family & Community Services. Hal serves on the JFCS board, has guided the organization through two iterations of strategic planning and contributes his leadership development programs as a service to the agency. Barbara works as a Guardian Ad Litem for a number of the foster care children serviced by JFCS. Hal is also active in Jewish Community Foundation of Northeast Florida. He serves
Mark Lodinger, River Garden
on the Foundation board, and both he and Barbara have actively participated in our Create a Jewish Legacy campaign. When asked why they are so active in our Jewish community, their response was simple and straightforward. “There are several thousands of years and many generations of our heritage that have brought us to where we are today. It is our collective responsibility as members of the global Jewish community to preserve our heritage, help those in need both locally and globally, and pass on what we have learned to future generations.” In that spirit Hal intends to bring focus during his term as Federation president to honor and support those who contribute to our community today, to energize and engage the next generation, and to strengthen our relationships with our partner communities in Israel, as well as throughout the Diaspora. Jan Lipsky continues as the president of the JCA Board of Directors. Lipsky has served on the board for 11 years, most recently as vice president. She has chaired the Personnel Committee, facilitated board retreats, and guided the board’s work on development of the mission and vision statements. Additionally, she drafted board member roles and responsibilities ultimately adopted by the board. In 2010, she received the prestigious Esther Leah Ritz Next Generation JCC Leadership Award from the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America. The award identifies future leaders of Jewish
Francine Kempner, JFCS
community center boards and includes a training program designed to enhance the skills needed for them to assume top leadership roles. Lipsky has served as system vice president for Human Resources and Organizational Development for St. Vincent’s HealthCare since 2000. She has served the organization for over 30 years, beginning as an instructor for Critical Care. Lipsky assisted the transition of St. Vincent’s Southside (formerly known as St. Luke’s Hospital) from Mayo Clinic in 2008 and is helping plan St. Vincent’s Clay, the system’s third hospital opening in Clay County in 2013. She is a past board chairman for Girl Scouts of Gateway Council serving from 1998 to 2004 in that role. During this time the Council Board purchased North Fork Ranch in Clay County, assuring a safe camping location for future generations of members. Jan served the council and her synagogue, the Jacksonville Jewish Center, by building the Girl Scout program from one Brownie troop to over 100 girls in all levels during the 1990s. Jan has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from FSU and UF, earned the Senior Professional Human Resources certification and is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. She is married to Bruce Lipsky, a photojournalist for The Florida Times-Union. They have two daughters both recently married: Jessie Lipsky Felter (Rustin) is a graduate of FSU and Emma Lipsky Dreyer (Eric) is a graduate of UF. Both daughters teach third
See PRESIDENTS, p. 18
Spotlight: Encouraging Jewish peoplehood By DIANE RODGERS Communications Director
At Tzafririm Elementary School in Hadera, Israel, it began with a teacher’s desire to help her students learn English. “It started as a correspondence project,” English teacher Eta Golding said. “I wanted my students to practice the language.” Tzafririm students have now been corresponding with Martin J. Gottlieb Day School students in Jacksonville for more than three years. And it’s growing. “It expanded to other teachers and schools,” said Yael Naali Ben Zion, Partnership educational coordinator. The Jewish Agency for Israel hosts the
See SPOTLIGHT, p. 27
Tzafririm Elementary School students share a message with their pen pals in Jacksonville when Federation Communications Director Diane Rodgers visited there in January as part of an American Jewish Press Association press tour, sponsored by El Al Israel Airlines and the Israel Ministry of Tourism.