Summer 2019
SHALIACH PROGRAM
BY ROTEM GABAY
Community Shaliach jaxshlichut@jewishjacksonville.org
It’s a hard mission to try to summarize the first amazing year of my Shlichut. So here is a list of 10 things I learned about life in the United States and our Jewish community in Jacksonville: 1. Schedule! America has a very different sense of time than Israel. If someone invited you to lunch at noon, he literally meant for you to come at 12 o’clock. And yes... it is completely normal to begin dinner at 5 p.m. In Israel, the average dinner time is after 8 p.m.! 2. Maybe it’s a southern thing, but everyone here is very nice! If someone asks you “How’s it going?” he means it and wants to hear your answer. Nobody honks on the roads, and everyone is so polite standing in lines. Anyone who has stood in a line in Israel knows that for us it looks completely different. Patience isn’t our strongest suit. 3. Sunday is a weekend!!! I repeat Sunday is weekend! While in Israel it’s the hardest day of the week because everybody is back to work, here Sunday is totally a Fun-Day. If there’s one thing that will make an Aliyah with me to Israel, it’s totally my American Sunday. 4. The most annoying thing in America is the advertising calls. At least three times a day Lisa calls me to ask me about insurance (that I don’t even have)! 5. In America everyone drives everywhere! To travel from place to place in Israel it’s very common to use a bus or take a train... sometimes maybe even walk. Here, everyone takes their cars. Everywhere! 6. Football Madness! Football – the ultimate American experience on Sundays. It’s such a special cultural celebration. Maybe next year we’ll get luckier... Go Jags! 7. Amazon Prime! I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it! 8. Trivia nights at a synagogue. While in Israel I would go to the synagogue only on Yom Kippur, but here it’s completely different. The synagogues here serve as community centers, with activities for all ages, including lectures, festivals and even trivia nights! The rabbis here are prominent community leaders. Most Jewish fami-
lies are members of (at least) one synagogue. They want to feel part of something bigger. The synagogues are the best place to feel and understand how Judaism connects to all of us, in so many different ways. 9. Summer rain. I was sitting by the pool and reading a book. At 2 p.m. clouds begin to cover the sky and the rain begins in seconds. In August!!! Every Floridan knows that shorts go with an umbrella. In Israel, rain belongs to the winter, and we pray for it because of the water shortage. We are educated from a young age to save water in every possible way, whether by reducing shower time or by closing the tap while washings the dishes or brushing our teeth. 10. Feeling home on the other side of the world. I’m living in a new place, alone in a foreign country, speaking a different language and without family and friends from home. It’s definitely one of the most challenging experiences I have ever gone through. Throughout this year I met a lot of special, warm people who chose to create a relationship and strengthen their connections to Israel. I am grateful to be part of our amazing community. Despite the diversity, the different groups work together with respect and cooperation. I would like to thank all the friends and families that I have acquired, all those who participated in an activity I lead, and all who invited me to dinner. Looking forward for another year here. Can’t wait to see what it will have to offer!
Welcoming Iris Kraemer as the incoming Federation President Iris Kraemer begins as Federation’s new board president in July. She is taking over for Ken Jacobs. Originally from North Miami Beach, Iris lived in Houston, Texas, and Sarasota, Florida, before moving to Jacksonville 26 years ago. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Speech/Language Pathology from the University of Florida and received her certification as a Dyslexia Specialist from The Key School in Asheville, North Carolina. A practicing Speech/Language Pathologist since 1981, she served as Director of Speech/Language Pathology Department at Rosewood Medical Center in Houston and currently works in private practice in Jacksonville. Iris’ volunteer experience includes serving as co-chair of the preschool Board at Temple Beth Sholom in Sarasota, Education Chair for Shir-Li Hadassah, Education Chair for Torah Academy of Jacksonville, Jewish Federation of Jacksonville’s Israel Partnership Chair and Campaign Chair, Israel Partnership Southeast Consortium Co-Chair, and the rising firstyear class of National Women’s Philanthropy Board of Jewish Federations of North America. Iris is married to Mark Kraemer, and they have two children and one grandson. Photo by Larry Tallis
SAVE THE DATE
Jewish Community Day in partnership with the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
Sunday, August 25 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Enjoy all the Cummer Museum has to offer including art activities and a museum-wide scavenger hunt! Complimentary Event Co-chairs: Stefanie Levine and Jodi Rogozinski Details to follow Community partners* *as of May 31, 2019
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