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The Jewish Press
Friday, January 10, 2020
Florida SHELLEY BENVENISTE FLORIDA EDITOR IT’S MY OPINION
A Child’s Question Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently spoke at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit at the Palm Beach Convention Center. The event hosted 5,000 student activists between the ages of 15 and 25 who heard guest speakers, received activism and leadership training, and participated in the largest gathering of young, conservative students. Sanders addressed the audience on Sunday morning, December 22. She reported on the challenges of working as White House press secretary under President Donald Trump. Her admission that
she was “very seriously” considering running for Arkansas governor was met with enthusiastic applause. Her story of a child’s visit to Yad Vashem, however, left many in the audience with tears in their eyes. Sanders shared a narrative of a young girl who was 11 years old when she was taken on her first visit to Israel. Her parents were religious Christians and wanted to visit holy sites and places of historical significance. They faced a quandary: Should the youngster join them when they visited Jerusalem’s famous Holocaust memorial? Would it be too much for her to handle or, because of her age, would the extent of the horrific tragedy not fully register? The couple went back and forth and finally came to a conclusion. They would enter the museum with their daughter in tow. Her father would hold her hand. If the child showed the slightest indication of any stress, she would be taken out immediately. They viewed the sobering exhibits. There were display cases filled with massive piles of personal items once belonging to the victims: suitcases, chil-
dren’s shoes, clothing, women’s hair, eyeglasses. There were haunting photos of skeletal survivors and of piles of corpses. The family progressed from room to room. The child was asked if she wished to go outside. She refused, but held her father’s hand tightly. Finally, they reached the end of the memorial. All visitors were asked to sign a guest book and add their comments. The little girl took a pen, wrote her name, and then added her personal comment in a childish scrawl: “Why didn’t anyone do anything?” Sanders paused. Her voice was breaking. “I was that little girl,” she said. She added that she was so affected by the experience that she has made it her life’s ambition to be the someone who would do something. Statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke summed it up succinctly when he said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This is a very important concept to embrace as we reel from the latest spate of anti-Semitic acts. We dare not be silent.
Governor Ron DeSantis Holds Menorah-Lighting Ceremony On December 18, the governor’s mansion of Florida was aglow with the lights of the Chanukah menorah as Governor Ron DeSantis held a menorah-light-
ing ceremony in honor of the holiday. Rabbis and Jewish community leaders who attended the event praised the governor for his steadfast commitment to their growth and safety. Rabbi Michael Shields of Temple Israel in Tallahassee gave the opening remarks and thanked Gov. DeSantis for inviting him to the celebration. Shields was followed by Rabbi Schneur Oirechman, leader of Chabad of Tallahassee, who mentioned that the “Sunshine State” event was taking place on Wednesday, the day that the luminaries were created, and likened them to the governor and first lady “who shine light into our state.” Rabbi Mordechai Palgon, dean of Yeshiva Toras Chaim/Toras Emes in North Miami Beach, thanked the governor for his commitment to excellence in education, and the Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Department of Law Enforcement for providing safety during the Jewish holidays. Gabriel Grossman, the mayor of Bal Harbour, reminded the assemblage that DeSantis has been “one of the greatest friends and allies in elected office.” Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, chaplain of the Florida
Highway Patrol and director of Chesed Shel Emes in Florida, spoke about the amazing relationship between Governor DeSantis and the Jewish communities in Florida. Rosenberg also offered words of gratitude to Terry Rhodes, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; Colonel Gene Spaulding, director of the Florida Highway Patrol; Richard Swearingen, commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Juan Perez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department; and Rabbi Oirechman of Chabad of Tallahassee. The governor proudly stated that he led the largest delegation ever from Florida to Israel. He said, “When I was at the Western Wall, I prayed for the hurricanes to give us a break. Hurricane Dorian looked like a direct hit and abruptly turned north and missed us. I must go back and pray some more.” Governor DeSantis signed the waiver when President Trump wanted to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem and he took serious action, going to Israel and speaking to the press to push the issue, creating nonstop pressure on the administration and on the Jewish community to stay steadfast. After the speeches, the governor’s family was presented with a “Dreidel of Life” award, and he received a special “Menorah” presentation as well.
Friday, January 10, 2020
The Jewish Press
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Florida Largest Number Of Hebrew Academy Students Inducted Into Honor Society Each year, The Charlotte Rohr Middle School at the Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach recognizes students who have qualified as new members of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS). Last month, 35 students were identified as being eligible to join this prestigious organization. This is the largest number of students the middle school has inducted since becoming a member of NJHS. NJHS students must maintain the pillars of scholarship and also show excellence in leadership, service, citizenship, character, and Torah. These local students have met all the requirements set forth, including achieving a minimum average of 93% on their final report cards from the previous school year. (Left to Right) Top Row: Elizabeth Lozynsky, Jaime Suster, Leora Bossewitch, Eliora Gdanski, Talia Herssein, Ariella Jaimovich, Rivka Reich, Mayan Abramov, Rachel Davoudpour, Daniella Strohli, Orelle Elharar, Shaila Sterenfeld, Shana Winer, Chana Stiefel, Sophia Lurie Middle Row: Ella Levy, Miriam Cohen, Devorah Benveniste, Samuelle Wyler, Lilly Abrahams, Mimi Nahon, Ariella Nahmani, Elizabeth Ebner, Riley Spitz, Hannah Rothman, Ella Turetsky, Latife Wertheimer, Tehilla Schwa Bottom Row: Benjamin Karp, Adam Michael, Mendel Hazan, Zachary Schuster, Kobi Fruhman
40th Florida Chanukah Festival A Huge Success
Menorah-lighting at the 40th annual South Florida Chassidic Chanukah Festival.
The 40th annual South Florida Chassidic Chanukah Festival, the world’s largest annual Chanukah program and kiruv event, was held on Wednesday, December 25th at Gulfstream Park and Casino in Hallandale Beach. Rabbi Raphael Tennenhaus, Chabad’s executive vice-president, maintained the 40-year tradition that admission to the festival be free. This year, police and security estimated the number of participants at the venue to be the largest in the festival’s history. The program featured Jewish music superstar Mordechai Shapiro, who sang, danced, and jumped for two hours non-stop. The uplifting event, which has ignited the pintele yid, the spark of the Jewish soul, in many attendees, is sponsored by Chabad of South Broward, located at 1295 East Hallandale Beach Blvd. For more information about upcoming events, call 954-458-1877.
Country Music Star And Israeli Soldiers Featured At Palm Beach Event Country music star Joe Buchanan, along with current and former Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers, highlighted a donor appreciation event with over 200 members of the local community on December 12th at Temple Beth El of West Palm Beach. The synagogue and the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Palm Beach chapter sponsored the gathering. IDF soldiers appearing at the event included former IDF soldier Maytal Itkis, who spoke about her time in the navy and the loss of both of her brothers during their IDF service. The event was chaired by local FIDF supporters and Temple Beth El of West Palm Beach members
Bob and Cheryl Finkelstein of Palm Beach Gardens. Buchanan, whose most recent album is Back from Babylon, sings Americana-influenced country music inspired by his South Texas upbringing and his conversion to Judaism.
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