! N O O S G COMIN
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A CELEBRATION HIGHLIGHTING
THE BEAUTY AND WONDER OF ISRAEL!
S P O N S O R E D
B Y
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Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Israel and the World FEDERATION NEWS
Serving our community since 1971!
Published by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee www.jfedsrq.org
August 2017 - Av/Elul 5777 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 7 13 18 25 29 31 35
Community Focus Jewish Happenings Jewish Interest Israel & the Jewish World Commentary Focus on Youth Life Cycle
4 Spring Fling: Defying odds and building community
5 “Mission to Jewish Morocco”
Volume 47, Number 8
Building Community in Israel: The 2017 Jewish Federation Interfaith Voyage of Discovery Rev. Dr. Tom Pfaff, President, Sarasota Ministerial Association
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nials, GenXers and Boomers, from not-for-profits, ommunity happens when people accept the definitely for-profits, Democrats, Independents and experiences of life in the same time and place. On the 2017 Heller CRC Interfaith Republicans, altogether celebrated the discoveries. “Never Again!” now is felt when said. Shabbat Voyage of Discovery, we listened, feasted, walked and reflected on our lives and each other’s. Comcontinued on page 2 munity happened, but not just with us, but with Israel as well. Twenty of us ventured to see the Holy Land and to learn from Israelis about their country. ‘Bashert,’ we expected; God laughed. Solidarity with Israel, with The Jewish Federation, with SarasotaManatee, with our group was meant to be. For each of us, our ‘community’ got bigger and friendlier. Seventy percent of us had never been to Israel before. The same fourteen of the twenty knew only four or five of the group before the voyage. ReliThe 2017 Jewish Federation Interfaith Voyage of Discovery participants in Israel gious, not-so-religious, Millen-
STEPping into a bright Jewish future By Lael Hazan
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23
The untold story of the Jewish effort to pass the G.I. Bill
30 “Focus on Youth” photos of the month
A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232 Annual voluntary subscription: $25
ho will be the next generation of Jewish were enthusiastic and spoke about how much they leaders? How do we engage our youth to had learned and grown during the year. celebrate Judaism? Who will stand up to The STEP program consists of two tracks: a lies and discrimination? general program of events in which any Jewish high These are tough questions, but a new program school student in the Sarasota-Manatee area can paris helping answer them. The STEP initiative at The ticipate at their convenience, and a leadership track Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is, in step of “Fellows” who commit to coming to the scheduled with its mission, “educating, engaging and empowcontinued on page 2 ering Jewish teens” to ensure a strong future. The brainchild of Sally (z’l) and Sam Shapiro, STEP (Shapiro Teen Engagement Program) celebrated its inaugural year with a lively banquet on May 18. In addition to the STEP Fellows and their families, many Federation board members were in attendance. There were marvelous speeches and stories, and a year-in-review film. Sam Shapiro spoke about how pleased he 2016-2017 STEP Fellows Jacob Green, Abigail Zion, Amy Levison, Erica Lester, was with the outcome. The high Gabriella Hazan, Amanda Green, Camryn Cohen, Mackenzie Grace, Phoenix Berman, Ashlyn Downey-Hayes, Simon Weiner school students/STEP Fellows NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID MANASOTA FL PERMIT 167
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