H A P P Y C H A N U K A H let your light shine bright
Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Israel and the World FEDERATION NEWS PUBLISHED BY
The Jewish Federation OF SARASOTA-MANATEE
THE LARRY & MARY GREENSPON FAMILY CAMPUS FOR JEWISH LIFE
December 2019 - Kislev/Tevet 5780 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 13A Community Focus 23A Jewish Interest 30A Israel & the Jewish World 31A Commentary 36A Focus on Youth 39A Life Cycle 1B Jewish Happenings
www.jfedsrq.org
JFED PROUD & STRONG
By Michael Ritter, Federation President, and Howard Tevlowitz, CEO
A
s we come to the end of 2019, we are pleased to report that our Jewish future in SarasotaManatee is bright and growing! Among other things, our 2019 Jewish Community Study tells us: The Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community numbers approximately
3A Marge and Leon Ellin: beautiful – inside and out!
Michael Ritter and Howard Tevlowitz
7A Federation program staff gives back to the community
Volume 49, Number 12
35,000 adults and children living in 17,100 Jewish households. Since 2001, the number of Jewish individuals living in SarasotaManatee increased by 86%. This growth rate approximately doubled the regional population growth rate. Approximately 3.6% of residents in Sarasota-Manatee are Jewish, compared with about 2.2% of residents of the United States.
As a result of our study and the establishment of The Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life, our Federation is positioned to take a bold approach to meeting the needs of our growing Jewish community. That approach is about reimagining the Jewish community throughout our two-county area. We are JFED PROUD & STRONG! What does that mean? Just as we now live in a society of “customized playlists,” our Federation, through new campus programs and services, will enable members of our community to access Jewish life at a pace that makes sense for each one. No formal membership or affiliation will be required. Instead, both will be replaced by meaningful “access points” into services and engagements that meet the needs of individuals and families. Our goal is simple: engage more people in activities, volunteering, causes, spiritual searches, cultural involvement, learning and social networks that deepen connections to Jewish life and, ultimately, each individual’s connection to the community. Our programs will be flexible and wel-
coming; make social justice central to programming; and highlight how Judaism can relate to everyday lives and values. We stand today at the crossroads of a shifting and changing Jewish landscape. How we as a Federation have chosen to forge ahead will have serious implications for the future of our Jewish community. It’s a scary path for some, but an exciting one for those who want more. Care to join us on this journey? We’re looking for the “right people on the bus in the right seats,” in order to travel ways less traveled. What an exciting ride it will be! For more information on how you can join us in reimaging The Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life, contact Howard Tevlowitz at 941.343.2110 or htevlowitz@ jfedsrq.org.
Come sing with us! Tradition! Staff Report
10A Holocaust survivor Rifka Glatz speaks with Sarasota Military Academy students
37A Community Day School’s fourth annual Challah-ween Bake-Off Festival
T
he Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee will offer something different this month. For the first time in Federation history, we will offer a sing-along with the community. The Federation will host Tradition, a Chinese buffet and a sing-along version of the original movie, Fiddler on the Roof, on Thursday, December 25 at 3:00 p.m. in the Beatrice Friedman Theater on The Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life, 582 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Fiddler on the Roof is a beloved film that has stood the test of time – the tale of Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach
A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee The Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232 Annual voluntary subscription: $25
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upon their lives. Its songs, too, remain as vibrant and meaningful today as when the film first came out in 1971: “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker,
Match-maker,” “To Life” and “Sunrise, Sunset” to name but a few. “We couldn’t think of a better way to honor the longstanding Jewish practice of going to the movies and eating Chinese food on Christmas day than by organizing a fun and festive communi▼
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ty screening of the movie that tells the story of our Jewish people,” said Kim Mullins, Federation COO. “It is all about tradition!” The sing-along screening will include an intermission, when the Chinese buffet will be served. Dress for the event is Shtetl chic (with prizes awarded for best-dressed). Event chairs Andrea Silvergleit and Lisa Berger invite you to bring the whole mishpocheh (family) to schmooze, nosh, sing and dance! Tickets are $36 per person. Visit jfedsrq.org/events to reserve your spot. For more information, please contact Jeremy Lisitza at jlisitza@jfedsrq.org or 941.343.2113. ▼
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