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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
May 2018 - Iyar/Sivan 5778 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 8 Community Focus 16 Jewish Happenings 16 Israel @ 70 Events 25 Jewish Interest 30 Israel & the Jewish World 31 Commentary 32 Focus on Youth 35 Life Cycle
Volume 48, Number 5
A message from Federation leadership:
Federation: Focused on building a vibrant community By Howard Tevlowitz, Federation Executive Director
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nyone who thinks that our Jewish Federation is rote, bureaucratic or boring has clearly never engaged with our Jewish Federation. Our grants, allocations, programming and planning are
4 Lion of Judah and Pomegranate donors honored at annual luncheon
6 Local students attend 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.
30 Israeli space team still shooting for the moon – plans to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in Q4 2018
33 Community Day School mixes learning and community service at the beach
Howard Tevlowitz
dynamic, somewhat frenetic and everchanging. We are focused on ensuring a vibrant Jewish future, providing for those most in need, ensuring the safety and security of Israel, and fighting anti-Semitism and BDS (Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions). With the help of many individual and corporate sponsors and community partners, we proudly welcomed thousands of people to events throughout Sarasota-Manatee this year. On our ever-evolving Jewish Federation Campus, we hosted more than 3,400 people at the We Love Israel Shuk, our Major Gifts Dinner, Happy Birthday Israel event and scholar-inresidence lecture series! Special highlights this season included our community-wide Israel @ 70 celebrations, during which our Federation partnered with all area synagogues, Community Day School, Jazz Club of Sarasota, Jewish Club at Lakewood Ranch, Jewish Genealogical Society of Southwest Florida, Jewish Housing Council Foundation, Mote Marine Laboratory and Sarasota Jewish Chorale to bring Israel to
our community! Our partners offered unique experiences designed to educate, raise awareness, celebrate and taste Israel throughout our two-county area. Participants of all ages and all backgrounds enjoyed food festivals, wine tastings, fascinating speakers, Shabbat dinners, chorale concerts, thoughtprovoking films and more.
To see highlights of our communitywide Israel @ 70 celebrations, turn to pages 18-19. As our Federation’s 60th anniversary fast approaches on February 25, 2019, it is our goal to continue to push the envelope by providing more continued on page 2
Women’s Giving Circle awards $40,788 in grants Staff Report
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a’agal Nashim (Circle of Women), The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee’s Women’s Giving Circle, recently awarded the 2018 grants to eight organizations in Israel benefitting women and children. Chaired by Adrea Sukin, Ma’agal Nashim is made up of women in the Sarasota-Manatee area. Its mission is to practice tikkun olam (improving the world) through a circle of caring women with the goal of enhancing the lives of Jewish women and children in Israel. Voting participation in Ma’agal Nashim requires a donation of $500 per year. Overseas not-for-profit projects in Israel supporting women and/ or children are eligible to submit grant proposals for consideration. After the proposals are received, members of Ma’agal Nashim review them and
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determine how to distribute the funds for the greatest impact. The following organizations were awarded grants totaling $40,788: Orr Shalom for Children and Youth at Risk: Providing essential clothing and equipment packs for children at risk Ethiopian National Project: Scholastic assistance program for Ethiopian Israeli girls Crossroads: Providing life-saving crisis intervention and prevention programs for at-risk teens in Israel who are struggling with social, emotional or educational difficulties Economic Empowerment for Women: Providing economically marginalized women with business skills needed to develop their own micro-enterprises Mavoi Satum: Providing support ▼
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for Jewish women who are denied a divorce TIKVOT: Rehabilitating Israel’s victims of terror, wounded soldiers and bereaved families through sports and recreational activities ELI: Israel Association for Child Protection: Providing support for sexually abused female soldiers American Friends of Leket Israel: Feeding Israel’s youth at risk “It’s an inspiration and a gift to be a part of Ma’agal Nashim,” says Adrea Sukin. “It’s wonderful to be with likeminded women who want to make a positive difference in the lives of women and children in Israel.” To join Ma’agal Nashim or for more information, please contact Ilene Fox at 941.343.2111 or ifox@jfedsrq. org, or Jeremy Lisitza at 941.343.2113 or jlisitza@jfedsrq.org.
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