s ’ n e m o W
Sale Tickets on ER OCTOB
25
Day 2017
r4 e b m e c e D Monday, hael’s On East 11:30 pm
F E AT U R I N G
• M ic
Aly Raisman
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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
November 2017 - Cheshvan / Kislev 5778 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 9 15 23 31 34 35 39
Community Focus Jewish Happenings Jewish Interest Israel & the Jewish World Commentary Focus on Youth Life Cycle
6 Mitzvah Corps New Orleans
10 Aviva - A Campus for Senior Life’s journey through Irma
Volume 47, Number 11
Federation response to crises By Howard Tevlowitz, Federation Executive Director
W
e are blessed to live in Sarasota-Manatee, with natural beauty all around us; an arts community that is second to none; a social service delivery system that is second to none; and a community that is growing. In addition, it is my hope that we all appreciate more of the value that being part of our Jewish community has to offer in our lives, in good times and in times of crisis. As our Jewish Federation has evolved during the past decade, it has become more challenging for some to define and highlight what Howard Tevlowitz we stand for. To be clear, our Jewish Federation is all about strengthening our Jewish community, helping and connecting with our extended Jewish family, and building a bright Jewish future. Understanding the particular focus on the four ways we do this may make things clearer: 1. CARING for our most vulnerable 2. Responding to CRISIS 3. Enabling as many as possible in our community to find their CONNECTION 4. Instilling COMMITMENT I want to focus briefly on the events of the past few months and the element of responding to crises (before, during and after), and how what The Federation does in this area is unique and can only be
achieved by an organization like ours. As we deal with anxiety and unsettling times, Federation’s role in this area is vital. NATURAL DISASTERS – When natural disasters arise, our Federation has been there regardless of location. In particular, Jewish Federations’ response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma has been tremendous and can only happen because we are tied Prayer books destroyed by Hurricane Harvey floods together as part of a bigger collective…and community. For updated info on hurricane relief efforts, visit www.jfedsrq.org/hurricane-relief. Just as after Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, Federations are pooling resources and efforts and have raised millions of dollars to date. Further, Federation professionals from across the country have been able to help on the ground in Houston, and thanks to the local Federation, we can be sure that dollars are effectively targeted. This system works really well in a crisis and is something we all should be proud of. SECURITY AND PREPAREDNESS Since the beginning of 2017, our Federation has been working with all area synagogues and agencies in regards to both emergency planning continued on page 2
U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Raisman to speak at Women’s Day
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Faye Schulman: Partisan photographer
Staff Report
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37 Community Day School, Aviva spend Rosh Hashanah together A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232 Annual voluntary subscription: $25
ly Raisman, two-time team captain of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Teams in 2012 and 2016, will speak at this year’s Women’s Day. Aly will share stories about her Olympic experience, the role Judaism plays in her life and how it has influenced her gymnastics career, and how positive thinking led her to gold medal success in the Olympics and beyond. Kate Alexander, Associate Director at Large for Florida Studio Theatre, will moderate the discussion with Raisman. This year’s Women’s Day Event, co-chaired by Lauren Fineman and Emily Stroud, promises to be a crowd-pleaser! The event takes place on Monday, December 4 at 11:30 a.m. at Michael’s On East. The lead sponsor of the event is Tableseide; media sponsors are The Observer Group and SCENE magazine. The most decorated U.S. gymnast at the 2012 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID MANASOTA FL PERMIT 167
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Aly Raisman
Games and first American gymnast to win gold in the floor exercise, Raisman stole the hearts of millions during her silver medal performance in the AllAround competition at the 2016 Games. Raisman is continued on page 2
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