s ’ n e m o W 9 1 0 2 y Da See more below
MONDAY DECEMBER 16, 2019
11:30 am • Michael’s On East FEATURING GA IL SIMMONS
Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Israel and the World FEDERATION NEWS PUBLISHED BY
The Jewish Federation OF SARASOTA-MANATEE
THE LARRY GREENSPON FAMILY CAMPUS FOR JEWISH LIFE
November 2019 - Cheshvan/Kislev 5780 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 11A Community Focus 16A Jewish Interest 24A Israel & the Jewish World 28A Commentary 31A Focus on Youth 35A Life Cycle 1B Jewish Happenings
3A Ed and Betty Rosenthal are planting for the future
5A How to SURVIVE LUNCH: Say something
www.jfedsrq.org
Volume 49, Number 11
The results are in! 2019 Jewish Community Study By Kim Mullins, Chief Operating Officer
S
ince the beginning of 2019, you’ve likely seen some type of communication from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee about a Jewish Community Study. We are proud to announce that the study is complete and we are ready to share its initial findings with our community! This study will significantly impact the strategy and work of our Federation, helping us to better understand communal needs so that we can allocate our precious resources for maximum impact. The information contained within the report will be the catalyst to address the many opportunities and challenges the study highlights. Through thoughtful analysis of the data, we will gain important insights into contemporary Jewish life – the beliefs, practices, values and rituals that add meaning for our core constituencies and the many subgroups of our community. Federation President Michael Ritter, whose leadership was instrumental in gaining approval for the study, said, “This data comes at a critical time for our Federation. We are embarking on a project to reimagine our 32-acre Larry Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life, and what we learn about the
needs and desires of our constituents will determine how we develop the campus and our future programming. The data will enable our own strategic planning, and will also prove helpful to agencies, synagogues, the Jewish day school, and other Jewish service and funding organizations.” The last Jewish community study was performed in 2001. Since then, the number of Jewish individuals living in Sarasota-Manatee increased by 86%. This growth rate approximately doubled the regional population growth rate. As of 2019, the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community numbers approximately 35,200 adults and children living in 17,100 Jewish households. This includes 25,400 Jewish adults and 3,400 Jewish children, as well as 6,100 non-Jewish adults and 300 non-Jewish children. Our Jewish population represents approximately 4% of the households in Sarasota-Manatee. Of the 17,100 Jewish households, 2,600 (15.2%) are considered seasonal residents, spending less than nine months in the area. A few other interesting statistics from the report include: ¡¡ 70% of Jewish adults have a mezuzah in their home
¡¡ 80% of Jewish adults light Hanukkah candles in a typical year ¡¡ 28% of households in SarasotaManatee include someone who belongs to a synagogue or another Jewish worship community of some kind. However, only 16% of households belong to at least one congregation in the SarasotaManatee area. ¡¡ 7% of Jewish adults keep a kosher home, which increased from 3% in 2001 ¡¡ 75% of children in Jewish households are being raised Jewish in some way ¡¡ Among households with at least one child age 12 or younger, 70% receive books from PJ Library ¡¡ Almost 70% of Sarasota-Manatee Jews say at least half of their closest friends are Jewish ¡¡ 89% of area Jews feel at least somewhat connected to Israel, while 40% feel very connected ¡¡ Members of the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community are concerned about anti-Semitism, but that worry is more directed at the national (79%) than the local level (40%) On behalf of the leadership of our continued on page 2A
Gail Simmons: Cooking on all burners 27A The unexpected rise of Israel’s baseball team
33A Jewish teens from Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples connect at BBYO event
T
By Gayle Guynup
his year’s keynote speaker at The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee’s Women’s Day Luncheon on Monday, December 16 will be Gail Simmons, renowned culinary expert, food writer and television personality, best known as a permanent judge on Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning series, Top Chef, now starting its 17th season. Simmons was born in Toronto to Renee and Ivor Simmons. She was the youngest of three siblings, with two older brothers, Eric and Alan. Her father was a chemical engineer, who emigrated from South Africa in the early
A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee The Larry Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232 Annual voluntary subscription: $25
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1960s, while her mother, grew up in what she defortuitously, was a cookscribed as a traditional ing teacher and food colJewish home, with a umnist for The Globe and family that celebrated Mail, the most widely read Shabbat every Friday newspaper in Canada. night, observed all of “My mother was defithe religious holidays nitely ahead of her time,” and went to synagogue, Simmons said, writing where she sang in the about food trends, recipes choir. Simmons has and ingredients, long bemade three trips to Isfore it was fashionable. rael, twice as a teenHer mother was a ager and last year on a fabulous cook, and watchtrip organized by expeGail Simmons ing her “definitely planted the seed for riential marketing guru Herb Karlitz the rest of my life,” she said. Simmons continued on page 2A ▼
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