יום שישי, כ״ה תמוז תשפ״וFriday, July 10, 2026
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Shelley Benveniste is South Florida editor of The Jewish Press.
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The Yom Ha’Zikaron commemoration honored fallen IDF soldier Benji Hillman and featured as keynote speaker Chaim Shacham, Israel’s consul general to Florida and Puerto Rico.
When the Jewish people come together with unity and love, they create a true Kiddush Hashem, a sanctification of God’s name.
Shomrim’s recent selection of Harvey Meshel as the new president of the group has been met with a warm and positive response.
Approximately 1.5 million students entered the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program, and only about 16,000 were named semifinalists.
They think that showing the world what could and did happen will ensure that it will never occur again.
At the inception of the program, all Holocaust survivors present came forward to lead the singing of Hatikvah.
JSU clubs, which are part of NCSY, the Orthodox Union’s international youth movement, are found in hundreds of public high schools across North America.
Shimon Braun is a member of Ohev Shalom who reflects the attitude that the synagogue inspires.
Jews have brought the baggage of the galut (exile) mentality to the modern state of Israel.
The goal of the crusade is to demonize and hurt Israel.
The JUMP program at Hebrew Academy was generously sponsored by Evelyn and Dr. Shmuel Katz.
Hatzalah provides care, free of charge, to all in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or ethnicity.
I gave the Heimlich Maneuver to a choking victim many years ago. My husband and I were dining with friends. Suddenly one of the men got a piece of broccoli stuck in his windpipe. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breath. He was desperate.
“The Jews of Cochin” is the title of a presentation Katz will make at 7 p.m. Monday, March 31 at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, where he is academic director. The event is free and open to the public.
Students, young adults, newlywed couples, and men and women considering becoming parents can be screened for all nineteen genetic diseases at the low cost of $99 for those who have health insurance.
Mrs. Stern pointed out parallels in the story of Purim and conditions in the world today. Ancient Persia, the setting of the megillah tale, is now, Iran, a country threatening the Jewish state with nuclear annihilation.
A recent occurrence has put it all into perspective for me.
Under the direction of religious studies teacher Mrs. Sharon Ciment, the girls raised a significant amount for this worthy cause.
Shabbos at Young Israel of Sunny Isles is a delight. The beautiful davening and shiurim are followed by a delicious kiddush and seudah shelishit. Yom tovim are times of celebration for the entire community.
The performers stood in front of a wall covered with beautiful graphic designs crafted by H.A. students.
The extraordinary work of Chai Lifeline Southeast reaches as far north as Maryland and as far west as Texas.
Rabbi Weberman is the senior Orthodox rabbi of South Florida. He has been spiritual leader of Ohev Congregation since 1969 and served as president of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of South Florida since 1979.
This year Valentine’s Day came out on a Friday. Enterprising Jews were quick to step up to the plate to make the day their own.
What began in 1974 as a tiny beis medrash with only ten students has developed into a yeshiva campus that encompasses many buildings spread over a six-mile radius.
His first book, Doesn’t Anyone Blush Anymore? was highly acclaimed and is now in its fourth printing.
Curtis Reeves is a 71-year old retired police captain from Tampa, Florida. Reeve was thought to be the consummate police officer. He helped set up a SWAT team for the department. He was described a man who almost never became angry. He seemed to always be under control.
The RASG Hebrew Academy JUMP (Jewish Unity Mentoring Program) hosted its second annual Israel Awareness Day on Monday, February 3, in the school auditorium.
The Orthodox Union will be presenting the SPIRIT Initiative – Stimulating Program Initiative for Retirees that Inspire Thought – to Congregation Torah Ohr in Boca Raton on Tuesday, February 18 and Thursday, February 20.
Young Israel of Bal Harbour will be presenting the final Scholar-in-Residence Shabbaton of the season on Shabbos Ki Tisa, February 14 -15.
Those who do not live in South Florida probably cannot realize the hatred and fear the mere mention of Fidel generates.
The OU will present its annual community weekend and dispatch speakers to serve as scholars-in residence at Orthodox synagogues in the area.
The SPIRIT Program is a three-day series featuring leading rabbinic, communal and mental health professionals, focused on enhancing the educational opportunities of the Jewish community.
Cantors Avi Albrecht and Yaakov Motzen will join up for a Shabbat Chazzanut, February 7 - 8, at the Palm Beach Synagogue in Palm Beach.
Lois Mondres has lived in a South Florida condominium for 25 years. For the past five years she has enjoyed maintaining a small vegetable garden. Mrs. Mondres grew lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, kale and tomatoes in a plot in front of her unit. The 82 year-old senior is a vegan and depended on her crop for the vegetables she ate.
Emunah of South Florida, Miami Beach chapter, will present the Emunah Humanitarian Leadership Award to U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen at the organization’s annual gala dinner.
The Lana Ditchek Goldberg Hachnossos Kallah of Greater Miami will mark its 30th anniversary with a benefit tea.
Young Israel of Bal Harbour, 9592 Harding Avenue in Surfside, provides a virtual smorgasbord of classes, lectures, Shabbatons and speakers to satisfy every taste and interest.
Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Steven Weil will be leading an OU community weekend at the Boca Jewish Center/Shaaray Tefilla of Boca Raton from Saturday, January 18 through Sunday, January 19 (Shabbat Parshat Yitro). The synagogue is located at 21065 Powerline Road, Suite C-7.
Several weeks ago a man entered a convenience store in Miami and attempted to make a purchase using an unusual barter. Fernando Aguilera had a hankering for beer. His lack of cash produced a creative solution.
The RASG Hebrew Academy’s 66th Annual Event was held on Sunday night, December 22. The yearly dinner is held to raise scholarship funds that provide tuition assistance to approximately 60 percent of the Hebrew Academy student body.
The Israeli men’s international lacrosse team played an exciting showcase event on December 8 at the Miami Country Day School. The exhibition match pitted Team Israel against Florida International University. Israel defeated FIU 17 to 11.
Young Israel of Bal Harbour, located at 9295 Harding Avenue, 2nd floor, in Surfside, will be holding a Scholar in Residence Weekend January 17-18 with Rabbi Benjamin Blech. (The Shabbaton is being generously sponsored by Fred and Judy Farbman.)
Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Steven Weil will be leading an OU Community Weekend at the Beth Israel Congregation of Miami Beach Friday, January 3-Saturday, January 4 (Shabbat Parshat Bo). The OU member synagogue is located at 770 West 40th Street.
Mandela remained loyal to the rogue leaders and regimes that backed him through the many years he’d been imprisoned: Cuba’s Castro, Libya’s Khaddafi and the PLO’s Arafat.
Hebrew Academy (RASG) has announced that Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, will be the keynote speaker at the Hebrew Academy Annual Event.
Chai Lifeline Southeast’s first venture into the art world, “Through the Eyes of Our Children,” an exhibit and sale at Gallery Art in Aventura, was part of the organization’s Chai Crafts program, an innovative art therapy endeavor sponsored by the Root Foundation.
The Preserve at Palm-Aire, a local senior living community, recently donated more than 180 eco-friendly, sturdy and reusable tote bags to the Broward County Jewish Family Services (JFS).
Unfortunately, a map of the Middle East with no mention of Israel is nothing new... It is surprising however, that the world’s largest publisher of children’s literature, Scholastic Books, has joined in this trend.
“I’m disappointed that the agreement reached with Iran leaves our unfulfilled our ultimate objective: a complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program and related activities.
Southern NCSY will be holding a leadership training Shabbaton at the Young Israel of Bal Harbour December 6 and December 7. Rabbi Steven Weil, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, will be the special guest speaker.
Is there a beginning and an end to the universe? What role can medical breakthroughs play in conception or genetic engineering? Can science help us pinpoint the end of human life? Does the soul emanate from the brain or vice-versa?
Due to current circumstances in the Middle East, I am featuring my usual Thanksgiving column. Once again Israel is engaged in a futile round of “peace talks” with an enemy that seeks its demise. The cast may change, but the premise of the misguided script remains the same. When will we ever learn?
NCSY, the International Youth movement of the Orthodox Union, held its annual Jewish Unity Mentoring Program (JUMP) Conference and Challenge recently at the Hilton Huntington Hotel in Melville, New York.
The Torah Academy of Boca Raton held its 7th annual Golf Tournament and BBQ at Boca Lago Country Club on October 21. More than 80 golfers enjoyed a fabulous day of golf, food and fun.
It is really very hard for me to honestly believe that my oldest grandson, Jack Benveniste-Plitt, is about to become bar mitzvah. How is it possible that the same child whose infant socks slipped from his too-small feet is now almost as tall as me and wearing men’s size sneakers?
The RASG Hebrew Academy has always had much to be proud of. The school offers students the finest of both Judaic and secular curriculum. The faculty, student body, parents and leadership are top notch. The atmosphere is upbeat and inspirational.
The 34th annual South Florida Chassidic Chanukah Festival will be held on December 1 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. The star-studded program promises to be the best ever. The unique celebration has become the highlight of South Florida’s Chanukah holiday.
Rebbetzin Hanna Tennenhaus, a”h, passed away on Simchas Torah, 23 Tishrei, 5774/Sept. 27, 2013. She was 89. A shloshim was held in her honor at Chabad of South Broward Headquarters,1295 East Hallendale Beach Blvd, on October 29.
Touro College South, in cooperation with The Shul of Bal Harbour, will present a series of three workshops on new teaching technologies for educators in Jewish schools.
A horrific case of cyber-bullying apparently led to the suicide of a Lakeland, Florida girl named Rebecca Sedwick. A month ago Rebecca jumped to her death from an abandoned building. She was 12 years old. The child had been tormented by online postings. One told her “to drink bleach and die.”
A body can be locked up. The soul can still soar. Life-changing moments can happen in the most unexpected circumstances.
Slated to run in some 150 locations around the world, A Reason to Celebrate is a meaningful, personal and spiritual journey through special days on the Jewish calendar. Through exploring the deeper, mystical significance of these days, they become lenses through which we gain insight into our relationships and our identities as Jewish women, and catalysts that empower us to implement positive change in our lives.
“What I find most exciting about the Hahn Family Ultra Weekend is the diversity among the teens,” said Todd Cohn, Southern NCSY’s executive director. “The teens from all different schools and backgrounds will come together for one inspirational, empowerment weekend.”
The holidays are over. The busy swirl of frenzied activity has passed. The Jewish world has caught its collective breath, the kids have gone back to school, adults have returned to work. and we’re all getting on with the usual rhythm of their lives.
Skylake Synagogue, located at 1850 NE 183rd Street in North Miami Beach, has introduced a unique enterprise – The Closet – to South Florida. The project is housed in a small building, next to the shul, and has been renovated to look like a boutique shop.
The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will present Life in the Balance: Jewish Perspectives on Everyday Medical Dilemmas, the institute’s new six-session Fall 2013 course that will begin during the week of Tuesday, October 29.
South Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has good news for hungry travelers. Kosher food is now available to passengers at JetBlue’s Terminal 3, Concourse F. Chef Allen’s 2 Go Kosher refrigerated kiosk opened on September 30. It is a welcomed accommodation to the many kosher consumers who stream through the busy airport.
Modern life can keep us isolated from reality. Our homes are well lit, temperature controlled, sound proofed and sealed off from our environment. We never sweat or shiver. We sleep soundly through the greatest of storms. We neither feel nor hear the wind or rain.
South Florida’s Mitzvah Chapter of Hadassah recently held a meet and greet at The Mexico Bravo restaurant, located at 16850 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles.
Southern NCSY announced the appointment of Josh Geller, of Hollywood, Florida, as the new South Florida NCSY director of institutional advancement. Geller, an NCSY alumnus, will serve as an integral member of Southern NCSY development department. His focus will be to reach out to the thousands of alumni who participated in Southern NCSY as far back as the 1950s and reconnect them with the organization and its mission.
Students at the RASG Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach started off the school year with a great mitzvah project with a fun-filled theme. The school’s annual food drive was dedicated to the Miami Dolphins football team and dubbed “The Fins Frenzy and Food Drive Day.”
Last week, Diana Nyad emerged from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Key West and walked to the beach. Onlookers cheered and blew conch shells. Nyad had finally fulfilled her dream. She was the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage. It had been a long struggle.
Dave Crystal is a vibrant young man who is used to working hard. Crystal grew up in Staten Island and attended Yeshivah of Flatbush and Poly Prep High School. He is a graduate of Penn with degrees in philosophy, politics and economics. He has an MBA in finance and marketing. He has worked as a Wall Street analyst, a licensed financial adviser, an entrepreneur, and is the founder of Crystal Clear Tutors.
Ohev Shalom Congregation of Miami Beach held a Selichot night melavah malka on Saturday, August 31. A delicious dairy buffet was served. Pizzas, salads, tuna, chips, dips and ice cream made up the perfect menu.
Hebrew Academy (RASG) high school faculty member Mrs. Tirtza Schapiro has been named as one of the winners of the thirteenth annual Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education.
A dreadful local incident has made national and even international news. A South Miami man finally obtained the attention that he so feverishly sought. The event has caused shock waves and led to a serious examination of the phenomenon of social media.
The summer is over. The kids are back in school and the high-holiday season is upon us. Rosh Hashanah is a week away
Chabad of South Broward will be hosting an inspiring Selichot service featuring world-renowned chazzan Rabbi Yossi Lebovics on Saturday night, August 31 (September 1) at 1:15 a.m. The rabbi will be joined by the talented Lebovics Boys Choir.
Ron Dermer, set to replace Michael Oren as Israeli ambassador to Washington, was born and raised in Miami Beach. He attended the local RASG Hebrew Academy. His father, Jay Dermer, was mayor of Miami Beach in the late 1960s. His brother, David, won that post in 1984.
The Jewish king is required to always have a Torah scroll by his side.
RASG Hebrew Academy, located at 2400 Pine Tree Drive in Miami Beach, will hold a grand opening of the school’s new gymnasium on October 4. The community-wide event will mark the official opening of the multistory center, designed by noted architect Koby Karp.
Children at Camp Gan Israel at The Shul of Bal Harbour enjoyed a fun-filled summer. The campers were treated to seven weeks of sports, swimming, trips, crafts, theme weeks, dress up days and much more.
The yom tovim come early this year. Rosh Hashanah is just a month away. The Jewish New Year is traditionally observed as a time of both introspection and anticipation. It is the quintessential opportunity for reflection on what has been, and the perfect time to think about what will be.
July 10, 2026 
