One of the biggest Lag B’Omer celebrations in the country took place this year in Hallandale Beach, where more than 10,000 people showed up at Gulfstream Park.
The Orthodox Union Karasick Department of Synagogue Services and OU president Martin Nachimson announced that Delray Orthodox Synagogue has become an official OU member congregation.
Boynton Beach has the fastest growing Jewish population in America. Currently, several hundred traditional families call Boynton Beach home.
The Los Angeles community celebrated Israel’s 65th birthday recently with an early morning Walk for Israel, followed by a Celebrate Israel 65 Festival at Rancho Park.
The National Bible Contest, Chidon HaTanach, recently announced the names of the students who are qualified to compete in the national competition this Sunday at Yeshiva University in New York.
Yes, it is true. Man, alone in all of creation, is aware that he will die. The recognition of this certainty is quite sobering. Integrating a happy life with the knowledge that our existence is, in fact, a terminal condition, can be daunting.
The South Florida community will join celebrations taking place around the globe to mark Lag B’Omer. The local Lag B’Omer Unity Parade & Fair is scheduled on Sunday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gulfstream Park on the corner of US1 in Hallandale.
RASG Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach recently commemorated Yom Hazikaron, the solemn remembrance day for Israel’s fallen heroes, and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, the joyous celebration of the birthday of the Jewish State.
South Florida Yachad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities, recently presented a captivating speaker to the area. Richard Bernstein addressed audiences from April 11 through April 15.
The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will present Curious Tales of the Talmud: Finding Yourself in the Legends of Our Sages, the institute’s new six-session Spring 2013 course that will begin during the week of April 23.
I often wonder what it would take to encourage women in our community to become chaplains?
By dvora
On Sunday evening, April 7, the Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov Ohr Eliyahu was joined by parents, grandparents, and children for a communitywide commemoration honoring the six million kedoshim of the Shoah.
Pesach is over. The busy swirl of Jewish holidays will end with Shavuot next month. The slow pace of summer days will follow. Schools and organizations will shut down. Synagogues will stop many of their activities. Their front office is often shuttered. The facility will only open for prayer services. Organizations are closed for vacation. They will reopen in the fall.
The Miami Country Day School chapter of the Jewish Student Connection recently hosted a Lunch and Learn with guest speaker Irene Waller, a noted educator who has taught in locations as diverse as Canada and Japan.
Chabad of South Broward is known in South Florida as a leader in Jewish education, outreach and social services. The organization, founded in 1980, is home to over forty institutions and agencies and has twelve Chabad centers in Broward County.
Emunah of America held its South Florida Annual Gala Dinner on Tuesday, February 26, at the elegant Miami Beach Resort and Spa on Collins Avenue.
Young Israel of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor and Surfside, held a long-anticipated event on Sunday, March 10. Many years of struggle finally culminated in a jubilant groundbreaking ceremony held at the congregation’s construction site in Surfside. Several hundred people attended the gathering.
The Lubavitch Educational Center in Miami recently packed the social hall of the Shul of Bal Harbour for the largest father/son farbrengen South Florida has ever seen.
RASG Hebrew Academy, located at 2400 Pine Tree Drive in Miami Beach, will hold a memorial for fallen IDF soldiers on Monday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. The service will be led by students and take place in the school auditorium.
The Ronald and Ethel Gruen Endowed Fund for the Advancement of Secondary Jewish Education has awarded $20,000 to YULA Boys High School. As one of eight grant recipients, the funds are intended to either provide need-based scholarships to students or to support the school’s mechinah (beginners) programs. The gift will be administered through Yeshiva University’s Institute for University-School Partnership.
Last week a shocking incident occurred in Central Florida. Jeffrey Bush, a 36-year old resident of Tampa, was asleep in his family home. Suddenly, a 20-foot-sinkhole opened up under him. Bush awoke. He screamed for help as he, his bed and the furnishings of the room were swallowed up.
A uniquely cooperative event took place on March 6 when the Young Israel of Deerfield Beach hosted a nationally televised siyum on Masechas Shabbos that was presented by the Agudath Israel of America.
The RASG Hebrew Academy held its third annual Poetry Night on March 5 at Books and Books in the Bal Harbour Shops.
In honor of the 20th Anniversary of “Schindler’s List,” Universal Studios Home Entertainment has partnered with the USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education for the launch of the IWitness Video Challenge.
Andrew Friedman, president of Congregation Bais Naftoli, recently greeted Rav Chaim Halpern, rosh yeshiva of Ohr Yosef Novardik in France.
Yeshiva Day School of Las Vegas (YDLV) recently celebrated its sixth year of educational excellence with a banquet.
By Micah Hyman
Last year, Gabriel Naghi (who has since graduated and is now studying in Israel) and Alex Fax, father of then-10th grader Yair Fax, pioneered the YULA Robotics Team, a co-ed squad that held biweekly meetings. Although the team built a robot that could have competed, all of the qualifying competitions were held on Saturday, restricting the team’s ability to progress.
Americans were riveted to their television screens by the story of the Carnival Cruise ship “Triumph.” The ill-fated voyage was interrupted by an engine fire that left the ship without power and adrift for five days in the Gulf of Mexico. Nonstop coverage documented the misery of passengers, who struggled without electric lights, air conditioning and working toilets.
Chabad of South Broward will be hosting its 32nd annual dinner on Tuesday, March 5, at its headquarters, 1295 East Hallandale Beach Blvd.
The Hebrew Academy (RASG) in Miami Beach has been filled with Purim excitement since the beginning of the month of Adar.
The Board of Trustees of Weinbaum Yeshiva high School has proudly announced that Rabbi Jonathan Kroll will serve as its new Head of School effective August 1, 2013. Rabbi Kroll joins Weinbaum Yeshiva High School from S.A.R High School in Riverdale, New York, where he has held teacher and associate principal titles since 2003.
Led by the Reuben Klamer “Game of Life” Youth Leadership Council, the Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School recently held its first Achieving Chesed and Excellence (A.C.E.) Community Service Program, in response to President Obama’s National Day of Community Service.
Life has many twists and turns. The roller-coaster ride is often bewildering. Are the trials we face just chance occurrences or are they engineered? Is our existence divinely inspired or a random throw of dice? What is our role and how is it to be handled?
Bari Gordon scored a school-record 52 points as RASH Hebrew Academy beat host and Number 2 seed Greater Miami Academy 79-74 in the District 14-2A Girls’ Basketball Championship Game.
The Lana Ditchek Goldberg Hachnossos Kallah of Greater Miami will mark its 29th anniversary with a benefit tea. The women-only event will feature popular comedian Leah Forrster, a delicious sushi and dessert buffet and a mini Chinese auction. The event will bestow a special tribute to benefactor Mrs. Sisel Klurman.
The RASG Hebrew Academy, located at 2400 Pinetree Drive in Miami Beach, recently hosted a Health Awareness Week for its prekindergarten students.
Taking long Shabbat walks in Beverly Hills bore fruit recently in Miami as Rabbi Alan Kalinsky, director of the Orthodox Union West Coast Region, competed in the ING Half-Marathon as a member of Team Yachad. He finished the 13.1 miles in 3 hours and 20 minutes – by walking and jogging.
By dvora
Rav Yechezkel Roth, the Karlsburger Rav, began his recent visit to the Los Angeles Jewish community by delivering a shiur at the Los Angeles Chassidishe Kollel.
Dr. Elias Konwufine, a native of Africa, came to The United States with his wife, Francisca, earned doctorates and went on to become an associate dean at Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale. Education was his passion and he loved his work. He was respected and loved by family, colleagues and students.
The Young Israel of Bal Harbor, located at 9592 Harding Avenue in Surfside, will present an incredible Scholar in Residence Weekend with internationally acclaimed scholar, historian and speaker Rabbi Berel Wein on February 1 -2, Shabbos Yisro.
The Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy held its first Alef Hebrew Honor Society Ceremony on January 3. Twenty-five students were inducted. The Hebrew Honor Society recognizes outstanding achievements in the study of Hebrew language and literature and promotes an understanding and appreciation of the culture of Israel.
Dr. George Szapary, the Hungarian ambassador to the U.S., recently visited Los Angeles to discuss political, social and economic matters with that city’s leaders.
A raft washed up to the shore of a marina in south Florida recently. The rickety craft was fashioned from Styrofoam blocks. The posts were oars. The sail was a tarp. A hiker noticed the abandoned raft and reported it to authorities. It was feared that the occupants had perished in a fruitless effort to cross the waters from Cuba to the United States.
RASG Hebrew Academy held a community-wide Israel Awareness Day on December 25. The informative and meaningful event was held on the school’s main campus at 2400 Pine Tree Drive in Miami Beach.
The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) is offering a six-session winter 2013 course called “Living With Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas.” The classes will begin at 7:30 p.m. January 29. Rabbi Ruvi New will lead the sessions at 120 NE 1st Avenue, in Boca Raton.
Cantor Avi Albrecht, a major figure in the cantorial world, will appear for Shabbat Shirah, January 25-26, at the Palm Beach Synagogue in Palm Beach together with the a cappella group Kol Fusion. The program is presented by the Palm Beach Synagogue and American Friends of Meir Panim.
Young Israel of Deerfield Beach, located at 202 Century Boulevard, will host a Holocaust remembrance program on January 20. The event will mark the anniversary of the infamous Wannsee Conference, which set into motion Hitler’s plan for the genocide of the entire Jewish population of Europe.
The Chaya Aydel Seminary (CAS) in Hallandale Beach is entering its 12th (bas mitzvah) year of excellence in education. CAS has become well known for its top-notch academics and beautiful frum environment.
More than 175 people attended a complimentary educational program called “Respect and Resilience: Foundations for a Healthy Marriage and Family.” In partnership with Ohel Children’s Home & Family Services and The Shul of Bal Harbour, the event was sponsored by Yehi Ohr, JCS’s new initiative expanding its commitment to the South Florida Orthodox Jewish community.
A Jewish couple from Toronto was found dead inside their Hallandale Beach, South Florida condo on Thursday night, with police investigating a double homicide.
The Orthodox Jewish Chaplaincy Board (OJCB) of Southern California recently held its Chanukah candle lighting program with Jewish inmates at Men’s Central Jail (MCJ), Twin Towers Correctional Facilities (TTCF) and Pitches Detention Center (PDC).
The South Florida area is quite cosmopolitan and often hosts an array of cultural events including art shows and festivals, indie and foreign films. A movie presented in French, Hebrew and Arabic (with English subtitles) running in a small theater in North Miami Beach recently piqued my interest.
Every Wednesday evening the Young Israel of Bal Harbour welcomes an international gathering of guests for Dr. Henry Abramson’s lecture series in Jewish History.
Chabad of South Broward held its 33rd annual South Florida Chassidic Chanukah Festival on December 13, the 6th night of Chanukah, at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.
The Chabad Hebrew School in Highland Lakes held a joyous musical Chanukah Celebration on December 12. Over a hundred students performed “Chanukah Down Memory Lane.” Each class dressed in the era they represented as they sang oldies for the audience.
This September, Southern NCSY – the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union – launched an exclusive leadership program for high school teens known as Teen LLC: Leadership, Learning and Chesed. The program accepted 20 teens who spend two hours every other week learning the Torah sources on charity and meeting with representatives from various social service organizations at Yum Berry yogurt store.