יום חמישי, 3 ספטמבר 2026Thursday, September 3, 2026
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יום חמישי, כ״א אלול תשפ״וThursday, September 3, 2026
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West Coast Happenings

Remembering Alex Friedman

By Andrew Friedman and Tova Friedman

Alex Shloime Friedman, 93, departed from this world on August 18, 2013 (13 Elul 5773) to meet his Creator.

West Coast Happenings

First L.A. Jewish Montessori Elementary School

By Jeanne Litvin

During the past few years Los Angeles has experienced a changing landscape in the area of Jewish education. Older institutions changed formats, such as Shalhevet – which expanded its doors to include a lower school and then reformatted back to a high school. Recently, educators experimented with new models; Yeshiva High Tech and Chabad of South La Cinega each have their own Jewish Montessori preschool. And the latest challenger to L.A.’s educational paradigm is Darko, a Jewish Montessori elementary school.

South Florida

It's My Opinion: Use it Wisely

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

Sukkot At The Mimosa With Claudine Uzan Caterers

By Shelley Benveniste

The summer is over. The kids are back in school and the high-holiday season is upon us. Rosh Hashanah is a week away

South Florida

South Broward Chabad To Host Inspiring Selichot

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

Miami Beach Native Named Israeli Ambassador To U.S.

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

West Coast Happenings

Touro L.A.’s Sensible Transition

By Jeanne Litvin

After many Los Angeles high school graduates choose to spend a year studying in seminary or yeshiva in Israel, some return home confused about their next step in life. Some find jobs; others focus on continued education.

West Coast Happenings

L.A. Rededication Of Wallenberg Statue

By dvora

Earlier this month the Jewish Family Services, Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust and numerous L.A. political and community leaders hosted the rededication of the Raoul Wallenberg Statue.

West Coast Happenings

L.A.’s New Ohel Sara Program

By Jeanne Litvin

Ohel Sara, a new seminary for women who’ve just completed high school or learning in Israel, will open in October. The program, to be housed at the Young Israel of Los Angeles, already has an enrollment of 19 students from outside L.A. – in addition to local students.

South Florida

The Ultimate Antidote

By Shelley Benveniste

The Jewish king is required to always have a Torah scroll by his side.

South Florida

RASG Hebrew Academy’s New Gymnasium

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

CGI 2013: Another Fun-Filled Summer

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

West Coast Happenings

Jewish Leaders Briefed By Sen. Risch

By Jeanne Litvin

A select group of Jewish leaders from various segments of the Jewish community recently gathered in Los Angeles to hear from visiting U.S. Sen. James E. Risch (R-ID).

South Florida

It's My Opinion: A Winning Ticket

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

NCSY Teens Enjoy Summer Programs

By Shelley Benveniste

More than eighty local Jewish teenagers experienced an incredible summer as they traveled with NCSY on twelve different summer programs to Europe, Israel and all over the United States. They were part of a group of more than a thousand Jewish teenagers from all over America who dedicated their summers to Jewish experiential learning and leadership training through social action, Israel advocacy and holocaust education.

South Florida

Summer Senior Torah Academy For Men And Women

By Shelley Benveniste

The Shul of Bal Harbour, located at 9540 Collins Avenue, Surfside, offers a popular Senior Torah Academy for Men and Women. The classes are held during the week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. All lectures are followed by a complimentary lunch.

South Florida

Chabad Of South Broward: Summertime And Beyond

By Shelley Benveniste

Chabad of South Broward in Hallendale has experienced another incredible summer. They recently ran Camp Gan Israel, a seven-week day camp for boys and girls. The camp hosted three hundred children who rated the program a fun-filled success.

West Coast Happenings

Yavneh Rabbi Given ‘Distinguished Principal’ Honor

By Jeanne Litvin

Rabbi Moshe Dear, headmaster of Yavneh Academy in Los Angeles since 1999, was selected to represent private schools as a 2013 National Distinguished Principal. This is the 30th year that the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) has presented this prestigious award. Rabbi Dear is one of only six private school principals from across the country, and the fourth yeshiva principal ever, to receive this award.

South Florida

It's My Opinion: Another Time, Another Tisha B’Av

By Shelley Benveniste

The recent Tisha B’Av commemoration brings another very different Tisha B’Av to mind. It was a time of celebration in Jerusalem and for Jews all over the world. Tisha B’Av in 1967 occurred shortly after the Six-Day War. Some said there was no need to fast – after all, the Jewish nation had returned from exile.

South Florida

Resume Tune-Up Events

By Shelley Benveniste

The Orthodox Union Job Board will host two “Resume Checkup Days” in South Florida for students and professionals. The events are open by reservation only at www.oujobs.org on a first come, first served basis.

South Florida

Shabbos Nachamu Kiddush At YI Of Deerfield Beach

By Shelley Benveniste

Young Israel of Deerfield Beach is sponsoring a sit-down kiddush/luncheon after morning services, Saturday, July 20. The event will celebrate Shabbos Nachamu, which follows the fast of Tisha B’Av.

West Coast Happenings

TCLA Graduation Stresses Spirit, Continuity and Vision

By Jeanne Litvin

At the recent seventh graduation ceremonies of Touro College Los Angeles (TCLA) at Sapper Hall on its West Hollywood campus, Touro’s president, Dr. Alan Kadish, referred to the graduates as pioneers who have laid the foundation for the future of Touro’s growth and its increasing service to the Greater Los Angeles Jewish Community.”

South Florida

It's My Opinion: Don’t Give Up

By Shelley Benveniste

South Florida was gripped with excitement as the recent NBA championship series unfolded with the Miami Heat battling the San Antonio Spurs for the 2012-2013 title.

South Florida

Chabad Chayil’s Hebrew School Celebration

By Shelley Benveniste

Chabad Chayil of Highland Lakes recently celebrated the completion of another successful year of its Hebrew school for children who attend public school. The dinner was held in The Shul of Bal Harbour. A crowd of 250 parents and supporters attended.

South Florida

Cuban Hebrew Congregation Sisterhood’s Annual Luncheon

By Shelley Benveniste

The sisterhood of The Cuban Hebrew Congregation held its annual luncheon at their shul, 1700 Michigan Avenue, in Miami Beach. Pola Chyzyk, Emilia Grabb, Ina Meceras and Sara Pullt chaired the event.

South Florida / Jewish / Florida

Boca-Trained And Ordained Rabbis Graduate

By Shelley Benveniste

Machon Menachem-Boca Raton Rabbinical College ordained fourteen rabbis at a graduation ceremony held at Chabad of Boca Raton on Military Trail, Thursday, May 30.

West Coast Happenings

L.A. Concert For Jerusalem Kollel

By dvora

A special recital of chamber music by a trio of musicians, including Rabbi Dovid Lipson on the piano, took place in Los Angeles recently. Funds raised at the recital benefited Kollel Aliyos Shlomo of Yerushalayim.

Queens and Long Island

A Fabulous Evening For The Fashion-Minded

By Margaret E. Retter

What brought together hundreds of Jewish fashionistas to attend an event with women with taste, class and an appreciation for the finer things in life and for an evening filled with laughter, joy, camaraderie, kindness?

South Florida

It's My Opinion: It’s Never Too Late

By Shelley Benveniste

Pablo Manuel Diaz is an inmate in a Florida prison. He was born in Cuba 37 years ago. His mother was Jewish. Pablo Diaz is a Jew.

South Florida

Participants Enjoy NCSY Regional

By Shelley Benveniste

Southern NCSY held its annual Spring Regional convention Friday, May 31- Sunday, June 2. More than 150 participants spent Shabbat together at the Marco Polo Resort in Aventura for a weekend focused on personal growth and achievement.

South Florida

Men’s Club July 4 BBQ

By Shelley Benveniste

The Men’s club of the Young Israel of Deerfield Beach will be celebrating America’s Independence Day by hosting a fun-filled “Bar-b-que Bash” on Thursday, July 4.

South Florida

Bat Mitzvah Club

By Shelley Benveniste

Bat Mitzvah Club is designed for Jewish girls as they approach their bat mitzvah birthday. A Jewish girl's bat mitzvah birthday reflects a major turning point in her life. The club emphasizes that a bat mitzvah is a process, not a self-contained event that transpires in one day.

South Florida

Pre-K Class Graduation

By Shelley Benveniste

The RASG Hebrew Academy, located at 2400 Pine Tree Drive in Miami Beach, held a pre-kindergarten graduation celebration on Thursday, June 12.

West Coast Happenings

Changes At Aish Tamid

By Jeanne Litvin

Rabbi Pinchas Gruman is the new rav of the Minyan at Aish Tamid. One of the most respected Torah figures in Los Angeles, Rabbi Gruman has been described as “The Los Angeles link in the mesorah of the yeshiva world” by Rabbi Nachum Sauer. As a talmid in Lakewood in the 1950s, Rabbi Gruman received semicha from Rav Aaron Kotler, zt”l, and Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l. Soon after, he moved to Los Angeles.

South Florida

It's My Opinion: Be Calm And Carry On

By Shelley Benveniste

The annual ritual has begun. Preparations are officially underway for Florida’s 2013 hurricane season. Weather forecasters air their dire predictions. Store shelves sag under planks of plywood, generators and other supplies. Many residents stockpile water, canned food and batteries.

South Florida

Rabbi Weberman Gives Invocation At GOP Meeting

By Shelley Benveniste

Rabbi Pinchas Weberman gave the invocation at the Republican Executive Committee of Miami-Dade County at the group’s May 9 meeting. The event took place at the Renaissance Ballroom, located at 5910 S.W. 8th Street, in Miami.

South Florida

Jewish Center Students Help Kosher Food Bank

By Shelley Benveniste

The students of Aventura-Turnberry Jewish Center in Aventura volunteered to stock the shelves of the Kosher Food Bank on Sunday, May 19. Co-chairs for this project were Heather Romeu and Deborah Thaler, parents of ATC children.

West Coast Happenings

Etta Israel Reception

By Jeanne Litvin

Etta Israel Center’s 11th Annual Dessert Reception took place recently in Los Angeles. Etta Israel’s well-respected programs include the Ner Yaakov class for boys with learning disabilities, founded in memory of Aharon Yaakov Kornwasser, z”l, and the Ner Shoshana class, founded in memory of Shoshana Hayman Greenbaum, Hy”d.

South Florida

It's My Opinion: A Real Life Saver

By Shelley Benveniste

Florida is famous for sparkling water. We have the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico surrounding our coast. We have bays, lakes, canals and, of course, an incredible abundance of swimming pools in homes, resorts, apartment complexes and city parks.

South Florida

Camp Gan Israel: The Buzz Is Back

By Shelley Benveniste

The buzz is back as Camp Gan Israel Florida Overnight gears up for another fantastic summer, CGI Florida style. What makes CGI Florida so different from all the other overnight camps? It’s all in the details.

West Coast Happenings

Rebbetzin Jungreis In Irvine

By Jeanne Litvin

Jewish Press columnist Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, founder and president of Hineni, the international Torah outreach organization, recently addressed an overflowing audience at the Beth Jacob Congregation of Irvine in southern California. Rebbetzin Jungreis’s address theme, “Making a Good Relationship Magical,” was apropos for the evening’s main mission: raising funds for the Irvine community’s mikveh.

South Florida

It's My Opinion: Guarding Our Treasures

By Shelley Benveniste

South Floridians held their breaths last week waiting the outcome of a frightening situation. Three children were abducted in front of a Miami grocery store. Two of the little ones were 6 years old. The other was 5.

South Florida

Lag B’Omer In South Florida

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

OU Welcomes Delray Orthodox Synagogue

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

An Evening 18 Years In The Making

By Shelley Benveniste

Boynton Beach has the fastest growing Jewish population in America. Currently, several hundred traditional families call Boynton Beach home.

West Coast Happenings

Efrat Celebrates Yom Ha’Atzmaut In L.A.

By Jeanne Litvin

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.

West Coast Happenings

Harkham Hillel Representation In Bible Contest

By Jeanne Litvin

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.

South Florida

It's My Opinion: Don’t Put It Off

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

S. Florida Chabad Centers To HoldLag B’Omer Festival

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

Yom Hazikaron, Yom Ha’Atzmaut At RASG Hebrew Academy

By Shelley Benveniste

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 Presents Speaker To S. Florida Audiences

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

South Florida

Rohr Jewish Learning Institute Holds Spring Course

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

Jewish Community

The Case For Orthodox Female Chaplains

By Rabbi Daniel Coleman

I often wonder what it would take to encourage women in our community to become chaplains?

West Coast Happenings

Yom HaShoah At Ohr Eliyahu

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.

South Florida

It's My Opinion: Closed For Vacation

By Shelley Benveniste

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.

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