Miami-Dade Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrea Schleider
JNF Miami Campaign Executive
305-682-0025
aschleider@jnf.org
Attendance and Spirits High at JNF Miami Dinner
March 26, 2007 -- Miami, FL -- The dinner may have been at Parrot Jungle Island, but the flowering cacti centerpieces brought the desert theme home.
More than 600 people attended Jewish National Fund's (JNF) "A River Runs Through It" dinner on March 8, raising more than $700,000 for development of Israel's Negev Desert.
"It was absolutely a fantastic night," said Jeffrey Perlow, JNF Miami Board president. "In addition to honoring two of the most deserving couples -- the Olembergs and the Sarafs -- the guests were mesmerized by what Brigitte Gabriel had to say, enjoyed the surprise award given to Shoshana and LeRoy Schecter who donated three compact fire trucks as part of JNF's Operation Northern Renewal campaign, enjoyed great music, great food, an exciting venue, and of course, a worthwhile cause. It all contributed to the event's success."
Isaac and Nieves Olemberg left Cuba for the U.S. in 1960. Isaac, a successful businessman, CEO and owner of Olem Shoe Corporation, and his wife Nieves, an accountant, are members of Temple Menorah, where Isaac is Chairman of the Board, and members of the Cuban Hebrew Congregation, where Isaac is a board member.
They are founders of the Miami Jewish Home for the Aged at Douglas Gardens. Isaac is a board member of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and President of its Cuban Division. Nieves is the President of the Inter-American Chapter of Hadassah, a position she has held for several years. The Olembergs are past honorees of Israel Bonds and Friends of the IDF.
Yoel Saraf began his Zionist activity as a youth in Iraq. In 1951 his family settled in Israel. After serving in the IDF, Yoel worked in the aviation industry. In 1986 he joined an American aviation company, which became one of the top three in the industry under his leadership. Born in Tel Aviv, Rina Saraf served in the IDF, studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Art, taught art and has been an active volunteer in many organizations, including WIZO and Friends of the IDF.
Since retirement, Yoel and Rina have concentrated on many philanthropic projects. They created numerous scholarships, such as The Scholarship Fund for the Sciences at Tel Aviv University and the President Navon Program for the study of Sephardic and Oriental Jewry at FIU, which Yoel created with three friends. In February 2005 Tel Aviv University conferred an Honorary Fellowship on Yoel.
Journalist Brigitte Gabriel gave a powerful speech on her life growing up in Lebanon and her experiences living through the Lebanese Civil War. She told her audience that when she was growing up, the Arabic society, culture, and media taught her that Israel and Jews were the devil. But then through personal experience she learned the opposite was true which then dictated the course her life took. She also stressed the importance of supporting JNF and its goals of developing the Negev. Following the dinner there was a book signing by Ms. Gabriel .
The activities continued with two silent auctions of artwork by prominent Israeli artists -- Isaac Maimon and Yaacov Agam. Agam was present at the dinner and for major donors, signed artwork he had designed for the dinner.
The Be'er Sheva River Park is part of JNF's Blueprint Negev campaign to develop the Negev Desert and make it home to an additional 250,000 people over the next five years. In partnership with the government of Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, The Or Movement, The Jewish Agency, and Daroma, with this blueprint, JNF will bring economic, educational, and social change to Israel's south and drive dramatic change in the region.
Development of Be'er Sheva is integral to the plan, and development of the River Park is the key to the city. A massive, water, environment, and economic development project, it will transform the dry riverbed into a 900-acre thriving waterfront district (much like the River Walk in San Antonio, TX).
Proceeds from this dinner will go to the Miami-Dade Promenade, a focal point of the River Park. Recreation areas, historic and archaeological sites, a lake, and an 8,000-seat amphitheatre area also being built.
For information please contact Andrea Schleider at aschleider@jnf.org or 305-682-0025.
Captions: Top: (L-R) Gideon Shavit, JNF Israel Emissary & Regional Director; Russell Robinson, JNF CEO; Yaacov Agam; LeRoy & Shoshana Schecter.
Second: (L-R) Jeffrey Perlow, JNF Miami-Dade Chairman; Nieves & Isaac Olemberg; Norman Lipoff.
Third: (L-R) Russell Robinson, JNF CEO; Jeffrey Perlow, JNF Miami-Dade Chairman; Rina & Yoel Saraf; Nily Falic, Solomon Garazi.
Bottom: Brigitte Gabriel.
All of the photos are available as high-res jpegs.
Orlando Resident Named President of JNF's Florida Zone
November 20, 2006 -- Boca Raton, FL -- Businessman Bruce K. Gould was named president of Jewish National Fund's (JNF) Florida Zone.
Long involved with JNF, Gould has worked on various committees, serves as assistant treasurer for JNF, and is completing his presidency of JNF's Orlando board. With JNF he has created the Gould Legacy Society, a Planned Giving program that offers donors myriad ways to achieve their financial goals while supporting the Jewish homeland. He will be working with Daniel D. Cantor who will continue on as chairman of the Board of the Florida Zone.
"Bruce will bring a lot of energy, excitement, and creative ideas to all of Florida," said Glen Schwartz, JNF's Southern and Florida Zones Director. "We are thrilled to be working with him on this level and look forward to connecting the people in this state even more closely to JNF's work in and for Israel."
A resident of Orlando, FL, Gould was a principal in Gould Publications Inc., a family owned publishing business in Longwood, Florida specializing in law books and treatises for the legal and law enforcement community. Begun in 1953 by his father, it grew into one of the leading statutory law book publishers in the country. In December 2005, LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, acquired the publishing assets.
Currently a consultant, Gould received a Juris Doctor degree from Touro Law Center in 1984 and a Masters of Legal Letters from New York University School of Law in 1993. He is a member of the Touro Law Center's Board of Trustees and chair of Touro's capital campaign to build a new state-of-the-art law school campus in Central Islip, NY. He also serves as a member of the New York University School of Law Dean's Advisory Council.
The first recipient of Touro Law Center's distinguished Alumni Award for his dedication and energy in the furtherance of legal education at the institution, he endowed the law center's first faculty chair and has a book award presented annually in his honor. In addition to his commitment to JNF, Gould is involved in a number of other charitable and philanthropic organizations. He is a past vice president and member of the board of directors for 12 years of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando and was honored at the 2005 Jewish Community Center Golf Classic.
He loves to exercise, travel the world and is an avid runner who completed sixteen marathons and several mini triathlons.
"From the minute I went on a JNF mission back in 1996," he said, "I was hooked on what JNF is all about. My goal as president is twofold: to get as many people as possible to visit Israel and see what we do and to unify the zone and get increased interaction and dialogue between the different areas of the state. The more we share and collaborate, the more we can get out to the general public, the more people will understand the breadth and scope of what JNF is all about and the more we can help Israel and her people."
"Bruce is the kind of lay leader that propels organizations forward," said Russell F. Robinson, JNF's Chief Executive Officer. "He is passionate about the work we do, willing to invest his time as well as his money, highly creative, and a true partner. Not only will JNF in Florida benefit greatly from his increased participation but the true benficiaries will be the land and the people of Israel."
Sarasota Resident and Area Federation Donate Fire Truck to Israel Through JNF
November 7, 2006 -- Sarasota, FL -- With a focus on meeting the needs of the people of Israel, Warren and Margot Coville and the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation are donating a Compact Fire Truck to help battle forest fires in northern Israel, through a donation to Jewish National Fund (JNF). The Compact Fire Trucks are also the first responders in terrorist attacks.
The fire truck will be dedicated on Friday, November 17, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. at the Federation building, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Your attendance is requested to cover this wonderful community story.
With remarks given by Howard Tevlowitz, the Federation's Executive Director, the Covilles, and representatives from AIPAC and JNF, the event will showcase the unity and cohesive efforts this community made during and since this summer's war with Hezbollah. The Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation raised more than $900,000 through its Israel Emergency Campaign to benefit the people of Israel.
"We knew we wanted to make a gift this summer that was more direct than just giving to a fund," said Warren. "As we watched the rockets rain down on northern Israel and ignite fires all across Israel's forests, Howard presented this idea to us. Israel needs these trucks and so we went with it."
Always looking to enhance community building, Tevlowitz looks for partnerships with other organizations. "The key is to get the money where it needs to go," he said, "and this is certainly needed."
Four thousand rockets were fired into northern Israel throughout the month-long war with Hezbollah. When rockets were reported to have fallen in "open areas," they landed in the Galilee's forests and nature reserves, destroying 2 million trees and 20,000 acres of land.
Thanks to the heroic efforts of the foresters, much forest was saved, but the war exposed a dearth of firefighting equipment, with fire trucks at the top of the list.
Quickly and easily deployed in any emergency situation, Compact Fire Trucks have four-wheel drive which allows for easy access to narrow streets and alleyways; are highly effective in rough terrain common in most forest fire regions; and are economical, at a cost of $100,000 each. A $50,000 gift came from the Coville-Triest Family Foundation which the Federation matched through its emergency fund.
JNF raised more than $5 million dollars during the war through its emergency campaign, Operation Security Blanket. The money went to send children to summer camps in central Israel away from rocket attacks, purchased emergency firefighting equipment and fire trucks to help battle the forest fires, and to build security roads on the border with Gaza.
With the war over, JNF is working to make the north home again with its $400 million, 10-year, worldwide plan to rebuild and renew northern Israel. Operation Northern Renewal will focus on reforestation; upgrading parks and recreation sites; developing tourism; preparing land for agriculture and providing research and development; working on preparedness (more fire trucks, accessible hydrants and equipment storage); the purchase of a firefighting airplane; year-round camps for children; a housing loan program to encourage families to move to the north; funding of Hugey Sayarut, Israel's elite youth movement; and volunteer activities.
For more information about the Federation, please call 941-371-4546, or visit http://www.smjf.org/.
JNF Hosts Thank You Event for Community’s Wartime Support
October 5, 2006 -- Boca Raton, FL -- As a way to thank local donors for their support during the war this past summer, Jewish National Fund (JNF) is hosting a dessert reception on Monday, October 23, 7:30 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton. All contributors to JNF’s Operation Security Blanket campaign are invited.
JNF has invited Carmi Gillon as the guest speaker. The mayor of Mevasseret Zion and a former head of Israel’s Secret Service, he will speak on “Israel: The Day After.”
“We wanted to reach out and just let the community know how much their help was and is appreciated,” said S. Palm Beach Regional Board co-Presidents Ned Siegel and Howard Weiss. “Israel needed them and they responded immediately.”
JNF launched Operation Security Blanket just hours after hostilities broke out in July. More than $5 million dollars was raised to send children cooped up in bomb shelters up north to summer camps in central Israel, giving them respite from the barrage of rocket attacks. The money also bought emergency firefighting equipment for the hundreds of volunteers who fought the fires up north ignited by Katyushas, purchased much-needed fire trucks and fire retardant, and is funding the construction of security roads on the Gaza border.
With the war over and the damage assessed, JNF has since launched a 10-year, $400 million dollar campaign to rebuild the north and make it home again. A comprehensive campaign, it will not just focus on forest restoration but on upgrading parks, preparing agricultural lands, helping with tourism, preparedness, buying the region’s only fire-fighting airplane, building state-of-the-art camps; and encouraging more families to move by funding a housing loan program. JNF is also moving ahead with Blueprint Negev, its 10-year, $600 million campaign to move an additional 500,000 people to the Negev Desert.
Congregation B’nai Israel is located at 2200 Yamato Road, Boca Raton. Please RSVP to Robert Swire at rswire@jnf.org or at 561-447-9733.
Captions: Top right: Nearly 10,000 children who live up north and on the Gaza border were sent to summer camps during the war thanks to JNF donors.
Bottom: Nearly 20,000 acres of forests and reserves were destroyed by Katyusha rocket fire this summer.
Photos are available as high-res jpegs.
JNF Dinner Honoring Muss Institute Receives Rave Reviews
March 14, 2006 Miami, FL -- The Who’s Who of the Miami Jewish Community were out en masse on Thursday night, March 9, as Jewish National Fund honored The Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education (AMIIE) at the Sheraton Bal Harbour.
More than 600 people attended the first gala dinner JNF held in the area in five years
“Jewish National Fund is known primarily for planting trees,” said Jeffrey Perlow, JNF Miami president and dinner chair, “but we do so much more. We believe that part of the infrastructure necessary to protect and preserve the land for generations to come is education. This dinner, honoring the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education, one of our partners, symbolizes JNF’s commitment to education and will hopefully bring to the forefront of the Miami community, all that we do and how vital it is to Israel’s future.”
The “Capture the Spirit” dinner program included a musical performance by legendary Israeli singer Shuly Nathan; an account on terrorism by Steven Emerson, executive director of Investigative Project and an expert on terrorism and national security; a message on JNF from Russell Robinson, chief executive officer of JNF; news from Israel from Yehiel Leket, JNF- Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael world chairman; and a video about the school and JNF’s work to develop the Negev Desert.
But the program was highlighted by the two AMIIE alumni who gave testament to AMIIE’s importance and influence.
“Reflecting back on my High School in Israel experience, I realize now what a significant role this unique educational opportunity played in establishing my foundation for a lifetime of Jewish learning and communal involvement,” said Robyn Fisher, now the rabbinic director of Hillel at the University of Miami. “I will always be grateful to High School in Israel for sparking the Jewish passion in me.”
Robert Segal, who also attended the school, agreed.
Since 1972, the Institute has connected more than 18,000 students, many from Southern Florida, with their Jewish heritage by giving them an opportunity to live and learn in Israel. AMIIE’s Israel experience programs seek to foster a strong relationship between American Jews and Israel, which in turn strengthens Jewish communities throughout the world. The Institute’s central program is the Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI), where Jewish students spend eight weeks exploring Israel’s history and culture and reinforcing their Jewish identities.
In 1981, real estate developer Stephen Muss, a well-known community activist in the Miami-Dade area, endowed the Alexander Muss High School near Tel Aviv, in memory of his father, to help support Jewish education in Israel. The school’s mission was expanded in 2003 to provide for learners of all ages, and the program was renamed the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education.
JNF has partnered with AMIIE to help realize the dream of a second high school campus in the Negev Desert. As part of Blueprint Negev, JNF’s initiative to revitalize Ben-Gurion’s vision of thriving communities in the desert, a massive undertaking that begins with building vital reservoirs, providing necessary infrastructure, strengthening existing communities and creating new ones, the new campus is an essential part of JNF’s plan to develop the Negev in the coming years, will bring an important educational institution to the Negev, and will allow both organizations to further their shared goal of promoting a vibrant Jewish community worldwide.
“It was Ben Gurion’s dream to develop the Negev, to turn it into a land where new generations of Jews would live, work and raise their families,” said Stephen Muss. “Today, the Negev is Israel’s best opportunity for growth and development. What better place to establish the second Alexander Muss Institute in Israel to educate future Jewish leaders than in the region that speaks to the future of the State?
“JNF has been involved in educating Jewish American students about Israel for years, so it was a natural fit.”
The dinner will not only help fund the joint project, it is also hoped it helped introduce JNF to the community.
“We do a lot of good things,” said Perlow, “and we have many important people doing them. We hope now, this ballroom-ful of people will have a better sense of JNF’s mission and will look to get involved.”
Captions: Top: From L to R: Jeffrey Perlow, JNF Miami president and dinner chair; JNF CEO Russell Robinson; Miami Real Estate Developer Stephen Muss; and JNF-KKL World Chairman Yehiel Leket.
Middle: AMIIE alumna Robyn Fisher.
Bottom: Sandra and Stephen Muss.
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