VOL. 14 NO. 12
www.seabreezepublications.com
DECEMBER 2024
inSIGHT Through Education Supports Holocaust Education Week inSIGHT Through Education once again assisted with Holocaust Education Week in the Palm Beach County School District. Holocaust Education Week in Florida is held annually on the second week in November to align with the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a key moment in the Nazi persecution of European Jews. To assist kindergarten through twelfth-grade educators, inSIGHT Through Education offers financial and other resources to support and create impactful lessons that promote understanding and empathy.
Holocaust survivor talks with students on Holocaust Awareness Day.
On November 6, inSIGHT Through Education sponsored an ROTC presentation at Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School. This meaningful program featured a color guard performance, remarks by principal Oscar Otero, and a powerful address by Pastor Chris Edmonds, son of World War II hero Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, who saved Superintendent Mike Burke h u n d r e d s o f J e w i s h addresses students on Holocaust s o l d i e r s b y d e f y i n g Awareness Day. German captors in World War II. The presentation resonated deeply with the attendees, inspiring all to reflect on their own capacities for making a difference. This is the third year inSIGHT has funded this event. Pastor Edmonds also addressed the eighth-grade class at Western Pines Middle School. On November 8, 300 students from nine high schools across Palm Beach County participated in a powerful all-day program with 27 local Holocaust survivors and
Beth David, The Gathering Place Celebrate Friendsgiving Some 70 people gathered at Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens last month for a Friendsgiving they hoped would be an inspiration to others. “People coming together, sharing blessings, sharing food, and sharing joy,” said Rabbi Danielle Bensimhon of Temple Beth David as she described the warmth of the evening event. About half of the participants were members of Temple Beth David and the other half were congregants from the Gathering Place, a United Methodist Church. “We can’t just be talking about goodwill or doing good for our neighbors,” said Pastor Mike Zdorow of the Gathering Place. “We actually have to work to do good together.” For the last year and a half, the Gathering Place has rented space to hold its services within the Temple Beth David facility, but it has developed into far more than a business relationship – it has become a genuine friendship. “It’s by doing life together, learning each other’s
traditions, understanding each other’s differences, hearing each other’s stories and breaking bread together,” Pastor Zdorow said. The Friendsgiving meal was celebrated with a buffet of all the special food at the traditional Thanksgiving table. The only rule for the event was to make sure everyone sat with people they didn’t know and engage in conversation. “We’re sharing about each other’s experiences, each other’s worship experiences, each other’s lives,” said Ryland Dodge, a congregant of the Gathering Place. “We have made some absolutely great friends that we never would have had if not for building this relationship with them,” said Barbara Schwartz of Temple Beth David. Organizers started planning for this Friendsgiving event over the summer, and they were looking forward to it ever since. But when Israeli soccer fans were attacked that same week in Amsterdam by what the mayor there called “antisemitic hit-and-run squads,” it became much more than just a fun meal. The hope was that it would become an inspiration. “ We u l t i m a t e l y a r e creating something that is symbolic, that can be used as a prototype across this nation,” Rabbi Bensimhon said. “In loving God, we have to love our neighbor,” Pastor Zdorow said. “And it has to be real.”
Pastor Edmonds with ROTC students inSIGHT Through Education Supports on page 2
Palm Beach Dentist Receives Hats Off Community Hero Award D r. M i t c h e l l Josephs, who provides complete smile makeovers to Holocaust survivors at no cost, was granted the 2024 Hats Off Community Hero Award by Nonprofits First, an organization that accredits and provides resources to nonprofits in Palm Beach County. Ferd & Gladys Alpert Dr. Mitchell Josephs and Marc J e w i s h F a m i l y Hopin Service nominated Dr. Josephs for the award. The annual Hats Off Nonprofit Awards celebrate and honor nonprofit organizations and individuals in Palm Beach County who dedicate themselves to making the community a better place to live and work. This year’s Eighth Annual Hats Off Nonprofit Awards were presented at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. After hearing a survivor speak to members of Palm Beach Synagogue a number of years ago, Dr. Josephs was inspired to use his expertise, providing pro bono prosthodontic and oral surgical procedures to Holocaust survivors living below the poverty level. The patients are Palm Beach Dentist Receives on page 2