Jewish Connection - October 2025

JewishConnection

DEDICATED TO ENGAGING, INFORMING, & INSPIRING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

TransformingSeniorLivinginAventura

When Belmont Village Senior Living, a leader in upscale senior living communities, joined forces with Turnberry, renowned developer, owner, and operator of luxury real estate, to co-develop Belmont Village Senior Living

Aventura, it formed a collaborative powerhouse led by two visionary Jewish female CEOs.

The inception of Belmont Village Aventura traces back to 2019, when Patricia Will, Belmont Village Founder and CEO, was spear-

heading the opening of Belmont Village Fort Lauderdale, the company’s inaugural senior living community in South Florida. She crossed paths with Jackie Soffer, Chairman and CEO of Turnberry, who astutely identified the growing

“IRememberEveryPicture:” OneWoman’sUnimaginableMissionAfterOctober7th

On the morning of October 7th, 2023, ZAKA volunteer Valerie Dyksztejn was in Beit Shemesh celebrating Simchat Torah with her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. The holiday was meant for dancing, joy, and rest. Instead, it became a day marked by unimaginable horror.

Valerie divides her time between Kyiv, Ukraine, and Israel. That morning, missile sirens woke her and her husband, also a ZAKA volunteer, in Beit Shemesh, a city where rocket warnings are rare. Valerie and her husband, Nachman, immediately responded to Israel’s south, becoming two of the 900 ZAKA volunteers from across Israel who responded during and immediately following Hamas’s attack on October 7th, 2023.

ZAKA volunteers are trained and work alongside Israel’s law enforcement, security and rescue establishments to ensure dignity for the dead in times of tragedy. The organization that was founded to honor the dead in accordance with religious tradition, has evolved into a full-scale emergency response network operating around the clock. In total, more than 4,000 trained ZAKA volunteers serve the Jewish, Bedouin, Arab, and Druze communities across Israel with teams ranging from rapid medical response to urban search and rescue, water recovery, and culturally sensitive burial services.

Still wearing her holiday clothes, Valerie joined her husband in their car and headed south to respond. Their first stop was Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, where ZAKA volunteers were processing the bodies of the dead as they arrived. Soon after, they were directed to join a ZAKA Ambulance heading towards the site of the Nova music festival, where reports began to emerge of a massacre.

As the ambulance drove down Route 34, they encountered scattered bodies. The team stopped the ambulance to begin the painful task of providing dignity to the dead, placing the bodies in bags so they could be transported, identified, and buried with dignity as soon as possible while also clearing the roadway for emergency vehicles heading south. The number of bodies was so large

that they could not fit into their ambulance, so the group laid the body bags at the side of the road and communicated with ZAKA’s command center to direct trucks that were enroute to collect them.

Valerie helped by opening bags one by one, working quickly to ease the burden for others. Behind each body, she said, was a world: someone’s child, parent, sibling.

As they approached the Nova festival site, the road grew more chaotic. Burned cars lined the sides, gunfire echoed in the distance, and the smell of death was heavy in the air. The scene was beyond anything Valerie had imagined, even after spending the previous year and a half helping evacuate wounded civilians and Holocaust survivors from war-torn Ukraine.

At the festival grounds, she saw Israeli soldiers, many barely out of their teens, frozen in place and paralyzed by the scale of death surrounding them. Valerie worked without pause, opening bag after bag while her husband and other ZAKA volunteers did everything possible to bring dignity to hundreds of murdered young people. By morning, they had run out of bags.

Valerie thought the worst was over. Then they were sent to homes in the kibbutzim near the Gaza border – an area Valerie knew well after growing up there. The devastation was even more personal. Families had been tortured and executed. Children were burned alive. Women were mutilated and left exposed. She said words could never convey what they saw. In one shelter, bodies were piled on top of each other, faces twisted in fear and pain. There was no longer a need for imagination, only the stark reality of human cruelty.

The suffering became unbearable for Valerie, who, at the suggestion of her husband, began taking photographs to help in the identification process including tattoos, rings, or any other remarkable features.

At first, she did it to help in the identification process. Later, she realized that no one else was doing it. Police and military forces were overwhelmed, focusing on clearing the area of terror-

ists. Someone had to preserve the truth.

Weeks later, Valerie traveled with her husband and a lawyer to Geneva to present their testimony, photos and video to the United Nations. There, disbelief turned to despair. UN officials questioned how she could know a body belonged to a child, suggesting perhaps it was just a small adult. Valerie was stunned. For her, that moment marked a second violation - the first committed by Hamas, the second by the world’s refusal to believe what had happened.

Two years later, Valerie, who has returned to her profession running an artisanal natural hair and beauty brand, remembers every picture and every moment, but refuses to live inside them.

“I will never forget,” she said. “But I try not to sleep with it. I try not to live with it every day.”

She is deeply disturbed by how quickly the world moved on. The silence that followed October 7th was, in her view, its own kind of attack. What happened that day, she said, should have shaken every moral institution on earth. Instead, the world looked away.

For Valerie Dykstejn, ZAKA’s mission did not end after the bodies were buried. It lives on in the memory of those lost, through her refusal to be silent, and through her belief that to honor the dead is also to fight for the living.

“We did not go to save lives,” she said. “We went to give those who died back their names and their dignity.”

Founded to honor the dead in accordance with religious tradition, ZAKA has evolved into a full-scale emergency response network, with over 4,000 trained volunteers operating 24/7 across Israel to honor the dead, aid the living and bring dignity in times of devastation. Today, it operates a wide range of units –from rapid medical response and urban search and rescue to water recovery and culturally sensitive burial teams serving Israel’s Jewish, Bedouin, Arab, and Druze communities. For more information, visit: https://zakaworld.org/.

Steibs/Cohen Buying Event

ART: old oil paintings, old watercolors, old etchings, lithographs, old movie posters, cartoon art, & more! STATUES: old bronze, carved jade, wood, marble, alabaster, pottery, porcelain. old toys, trains, old comics and baseball cards (prior to 1960), old Japanese toys, robots, old ban ORIENTAL ITEMS: jades, statues, figurines, netsuke, old swords, oriental glass and porcelains. letters, autographs (movie stars, presidents, political, etc.), old photos, political pins and ribb old pocket knives, swords, military items, American, Japanese, German medals, advertising items, old

All Things Gold, Silver, Sterling & Platinum Jewelry

We buy all types of Gold Jewelry, new, old, and broken. Rings (class rings, mother’s rings, wedding rings, etc.) Bracelets (charm, tennis, bangles, etc). Earrings do not need to be a matching pair. Chains and Pendants, broken is ok. We even buy old Yellow Gold teeth and crowns. Brooches, company year pins. We buy Diamonds, Emeralds, and Rubies. Any item made out of Sterling Silver. Silverware, forks, spoons, bowls, dishes, trays, tea sets, statues, Sterling and .999 Bars, Sterling and .999 Rounds, frames, candle sticks, trophies, salt and pepper shakers and Jewelry. Broken and smashed is ok.

STATES COINS

Pennies before 1959, Dimes & Quarters before 1965, Half Dollars before 1970, Dollar Coins before 1936, Bullion (Gold, Silver & Platinum), Foreign Gold/Silver Coins, All US Gold Coins, Old Paper Currency WIND UP ONLY, Gold, Silver, Gold-Filled, Pocket & Wrist, Working or Not

EasyWaystoBrushUpOnYourHistoryIQ

By Family Features

Learning more about events from the past can help make sense of current circumstances and inform the future. Equipping yourself with historical knowledge gives you the ability to understand how contemporary society came to be.

By taking advantage of the wealth of resources available today, you can take a deeper dive into past events and learn how they affected individuals and larger groups alike, such as U.S. military members.

Head to Your Local Library

If you haven’t spent much time in a library, you may be surprised by the wealth of information available. You can find letters and other documents - whether in physical copies or accessible via online records with a library card - that provide a first-hand perspective of the historical period or event you’re exploring. In addition, libraries often offer access to databases and other information that is not always readily available from basic online searches.

Research Trusted Sources Online

To complement what you find in the library, you can also explore a wide range of information online. The key is to read critically and evaluate your sources, as not everything you find online is reliable or true. However, resources curated by trusted organizations can offer deep insight into the past.

For example, the Library of Congress Veterans History Project collects and preserves the firsthand remembrances of U.S. Military Veterans and makes them accessible for future generations to better understand Veterans’ service and sacrifice. Through its website, you can watch oral history interviews and comb through original manuscript material, such as memoirs, letters, diaries and artwork, as well as original photographs.

Interact with Older Adults

Reading and watching accounts of historical activities gives you valuable insight, but speaking directly with those who lived through notable periods of American history can also illuminate what it meant to experience those times. Reminiscing and recounting memories of the past can serve as a bonding experience while giving you a more personal, emotional connection to facts you might not uncover elsewhere.

Encourage Engaging School Curriculum

If you’re a teacher or leading a lifelong learning course, you can use the Library of Congress Veterans History Project as a resource to support your efforts.

Jonathan Bickel, an English teacher in Pennsylvania, has made Veteran history a focus in his classroom since 2009. He taps into the large pool of personal accounts available through the collection to support his lessons. He also uses the project as a model in the classroom, challenging high school students to record an interview with a local person or relative who is a veteran and then present their work to the school as a multimedia project. As an example to his students, Bickel interviewed and submitted his father’s World War II story.

Teachers interested in creating a history curriculum that honors veterans can access research guides that can provide a curated starting point for exploring the collections. To find the wealth of personal stories from veterans, visit: www.loc.gov/vets.

[1] Speaking directly with those who lived through notable periods of American history can also illuminate what it meant to experience those times. [2] Jonathan Bickel, an English teacher in Pennsylvania, has made Veteran history a focus in his classroom since 2009.

ChabadOfPolandMarksRecordYearOfImpactAsPoland ContinuesToServeAsRefugeForJewsFromWar-TornUkraine

As the Jewish calendar turns to the new year, Chabad of Poland is marking a record year of humanitarian and spiritual impact, driven by an ongoing commitment to serving Jews in crisis and rebuilding Jewish life in a country historically associated with loss.

In 5785, Chabad of Poland expanded its transitional housing program for Ukrainian Jewish refugees to include 20 fully furnished apartments. These homes provide more than shelter. They are the first step toward rebuilding, a dignified space where families begin the process of resettlement, search for work, enroll children in school and reconnect with Jewish life.

Over the past year alone, nearly 10,000 meals were distributed to Ukrainian Jewish refugees on a monthly basis and more than 5,200 joined Chabad of Poland hosted Shabbat meals.

As part of its broader support system for refugees, Chabad of Poland hosted the Jewish community of Kamianske, Ukraine for a two-week retreat that provided engaging activities for participants of all ages while giving them reprieve from the war and a safe environment to relax, attend Torah classes and heal.

At the same time, Chabad of Poland continued its core mission of revitalizing Jewish life among Polish Jews and Jewish visi-

tors. This year, more than a dozen Jews in Poland, long disconnected from their faith, rediscovered their Jewish identity through Chabad of Poland. A daily men’s Kollel and twice-weekly women’s Torah program led to over 330 classes and reached more than 6,000 participants. Chabad of Poland hosted 20 major holiday meals and five community challah bakes. Visitors from Israel, the United States and around the world encountered not only the memory of prewar Jewish life but the vibrant presence of living Judaism in the heart of Europe.

Looking ahead to the High Holidays, Chabad of Poland is preparing to welcome hundreds for davening and meals in Warsaw. Over 5,000 meals and food packages will be distributed across Poland and Ukraine. Ten rabbinical students from Israel are flying in to help lead davening and blow the Shofar in Chabad’s shul and at satellite sites across Warsaw.

“This was a year of continued unprecedented demand but also of unprecedented response,” said Chabad of Poland Director Rabbi Shalom Ber Stambler. “We were called to do more and with Hashem’s help and the partnership of the global Jewish community, we were able to say yes. Every apartment, every food package, every class points to the same goal: to help each Jew feel

safe, seen and spiritually supported.”

“In a year marked by uncertainty, we witnessed something extraordinary,” said Chabad of Poland Co-Director Rabbi Mayer Stambler. “Poland, historically etched with the memory of the Holocaust and Jewish communities devastated, has become a place of return not only physically but spiritually. What we are continuing to see is the slow, steady rebuilding of Jewish life and the emergence of something lasting.”

As 5786 begins, Chabad of Poland continues its work with resolve, ready to support every Jew who walks through its doors whether they come as refugees, as seekers, or simply looking for a place to belong.

Since the start of the Russian incursion into Ukraine, Chabad of Poland based in Warsaw has opened its doors to Ukraine’s Jewish community offering refuge, transportation, Kosher food, medical aid, financial and material assistance, childcare, educational and social services, communal activities and administrative and legal aid to tens of thousands displaced by the conflict. For more information or to contribute to relief efforts, please visit: www.saveajew.org.

3Essentialsfor AgingWell AHolisticApproach fromBelmontVillage

Don’t we all wish to know the secret to aging well? While there may not be a single secret to a long-lived, healthy life there are a few lifestyle elements we should all keep in mind. At Belmont Village Aventura, opening in early 2026, residents will find everything they need for maintaining a healthy lifestyle right at their fingertips. In collaboration with renowned developer Turnberry, Belmont Village Aventura is reimagining senior living in Aventura through innovative design and award-winning programming.

Backed by nearly 25 years of experience and research, Belmont Village recently shared three tips for aging well in mind, body and soul.

3 Essentials for Aging Well MIND

Brains, like bodies, need a daily workout. Good brain health helps build neuroconnections and cognitive reserve to draw on as we age. You can build cognitive reserve by learning something new or doing something that’s a mental stretch each day. For example,

read an article and discuss it, do a crossword puzzle, or explore an interest you’ve always wanted to.

Using the mind and body together has even more benefit--dancing is perfect, as are sports and activities with strategies or complex moves. Belmont Village residents enjoy a variety of group fitness classes and a vibrant daily activity calendar, offering the opportunity to stretch the mind each day.

BODY

In our later years, maintaining preventative care and medical needs becomes even more imperative to aging well. However, as we age, it can become difficult to maintain our own care plans. Seek the help of a family member to organize doctor’s appointments and medication or consider a Senior Living community with onsite care staff.

Belmont Village Aventura residents will enjoy the benefits of a Whole Brain Fitness approach to well-being for seniors. The

SOUL

Maintaining a sense of purpose helps nourish the soul at every age. Feeling that your life has meaning and that you are in control of it fosters positive attitudes and emotions and a healthier brain. Stay involved in faith organizations or volunteer groups to boost your

sense of purpose. Staying social can also help— seek out community with your friends and family or group activities.

To learn more about Belmont Village Aventura’s Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care or join the waitlist, visit belmontvillage.com/aventura or call 786-882-9676.

TravelersAreResignedToPayingMoreAndGettingLess.DoTheyDeserveThis?

By Christopher Elliott

Don’t look now, but air travelers are paying more and getting less -- and they’re fine with it.

Sure, when Southwest Airlines killed its “bags fly free” policy earlier this year, there was a brief outcry from passengers. But then they went right back to booking on the former low-fare carrier -- and paying extra for checked luggage.

Here’s the reason, according to experts: There’s a growing sense of resignation among American travelers. Simply put, they think they deserve both the expensive prices and the extra fees. After all, they kept making booking decisions based solely on price -- and the airlines took advantage, making super-low fares prominent but then piling on surprise surcharges.

“It’s disheartening,” says Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor. “The increasing trend of cutting back on essential services -- like free checked baggage or basic seat selection -- is undermining what used to be a standard part of air travel.”

This idea that travelers deserve to pay more but get less extends beyond the airline industry. Hotels do it when they start charging their guests for extras that used to be standard amenities, or imposing “resort” fees. Cruise lines do it when they add mandatory tips to your folio. It’s been going on for years, but now it’s finally stuck, experts say.

But why are people being such pushovers? Is anyone resisting this ridiculous trend? And what can you do about it? It turns out you are not powerless, even though you may think you are.

Why travelers think they deserve to pay more and get less!

Why are travelers so accepting of this idea that they should pay more and get less?

“Years of conditioning and poor customer service have led consumers to believe that the travel industry standard is paying more for less,” explains Mario Matulich, President of CMP, a customer service consultancy. “Airlines and hotels want consumers to select the lowest upfront price, so they can then nickel-and-dime them with hidden fees on the back end.”

once you’ve factored in all these fees. (Airline apologists alternate between praising the “miracle” of air travel and scolding with a “you-get-what-you-paid-for” lecture.)

“Research suggests travelers feel guilty because they’ve always chosen price over overall service quality,” notes Kevin Shahnazari, CEO of the financial advice site FinlyWealth. “But with each instance of customers choosing the lowest fare ticket or bed rate, they inadvertently send the message to businesses that cost is more significant than overall service.”

But travelers shouldn’t feel responsible or even guilty. Just because someone chooses a lower fare doesn’t mean they asked for -- or that they deserve -- a degraded product at a higher price.

Some travelers are not OK with the new reality.

Not all travelers are OK with the pay-more-get-less reality. Frequent, experienced travelers like Stan King don’t like this trend. “The whole value proposition has been lost,” he says. And

financial coach and consumer advocate. For example, she sidestepped luggage fees altogether by buying an underseat-sized bag from IT Luggage and used vacuum seal bags to minimize clothing space, allowing her to fit in more of her belongings. You can also try wearable luggage by apparel companies such as Scottevest.

2. Reject bad service. “Don’t accept service cuts without question,” says AirAdvisor’s Radchenko. That’s especially true if an airline reduces service by downgrading you or canceling your flight but is required to pay you under the law. Radchenko says that’s an area where many passengers are under-informed -- and they leave money on the table.

3. Find the honest companies and give them your business. “Reward companies with transparent pricing models,” says Shahnazari of FinlyWealth. There are still airlines and hotels that don’t believe in the pay-more-get-less-model, but you have to do some research. Full-service hotels like Marriott and InterContinental still offer a more inclusive experience, and international airlines like Qatar Airways don’t nickel-and-dime you for luggage. But they’re few and far between.

he chafes at the idea that passengers somehow deserve less service when they pay a lower price..

Breaking out the extras is something J.D. Power calls disaggregation. It’s driven by the way that consumers shop for airfare. Air travelers have more information than they used to, but fares to a given destination are usually ranked by ticket price, with the lowest first.

“Airlines quickly realized that their airfares needed to be near the top of these lists before consumers would choose their brand,” says Michael Taylor, a Senior Managing Director for Travel and Hospitality at J.D. Power.

So unbundling services could allow the airline to lower the basic fare, causing their flights to rise to the top of the search results.

But there’s also a psychological aspect to this. Because travelers choose these low prices, they are often made to feel that they should also accept lower service levels along with higher costs,

King says for him, the only way to escape reality is to upgrade to a bigger room or a better seat. But even when he does, he says travel companies are still stingy.

Gerri Hether, a frequent leisure traveler, chafes at the suggestion that somehow she’s responsible for the state of affairs.

“How can customers be remotely responsible for junk fees?” she wonders.

But the reality is this: Despite the anger and complaining, travelers continue to buy fares and book rooms from companies that have stopped caring about a quality product. And that’s all that matters.

What can you do to escape a buy-more-get-less travel industry?

This will only end when travelers say “enough,” according to industry experts.

1. Look for ways to beat the system. “There are measures you can take to get around the service cuts,” says Frances Rahaim, a

But the biggest way to disrupt this dangerous trend is to say “no” whenever you see it, according to experts.

“Passengers have to insist on greater openness and reject nickeland-diming as the standard,” says Deepak Shukla, CEO of Pearl Lemon Adventures, a travel agency. Do we have to accept this?

All of this raises a bigger question: Have customers lost their power? I’ve been covering the travel industry for three decades, and travel companies -- particularly airlines -- have consistently tried to charge passengers more while delivering less. And the rest of the travel industry has followed along.

But in the last year, it feels like businesses have felt more empowered to deliver substandard service at a higher price. It also seems as if customers have given them permission, if not their approval. The evidence of that is obvious: They are rewarding these travel companies with their business.

Unfortunately, this will continue until consumers realize that they are the only ones who can reverse course and return to a time when airlines, hotels and cruise lines delivered quality service at a fair price.

In other words, no one is coming to save you. Maybe we have to save ourselves.

Christopher Elliott is an Author, Consumer Advocate, and Journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a NonProfit Organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at: chris@elliott.org.

‘WeFeltSeen:’HowFIDFHelpsGrandparents ofFallenIDFSoldiersHealTogether

GIVAT OLGA, Israel — For Ruthie and Andy Weiser, the loss of their grandson, Staff Sgt. Roey Weiser, will remain an open wound. He was killed on the morning of October 7th, 2023, defending his base as war erupted across Israel.

For more than a year, the Weisers grieved quietly. They poured themselves into helping their children and grandchildren survive the unbearable. Only later did they begin to understand what had been missing.

In November 2024, the couple joined 245 bereaved grandparents from across Israel at a four-day Bereaved Families Retreat organized by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. The program is one of several FIDF initiatives to support the families of Israel’s fallen heroes. Other programs include Legacy Travel Programs and camps for children who have lost a parent or sibling in uniform; bereaved family retreats for spouses, partners, children, parents and siblings of the fallen; and After the Shiva, a program that pairs grieving families in financial need with supportive communities abroad, offering transitional financial assistance for up to three years.

At FIDF’s Bereaved Families Retreat for grandparents, for the first time, the Weisers found space to speak, to cry and to be seen.

“We learned the term ‘Standing Shiva,’ but not just as a phrase. It is what we lived,” Andy said. “As grandparents, we are standing, supporting our children, our grandchildren, while carrying our own grief. There is so little we can do and so few who see us. That is why I have the deepest gratitude to FIDF. They gave us the chance to feel seen.”

Ruthie, originally from New York, and Andy, originally from Maryland, met as teenagers at Camp Moshava in the United States. Forty-four years ago, they made Aliyah and raised their children in Karnei Shomron, where they built a home rooted in community, tradition and service. Their grandson, Roey, grew up in Efrat with that same spirit.

stay with his soldiers, leading them through the end of their mandatory service.

“In the army, he grew into himself,” Ruthie said. “He loved his soldiers deeply, and they knew it. He was a true leader.”

That Simchat Torah weekend, Roey made sure as many of his soldiers as possible could go home to celebrate. He stayed behind

It was at the FIDF Bereaved Families Retreat for grandparents that Ruthie and Andy allowed themselves to grieve out loud. Held in Givat Olga, the retreat brought together grandparents from across Israeli society, from cities to kibbutzim, from religious to secular. Their differences melted away in the face of a shared loss.

with the small contingent required on base.

“Who knew what was coming?” Ruthie said. “And then came the attack.”

After his death, the Weisers left Karnei Shomron, moving to Jerusalem to be closer to Roey’s parents and siblings in Efrat.

“There, we were a family,” Ruthie said. “No explanations were needed. Everyone understood. It felt like one long embrace.”

The program included music, lectures and support groups designed specifically for grandparents. For many, it was the first time they had spoken openly about their loss.

Ruthie still keeps in touch with a grandmother she met during the retreat, a woman she invited to join her for a meal, only to discover that their families had unknowingly crossed paths years earlier.

“The sense of warmth, of recognition, gave us the strength to carry on,” Andy said.

The couple often reflects on the path that brought them to Israel, including their upbringing, values and devotion to raising their children and now, grandchildren, to lead lives built around purpose and belief. Now it also includes heartbreak. And yet, as Andy said, it includes resilience too.

“Even after two years, the pain does not disappear,” Ruthie said softly. “It changes. You learn to live around it. But when someone takes your hand, looks you in the eye and truly understands, that is what FIDF gave us. They saw us.”

Their experience was so powerful that the Weisers already plan to return to the FIDF Bereaved Families Retreat for grandparents in November 2025.

For the Weisers, the FIDF Bereaved Families Retreat for grandparents did more than offer comfort. It allowed them to grieve. It reminded them that even in the deepest sorrow, they are not alone.

From his early years, Roey was a burst of energy. Athletic and mischievous, at age 10, he ran the Jerusalem Marathon under his sister’s name because he was too young to register. In elementary school, when the bell rang for recess, he would climb out the window to reach the soccer field before anyone else. He loved American football, music and his siblings Shani and Nadav and always managed to make those around him laugh.

“Just saying his name makes me smile,” Ruthie said.

As a first sergeant in the elite Golani Brigade, Roey was known for his fierce loyalty to the soldiers under his command. He deferred an acceptance to officer training school in order to

“It was important for us to be near them,” Ruthie said. “To help them through the unimaginable. We could not be far away.”

In the months that followed, their own grief remained in the background. It was not because the pain was any less consuming, but because their priority was to support Roey’s parents and siblings.

“One of the most painful parts of losing a grandchild,” Ruthie explained, “is watching your child suffer and knowing there is nothing you can do to ease that pain. Every instinct as a parent tells you to fix it. But in this case, you are not what they need. So you stand, quietly, holding them up.”

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is dedicated to honoring and supporting the brave men and women of the IDF who risk everything to protect the State of Israel and the Jewish people. While the mission of the IDF’s heroes is to look after Israel, defending its people, borders and freedom, FIDF’s mission is to look after them. FIDF provides life-changing support through education, financial aid, bereavement programs, mental health services and more, ensuring that every soldier, veteran and bereaved family knows they are not alone. Through global partnerships and unwavering commitment, FIDF stands as a pillar of strength for those who sacrifice so much in service to the Jewish homeland. For more information, visit: https://www.fidf.org/

TheHubAtTempleBethAm-It’sAPlaceWhereChildrenLearn, TeensConnect,AdultsEngage,AndFamiliesGrowTogether

Step onto the vibrant campus of Temple Beth Am, and you’ll immediately sense something new, something extraordinary. At the heart of it all is The Hub – a dynamic, State-Of-The-Art addition that redefines what it means to build Jewish community in the 21st century. Designed with intention, innovation, and inclusivity, The Hub is more than a space – it’s an experience. From cultural events and social gatherings to recreation and learning, The Hub brings together the essence of Temple Beth Am’s mission: to connect, inspire, and support Jewish life at every stage and age. Walk through The Hub, and you’ll find a seamless blend of functionality and warmth. Inside the Cultural & Activity Center, there’s truly something for everyone. One of the most exciting aspects of The Hub is the Outdoor Cultural Life Center, home to Temple Beth Am’s own Ben Yehuda Street and Zion Square. This space is purpose-built for festivals, lifecycle events, and cultural programming under the South Florida sky. It’s a place where Jewish culture lives and breathes through music, art, celebration, and community interaction.

The Performing Arts Center and Chapel is a true gem of The Hub. With flexible seating for up to 550 attendees, this space is uniquely designed to support both the spiritual and cultural life of the congregation. It easily converts into a more intimate chapel setting for 300, allowing for a wide range of uses—from concerts and plays to prayer services and life cycle events. What makes The Hub truly special is not just its facilities, but the spirit it fosters. It’s a place where children learn, teens connect, adults engage, and families grow together. Whether you’re attending a lecture in the reading room, cheering your child on during a basketball game, catching up with a friend over coffee, or celebrating a lifecycle milestone under the stars—it all happens at The Hub.

Located at The Janet z”l and Richard Yulman Campus, The Hub is the new center of gravity for Temple Beth Am. It reflects the synagogue’s deep commitment to providing spaces that serve the present while investing in the future of Jewish communal life. Come experience The Hub for yourself. There’s something here for everyone—and everything here is for you. Check out the What’s Happening at The Hub:

Artist In Residence - Chava Mirel

Chava Mirel is a multi-award winning Jewish musician and composer whose voice was recently featured on a Grammy award winning album. Celebrated for her rich, luxurious vocals, lush

harmonies, and rhythmic phrasing, Chava is also known for her loving and compassionate presence. Serving as an artist-inresidence and educator at congregations and conferences from coast to coast, she imbues her music and teachings with the universal themes of hope, caring, connection and inclusion. In addition to her prolific portfolio of recordings, Chava performs and records with two other Jewish music powerhouses, Elana Arian and Deborah Sacks Mintz, in their band New Moon Rising. In addition to performing regularly with that band, Chava continues to support dozens of other fellow Jewish artists in recording and performing projects. She serves as Music Director of her home congregation in Seattle, Washington.

Kabbalat Shabbat

Friday, November 7th, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. Chava joins our clergy team for a meaningful, interactive Shabbat service.

Shabbat Morning Minyan

Saturday, November 8th, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. Don’t miss this special Shabbat morning with Chava.

A Shortage of Grandparents with Susan Meier Moss Katz Presented In Partnership With Books & Books

Commemorate Kristallnacht at The Hub while hearing from one of Temple Beth Am’s very own, Susan Moss Katz, about her new book, A Shortage of Grandparents. A Shortage of Grandparents is an inspiring story of loss, discovery, and the importance of remembering the past so it may never be forgotten. Perfect for readers of Holocaust memoirs, family histories, and those seeking to understand the lasting effects of history on personal lives.

A Shortage of Grandparents is the realization of her dream to unlock the secrets that led to the tragic deaths of her grandparents, Sophie and Berthold Meier, at the hands of the Nazis, and to the tragic early death of her father, Arthur Meier. Her late father’s pictures, letters, postcards, and artifacts were always there—a hidden, untranslated part of her life, serving as a painful foreshadowing of the story of the Meier family and the fates that befell them.

A slow, winding trail of events over twenty-five years, beginning with a visit from a French grandmother to her office at Beth David led Susan to Serge Klarsfeld and eventually to Camp de Gurs in 2000. A river cruise in 2017 led to the Stolpersteine in Regensburg which pointed her to Martin Ruch, and, with his help, turned this little old Jewish Bubbie into a detective. The trail led, finally, after seven years of research and writing, into the graphic memoir you will hold in your hands the story of the Meier family of Gengenbach and the woman who finally got the luck and courage to play detective.

About Susan Meier Moss Katz:

Susan Meier Moss Katz grew up in what she calls the “Reading Railroad” area of Pennsylvania. In her late 20’s, with her husband and son, she moved to Miami, Florida, where she has lived for over 50 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education Degree from Westchester State University and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership Degree from Barry University. She taught elementary education in public schools for six years and then, beginning in 1972 at Temple Beth Am Day School where she also served as the Curriculum Coordinator and the Director of the Writing Program. Beginning in 1994, she became the founding Head of the Gordon Day School at Beth David Congregation. In 2001 she became the Director of Academics at St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School where she worked for 12 years until her retirement in 2013. Children’s writing became her passion in the 1980’s and she founded writing programs in four schools in Miami.

The author has a son, Adam from her marriage to her first husband, Lawrence Moss, and two step-daughters, Laura (Brian Weissbart) and Paige, from her marriage to her late second husband, Irwin Katz. She has two grandchildren, Sydney Katz and Tucker Weissbart.

Tickets: $46 General Admission 1 Seat and 1 Paperback of A Shortage of Grandparents; $10 General Admission 1 Seat (no book)

The Hub is located at: The Hub at The Janet z”l and Richard Yulman Campus at: 5950 North Kendall Drive, Pinecrest, Florida 33156. For more information and event tickets, visit: www.tbam.org - Or call: (305) 540-0700. (Credit: https://www.tbam.org/the-hub/)

commitment to excellence, igniting a collaborative journey. They identified a perfectly located undeveloped parcel of Turnberryowned land with unparalleled views of the adjacent marina and of the ocean. Using their rich backgrounds in development, they are crafting world-class senior housing, distinguished by premier

“Partnering with Belmont Village was a natural choice, as their reputation for excellence in senior living mirrors our own commitment to quality design and excellent service,” remarked Soffer. “Our mutual dedication to creating exceptional environments ensures that our latest endeavor will surpass expectations, offering residents and families an unparalleled luxury experience.”

apartments feature stone counters and islands with waterfall edges, stainless steel appliances, elegant flooring and walk-in closets. Many of the units offer private balconies and exclusive penthouse units are available on the 10th and 11th floor. Residents will have a world of amenities at their fingertips including an elegant fine-dining restaurant, a full-service bistro and rooftop bar, personal temperature-controlled wine storage with semi-private dining, a fitness center, screening room, art studio,

TectonicTheatreProject’sAcclaimedHereThereAre BlueberriesReturnsToMiamiNewDrama’sColonyTheatre

Tectonic Theater Project (Moisés Kaufman, Founding Artistic Director; Matt Joslyn, Executive Director) announced today the full cast for the Miami New Drama (Michel Hausmann, Founding Artistic Director; Nick Richberg, Managing Director) presentation of Here There Are Blueberries. Following celebrated engagements at McCarter Theatre Center, The Wallis Annenberg, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the production will return to Miami for a highly anticipated engagement at Miami New Drama’s Colony Theater, Thursday, November 13th, 2025 – Sunday, December 7th, 2025.

Co-written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich, and conceived and directed by Kaufman, Here There Are Blueberries was named a 2024 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama, won the 2025 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, and earned multiple Helen Hayes Awards. The play has been praised by critics as “riveting... a gripping exposé... compellingly theatrical” (The Washington Post) and “precise and intelligent” (The New York Times). The national tour of Here There Are Blueberries is a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse and is produced by Tectonic Theater Project and Brian & Dayna Lee, in association with Bruce Roberts, Sue Vaccaro, and Ricky Stevens.

“It’s a full circle moment. This production began its journey in a Miami New Drama workshop during our 2017 - 2018 Season under the title The Album before going on to be lauded around the country, receiving extraordinary accolades and breaking box office records along the way. Its return to Miami New Drama is a testament to the long-standing artistic kinship with Moisés Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project, whose collaborations continue to enrich our stage,” said Michel Hausmann, Founding Artistic Director of Miami New Drama.

The cast of Here There Are Blueberries includes original Tectonic Theater Project company members Barbara Pitts McAdams as Judy Cohen and others and Grant Varjas as Peter Wirths and others, along with Delia Cunningham as Rebecca Erbelding and others, Folami Williams as Charlotte Schünzel and others, Kimberly Fairbanks as Melita Maschmann (u/s Judy Cohen and others), Jonathan Raviv as Tilman Taube and others (Miami only), Marrick Smith as Rainer Höss and others, and Christian Pederson as Karl Höcker and others, as well as understudies Anna Shafer, and Sam Reeder (u/s Miami and Seattle).

In 2007, a mysterious album of Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking truth behind the images, the album made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls. Based on real events, Here There Are Blueberries tells the story of these historical photographs—what they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and our own humanity.

The world premiere of Here There Are Blueberries was produced in 2022 by La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California (Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director & Debby Buchholz, Managing Director), where it was named one of the Best Plays of 2022 by the Los Angeles Times. The play was awarded the Theater J Trish Vradenburg Jewish Play Prize and was nominated for seven Helen Hayes Awards, winning two for Outstanding Director of a Play (Moisés Kaufman) and Outstanding Media/ Projection Design (David Bengali) for its 2023 production at Shakespeare Theatre Company. At New York Theater Workshop, Here There Are Blueberries was named a 2024

Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama, the focus of a top-rated CBS “60 Minutes” piece by Anderson Cooper, and became their highest-grossing production in the 45-year history of the institution.

The design team of Here There Are Blueberries features scenic design by Tony Award-winner Derek McLane, costume design by Tony Award nominee Dede Ayite, lighting design by Tony Award nominee David Lander, sound design by Bobby McElver, and projection design by David Bengali. Ann James serves as Intimacy Coordinator & Sensitivity Specialist, with Amy Marie Seidel as Associate Director & Dramaturg. Casting is by Stephanie Yankwitt, TBD Casting.

Here There Are Blueberries is produced by Tectonic Theater Project and Brian and Dayna Lee in association with Bruce Roberts/Sue Vaccaro/Ricky Stevens with Linda B. Rubin, Gilbert & Dee Dee Garcia, Kathy & Gene Bernstein, BotwinIgnal / JJ Powell, Daren A.C. Carollo / Kyle Valentine, GoodProductions - PattyBaker, InStone Productions, Michael Lamon, Alex Robertson. The Miami engagement is made possible with the generous support of Frank Lowy, Midnight Theatricals, Michael P.N.A. Hormel, and Gary Wasserman.

Founded by visionary Playwright and Director Michel Hausmann, Miami New Drama is the largest bilingual professional theater company in the United States, dedicated to producing socially relevant, artistically ambitious new work. Since 2016, MiND has been the resident company at Miami Beach’s historic Colony Theatre, premiering more than 20 groundbreaking plays and musicals.

Notable world premieres include 7 Deadly Sins (Drama League Award), A Wonderful World (Tony Award–nominated, Broadway), The Cuban Vote, Lincoln Road Hustle, Birthright, The Museum Plays, Elian, and the first-ever multilingual adaptation of Our Town. The company has received national recognition with honors including the Thornton Wilder Prize, multiple Knight Arts Challenge Awards, and the Silver Palm Award.

For tickets and more information, visit: https://miaminewdrama.org. Season memberships are available now.

Academics,KvetchersAndLaugh-LoversUnite

AviHoffmanToLeadAJoyful,Fun-FilledLectureSeriesOnTheCulture,History,AndPoetryOfYiddi

Feeling farklempt about the state of modern language? Longing for a class that is equal parts parts brainy, bouncy, and a bisl nostalgic? Look no furtherMovies of Delray is proud to announce the return of Avi Hoffman’s Yiddish Fun01, a hands-on, participatory 3week series using the original curricula crafted by Columbia University Professor Miriam Hoffman, while her son, the renowned actor and Professor of freylakh, Avi Hoffman, will lead the learning-and the keeling.

Rooted in the rich academic tradition of Yiddish studies, this course isn’t just about language; it’s about culture, history, music, poetry, and chutzpah. NO prior knowledge of Yiddish required-just an open mind and a curiosity for the mishigas that makes Yiddish tick.

This isn’t just another online class, oy vey. This is a Yiddish adventure, using the world-renowned curricula created by Columbia’s own Professor Miriam Hoffman. Taught by her own son, the one, the only, your beloved professor, Avi Hoffman.

They’ll connect the ancient wisdom and deliciously dramatic roots of Yiddish with all the mishigas of modern culture-think Netflix with subtitles like your bubbe used to do, but with more gefilte fish jokes.

“My friends and I who signed up for your class are really enjoying it. It brings back a LOT of memories.” - A. Lewin

Yiddish may be an ancient language, but around here, it’s always in session-and always a little bit funny. Mazel Tov to that!

Participants will:

• Engage with the same material taught at Columbia University (minus the tuition bill)

• Experience music, poetry, comedy, art, and plenty of “oy vey” moments

• Walk away with new words, lots of laughs, and an appreciation of how Yiddish shaped mainstream culture

Where you are a curious academic or just curious what your grandparents were muttering when they didn’t want you to understand, this course promises knowledge, nostalgia, and nakhes in equal measure. As one student raved, “Not only is it fun, but the inclusion of history and culture provides a richness that is astounding.” Others just call it “the highlight of my week.”

Avi Hoffman’s Yiddish Fun01 is based upon material by Miriam Hoffman and led by Avi Hoffman.

The event will take place Tuesday, October 21st, 2025, Tuesday, October 28th, 2025, Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 - Wednesday, November 12th, 2025 - 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $18 per class and $48 for the series. For reservation, call: (561) 638-0200. All classes will be held at: The Moves of Delray 7421 West Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida 33446.

For more information, visit: https://yilovejewish.org/events/

ThisWasNetanyahuAtHisBest

Uncompromising,Unapologetic,AndResoluteInTheFaceOfGlobalHypocrisyAndHate

ZOA National President Morton “Mort” Klein, expressed his reaction to Israeli PM Netanyahu’s address at the United Nations today, that the speech was the PM’s most forceful and Churchillian address yet.

Klein shared:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his most forceful and Churchillian address yet at the United Nations today.

In a sweeping and unflinching speech, he exposed the grotesque lies accusing Israel of genocide, starvation, and illegal occupation. He called them what they are: modern blood libels rooted in the same antisemitic hatred that once falsely accused Jews of murdering Christian children for rituals or poisoning wells during the Middle Ages. These are not legitimate criticisms. They are propaganda fueled by hate.

For the first time in such a comprehensive way, Netanyahu dismantled the myth that Palestinian leaders are peace-seeking moderates. He revealed how both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority glorify Terrorism. They pay lifetime salaries to those who murder Jews. The more Jews killed, the higher the payout. They name schools and streets after terrorists, use the same textbooks as Hamas to incite hatred, and raise children to idolize

killers. He reminded the world that Palestinian crowds celebrated the October 7th atrocities with candy and cheers.

Netanyahu emphasized that Israel’s war is part of a broader conflict. Islamist terror does not only target Israel. It also targets the United States and the West. These regimes repeatedly chant “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” They openly declare their goal to destroy the Jews, whom they call the “Saturday people” and then move on to kill the Christians, the “Sunday people.”

He condemned the dangerous fantasy of granting statehood to jihadist murderers. He warned it would reward Terrorism and encourage more bloodshed. Over 90 percent of Israelis and the vast majority of the Knesset oppose this because it would directly threaten Israel’s survival.

He strongly criticized the weakness of nations that fold under jihadist threats instead of standing firm. Appeasement, he warned, only invites more violence. As Winston Churchill said, “Those who appease the crocodile will simply be eaten last.”

Netanyahu closed with a clear message. Israel has already severely weakened Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis. The war will not end until Hamas is destroyed as a threat. Victory is close. And with that victory comes the real hope of a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East.

This was Netanyahu at his best. Uncompromising, unapologetic, and resolute in the face of global hypocrisy and hate.”

Morton A. Klein

Morton A. Klein serves as national President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel group in the United States, founded in 1897. He also serves as a member of the National Council of AIPAC and is widely regarded as one of the leading Jewish activists in the United States. He is a child of Holocaust survivors, born in a displaced persons camp in Gunzberg, Germany.

Founded in 1897, the Zionist Organization of America is the oldest pro-Israel organization in the United States. The ZOA works towards strengthening US-Israeli relations through educational activities, public affairs programs, advocating on Capitol Hill, and by combating anti-Israel bias in the media, textbooks, and on campuses. The ZOA is dedicated to educating the public, elected officials, media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing and relentless ArabIslamic War against Israel and the Jewish people.

For more information, visit: www.zoa.org.

TwoYearsAfterOctober7th,CyberwellUrgesSocialMediaCompanies ToReverseDeclineInModerationAsThreatsFlourish

Two years after Hamas livestreamed its massacre and kidnappings during the October 7th, 2023, terrorist attacks, CyberWell, a trusted partner of major Social Media platforms and an independent tech nonprofit that monitors and combats online antisemitism, is urging companies to restore and strengthen content moderation systems as the threat of digital incitement and extremism continues to grow.

Rather than acting on the lessons of October 7th, CyberWell says, many platforms have scaled back the very safeguards that could help prevent the next wave of online-fueled terrorism. The call comes as a $1 Billion civil lawsuit filed in Israel by victims of the October 7th attacks, and their families, against Meta advances in court. The landmark case alleges that Meta enabled repeated broadcasts of executions and kidnappings by Hamas and failed to act on credible warnings. If granted approval as a class action suit in Israeli courts, there could be an international opening for families of victims of terror to join in suing Meta for pain and suffering caused by the unbridled broadcasting of the Hamas massacre and kidnapping on that day and in the months following.

“What happened on October 7th should have been a turning point for safety, like the Sept. 11 attacks were for public security and for the air travel industry,” said CyberWell Founder and CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “Instead, in the last two years we have witnessed a retreat from the very tools and safeguards that could have prevented the spread of graphic executions, incitement to violence and digital antisemitism. This is not just a

content policy issue. It is a national security imperative.”

CyberWell’s data shows that the October 7th attacks exposed systemic moderation failures on platforms such as Meta and X, where livestreams and video uploads of terrorist acts were widely distributed and amplified by algorithms designed to maximize engagement. Since then, many platforms have removed automated flagging systems, reduced human moderation teams and weakened transparency around algorithmic amplification and enforcement.

“The tools are there. The expertise is there,” said Cohen Montemayor. “Every day, platforms scan billions of posts to detect and remove child pornography and copyright infringement using advanced digital fingerprinting, hashing and AI classification. These same tools could stop the viral spread of terror content and recorded graphic violence.”

Since October 2023, CyberWell has monitored and flagged thousands of instances of violent antisemitic content, including praise for the terrorist attacks and dehumanizing conspiracy theories that have led to real-world violence against Jewish communities in the United States, Europe, and Australia. The normalization of digital antisemitism continues to drive a dangerous feedback loop: violence is recorded, broadcasted algorithmically, celebrated and repeated. Recent attacks on Jewish communities and political pundits have followed this same pattern of online radicalization and incitement.

“Social Media companies have shown they can act decisively when the stakes are high for them. Their ability to rapidly remove

child pornography and enforce copyright law proves scalable, precise moderation is possible,” said Cohen Montemayor. “Perhaps the landmark lawsuit in Israel against Meta will create an incentive structure needed to push platforms toward meaningful investment in public-private partnerships and trusttech solutions that proactively prevent hate speech, incitement and radicalization.”

“This is not just about protecting Jewish communities,” she added. “It is about ensuring the digital public square does not continue to erode social stability and serve as a staging ground for extremist violence.”

CyberWell is an independent, internationally focused, techrooted nonprofit combating the spread of antisemitism online. Its AI-technologies monitor social media in English and Arabic for posts that promulgate antisemitism, Holocaust denial and promote violence against Jews based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Its analysts review and report this content to platform moderators while indexing all verified posts in the firstever open database of antisemitic Social Media posts –democratically cataloging it for transparency at: app.cyberwell.org. Through partnerships, education and realtime alerts, CyberWell is holding social media platforms and their moderators accountable, promoting proactive steps against online Jew-hate.

UnitedWayBrowardExpandsTheirSeniorResources WithUnitedForSeniorsOnlinePlatform&App

United Way Broward’s Coalition on Behavioral Health & Drug Prevention is proud to announce the expansion of their seniors’ services and resources with United for Seniors, the first free online platform designed to help older adults feel connected, supported, and engaged. Initially launched in September 2024 as a pilot program for the Hispanic community, the platform is now fully available in English and Spanish, providing an inclusive and welcoming space for seniors, their families, and caregivers.

Broward County, home to 1.9 million residents, faces significant challenges for its older adult population. The bilingual platform addresses the unique needs of Broward’s growing senior population, where 24% of residents - more than 462,000 people - are aged 60 or older. Social isolation, particularly among seniors, is linked to serious Mental Health issues, while limited mobility and rising costs can prevent older adults from participating in community activities.

United for Seniors bridges these gaps with a simple, welcoming online community that empowers seniors to connect, learn, and thrive. The platform provides a vital, accessible solution helping older adults stay active, socially connected, and supported in their daily lives.

The United for Seniors App can be downloaded on Google Play, in the Apple App Store, or by visiting: www.unitedforseniors.org. Once downloaded, the platform allows users to:

• Chat and connect with peers in safe, interest-based groups

• Access expert tips and advice on health and wellness

• Participate in fun, enriching activities and workshops designed specifically for seniors

• Join informative monthly webinars and receive guidance that supports both seniors and their caregivers. The platform also features a robust search tool, making it easy to explore a wide range of previously recorded webinars by topic and interest.

This is free, easy to use, and designed to make seniors feel at home online.

“United for Seniors started as a way to bring culturally sensitive support to our Hispanic seniors, and we are thrilled to now expand its reach to the broader community,” said Maria Hernandez, Chief Impact Officer for United Way Broward. “This platform is a lifeline helping seniors connect with one another, access resources, and remain engaged in ways that truly enhance their quality of life.”

The pilot program was launched in September 2024 with support from prominent local figures, including Maria Celeste Arrarás, a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and television host and Laurie Jennings, an Emmy Award-winning news anchor. Their involvement is helping drive strong adoption among Broward’s seniors.

United for Seniors quickly expanded its reach and by August 2025, surpassed 1,000 registered users. Building on this success, United Way Broward’s Coalition plans to introduce the platform to additional community partners throughout Broward County and United Way affiliates across the country, making it a

United Way Broward mobilizes communities to action so all can thrive. True to our founding spirit, whenever there is a need in our community, United Way is there. For more than 85 years, United Way Broward has brought a comprehensive approach to every challenge, actively listening and responding to local needs. Our reach across the communities in Broward County means we can share innovations and scale impact to improve lives in collaboration with our donors, volunteers, corporate and agency partners. From strengthening local resilience to advancing health, youth opportunity, and financial security, we’re working towards a future where every person in every community can reach their full potential. To learn more, visit: www.UnitedWayBroward.org.

United Way Broward’s Coalition on Behavioral Health and Drug Prevention is a broad-based substance misuse prevention and mental health promotion coalition dedicated to reducing negative consequences on individuals, families, and communities. Today, its primary role is to serve as a coalition-building organization that brokers partnerships between federal, state, and local agencies to foster, develop, and enhance integrated behavioral health efforts throughout Broward County, while searching for innovative and effective ways to address the issue of substance misuse. Coalition on Behavioral Health & Drug Prevention is a vital component of United Way Broward’s four impact areas (strengthening local resilience, advancing health, youth opportunity, and financial security) focused on the solutions to close gaps in services and create a better life for all. For more information, please visit: www.drugfreebroward.orgOr follow us on Social Media at: www.facebook.com/ uwbcoalition - Or on Twitter/Instagram: @UWBCoalition.

TheWarIsOver,ButTheRealBattleBegins: AsIsraelCelebrates,ASilentStruggleForHealingUnfolds

Gila Tolub is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of ICAR Collective, Israel’s Collective Action for Resilience, which is dedicated to accelerating trauma healing and advancing Mental Health resilience through coordinated collaboration across Israel’s public health, NGO, academic and research communities. The organization’s mission is to protect the nation’s health, productivity and security, while positioning Israel as a global leader in Mental Health innovation and Psycho-Trauma Response.

Under Tolub’s leadership, ICAR is building an integrated national response to trauma, focused on both individual and collective healing. The organization seeks to transform the field of psycho-trauma by deepening the global understanding of recovery pathways and forging partnerships that enhance community resilience.

In the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7th, 2023, attack on Israel, Tolub served as Interim CEO of The Healing Space (Merhav Marpe), an initiative supporting survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre in Re’im. Survivors of the assault, where Hamas used firearms, explosives, sexual violence and inflicted mass casualties to inflict severe physical and emotional trauma on Israelis. Tolub oversaw urgent Mental Health interventions designed to address both acute and long-term Psychological needs.

Prior to October 7th, 2023, Tolub was a strategic manage-

ment consultant for two decades, including 12 years at McKinsey & Company, where she focused on healthcare. In her most recent role at McKinsey, she co-created the firm’s practice focused on advancing health equity with an emphasis on Women’s Health and Mental Health. Earlier in her tenure, she co-created and coled the firm’s vaccine practice beginning in 2015, contributing to the global public health strategy during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Tolub received her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from Adelphi University.

ICAR Collective (Israel’s Collective Action for Resilience) is working to accelerate trauma recovery and advance Mental Health resilience through coordinated collaboration across Israel’s public health, NGO, academic, and research communities. Founded in response to the national trauma of October 7th, 2023 ICAR Collective works to close critical gaps in Israel’s Mental Health and trauma care systems. By uniting experts in Medicine, Psychology, Public Health, Philanthropy and Investment, ICAR Collective drives ecosystem mapping, fosters partnerships, and invests in evidence-based solutions. Its mission is to build a national, science-backed roadmap for long-term trauma recovery—aligning efforts and resources to protect the wellbeing, pro-

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VISASFORLIFE:

TheRighteousAndHonorableDiplomatsWhoDefiedEvil

History remembers the horrors of the Holocaust through images of ghettos, gas chambers, and grief—but there’s another chapter, one of defiance, courage, and salvation. This fall, the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center in Dania Beach, Florida, invites the public to witness an extraordinary, oftenoverlooked side of this dark era with its newest traveling exhibition: “Visas for Life: The Righteous and Honorable Diplomats.”

Running from Monday, October 27th, 2025, through Friday, August 28th, 2026, with a **grand opening on Sunday, November 9th, 2025, at 1:30 p.m., the exhibition brings to life the astonishing stories of diplomats from around the world who risked everything to save tens of thousands of Jewish lives during the Holocaust. These were not soldiers or underground resistance fighters—these were men and women in suits, stationed in embassies and consulates, using their pens and their positions to challenge the machinery of genocide.

Diplomats Who Dared

Between 1938 and 1945, more than 90 diplomats representing 25 different countries** engaged in courageous acts of rescue—most without the consent of their governments. Their defiance was quiet but profound. Many operated in secret, issuing life-saving documents: transit visas, exit permits, citizenship papers, and letters of protection. These documents became golden tickets out of occupied Europe, sparing thousands from deportation and death.

Some diplomats went further. They sheltered Jews in embassies, smuggled them across borders, and directly confronted Nazi officials to halt deportations. These were acts of deep moral conviction. Often, they were also acts of disobedience — committed in direct violation of official policies. Many of these diplomats paid a high price: they were fired, stripped of their rank and pensions, forced into exile, or lost their lives.

What makes “Visas for Life” so compelling is not only the scale of rescue these diplomats accomplished, but the humanity behind each story. The remarkable men and women that will be highlighted in the exhibition and their stories, many are being brought to life through original photographs, personal documents, survivor testimonies, and government records.

A Story Still Unfolding

“Visas for Life” is not just a tribute—it’s an active effort to unearth and honor stories long buried by bureaucracy and time. The exhibition features uncovered stories, thanks to extensive research and material shared by the families of diplomats and survivors alike.

According to the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center, this traveling exhibition may represent the largest documented collective diplomatic rescue effort during the Nazi era. It reframes the narrative of the Holocaust to include those in positions of power who chose to wield their authority for good, often at great personal risk.

Why This Exhibition Matters Now

In an age where the lessons of history are increasingly challenged or forgotten, exhibitions like “Visas for Life” serve a critical role. They remind us that in times of moral crisis, silence is complicity—but courage can come from unexpected places.

These diplomats weren’t superheroes. They were individuals bound by bureaucracies, stationed in hostile territories, and subject to strict codes of conduct. Yet, when faced with injustice, they chose humanity over orders. They saw suffering and chose action.

Their stories ask a timeless question: What would you do?

Plan Your Visit

The exhibition will be hosted at the Holocaust

Documentation & Education Center, located at 303 North Federal Highway, Dania Beach, Florida 33004. Tickets are available through Eventbrite, with general admission priced at $15 and student admission at $10. Admission is free for Holocaust survivors, WWII liberators, their spouses, and military service members.

You can reserve your spot at: https://www.eventbrite.com/ e/visas-for-life-the-righteous-and-honorable-diplomatsexhibition-tour-tickets-1631671075109?aff=oddtdtcreator

Remembering the Righteous

As the number of living Holocaust survivors dwindles, the responsibility of remembrance grows heavier on the shoulders of the next generation. “Visas for Life” shines a spotlight on the moral clarity and courageous action that still resonates today. In honoring these diplomats, the exhibition doesn’t just look back— it points forward, urging visitors to consider the power of individual conscience in shaping the course of history.

In a time when authoritarianism, war, and displacement once again make global headlines, the stories told in “Visas for Life” are not just history—they are a call to action. A reminder that even in the darkest times, there are those who choose light.

“Visas for Life: The Righteous and Honorable Diplomats”

Monday, October 27th, 2025 thru Friday, August 28th, 2026

Grand Opening:

Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 1:30 p.m.

Holocaust Documentation & Education Center 303 North Federal Highway, Dania Beach, Florida 33004

For more information, visit: https://hdec.org

ZOACelebratesHostageDeal;Warns‘Euphoria’ MustNotComeAtExpenseOfLaterPointsHamas’sDisarmament&Removal

ZOA National President Morton “Mort” Klein, celebrates the secured hostage deal while expressing that the deal is dangerously lopsided and that without firm enforcement of the later points in Trump’s plan - risks repeating the deadly mistakes of the past.

Klein shared:

“The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) celebrates the long-awaited return of Israeli hostages, calling it a moment of profound relief for their families and the entire Jewish nation. However, the brokered deal is dangerously lopsided and while President Trump and his administration deserve praise for their tireless efforts to secure the hostages’ release, the now phased deal - without firm enforcement of the later points in Trump’s plan - risks repeating the deadly mistakes of the past. Just as the 2011 release of Yahya Sinwar led to the October 7th attack,

freeing nearly 2,000 Palestinian Arab terrorists - many convicted murderers and terror attacks planners - risks reigniting the cycle of terror.

While the deal brings the hostages home and ends two years of bloodshed in Israel and Gaza and as drafted states Hamas will be disarmed, dismantled and no longer play a role in governance, Hamas and its allies within the group of meditators have already stated either outwardly pushing back or playing word games on both points. The deal therefore does in fact leave Hamas intact as both a military threat and a central force in Palestinian national aspirations. Without continued U.S. pressure - including the credible threat of renewed Israeli military operations - Hamas will retain its power and weapons, both Hamas and Fatah will continue radicalizing and arming Arabs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. This ongoing pattern ensures that unless addressed,

another devastating attack and full-scale war is only a matter of time.

The President genuinely seeks to bring lasting peace to Israel and the region, but the administration - and the world - must not get caught in the euphoria of the newly branded “first phase” and begin with dismantling Hamas, ending Fatah’s radicalization of new generations of Arabs and launching a serious effort to demilitarize and de-radicalize the Arab population in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The administration’s executive order shielding Qatar - while failing to demand the extradition of Hamas and other terror leaders living in Doha - effectively turns the terrorfinancing emirate into a protected haven for Islamist terrorists.

We are deeply grateful for the hostages’ return, but the hostage and prisoner swap along will not truly bring peace to Israel and her neighbors.”

EmpoweringTheNextGenerationToConfrontHate

AuschwitzJewishCenterFoundationNamesMichaelU.S.ExecutiveVicePresident

The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF), a NonProfit Organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons of the Holocaust to combat contemporary hate and bigotry, has appointed Michael Cohen as its new U.S. Executive Vice President. In this role, Cohen will directly report to the foundation’s director general, working in close coordination to expand AJCF’s global mission to confront antisemitism and hate in all its forms.

Cohen brings deep experience in Jewish communal leadership, government affairs and Holocaust Education. Most recently, he served as East Coast Director at the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance, where he oversaw strategy, operations, programming and staffing. His career has spanned influential roles in both government and advocacy, including as Director of New York State lobbying at Pitta, Bishop, Del Giorno & Giblin, Director of Public Policy for the Orthodox Union and Chief of Staff to the New York State Senate Majority Leader. Earlier, in between stints with NYC Councilmember Mathieu Eugene and NYC Public Advocate Mark Green, Cohen served a pivotal role on the staff of longtime congressman Edolphus Towns, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. While with Towns, Cohen organized the first Black/Jewish Capital Hill Conference in a generation, working with co-sponsors such as the iconic Congressman and Civil Rights Leader John Lewis.

We are excited to welcome Michael to the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation said Chairman Simon Bergson. At a time when antisemitism is escalating worldwide, his addition to our leadership team will help ensure AJCF remains at the forefront of Holocaust and anti-hatred education-empowering the next generation to confront hate with knowledge, courage and

At a time when and antisemitism are on the rise, I am humbled to join the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation’s remarkable team whose work continues to transform remembrance into responsibility and impact communities worldwide, said Cohen. Together, we will build on ACJF’s extraordinary legacy to expand its reach, deepen its impact and forge lasting partnerships with government leaders, civic institutions, and faith communities - strengthening the Jewish community while building bridges with all communities committed to tolerance, dignity and human rights.

Cohen holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Political Science from Brooklyn College (CUNY). He lives in Woodmere, New York, with his family.

The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a NonProfit Organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons learned from the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and by providing direct humanitarian aid to victim of mass atrocities. It supports survivors of genocides and other tragedies, including Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by Hamas’s October 7th attacks. The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the last remaining synagogue in Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and serves as the primary institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the town’s Jewish community while addressing hate. To date, over a million people have visited the center, more than 300,000 students participated in its educational programs and tens of thousands of diplomats, military and law enforcement personnel and educators, have taken part in its educational initiatives on tolerance and the Holocaust.

TheJewishPublicationSociety-PresentingTheVeryBestOf JewishLearningInAnIntellectuallyRigorousAndEngagingWay

Since 1888, The Jewish Publication Society has been the preeminent Not-For-Profit publisher of books at the heart of Jewish life in the English-speaking world. The mission of JPS is to promote accessible scholarship, presenting the very best of Jewish learning in an intellectually rigorous and engaging way to a broad public. As a non-partisan, non-denominational organization, JPS brings voices from across the Jewish tradition, past and present, into conversations at the heart of contemporary life, ensuring that Jewish sources continue to speak in an everchanging world. Here are two noteworthy recent publications from The Jewish Publication Society.

Modern Jewish Theology

The First One Hundred Years, 1835–1935 By

Samuel J. Kessler and George Y. Kohler

Modern Jewish Theology is the first comprehensive collection of Jewish theological ideas from the pathbreaking nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, featuring selections from more than thirty of the most influential Jewish thinkers of the era, explorations of Judaism’s identity, uniqueness, and relevance, the origin of ethical monotheism, and the possibility of Jewish existentialism. These works—most translated for the first time into English by top scholars in modern Jewish history and philosophy—reveal how modern Jewish theology developed in concert with broader trends in Jewish intellectual and social modernization, especially scholarship (Wissenschaft des Judentums), politics (liberalism and Zionism), and religious practice (movement Judaism and the struggles to transcend denominational boundaries).

Author of The Heart of Torah

“Modern Jewish Theology will be an indispensable and enduring resource for scholars, students, and teachers.” — Asher D. Biemann, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Jewish Studies Program, University of Virginia

Samuel J. Kessler

This anthology thus opens to the English-language reader a true treasure house of source material from the formative years of modern Jewish thought, bringing together writings from the very first generations, who imagined biblical and rabbinic texts and modern scientific research would produce a synthetic view of God, Israel, and the world. A general introduction and chapter introductions guide students and non-specialists through the key themes and transformations in modern Jewish theology, and extensive annotations immerse them in the latest scholarship.

Praise

“Exciting! This anthology has the potential to help reframe the entire field of modern Jewish thought. Its study tends to leave out the nineteenth century almost totally—and yet, as the editors show, this was an extremely important period for the development of Jewish thought and the attempt to negotiate modern sensibilities about religion and science.” — Robert Erlewine, Professor and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Eastern Michigan University and Author of Judaism and the West: From Hermann Cohen to Joseph Soloveitchik

“What a gold mine! You have before you the keys to a world of rich, provocative, and often still startlingly relevant Jewish thinking. There was a robust Jewish theological conversation before Heschel and Soloveitchik, before Kaplan and Levinas, before Plaskow and Adler, but only now, with this wonderful volume, has this vital world opened to non-specialists and nonGerman readers.” — Shai Held, President and Dean at Hadar and

Samuel J. Kessler is Lyons Chair in Judaic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Author of The Formation of a Modern Rabbi: The Life and Times of the Viennese Scholar and Preacher Adolf Jellinek.

George Y. Kohler

George Y. Kohler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Jewish Philosophy and Director of the Joseph Carlebach Institute for Jewish Theology at Bar Ilan University. He is the Author of Kabbalah Research in the Wissenschaft des Judentums (1820-1880): The Foundation of an Academic Discipline and Reading Maimonides’ Philosophy in 19th Century Germany: The Guide to Religious Reform.

Learn more about the book here: https://jps.org/books/ modern-jewish-theology/

Exile and the Jews

Literature, History, and Identity

By Nancy Berg and Marc Saperstein

This first comprehensive anthology examining Jewish responses to exile from the biblical period to our modern day gathers texts from all genres of Jewish literary creativity to explore how the realities and interpretations of exile have shaped Judaism, Jewish politics, and individual Jewish identity for millennia. Ordered along multiple arcs—from universal to particular, collective to individual, and mythic-symbolic to prosaic everyday living—the chapters present different facets of exile: as human condition, in history and life, in holiday rituals, in language, as penance and atonement, as internalized experience, in relation to the Divine Presence, and more. By illuminating the multidimen-

sional nature of “exile”—political, philosophical, religious, psychological, and mythological—widely divergent evaluations of Jewish life in the Diaspora emerge. The word “exile” and its Hebrew equivalent, galut, evoke darkness, bleakness—and yet the condition offers spiritual renewal and engenders great expressions of Jewish cultural creativity: the Babylonian Talmud, medieval Jewish philosophy, Golden Age poetry, and modern Jewish literature.

Exile and the Jews will engage students, academics, and general readers in contemplating immigration, displacement, evolving identity, and more.

Praise

“Carefully researched and beautifully presented to create cross-generational conversations, moving from universal and existential to collective Jewish expressions of the diasporic condition, Exile and the Jews is accessible to the general reader as well as providing an invaluable resource for the student or scholar of Jewish studies.”—Sidra DeKoven Ezrahi, Author of Booking Passage: Exile and Homecoming in the Modern Jewish Imagination

“I enthusiastically endorse this fascinating anthology as a textbook for higher education.”— Rifat Sonsino, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Beth Shalom, Needham, Massachusetts, and Author of Modern Judaism

“The selection of texts reflects remarkable erudition with deep familiarity with the Hebrew Bible and Jewish liturgy as well as the diversity of voices in the modern intellectual world. Entrenched in this background, the choice to bring together in conversation, under each section, texts that are historically and culturally distinct provokes insights on the topic. This choice makes the collection a stimulating resource for researchers and teachers…”—Yael Almog, Journal of Modern Jewish Studies

Nancy E. Berg

Nancy E. Berg is a Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at Washington University in St. Louis. She is the Author of Exile from Exile: Israeli Writers from Iraq and coeditor with Naomi B. Sokoloff of the National Jewish Book Award–winning What We Talk about When We Talk about Hebrew (And What It Means to Americans).

Marc Saperstein

Marc Saperstein served as Principal and Professor of Jewish history and homiletics of the Leo Baeck College, London. His dozen books include “Your Voice like a Ram’s Horn:” Themes and Texts in Traditional Jewish Preaching, a National Jewish Book Award winner in Scholarship, and Agony in the Pulpit: Jewish Preaching in Response to Nazi Persecution and Mass Murder, 1933–1945.

Learn more about the book here: https://jps.org/books/ exile-and-the-jews/

For more information on these books as well as others, please visit The Jewish Publication Society at: www.jps.org.

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