From Miami’s Jewish Beginning, There Was Isidor Cohen By Sylvia Gurinsky Feb 18, 2025 Recently the City of Miami celebrated Isidor Cohen, a true pioneer of Miami, with the naming of Isidor Cohen Road. The event, held with family and friends present at the Center for Jewish Life at Beth David, 2625 Southwest 3rd Avenue, honored his legacy of community growth, cultural inclusion, and vision for our city’s future. (Pictured: All descendants of Isidor and Ida Cohen.) In June, 1896, Isidor Cohen, a young merchant, was beginning his first summer in Miami and was already experiencing business ups and downs, mosquitos, snakes, rats and hot weather. Nevertheless, he wrote in his diary, “This is going to be a wonderful city.” Greater Miami has had its own ups and downs, but Cohen’s prediction has generally been correct. And he and his family have been among the reasons for that success. Cohen had arrived in February, 1896, two months before the first train. He tried to negotiate with Julia Tuttle for land on the north side of the Miami River. She recommended he take a job clearing land. “I tried to impress this naïve lady that the last labor of this character my race had performed was in the land of Egypt, and that it would be a violation of my religious convictions to resume that condition of servitude,” he later wrote. After starting on the south side of the river, Cohen soon moved to the north side, where most of the business was. He quickly became part of the growing community, joining most of the new organizations except the Tuxedo Club – because he didn’t own a tuxedo. In July, 1896, Cohen voted to officially incorporate the city of Miami. He took note of the Black men who voted and spoke in favor of the new city and wrote favorably about them. His book, “Historical Sketches and Sidelights of Miami, Florida,” was published in 1925 – the first locally published book with a positive look at the Black community. In the beginning, things looked favorable for the growing Jewish community as well, with an 1896 Commemoration of the High Holy Days. But two fires and a Yellow Fever Epidemic before 1900 temporarily reduced the size of that community. Cohen didn’t give up. In 1904, he married Ida Schneiderman, the widow of another early Miami Jewish merchant, and adopted her son, Murray. Isidor and Ida added two more children – daughter Claire and son Eddie, who had the first Bris in Miami in 1908. The growth extended far beyond the family. In 1912, Isidor and Ida were among the founders of Beth David Congregation, the city’s first and oldest Synagogue. In 1941, Ida Cohen was a principal creator of what’s now Miami Jewish Health Systems. After World War 2, the Cohens were among the founders of Mount Sinai Medical Center. During the 1950’s, Claire Cohen Weintraub helped to begin what is now the Frost Science Museum. By the time Isidor Cohen died in 1951, Miami was on its way to becoming a major international center. Today, members of his family continue as community leaders. In January, the City of Miami honored Cohen by naming the street just north of Beth David Congregation for him. Such an honor is long overdue for a primary founding father of Jewish Miami. Isidor Cohen was the father of Greater Miami's Jewish community - Credit: www.museumoffamilyhistory.com In January, the City of Miami honored Cohen in a ceremony by naming the street just north of Beth David Congregation for him. Credit: Miami-Dade Communications Department Isidor and Ida Cohen and family with Claire Weintraub (Right) - Credit: www.floridamemory.com Ida Cohen, wife of Miami's first permanent Jewish settler, Isidor Cohen - Credit: www.museumoffamilyhistory.com Previous Next

Jewish Family Home Care Once Again Awarded With Three 2025 Best Of Home Care® Awards Pictured: JFHC CEO Robin Miller Feb 18, 2025 Jewish Family Home Care (JFHC) – a not-for-profit agency – is honored to announce that it once again received three 2025 Best of Home Care Awards from Activated Insights, formerly Home Care Pulse, the leading firm in experience management for post-acute care. The awards include the Leader in Experience, Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice. JFHC received all three awards in 2024 and both the Best of Home Care® – Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice Awards from Activated Insights in 2023. JFHC provides multi-reach, non-medical home quality home health care for Broward County, Florida seniors from all reaches of life and any faith. JFHC is one of the largest providers of home health care providing assistance to Holocaust survivors and anyone in Broward County needing in-home care. Providing service to more than 400 clients, including over 300 Holocaust survivors, JFHC offers services such as home health aides, companions, housekeepers and certified nursing assistants. It delivers tailor-made home health care plans, with special consideration to patients’ physical and emotional needs, as well as their family’s budget. The Leader in Experience Award is the highest recognition awarded by Activated Insights and is given to select home care businesses that consistently rank among the very highest in 10 or more quality metrics. As a Leader in Experience, JFHC is now recognized among the top 10% of home care providers participating in the nationwide Activated Insights Experience Management program. This accomplishment demonstrates JFHC’s long-term dedication to excellent care and quality improvement. To qualify for this award, 10% of JFHC’s clients and caregivers were interviewed each month by Activated Insights. Over 12 months, JFHC received high client and caregiver satisfaction ratings in areas such as caregiver training, compassion of caregivers, communication, scheduling, client/caregiver compatibility and more. Using feedback from clients and employees, as well as quality benchmarks from Activated Insights, the JFHC management team set goals to reach the highest level of experience possible. The Best of Home Care® – Leader in Experience Award highlights the top-performing home care businesses in the nation. Activated Insights believes that by honoring these providers, families looking for in-home care for a loved one will be able to recognize and choose a trusted home care provider. The Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice Awards are granted only to the top-ranking home care providers, based on client and employee satisfaction scores gathered by Activated Insights. JFHC is now ranked among a small handful of home care providers across the country who have proven their ability to provide an exceptional working experience to employees and the highest quality care to clients. Best of Home Care providers have contracted with Activated Insights to gather feedback from their clients and caregivers via live phone interviews each month. Because Activated Insights is an independent company, it can collect honest and unbiased feedback. “We are proud to once again be honored with the 2025 Best of Home Care® – Leader in Experience, Employer & Provider of Choices awards from Activated Insights,” said JFHC CEO Robin Miller. “Each of these awards is a true testament to our commitment to providing exceptional in-home care to our families, as they are based on testimonials from both our clients and our caregivers. This wouldn’t be possible without my incredible team who shares my passion for excellence and delivering the best results to our clients and their families. Knowing that we’re making a difference in the lives of others fuels our passion and commitment to exceeding expectations every day.” “At Activated Insights, our mission is to help post-acute care businesses create an experience that goes beyond client and caregiver expectations; ultimately improving outcomes for all stakeholders in the care continuum,” says Bud Meadows, Chief Executive Officer of Activated Insights. “When we see agencies like Jewish Family Home Care that have so effectively provided outstanding care and employment experiences, we know we’re on the right track. Jewish Family Home Care has worked extremely hard to prioritize high-quality care and employment, and their work hasn’t gone unnoticed. These awards allow them to show proof of quality to potential clients and caregivers.” To find out more about JFHC’s commitment to excellence, please visit: www.JFCares.org - Or call: (954) 908-5677. Previous Next

Roll With The Punches By Judith Levy Jan 7, 2025 Life offers many ups and downs. Some blows, especially the unexpected ones, bolts out of the blue, are more hurtful than others, but what choice do we have? We must endure. The loss of loved ones, parents, partners, and worst of all a child leaves no option but to reel from the blow, get up, steady yourself and go on. Many times, we wonder what we did to deserve this unspeakable sadness. There are no answers for you, only words of sympathy that are being offered by friends who want to, but don’t really know how to comfort you. You listen, appreciate their kindness but nothing will help other than the passage of time. You look at the pictures of your dear loved ones, even talk to them, but nothing will ease your pain other than some momentary distraction and the ticking of the clock, heralding the passage of time. The calendar betrays your true feelings with each passing birthday or anniversary that shouts at you, remember me and the good times we spent together. Of course you do remember them, and painful as it is, you hold those memories dear and try to comfort yourself with recollections of the heartfelt times and the laughter you shared with these people whose absence leaves a permanent hole in your heart. I know it’s difficult, been there and done that, but do try to look forward. The people you loved would want that for you. Your happiness would be their fondest wish, so embrace that thought and try to face tomorrow with good thoughts and a smile. Rain makes flowers bloom and then to everyone’s joy, the sun comes out. Sometimes reaching out to be with someone who has walked the road you are now traveling on offers a modicum of relief from sorrow. Helping others might help you. Try it. Judith Levy speaks for organizations and is the New York Times best-selling author of GRANDMOTHER REMEMBERS, which has sold over four million copies and the mega best-seller GRANDFATHER REMEMBERS published by HarperCollins. Both books, perfect gifts, are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Previous Next

Chanukah Discovery: Rare Coins Unearth Hasmonean History By Hanan Greenwood and Assaf Golan Jan 7, 2025 A remarkable archaeological discovery emerged in the Jordan Valley during this year’s Chanukah Festival: a cache of coins minted under King of Judea Alexander Jannaeus, a significant ruler of the Hasmonean Kingdom from 104–76 BCE. Jannaeus (whose Hebrew name was Jonathan, as revealed in historical records and confirmed by numismatic evidence) was descended from a lineage of revolutionary Hasmonean leaders. He was the son of John Hyrcanus, the grandson of Simon, and the great-grandson of Mattathias, who sparked the rebellion against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Seleucid Empire. That historic uprising, which began in 167 BCE, culminated in the Temple’s purification from Syrian-Greek idolatry and the genesis of the Chanukah celebration. The rebellion led to the establishment of a sovereign Jewish kingdom under Hasmonean leadership. Conducted by the University of Haifa’s premier archaeological team—including Shai Bar from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, Yoav Farhi and Michael Osband—the excavation uncovered a previously unknown roadside complex. “The site features a ritual bath, water reservoir and additional structures along Nahal Tirzah’s [the Tirzah Stream’s] banks, situated on the primary route leading to the Sartaba Fortress, which Jannaeus himself constructed,” Bar elaborated. Farhi, the Israel Museum’s ancient coin curator, noted the cache’s remarkable uniformity. Each coin bears an eight-pointed star with an Aramaic inscription reading “King Alexander Year 25” on one side, and an anchor with a Greek inscription on the reverse. Dated to 80 or 79 BCE, such comprehensive coin collections are exceptionally rare in archaeological research, making this discovery particularly significant. “Discovering this Hasmonean treasure during Chanukah imbued our work with profound meaning, especially amid the current challenging national context,” Bar said. “We hope this site will become a cherished public landmark, enriching Israel’s archaeological heritage.” Originally published by Israel Hayom. Photo by Shai Bar/The Zinman Institute of Archaeology - Ancient coins minted under King Alexander Jannaeus, found in the Jordan Valley. Previous Next

Memorial For Miami-Dade Mayor’s Mother Held At Chabad Chabad Chayil Feb 18, 2025 Pictured: Barry Snyder with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. A Shloshim Memorial Service honoring the life of Lois May Jaffin Levine, the mother of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, was held this week at Chabad Chayil in Miami-Dade North. The program began with a heartfelt performance by children from Chabad’s CHAP Program, a daily after-school program for Jewish public school students. The children sang a song about the neshama, setting a reflective tone for the evening. Rabbi Moishe Kievman of Chabad Chayil then taught 2 Mishnas corresponding to Lois May’s Jewish name, Leah Malka, with a Kabalistic Chassidic explanation based on the teachings of The Rebbe. The Kel Maleh Rachamim prayer was led by Rabbi Zalman Gansburg from Chabad of Palmetto Bay. Mayor Levine Cava read two poignant poems her mother wrote shortly before her passing, offering a glimpse into her mother’s wisdom. Everyone there joined together in singing a chapter of Tehillim, followed by Kaddish and the traditional verses of condolences. The mayor was presented with a plaque representing a dedicated square foot in the new Chabad Chayil center currently under construction in Highland Lakes. Her name will also be on permanent display together with all others that are dedicated square feet or any part of the building. https://BuildChabadChayil.org The event, which drew community members and local leaders, exemplified the values of faith, family, and community that Lois Levine instilled in her loved ones. Mayor Levine Cava, the first Jewish and first female mayor of Miami-Dade County, has been a trailblazer in public service. Overseeing a government with more than 28,000 employees and serving nearly 3 million residents, she manages an annual budget of $13 Billion. Originally from Brooklyn, she was first elected as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner in 2014 and became mayor in 2020, securing re-election in 2024. The Memorial service was organized by Rabbi Moishe & Layah Kievman. Rabbi Kievman who helped the mayor place Mezuzahs in her office when she was first elected, and has made sure she has Shmura Matzah for her Passover Seders said that: “We are lucky to have a mayor who understands the needs of each community and makes it her business to do whatever she can to help. When there was an issue with the Jewish schools throughout the county being faced with a choice of either opening up their schools to everyone, thus losing their identity, or to give up on funding, we turned to Mayor Levine Cava. The mayor called all involved parties to that meeting and made sure all issues were resolved before the meeting finished. Can you imagine the nachas of hundreds of Jewish children being able to attend Jewish schools, given to her late mother?” The memorial ended with the mayor together with everyone there making blessings on different types of food. Giving hundreds of merits to her mother's soul. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava talking with Rabbi and Layah Kievman and Avremel. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava accepts the plaque: https://BuildChabadChayil.org Kievman family with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Previous Next

Aventura Arts & Cultural Center Presents The Shvesters & More: Transforming classic Yiddish and Jewish melodies into Sophisticated, Contemporary Harmonic Arrangements Photo Credit Broward Center for the Performing Arts Feb 18, 2025 The City of Aventura has an entertaining Lineup in store for you featuring Yiddish and Jewish melodies, a Piano Festival with Ilya Itin and more. This celebration of talent and artistry promises unforgettable experiences for every audience. Timeless, dazzling, and distinctive, The Shvesters, transform classic Yiddish and Jewish melodies into sophisticated, contemporary harmonic arrangements on Thursday, March 20th at 8:00 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Recognized for their tight harmonies, soulful grooves and rich improvisation, The Shvesters (Chava Levi and Polina Fradkin) have gained a reputation for their unique, refreshing interpretations of Yiddish standards and traditional Jewish songs. The duo has garnered widespread attention, with media coverage from The Jewish Journal, Voice of America, and The Grammys and sold-out concert halls in New York, Paris, Tel Avivnand beyond. The Shvesters are finally bringing their music to the stage in Aventura, supported by pianist Moshe Elmakias, with a performance that is sure to transport the audience to another world. Miami International Piano Festival presents Ilya Itin, known for his extraordinary range, power, quality of sound and command of the piano, on Sunday, March 23rd at 5:00 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Since capturing the Gold Medal, BBC Audience Award and Contemporary Music Prize at the 1996 Leeds International Piano Competition, Itin has performed throughout the world bringing his powerful musical imagination and mastery to wide ranging repertoire. Itin’s “Russian Marathon” concerts at the Miami International Piano Festival captured his historic recording of all 24 Preludes of Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev’s 7th and 8th Sonatas performed in one day. He released his newest recording of the complete Debussy Preludes on vinyl and high-definition audio in 2016 and his Princeton recital in July 2015 that featured beloved works by Rachmaninov and Scriabin will also be released as a state-of-the-art high-definition recording of the live performance. London's Daily Telegraph reported, "Itin’s is a rare and exciting artistry indeed … Poised, pure, and ravishing in its range of colour, Itin’s playing is a prime example of a superb technique put at the service of an inquiring and imaginative mind.” Tickets to all shows are on sale now. Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Buy tickets online at: www.aventuracenter.org - By phone at: (877) 311-7469. Or: (954) 462-0222. Or in person at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center box office Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. Noon to 5:00 p.m. and 90 minutes prior to each performance. For Group Sales, please call: (954) 660-6307. The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center is located at 3385 Northeast 188th Street, Aventura, Florida 33180. Join the conversation, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram @aventuracenter or #aventuracenter . The Broward Center for the Performing Arts manages the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, a 14,864-Square-Foot, 330-Seat Waterfront Complex that hosts performing arts, cultural and educational programming for all ages. Previous Next

The New Year For Trees By Rabbi Moishe Kievman - Chabad Chayil Feb 18, 2025 When’s the last time you wished a tree Happy New Year? Coming up this year on Thursday, February 13th, is a great opportunity to do exactly that. The day is known as Tu B’Shevat, and Jewish people throughout the world celebrate it as the New Year of Trees. Well, it’s the trees that will celebrate, but we’ll celebrate together with them! After all, the Torah says, “Man is a tree of the field.” We are nurtured by deep roots, as far back as Abraham and Sarah; we reach upwards to the heavens while standing firmly on the ground; and when we do all this right, we produce delicious fruit that benefits the world—namely, our good deeds. Since Tu B'Shevat is known as the "New Year for Trees," this would naturally be a time for trees to engage in soul-searching — the same way people do on Rosh Hashanah. Here is a tree's New Year Checklist by Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe which we have posted on: www.ChabadChayil.org/tubshvat • Did I shelter the seedlings that live in my shade — so they will grow up to be a next generation like myself? • Did I grow towards the sun as a tree should, reaching up higher and higher towards that which I can never grasp, but which nurtures me all the same the more I strive towards it? • Did I make sure my roots remain firmly planted in the soil that nurtures them, and did I drop my leaves there in the fall to give back life to that which sustains me? • Did I ensure that my fruits were sweet and nourished all that came to enjoy them? Did everyone walk away from me with a smile? • Did I bend gently in the wind, accepting what G‑d sends but never breaking or giving up hope? • Did I grow in strength and wisdom with each new ring this year? Come to think of it, it’s not a bad checklist for us humans either! Traditionally, we make sure to eat fruit on this day. After all, that's what the fruits were created for. And like us, they are happy and feel fulfilled when they serve their purpose. We try to include some of those fruits for which Israel is famous, like olives, dates, grapes, figs and pomegranates. But regardless of which fruit we eat, as with any food, we always precede it with a blessing, thanking G-d for sharing with us his delicious creations. The blessing for fruit in Hebrew is Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri ha-aitz. If it’s a fruit that we haven’t yet enjoyed this season we make an additional blessing of Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-noi E-loi-hei-nu Me-lech ha-o-lam she-he-chee-ya-nu v'ki-yi-ma-nu vi-hi-gi-ya-nu liz-man ha-zeh. This year we will host a special workshop on growing MicroGreens and Sprouts at home. It will take place on Wednesday, February 12th, 7:00 p.m. at Chabad Chayil in the Highland Lakes section of Miami-Dade North. You can learn more about this holiday at: www.ChabadChayil.org/tubshvat . We wish all of our neighbors and friends a Happy Tu B’Shvat! May all our trees grow forth beautifully, giving off delicious fruit! About the Author : Rabbi Kievman together with his wife are the ambassadors of The Rebbe to Highland Lakes, FL. They are the founders of Gan Chabad Preschool, your local CTeen & CKids chapters, CHAP - an afterschool program for Jewish children in Public Schools and direct Chabad Chayil. He’s the Rabbi at The Family Shul and can be reached at: (305) 770-1919. Or: rabbi@ChabadChayil.org Previous Next

Celebrating Celia Malavsky By Linda Chase - Jewish Connection News Jan 7, 2025 On November 2nd, 2024, Celia Malavsky of Hollywood, Florida turned 100 years old and her family gathered from across the nation and even from Israel to celebrate her. In honor of Bubby’s 100th birthday, her 13 grandchildren (and their spouses) and 38 great-grandchildren, all contributed to Jewish National Fund-USA to plant a garden of 100 trees in Israel in her name. Said her granddaughter, Shira Stein, “A tree represents life, growth, wisdom and prosperity. All of these qualities describe their beautiful Bubby filled with life, wisdom and love. All of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren have been nurtured and have grown from the roots that she has provided to each individual in her family tree.” Celia and her husband, Rabbi Morton Malavsky z”l have fostered a love of Israel in all of their children and grandchildren and even facilitated many of their grandchildren’s first trips to Israel together with them. In fact, two of Celia’s great-granddaughters are currently serving in the IDF and sent special birthday messages since they were unable to attend the party. These 100 trees honor not just the many wonderful years of Celia’s life, but also her ongoing commitment to her family and the Jewish homeland. Photo credit her granddaughter, Shira Stein Previous Next