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Welcome to Media Central! A new way to view all  Federation stories in once spot brought to you by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Stay on top of monthly blog posts, Shalom SRQ, CRConnect and more daily.

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L’Shanah Tovah from CEO Shepard Englander

  On Rosh Hashanah, we remind ourselves of what matters most. What matters most to our Jewish Federation is ensuring we live in a secure, confident, thriving Jewish community. Sadly, today we watch antisemitism and hatred spike senselessly around us.  We see...

A Season of Programs with a Purpose–Tikkun Olam

2021-2022 A Season of Programs with a Purpose--Tikkun Olam by Trudi Krames When you hear the Hebrew phrase, Tikkun Olam, what initially comes to mind? Most folks think of this Jewish value as healing, repairing, or rebuilding the world. Their call to action is...

Local Jewish Dads Inspired by MoMENtum Trip to Israel

By Shep Englander Core to The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee’smission is to “promote supportfor Israel.” There is nothing morepowerful than experiencing Israel firsthand. Over the decades, our Federation has led countless trips to Israel for a broad range of...

A Season of Programs with a Purpose–Tikkun Olam

2021-2022 A Season of Programs with a Purpose--Tikkun Olam by Trudi Krames When you hear the Hebrew phrase, Tikkun Olam, what initially comes to mind? Most folks think of this Jewish value as healing, repairing, or rebuilding the world. Their call to action is...

Supporting Israel on Our New Campus

by Shep Englander Our Jewish community has always made our connection with Israel a top priority. So it is fitting that Israel is prominent in the vision for The Larry & Mary Greenspon Campus for Jewish Life. This month we want to tell you more about how the...

Our vision: an island of learning where all ideas are welcome

by Shep Englander During the more than 2,000 years that Jews have lived in Diaspora (outside the Land of Israel), no society has been a better host than America. American democracy--with its emphasis on pluralism, moderation, education, personal responsibility and...

How Hurricane Ian Tested Us

How Hurricane Ian Tested Us by Shep Englander Whether it’s a security threat, antisemitic vandalism or a natural disaster, emergencies are frightening, disorienting and isolating. They test the strength of a community. You may not think of The Jewish Federation of...

Special Campus Update from Shep Englander, CEO

by Shep Englander  While it may be summer here, we at the Federation have been at work finalizing designs, securing critical financing, and starting construction for The Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life. In 18 months' time, we will be welcoming...

Local Jewish Dads Inspired by MoMENtum Trip to Israel

By Shep Englander Core to The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee’smission is to “promote supportfor Israel.” There is nothing morepowerful than experiencing Israel firsthand. Over the decades, our Federation has led countless trips to Israel for a broad range of...

Ukraine, Israel and Jewish Freedom

Ukraine, Israel and Jewish Freedom by Shep Englander Nothing is more central to Jewish identity than Passover--our Festival of Freedom.  For over two thousand years, we were the wandering Jews -- a people with no country, no army.  Every year at Passover, we said,...

Campus Preview: A Unique Oasis for Learning, Celebration and Reflection

by Shep Englander We are delighted to announce that construction has begun on the next phase of The Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life.  The campus will open in phases next winter, spring and summer. The seminal act of the first Jews, Abraham and...

Learn, Reflect, Grow in Memorial Garden

Holocaust Memorial Garden: A Place to Learn, Reflect, Grow by Shep Englander The heavy equipment I can see from my office window is moving us toward the much  anticipated opening of our Larry & Mary Greenspon Campus for Jewish Life. The campus will be an oasis of...

Take a Walk With Me Through Our New Campus

by Shep Englander I am delighted to share the below images of The Larry Greenspon Campus for Jewish Life under construction. It is so exciting to see the transformation of our front 16 acres into new interior and exterior spaces for our community to learn, reflect,...

L’Shanah Tovah from CEO Shepard Englander

  On Rosh Hashanah, we remind ourselves of what matters most. What matters most to our Jewish Federation is ensuring we live in a secure, confident, thriving Jewish community. Sadly, today we watch antisemitism and hatred spike senselessly around us.  We see...

Common Ground

by Gayle Guynup  While I generally do not discuss politics in public, today, it seems, almost everything has a political slant to it. So, I am going to skirt the issue by noting that in this world where everything and everyone is so terribly divided, perhaps it is...

Lisa Eisen: Opening Doors for Women and Girls

By Gayle Gynup Lisa Eisen, co-President of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, will be the featured speaker at this year’s Women’s Day event sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. The luncheon will be held on March 8 at 11:30 a.m. at...

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ADL: Antisemitic incidents in U.S. increased by 34% in 2021

Last month, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released its annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, which reports that antisemitic incidents throughout the United States grew by 34%. The number of incidents in 2021 – 2,717, more than seven per day – is at the highest...

Is support of the global BDS Movement an antisemitic act?

The goal of CRConnect is to bring you information to help understand difficult questions we all face concerning both Israel and antisemitism. This month we address a complex question which distinguishes between an “antisemitic act” and “antisemitism.” As Deborah...

December Dilemma: Holiday Issues in Public Schools

CRConnect provides information to help you understand difficult questions we all face concerning Israel and antisemitism.  This post explores something a little different, and talks about the issues facing families with children in the public schools during the month...

Is Zionism a Form of Racism?

Israel as a modern state was founded on the basis of the Zionist dream of the late 19th century, advanced and promoted by Theodor Herzl. For Herzl, Zionism was a nationalist movement for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the historic land of the Jewish...

Did Israel Create the Palestinian Refugee Issue?

by David Millstone  PHOTO: Aerial view of the Palestinian Shu’afat Refugee Camp in Anata, north of Jerusalem.   QUESTION: Did Israel Create the Palestinian Refugee Issue? ANSWER: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East...

Holocaust Survivor Stories

Felicia Liban

by Isabella Kulawik (Class of 2024) This is part of a series of articles written by journalism students from Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., based on in-depth interviews the students conducted with Holocaust survivors. Krakow, Poland, a gilded city, cobblestones...

George Erdstein

by Peyton Harris (Class of 2022) This is part of a series of articles written by journalism students from Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., based on in-depth interviews the students conducted with Holocaust survivors. In a series of chain reactions, George Erdstein...

Ginette Hersh

by Zoe Merritt (Class of 2022) This is part of a series of articles written by journalism students from Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., based on in-depth interviews the students conducted with Holocaust survivors. Ginette Hersh was born five years shy of a century...

Helga Melmed

by Grace Johnson (Class of 2022) and Lindsay Luberecki (Class of 2025) This is part of a series of articles written by journalism students from Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., based on in-depth interviews the students conducted with Holocaust survivors. Berlin 1928,...

Lora Tobias

by Alyson Mizanin (Class of 2023) This is part of a series of articles written by journalism students from Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., based on in-depth interviews the students conducted with Holocaust survivors. Amidst a flurry of Sarasota parkgoers sits...

Marcel Infeld

by Lucy Collins (Class of 2022) This is part of a series of articles written by journalism students from Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., based on in-depth interviews the students conducted with Holocaust survivors. Marcel Infeld plays pickleball every day. He walks...

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