South Florida

The 34th annual South Florida Chassidic Chanukah Festival will be held on December 1 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. The star-studded program promises to be the best ever. The unique celebration has become the highlight of South Florida’s Chanukah holiday.

Rebbetzin Hanna Tennenhaus, a”h, passed away on Simchas Torah, 23 Tishrei, 5774/Sept. 27, 2013. She was 89. A shloshim was held in her honor at Chabad of South Broward Headquarters,1295 East Hallendale Beach Blvd, on October 29.

Touro College South, in cooperation with The Shul of Bal Harbour, will present a series of three workshops on new teaching technologies for educators in Jewish schools.

A horrific case of cyber-bullying apparently led to the suicide of a Lakeland, Florida girl named Rebecca Sedwick. A month ago Rebecca jumped to her death from an abandoned building. She was 12 years old. The child had been tormented by online postings. One told her “to drink bleach and die.”

A body can be locked up. The soul can still soar. Life-changing moments can happen in the most unexpected circumstances.

Slated to run in some 150 locations around the world, A Reason to Celebrate is a meaningful, personal and spiritual journey through special days on the Jewish calendar. Through exploring the deeper, mystical significance of these days, they become lenses through which we gain insight into our relationships and our identities as Jewish women, and catalysts that empower us to implement positive change in our lives.

“What I find most exciting about the Hahn Family Ultra Weekend is the diversity among the teens,” said Todd Cohn, Southern NCSY’s executive director. “The teens from all different schools and backgrounds will come together for one inspirational, empowerment weekend.”

The holidays are over. The busy swirl of frenzied activity has passed. The Jewish world has caught its collective breath, the kids have gone back to school, adults have returned to work. and we’re all getting on with the usual rhythm of their lives.

Skylake Synagogue, located at 1850 NE 183rd Street in North Miami Beach, has introduced a unique enterprise – The Closet – to South Florida. The project is housed in a small building, next to the shul, and has been renovated to look like a boutique shop.

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The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will present Life in the Balance: Jewish Perspectives on Everyday Medical Dilemmas, the institute’s new six-session Fall 2013 course that will begin during the week of Tuesday, October 29.

South Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has good news for hungry travelers. Kosher food is now available to passengers at JetBlue’s Terminal 3, Concourse F. Chef Allen’s 2 Go Kosher refrigerated kiosk opened on September 30. It is a welcomed accommodation to the many kosher consumers who stream through the busy airport.

Modern life can keep us isolated from reality. Our homes are well lit, temperature controlled, sound proofed and sealed off from our environment. We never sweat or shiver. We sleep soundly through the greatest of storms. We neither feel nor hear the wind or rain.

South Florida’s Mitzvah Chapter of Hadassah recently held a meet and greet at The Mexico Bravo restaurant, located at 16850 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles.

Southern NCSY announced the appointment of Josh Geller, of Hollywood, Florida, as the new South Florida NCSY director of institutional advancement. Geller, an NCSY alumnus, will serve as an integral member of Southern NCSY development department. His focus will be to reach out to the thousands of alumni who participated in Southern NCSY as far back as the 1950s and reconnect them with the organization and its mission.

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Students at the RASG Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach started off the school year with a great mitzvah project with a fun-filled theme. The school’s annual food drive was dedicated to the Miami Dolphins football team and dubbed “The Fins Frenzy and Food Drive Day.”

Last week, Diana Nyad emerged from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Key West and walked to the beach. Onlookers cheered and blew conch shells. Nyad had finally fulfilled her dream. She was the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage. It had been a long struggle.

Dave Crystal is a vibrant young man who is used to working hard. Crystal grew up in Staten Island and attended Yeshivah of Flatbush and Poly Prep High School. He is a graduate of Penn with degrees in philosophy, politics and economics. He has an MBA in finance and marketing. He has worked as a Wall Street analyst, a licensed financial adviser, an entrepreneur, and is the founder of Crystal Clear Tutors.

Ohev Shalom Congregation of Miami Beach held a Selichot night melavah malka on Saturday, August 31. A delicious dairy buffet was served. Pizzas, salads, tuna, chips, dips and ice cream made up the perfect menu.

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Hebrew Academy (RASG) high school faculty member Mrs. Tirtza Schapiro has been named as one of the winners of the thirteenth annual Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education.

A dreadful local incident has made national and even international news. A South Miami man finally obtained the attention that he so feverishly sought. The event has caused shock waves and led to a serious examination of the phenomenon of social media.

The summer is over. The kids are back in school and the high-holiday season is upon us. Rosh Hashanah is a week away

Chabad of South Broward will be hosting an inspiring Selichot service featuring world-renowned chazzan Rabbi Yossi Lebovics on Saturday night, August 31 (September 1) at 1:15 a.m. The rabbi will be joined by the talented Lebovics Boys Choir.

Ron Dermer, set to replace Michael Oren as Israeli ambassador to Washington, was born and raised in Miami Beach. He attended the local RASG Hebrew Academy. His father, Jay Dermer, was mayor of Miami Beach in the late 1960s. His brother, David, won that post in 1984.

The Jewish king is required to always have a Torah scroll by his side.

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RASG Hebrew Academy, located at 2400 Pine Tree Drive in Miami Beach, will hold a grand opening of the school’s new gymnasium on October 4. The community-wide event will mark the official opening of the multistory center, designed by noted architect Koby Karp.

Children at Camp Gan Israel at The Shul of Bal Harbour enjoyed a fun-filled summer. The campers were treated to seven weeks of sports, swimming, trips, crafts, theme weeks, dress up days and much more.