Memberhood

The Month of May is Jewish Heritage Month. To celebrate, USTA Florida sat down with Senior Rabbi Jeremy Barras, a former college tennis player. You can read all about his tennis life and his mission in life in this piece. Read the article.

On May 23, 2023, Congresswoman extolled the virtues of Judy Gilbert Gould, a pillar in our community.  Watch the video or read the transcript.

Lindsay Roth is a graduate of Rambam Day School and Gulliver Prep’s Silver Knight nominee in the Social Science category. As a sophomore in high school, she started a nonprofit organization called "Happy Inc. Tutoring" with a mission to provide free tutoring for children in low-income communities through Zoom. The children who are being tutored come from different schools around Miami, from Homestead to Overtown. Read the article

The Times of Israel has posted a blog opinion piece by Senior Rabbi Jeremy Barras. In "J Street’s Answer to the New Israeli Government Hurts Not Helps," Rabbi Barras discusses how the challenges between America and Israel are not new. "It’s a natural reality of two peoples in two different neighborhoods with two independent democracies." Read the blog

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation will present The Main Event 2023 on Monday, February 20, 2023 at the Loews on Miami Beach, where the Jewish community will welcome the 13th Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Naftali Bennett, who will be interviewed by Israeli journalist Tal Heinrich.

Daniel Lewis (at left), Founder and Chairman of The Lewis Prize for Music and visionary philanthropist to many civic and community organizations in South Florida, will be honored with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation 2023 Friend of Israel Humanitarian Award.

Among the Vice Chairs of The Main Event are: Rooney & Michael Brodie, Daniel Davis, Leah Messing, and Danielle Katz-Squires & Scott Squires. Click here to read more

Cantorial Soloist Jessica Bass, Senior Cantor Emerita Rachelle Nelson and Cantorial Soloist Eilat Schmalbach were among the many Jewish voices from across South Florida who participated in a gala concert January 8, 2023. "Glory to the Cantorate," a concert to benefit the Southeast Regional Cantors Assembly, was held at Bet Shira Congregation, 7500 SW 120th Street, Miami.

Adrian Dubow presented "The Science of Happiness 101" to members of JPro Miami on December 6, 2022 at BASE Miami. JPro Miami, the local chapter of the national JPro organization, brings together Jewish community professionals looking to engage with their peers and expand their knowledge and skills. JPro connects, educates, inspires and empowers professionals working in the Jewish nonprofit sector. Adrian, a past President of Temple Beth Am and a Woman of Valor honoree in 2018, will discuss "How do we access the knowledge and tools to generate happiness on the individual and interpersonal level?"

A Greater Miami Jewish Federation Dubai and Israel Mission, which traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel from November 8-17, 2022, was chaired by Colleen & Richard Fain. “This was a historic Federation Mission,” says Richard, adding, “We spent more than half our time in an Arab country… focused on tolerance.” The 45 participants journeyed first to Dubai, where they were exposed to a spectrum of Emirati culture, politics, industry and a relatively new Jewish community, which is flourishing under the welcoming auspices of the UAE. The mission concluded in Israel, where the group — comprised of many Temple Beth Am congregants — witnessed firsthand the significant economic and political developments that have sprung from the Abraham Accords. Read more

The 30th anniversary of the ADL Miami Jurisprudence Awards was held on November 15, 2022 at the Intercontinental Miami, recognizing leaders in the legal community who have made outstanding contributions to the community, while exemplifying the principles upon which ADL was founded. Edith G. Osman, who was named a Jurisprudence Award recipient in 2009, served as a Co-Chair of the event. Among members of the Host Committee were past honorees Tod Aronovitz and Edward Blumberg. Click here to read more

Shari Wald Garrett, a shareholder with Siegfried Rivera, is the author of the Miami Herald "Real Estate Counselor" column on November 6, 2022. The article — "Increases in Community Association Budgets Require Careful Deliberation, Communication" — focuses on the budgetary strains that Florida community associations are experiencing. It notes that directors and property managers find it particularly difficult to reconcile required increases with many community home and condominium owners, but there is no avoiding the difficult work that lies ahead. Read more

Congratulations to those congregants who are among South Florida attorneys who have been recognized as Lawyer of the Year honorees by Best Lawyers, a peer review publication in the legal profession, in its 2023 South Florida edition released on November 4, 2022.

Pictured above (from top left) are: David A. Barkus, Leveraged Buyouts & Private Equity Law; Robert L. Grossman, International Mergers & Acquisitions; Joshua M. Kaye, Health Care Law; Russell Landy, Employment Law; Paul S. Leinoff, Family Law; Kevin M. Levy, Technology Law; Jeffrey E. Marcus, Criminal Defense - White Collar; Todd J. Michaels, Personal Injury Litigation; Harry A. Payton, Litigation - Banking; and Scott J. Silverman, Mediation.

For community association directors, members and property managers, three similar news reports from across the country making headlines on the very same day on September 26, 2022 should send a clear message: Fraud, theft and abuse can happen to any community, and only those with stringent preventative measures stand a chance at thwarting potential schemes. That is the conclusion of attorney Michael L. Hyman in an opinion piece — 3 reports of association fraud on same day show importance of prevention, vigilance — in the Miami Herald on October 21, 2022. Michael is a shareholder with Siegfried Rivera, and has focused on community association law since 1970, and is author of the two-volume Florida Condominium Law and Practice. Read more

Watercolor artist Wendy Kornfield had a solo exhibit at the Wirtz Art Gallery at the First National Bank in South Miami from October 4–November 10, 2022. The opening reception on October 6, 2022 featured many Giclee prints and unframed original watercolors. In January 2022, Wendy won "Best in Painting" at the 18th annual Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A. Fine Arts Festival at Pinecrest Gardens. Says Wendy, "I love the vibrancy of transparent watercolor. I also enjoy the unexpected surprises that occur when applying and mixing paint." See her artwork at wendykornfieldart.com.

Samuel J. Dubbin, a principal of Dubbin & Kravetz LLP, was recognized as "Litigator of the Year" by the Human Trafficking Legal Center on September 21, 2022 at "On My Side," a virtual event honoring courageous trafficking survivors and the community that stands with them. Sam was honored for his commitment under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, leading litigation on behalf of Cuban doctors seeking justice for forced labor in Brazil against the Pan American Health Organization, which the Plaintiffs allege knowingly benefited by serving as the financial intermediary to enable Cuba to traffic thousands of Cuban doctors to Brazil. Read more

The South Florida Writers Association hosted its 12th Annual Mango Writers Conference on August 20, 2022 at the Dadeland Hilton Hotel. The theme: "Writing in the 2020s in Florida and Beyond." Among the keynote speakers were retired advertising executive Anita Hoffman (pictured), who spoke about "What You Never Knew About Advertising." Ricki Dorn served as Chair of the conference.

Congratulations to the following attorneys, who were listed in the Top 100 Miami Area Lawyers and ranked in the 2022 edition of Florida Super Lawyers, and distributed in the Miami Herald on July 17, 2022: Brett M. Amron, Bast Amron; Jose M. Ferrer, Mark Migdal & Hayden; John Leighton, Leighton Law; David Oscar Markus, Markus/Moss; Adam M. Markowitz, The Moskowitz Law Firm; Todd Michaels, The Haggard Law Firm; Jack R. Reiter, GrayRobinson; and Harley S. Tropin, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton.

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-grade of peer recognition and professional achievement. The patented selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Super Lawyer magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys.

Lauren Boehmke was named to Bloomberg Law’s 2022 “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40,” which recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding young lawyers nationwide. Daughter of Andrea & Danny Shosfy and granddaughter of Dolly Harris, Lauren is a partner in the New York City office of Sullivan & Cromwell, serving in the General Practice Group. She is the recipient of the inaugural Alexandra D. Korry Award given to a member of the law firm who has demonstrated commitment and leadership to the advancement of women in the profession.

Neil Hammerschlag, Ph.D., Director of the University of Miami Shark Research and Conservation Program, has received a lot of national press attention for new shark research which shows that the ocean’s top predators may be closer to the city than you think. Unlike big land predators, sharks don’t avoid urban areas, according to a new study, of which Neil was the lead author. “Few studies have investigated the movements of ocean predators in relation to urbanization, but since other studies have shown that land predators are urban avoiders, we expected sharks to be too,” said Neil, who was quoted in the Boston Herald on June 19, 2022 in an article "Sharks may be closer to the city than you think: Urban shark research." Read article

Yasher koach to Mycki Ratzan, who has been selected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University of Miami Hillel. An active member of the UM Hillel Board for several years, she most recently served as Secretary on the Executive Committee. As Board Chair, she will focus on Hillel's goal to create significant Jewish experiences for students and foster the growth of new generations of Jewish leaders. A founding member of the Women of Tomorrow Mentoring Program, Mycki is a partner at the criminal defense law firm Ratzan & Faccidomo, and represents the Attorneys Division on the Board of Federation. Robb Steinberg is Immediate Past Chair of the Hillel Board.

Brad Sokol has been installed as Board Chairperson of the Alper JCC Miami at its Annual Meeting on June 9, 2022. A long-time member of the South Dade Jewish community, Brad and his wife, Lauren, began their J involvement as parents when their children attended the preschool, and they now call themselves Alper JCC grandparents. A founding shareholder of Sokol & Sokol, CPAs, PA, he has served on the Alper JCC Board for three years, and his volunteer work over the years has included serving as Membership Vice President of Temple Beth Am, Chair of the University of Florida Hillel and as Board Chair of the South Dade Branch of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Keith Ginsburg will continue to serve on the board as Immediate Past Board Chair. At the annual meeting, Ali Mendoza received the Leadership Award as a first-term board member, and Development Committee Chair Andrew Wolf received the President's Award for outstanding leadership to the South Dade Jewish Community.

Congratulations to Lily Serviansky, who was elected Vice Chair and General Campaign Chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation at its 84th Annual Meeting on June 2, 2022. Temple Beth Am's Honorary President Emerita, she serves as Steering Committee Chair of our Beyond the Curve campaign and has been a leading force in helping us achieve our fundraising goals for construction of the new Rambam Day School building and The Hub, our cultural and social activities center scheduled to open in Spring 2023.  A longtime member of Federation's Board of Directors, Lily has served as Chair of Major Gifts, Chair of The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Chair of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, among other leadership positions.

Among the other Vice Chairs installed at the Annual Meeting were: Steven J. Brodie, Laura Koffsky, Sidney Pertnoy and Richard Yulman. Robert C. Gilbert was elected as Associate Secretary. Isaac K. "Ike" Fisher is Immediate Past Chair of Federation.

Federico Zalcberg, son of Yanet & Daniel Zalcberg, has been featured in a video produced by Stanford University — Spiritual and Religious Life at Stanford — and represented the Jewish student body in the video, a showcase of religions and faiths on campus. Fede served last year as President of the Jewish Students Association. He graduated in June 2022 from Stanford with a degree in Computer Science, and will continue his graduate studies as a candidate for a Masters degree. During the 2021–2022 school year, he served as one of 20 members of the Hillel International Student Cabinet. A graduate of the Rambam Day School, this was the second year that Fede served on the cabinet, whose members share their advice, opinions and perspectives with Hillel International’s leadership to help Hillels better engage Jewish college students everywhere. Watch video