TRENDING IN OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY

August 18, 2023

Shalom CT!

My recent vacation afforded me to indulge in some pleasures I can't seem to fit into my daily schedule -- like watching documentaries, cooking dishes from a collected folder of recipes, and reading a few books from the pile of novels and biographies sitting on the coffee table.

I have always loved to read. And I passed this love onto my son. At four years old, Oliver told me he'd decided he wanted to be a truck when he grew up!

To gently dispel the probability of this life path, we began a nightly reading of 'Are you My Mother?' Well, he discovered he'd never be a truck, but he also discovered the power of reading. And 30 years later, he's still reading.

At this year's Gala, we are celebrating the magic of literacy. With your support, we are helping to build two critically needed libraries -- one in the Bridgeport community and one in Beit Alpha, Israel.

I can't imagine a more profound way to impact children. As Margaret Fuller said, "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."

More to come on this wonderful effort....

I wish you a safe and lovely shabbos.

Carin Savel

CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County

carin@shalomct.org

Empowering Minds, One Book at a Time

Join us at the Annual Gala on Sept 7 to make a difference in the lives of students here and in Israel!

Beit Alpha, an absorption center run by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) is funded in part through Jewish Federations. It is home to about 400 Ethiopian 'Olim' (immigrants).

The absorption center creates a bridge for newcomers, helping them adjust to the Hebrew language and the new life in modern Israeli society.

It supplies all of their needs until these families and individuals are ready to spread their wings. They need a library, and with your support, we're going to help to build one!

Together, let's empower minds, open doors, and make a lasting impact through the power of books!

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Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have devastated communities on the island. According to news reports, the fires have caused at least 100 deaths, have wiped out the historic city of Lahaina, and destroyed people’s homes.

Not only does Maui’s community need our help, but many people are fleeing to Honolulu where Jewish communal organizations will receive many requests for support.

The Jewish community in Hawaii is led by a number of synagogues, Chabad, and the Jewish Community Services of Hawaii.

Here is the link to the donation form: jfeds.org/HawaiiWildfireFund

Governor Josh Green (yes, Jewish Dr. Josh Green), M.D., returned from Maui today and issued the fifth Emergency Proclamation (EP) relating to the ongoing devastation created by the wildfires on Maui and in Hawaii Counties.

The fifth proclamation suspends additional laws to facilitate emergency response, recovery, and rebuilding. The death toll in the Maui wildfires has surpassed 100, Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii said. The victims have not yet been publicly identified.

The fire is now one of the worst natural disasters in Hawaii’s history, and the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. since 1918. With the survey of the burn areas about a third complete, officials were still working to identify the remains of the dead.

Jewish communities in Hawaii lead relief efforts in wake of deadly fire

Source: Jewish Chronicle

(Hawaii) Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has expressed his condolences to those killed in Hawaii's deadliest wildfire - as Jewish communities across the islands helped with the relief effort.

The Lynching of Leo Frank

Falsely accused of murdering a girl, a Jewish man was killed by a white mob in Georgia in 1915.

On this day in 1915, a white mob lynched Leo Frank in Atlanta after he was accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl. His innocence was proven years after his death.

In 1913, Leo Frank was convicted of murdering Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old employee of the Atlanta pencil factory that Frank managed. After Georgia’s governor commuted his death sentence, a mob stormed the prison where Frank was being held and lynched him. Leo Frank thus became the only known Jew lynched in American history.

The case still spurs debate and controversy — it even inspired a Broadway play. What are the facts of the Frank case?

The Civil Rights Mission registration is currently full, however, we have opened a wait list and will contact you if a spot opens.

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Tickets are now on sale for the US theatrical release of "GOLDA," directed by Oscar-winning Israeli Filmmaker, Guy Nativ, and starring Helen Mirren as Golda Meir and Liev Schreiber as Henry Kissinger. Our Federation is co-sponsoring a special early screening on August 23^rd in Trumbull, featuring a pre-recorded post-film Q&A with Guy Nativ and Helen Mirren.

GOLDA is a ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance. Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world.

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