Florida Jewish History Month

“The Many Cultures of Florida's

Jewish Community”

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Curriculum and Instruction

Division of Social Sciences and Life Skills

January 2012

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THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

Ms. Perla Tabares Hantman, Chair

Dr. Lawrence S. Feldman, Vice-Chair

Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall

Mr. Carlos L. Curbelo

Mr. Renier Diaz de la Portilla

Dr. Wilbert “Tee” Holloway

Dr. Martin S. Karp

Dr. Marta Pérez

Ms. Raquel A. Regalado

Ms. Hope Wilcox

Student Advisor

Alberto M. Carvalho

Superintendent of Schools

Ms. Milagros R. Fornell

Associate Superintendent

Curriculum and Instruction

Dr. Maria P. de Armas

Assistant Superintendent

Curriculum and Instruction, K-12 Core Curriculum

Mr. John R. Doyle

Administrative Director

Division of Social Sciences and Life Skills

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In October of 2003, Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed a historic bill into law designating

January of each year as Florida Jewish History Month. The legislation for Florida

Jewish History Month was initiated at the Jewish Museum of Florida by Marcia Zerivitz,

the Museum's Founding Executive Director and Chief Curator. Ms. Zerivitz and State

Senator Gwen Margolis worked closely with legislators to translate the Museum's

mission into a statewide observance. It seemed appropriate to honor Jewish

contributions to the State, as sixteen percent, over 850,000 people of the American

Jewish community lives in Florida.

Since 1763, when the first Jews settled in Pensacola immediately after the Treaty of

Paris ceded Florida to Great Britain from Spain, Jews had come to Florida to escape

persecution, for economic opportunity, to join family members already here, for the

climate and lifestyle, for their health and to retire. It is a common belief that Florida

Jewish history began after World War II, but in actuality, the history of Floridian Jews

begins much earlier. The largest number of Jews settled in Florida after World War II,

but the Jewish community in Florida reaches much further into the history of this State

than simply the last half-century. Jews have actively participated in shaping the destiny

of Florida since its inception, but until research of the 1980s, most of the facts were

little-known. One such fact is that David Levy Yulee, a Jewish pioneer, brought Florida

into statehood in 1845, served as its first U.S. senator and was the first person of

Jewish ancestry to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Floridian Jews have contributed greatly to the development of the entire state, but in

recent history much of the Jewish community’s involvement has been primarily within

southeast Florida. The earliest known permanent Jewish settler in Miami was Isidor

Cohen, a signatory of the city's charter. He helped found many civic organizations, as

well as Jewish organizations. The heartbreak of the Holocaust came close to home for

the Jews of Miami Beach, who experienced a feeling of helplessness when the S.S. St.

Louis, a ship filled with Jews fleeing Hitler and Nazism, was denied permission to

anchor there in June 1939. The American government of the time refused to allow the

St. Louis to land its human cargo on the shores of south Florida. The steamer anchored

for two hours within sight of Miami Beach.

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The Jewish populace of Miami has worked hard to help develop their community.

Today, Miami is the nation's ninth largest Jewish community and continues to grow in

population and cohesive strength. Palm Beach County is host to Florida's largest Jewish

population in the state, Broward County the second largest and Miami-Dade is third in

number.

Throughout the history of the State, and like other groups, Jewish people have actively

participated in shaping the destiny and direction of Florida at its roots. In 250 years, the

Jewish community of Florida has left their indelible footprints across the entire state.

Floridian Jews have served in every U.S. war, and have been prominent in the cattle,

citrus, tomato and tobacco industries, to name a few. Diverse cultures have enriched

the state of Florida since its earliest days and Florida’s Jewish communities have

become an integral part of the state and its history. Jewish History Month is a time to

learn about the rich tapestry of Jewish life here. Since 1763, Jews have been involved

in enhancing the lives and dreams of all Floridians. Florida Jewish History Month

celebrates these accomplishments.

Florida Jewish History Month has been so successful since its establishment that it

inspired the legislation for Jewish American Heritage Month, which is observed in May

with a Proclamation signed by President George W. Bush in April, 2006. The

Proclamation states that “The faith and hard work of Jewish Americans have played an

integral role in shaping the cultural fabric of America. During Jewish American Heritage

Month, we celebrate the vital contributions of Jewish Americans to our Nation.

Throughout our history, Jewish Americans have contributed to the strength of our

country and the preservation of our values. The talent and imagination of these citizens

have helped our Nation prosper.”

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STUDY GUIDE

The Many Cultures of Florida's Jewish Community

Part I: Research

Using the Internet and other resources in your classroom and media center, research

for Part II activities, writing, and discussion the following:

1. Who are the Jews as a people? What is Judaism as a culture? What does it mean to

be Jewish?

2. Research the Hispanic Jewish community in South Florida. Are there any Spanish-

speaking synagogues in Florida? Which Latin American countries are represented in

Florida's Hispanic Jewish community?

3. Research outstanding women of the Jewish multicultural community of South Florida.

Name at least 5 who you feel deserve noted recognition and know what their

contributions are.

4. Research the Jewish immigrant experience in the early 20th Century compared to the

Jewish immigrant experience now. Focus your research on Jewish immigrants who

have come to Florida. What about their experience is the same? What has changed?

Does culture seem to impact an emigration experience more now?

5. In January 2012, the Miami Jewish community will hold its annual Jewish Film

Festival. Go online to www.miamijewishfilmfestival.com and find 3 films that are being

shown at the festival that celebrate the rich multicultural Jewish heritage. Present a

report to your fellow classmates. Plan a field trip to see one of the films.

6. How does Florida's rich cultural diversity create opportunities for the Jewish

community here to flourish? Specifically focus your research on the arts. How is art, in

all its many forms, a celebration of culture? Research why it is important for Florida’s

Jewish community to be involved in the arts as an extension of their culture.

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7. Research the theme of exile among the various Jewish communities in Florida. Exile

has been a recurrent theme in Jewish history. How does the theme express itself

among Hispanic Jews? Look at the lives and experiences of local Hispanic Jewish

persons, such as Cuban Jewish writer, Ruth Behar. How does her work and life relate to

exile? Also research Operation Pedro Pan; there were many Cuban Jewish children

who came to Florida in the early 1960’s.

8. Music is a very important aspect of any cultural heritage, and Florida's tapestry of

cultures creates opportunities for Jewish musicians to explore their history further.

Research the art of Jewish Klezmer music and its origins and presence in the music

scene of Florida arts. Present your findings to the class. For example, you could

research the life of jazz artist Yehonatan Elazar, and his contributions in Miami in the

field of Jewish Music.

9. Research the meaning of the term kosher. What does it mean to be kosher? Then

take your research a step further and research the different types of kosher restaurants

here in Florida that are as diverse as its people. You will discover Russian, Eastern

European, Asian, South American and American cuisines are all represented among

kosher restaurants in Florida. Center your research around the variety of these

restaurants among the Jewish community in Florida.

10. Florida’s Jewish population has contributed to every area of society: mathematics

and science, politics, medicine, law, philanthropy, education, music, and the arts.

Examples of notable Jewish Floridians are: Florida's first Senator, David Levy Yulee; Dr.

Marc Agronin, geriatric psychiatrist; music journalist Scott Benarde; Chilean poet David

Turkeltaub; philanthropist Irving Moskowitz; and mathematician Stanislaw Ulam.

Research to other noted Jewish Floridians and the major contributions that these

important figures have made to Florida and the world.

11. Research the life and works of South Florida conductor and New World Symphony

Founding Director, Michael Tilson Thomas. How has his work and life impacted the arts

in Florida? Focus your research on three specific things that he has done to promote

the arts in South Florida.

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12. Research the role of Latin American Jews in politics in Florida. Are there any local

politicians that are both Hispanic and Jewish? What impact and contributions have

these politicians had on local, state and national politics?

Part II: Reflect, Write, Create

The following activities are based on the research completed concerning Florida’s

many Jewish Cultures.

1. Interview local Jewish immigrants from three different countries/regions, such as

Russia, South America and Cuba, on their experiences living in Florida. Use your earlier

research to formulate your questions for them. Has the diversity here in Florida helped

them in any way? Following your research, develop a poster board summarizing your

findings and put it on display in the class.

2. Using your earlier research, write an essay comparing/contrasting the Jewish

immigrant experience in the early 20th Century to the Jewish immigrant experience of

today. Choose three areas of the lives and cultures of these immigrants to highlight for

your compare and contrast paper.

3. Imagine that you are a Jewish immigrant coming to Florida to live from another

country. How does it feel? What is your life like here, compared to your native country?

Using your earlier research, write several “journal” entries about your new life in

America. Discuss the challenges you might face as an emigrant, as well important

opportunities you might have in your new life.

4. After choosing a local Hispanic Jewish writer, artist or musician to research, write an

in-depth profile of that person's life and work, outlining why you think their experiences

and work is important. Present your findings about that person to the class.

5. Using photos and short captions, create a Power Point presentation highlighting the

musicians and artists you researched earlier. You can take it a step further, and have a

class celebration of dance and music! Bring at least two songs by Jewish musicians

and/or several clips of Jewish dancers performing presenting your selections along with

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a short information session on who they are and why you chose their pieces.

6. In your research you discovered that there are many different Jewish culture groups,

each with its own language and representation of Jewish identity within the larger

culture. Many Jewish residents of Florida have come here from other countries, bringing

their own particular flavor of Jewish identity with them. How do these Jews find their

sense of community here in Florida after leaving their homeland? Collaborate with your

school’s art teacher to create a class collage using magazine clippings, photos, art

pieces and other mixed-media that represents the Jewish community and its many

facets. Put the collage on display in your school’s common area.

7. Invite members of the local Hispanic Jewish community to come to your school and

give a presentation on what their culture means to them. Hold a school-wide assembly

for these guests to speak, so that your school can also learn and celebrate Florida

Jewish History Month.

8. In the spirit of the many great Florida Jewish philanthropists, and in honor of Florida

Jewish History Month, choose a day when the class collectively gives back to the local

community through community service. Some examples of this would be: litter clean-up,

collecting food for a food bank, holding a bake sale and donating the proceeds to

charity, or serving at a local Jewish senior center.

9. Language is a very important way of communicating identity. Among the Jewish

community in Florida, there are nearly as many languages represented as there are

countries. How does speaking another language present both challenges and

opportunities for people who have come here? Why is language so important? Is it

possible to communicate different ideas more easily in one language over another?

Drawing upon your answers to these questions and focusing on the importance of

language, find a saying in your native language that holds special meaning to you. Write

the saying in large letters on a poster board. Then decorate the board with images that

represent the "heart" of the saying. Bring the board to class and present it to your

classmates. Be certain to include a translation of the saying, if necessary.

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10. Have a class meal! In order to understand more about how culture and food go

hand-in-hand, have everyone in class bring a dish of special significance to them and

their culture. Incorporate a couple of kosher dishes so that the students can learn more

about the culinary aspect of Jewish life. Then share the dishes and stories about each

one.

11. After researching the arts of the Hispanic Jewish community, the Russian Jewish

community, and the American Jewish community, write a compare/contrast essay

highlighting several discoveries you made about the arts relative to each group’s

culture. Also choose an artistic piece from each group to present to the class along with

your essay. Explain why you feel each piece is important relative to the culture it

represents.

12. Invite a local Hispanic Jewish politician to come speak to your class. Have students

in your class research the guest before hand and then prepare questions related to his

or her work in the community and what he or she would like your generation to do to

make his or her work as a representative in the Florida more meaningful. Use the

guest’s answers as a basis for your class to work on as a community service project for

the rest of the school year.

13. Florida is the home of many Polish Jews who settled here after the Holocaust. An

important program is on exhibit in 2012 at the Jewish Museum of Florida in Miami

Beach. Go online to www.jewishmuseum.com and research about the exhibit on Polish

Synagogues. Explain to the class the connection of the importance of the saved Polish

synagogues during the Holocaust to the Jewish Holocaust survivors of Poland living in

our community today. Plan a visit with your teacher and classroom to this very important

exhibit at the Jewish Museum.

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RESOURCES & WEBOGRAPHY

Bureau of Historical Preservation Florida Department of State, 4th Floor 500 South Bronough Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250 800-847-7278 www.flheritage.com HistoryMiami (formerly the Historical Museum of Southern Florida) 101 West Flagler Street Miami, Florida 33130 305-375-1492 www.historymiami.org Jewish Museum of Florida 301 Washington Avenue Miami Beach, Florida 33139 305-672-5044 www.jewishmuseum.com Tampa Bay History Center 225 South Franklin Street Tampa, Florida 33602 813-228-0097 www.tampabayhistorycenter.org University of Miami Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies P.O. Box 248161 Coral Gables, Florida 33124 305-284-6882 www.miami.edu/miller-center Jewish Community Services of South Florida 18999 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 200 Miami, FL 33180-2814 305-933-9820 www.jscfl.org

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