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Celebrating Passover

Growing up, all Jewish holidays were a big deal for my family. We were five; my mother had a sister with a husband and two kids; their brother had a wife and five kids. And, of course, there was my grandmother, the matriarch of the tribe and solo cook for all feasts. She was a wonderful cook.

I would have loved to have helped, but I was a kid and wasn’t getting anywhere near her food. She was a clean freak. She eschewed germs. And to her, when she cooked, I was a germ. We were all germs, every last one of us. But I did get to taste.

My mother and her family grew up in an orthodox home and followed
all the rules, with which she really didn’t always agree. By the time
my mother was an adult, she had joined the Army, met and married my non-Jewish father, and began her life with her children as Jewish, but with a sprinkling of rules.

As I said, holidays were a big deal. Food was plentiful as were the mouths ready to consume it; all of us: Cousins, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and one very strict grandmother.

She made gefilte fish, charoset, chicken soup with kneidlach (matzo balls), chicken liver, brisket with potatoes and carrots, and sponge cake with fresh fruit.

It was difficult for any of us to get up from the table to clean. Jewish food is very filling and fattening. While it took me many years to appreciate and finally love gefilte fish — maybe because they look like little brain dumplings — the rest was just fine with me.

I’m offering two recipes today, exactly how my grandmother and my mother made them. I have not changed anything. The recipes are at least a century old, probably older, but I suggest using fresher ingredients. I’m happy to say that our two daughters also have carried on these recipes.

Chopped chicken liver

  • 1 lb. chicken livers – fat removed
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 5 hard cooked eggs
  • chicken fat (schmaltz) 2 tablespoons to sauté livers and onions and more to mix with eggs and raw onion salt and pepper

Make sure the livers are dry. Melt the 2 tablespoons of fat in a 10-inch fry pan. Add livers and onions and cook until cooked through. No pink in livers, but do not overcook because it will taste dry.

Add this mixture to a wooden bowl and chop that along with the raw onion and the hard cooked eggs. As you mix, taste for seasonings and texture. I like the moisture the added chicken fat brings. I also don’t chop it to death. I like a few lumps in my chicken liver.

I use the fifth egg chopped fine in the food processor to sprinkle on top of liver.

In my family we would eat this before the soup and after the gefilte fish.

Chicken soup

  • 2 roasting chickens, quartered. Do not use the liver.
  • 1 bunch of fresh dill
  • 3 to 4 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
  • 1⁄2 bunch curly parsley
  • 4 to 5 large, peeled carrots
  • 4 to 5 celery stalks, leaves included
  • 2 turnips, peeled
  • 1 parsnip
  • Kosher salt
  • 10 to 15 peppercorn 

Using a 14-quart pot, add chicken and allow cold water to run into pot until it runs clear. Add enough water to cover by about three inches. Bring to a slow boil. Do not allow to come to a hearty boil which will darken the soup. As it boils, slowly remove the scum that comes to the top.

When all scum has been removed, take out the chicken parts that have the breast meat. Allow to cool to the touch and remove the meat from the breasts. I leave this meat intact until the next day so it doesn’t dry out. Then I pull the chicken apart to use in the soup when served. Return the bones to the soup and add onions, carrots, celery, turnips, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring again to a slow boil. Allow to cook, uncovered, for about two to three hours. If any other scum has come to the top, remove it also. At this point I turn the soup off and allow it to cool. Strain the soup and put back the chicken parts. Refrigerate overnight, UNCOVERED.

The next morning you will have a layer of fat on the top. It can be removed easily with a large spoon. Discard. Bring the soup to a slow boil and add new vegetables. I use the same amount of new onions, celery, carrots, turnips, parsnips, parsley, and dill. Allow to simmer until the vegetables are tender. Usually about one and a half hours. If they are not tender, continue to cook until they are. Now you can taste for seasoning. Add kosher salt and white pepper.

I make white rice and/or noodles to go with the soup. If you make matza balls, follow the directions on the box of Manischewitz or Streit’s matzo meal. They will be delicious. Either of these recipes can be cut in half if you’re serving fewer people or you have the same aversion to leftovers as my husband.

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Roller coaster ride for local fraternal groups

“We’ve really become everybody’s new favorite place,” boasts Veroni Que, referring to an increase in membership at Ft. Lauderdale Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3140.

In fact, membership has increased by at least 25 percent since the coronavirus pandemic hit, estimates Que, a bartender at the club. She attributed the growth, in part, to the club’s pleasing physical appearance, reasonable prices for meals, and camaraderie among club members.

A strong membership drive during 2020 might have also helped, club trustee Kelly Carver said.

But apparently, such efforts elsewhere in the world of fraternal organizations have not translated into increased membership.

Indeed, a 2019 congressional report found that membership has been steadily declining in a variety of social clubs and groups. Specifically, the joint economic committee report found that membership rates in some organizations decreased from 75 percent in 1974 to 62 percent in 2004. “At 52 percent, the drop was steepest among fraternal organizations such as the Freemasons or the Knights of Columbus,” NPR reported, citing the committee report.

Speaking of the Freemasons, its membership in Florida has considerably decreased over the last 10 to 15 years, says Stewart Davies. He’s the secretary and past master of the Hollywood-based Roe Fulkerson Masonic Lodge No. 299 of the Free and Accepted Masons.

Today, the lodge boasts 192 members, about 30 less than five years ago, Davies says. But within the last couple years, the lodge has “held its own” in terms of membership, he adds.

“We have a really good team of new blood in our lodge,” Davies says. Specifically, he notes, within the last five years or so, men in their mid-20s to mid-30s with vigor and ambition have joined. In contrast, older members didn’t return when the lodge re-opened after a closure due to the pandemic. The lodge lost almost a dozen members in 2020. Six died, and the others left for different reasons.

Davies says he feels one of the reasons that membership is down among Freemasons is that people have other interests.

“We’re just competing with natural diversions,” he says. But Davies also notes that a Mason must follow strong rules and regulations. And it might be harder for younger people to follow them.

There’s also a lot of work involved to become a master mason, Davies says. In particular, the process can take anywhere from four months to a year. There is no “instant gratification,” he adds.

Freemasonry, or masonry, comprises fraternal organizations which trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons that, from the end of the 14th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients.

Modern Freemasonry consists of two main recognition groups. Regular Freemasonry “insists that a volume of scripture be open in a working lodge, that every member profess belief in a Supreme Being, that no women be admitted, and that the discussion of religion and politics be banned.”

Meanwhile, Continental Freemasonry is now the general term for the jurisdictions which have removed some, or all, of these restrictions.

Davies says that lodges are particular when deciding who
joins.

“We take good men and make them better. We don’t take bad men and make them good,” he says. “We’re not looking to fill our chairs with numbers but with quality men. We want people whose heart is in freemasonry.”

“We’re not some weird, secret society,” Freemason Daryn Hufton-Rees told CNBC for an article by Holly Ellyatt published in 2013. “There are no Illuminati roaming about or funny handshakes involved — although, by the way, it’s a grip, not a handshake — We’re an organization with moral codes and people join us for the sense of camaraderie, the opportunities to learn, and charitable giving.”

The Fort Lauderdale lodge, for example, held a school supplies drive at the beginning of the academic year. The lodge has also conducted food drives.

Opportunities also exist to perform good deeds with the Fort Lauderdale Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3140. Que, the club’s bartender, says she thinks the “charity work” that the club performs is a draw for people considering membership.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles, an international nonprofit organization, “unites fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills, and by promoting peace, prosperity, gladness, and hope,”according to www.foe.com.

“We have a great group of people here,” Que says about her Fort Lauderdale chapter.

Once people notice the camaraderie within the group, “they come back, they want to be a member,” she adds.

Now, Eagles Aerie 3140 is striving to bring in younger members. Carver, one of the chapter’s trustees, says he feels that in general, younger people are not as interested as are their older counterparts in joining fraternal groups. They might just be too busy, Carver says.

“It’s a tough group to shoot for,” he adds.

 

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Holi, the Hindu festival of color and love

Holi, the Festival of Colors, is one of the most widely celebrated Hindu festivals. The festival is a time of joy and excitement, widely known for the use of vibrant colored powders. As with many other Hindu festivals, Holi has some ties to representing the triumph of good over evil.

The origins of Holi is believed to be related to the story of King Hiranyakashipu. The demon king wished for all subjects of his kingdom to pray and worship him rather than God.

His son Prahlad, however, was a devout devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu hated his son for disobeying him and because Lord Vishnu had killed the king’s brother.

Hiranyakashipu persuaded his sister, Holika, who was immune to fire, to enter a raging fire with Prahlad in her lap. However, Holika was unaware that her immunity only worked if she was alone, so she perished.

Prahlad exited the fire untouched, due to his extreme devotion to God. This represents the victory of good over evil once again, and during Holi, bonfires are usually lit to celebrate. Similar ancient stories tell about the use of colors during the festival. Many believe the use of colors comes from Lord Krishna’s pranks on milkmaids, drenching them in colored water, and/ or from Krishna fearing that Radha would not like him for his unique skin color.

The Sanskrit word “Krishna” means “dark” or “black”, although Krishna has universally been depicted as blue. It is believed that Radha allowed Krishna to dye her hair and skin, making them a couple. Therefore, Holi is not only about good over evil but also love.

The festival of Holi is usually celebrated in March, at the start
of spring, and on the day of the full moon. Rituals include Holika Dahan, which is the burning of a Holika effigy in a large bonfire on the eve of Holi to celebrate the death of evil and victory of Prahlad and good, as in devotion to God.

People of all nationalities and religions participate in the celebration of Holi with colored powders and waters. Often people gather in the streets or in large groups and throw water and powder on everyone.

The celebration is supposed to be a time of enjoyment. People also often eat sweets and spend time with their family and dance. Holi is also a time of love, so people are encouraged to mend relationships, pay off debts, and forgive and forget.

Even though the pandemic continues to hinder celebrations and social gatherings, by the time of Holi, we may be able to gather in small groups. If that is the case, Hindus and people around the world will be able to rejoice and celebrate together. If we are still limited in social interaction, the spirit of Holi will still be felt worldwide, and we should spread happiness and love in a time of despair and loneliness.

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Fish for amberjacks around artificial reefs

Amberjacks don’t get much respect from South Florida anglers, but they should.

They’ll bite throughout the spring when other species won’t. Getting amberjacks to the boat is challenging because they fight like mixed martial arts heavyweights.

AJs, as they’re known, gather around local artificial reefs to spawn from March through early June. That makes them easy to target, but it also makes them difficult to land because they’ll head straight for the wreck when they’re hooked. If they make it, that’s pretty much the end of the fight, because it’s next to impossible to pull them out, and usually the fishing line ends up breaking on the wreck.

Local amberjacks range from 20 to 50 pounds, but they can be bigger, like 60 or 70 pounds. To give their anglers a fighting chance, most charter captains use 50 pound outfits spooled with monofilament or braided line. Leaders range from 80 to 130 pound monofilament and are tied to a big circle hook.

Those captains use a variety of live baits, with goggle eyes, small blue runners, and small bonitos-their favorites. AJs also willbite ballyhoo, mullet,  speedos, pinfish, and grunts.

The basic rig has a three-way swivel tied to the main line with a 10-foot or longer leader tied to the swivel along with a sinker on a short piece of monofilament. Sinker weights can range from 8 to 16 ounces depending on the strength of the current.

Hooks used with bait for amberjacks cannot be made of stainless steel in state waters off South Florida and anglers must have a de-hooking device aboard their boats to aid in the release of fish. As soon as you hook an amberjack, you need to reel as fast as possible to get the fish away from a wreck, although a big AJ can pull enough drag to get back to its hangout. A good boat driver can help by pulling away from the wreck after the fish is hooked.

Even then, the fight is far from over, because the fish will circle and dig all the way to the surface, then take out line just when you thought it was about to give up.

Another way to catch amberjacks is by jigging for them. Butterfly or flutter jigs can be dropped around a wreck and then worked almost to the surface by lifting the fishing rod up and down as you reel.

If the jig, which darts and flutters as it sinks, doesn’t get bit, let it fall back down and jig it up again. Bites can come on the fall or after the lure hits bottom and is jigged up.

Conventional or spinning outfits spooled with 50 to 65 pound braided line tied to five feet of 80 pound monofilament or fluorocarbon leader can be used to jig.

The only downsides to jigging: Even if you don’t hook an amberjack, it can be tiring after doing it several times. It can also be expensive if the AJs you hook get into the wreck and break the line. The jigs typically cost from $10 to $25, so a good day jigging wrecks for AJs can easily cost you $100 in lures.

Among the pluses: You don’t have to mess with live bait and the jigs also catch cobia and grouper, as well as almaco jacks, kingfish, and blackfin tunas.

Figuring out where to drop your jigs or baits is easy. Just visit any of the area’s artificial reefs in 150-300 feet (you can find their coordinates at myfwc.com/conservation/saltwater/artificial-reefs).

Among the best wrecks for amberjacks are many of the 25 artificial reefs sunk off Pompano Beach by the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo, including the Corey and Chris in 244 feet, the Lowrance in 200 feet, and the Miller Lite in 155 feet.

The Rodeo reefs were so good for amberjacks that commercial anglers used to hammer them every spring. Rodeo officials repeatedly asked state and federal agencies to make the tournament’s reef area off-limits to commercial fishing. When that didn’t happen, the Rodeo refused to sink any more ships.

Deeper wrecks are often better than shallow wrecks because they don’t receive as much fishing pressure as the shallow ones. If you don’t get a bite on a wreck after a while, move to another one and keep moving until you  find the fish.

It’s best to fish the edges of a wreck rather than dropping a bait or jig in the wreck. Depending on the current, you might have to position your boat well off the wreck so by the time your bait hits bottom, it’ll be adjacent to the wreck.

In the Atlantic, the amberjack daily bag limit is one per person, the size limit is 28 inches from the tip of the mouth to the fork of the tail and the season is open year-round. The Gulf of Mexico bag limit is also one per person, the size limit is 34 inches fork length and the season is open May 1-31 and Aug. 1-Oct. 31.

A fried amberjack sandwich is popular fare in restaurants in Florida’s Panhandle, and smoked amberjack is quite tasty, but most local anglers release the fish because their flesh tends to have worms. The worms are not harmful, but they can make you think twice about eating an amberjack as you pull them out of a fillet.

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Happy Passover holiday ‘Chag Pesach Sameach’

Let all who are hungry come and eat ~ Kal dichfin yeitei v’yeichul.


This phrase, found in the Passover Haggadah, follows the teaching about matzah, the bread of affliction. It is one of many important symbols found on a Passover Seder table – all edible reminders of how the story is retold of the Israelites journey from slavery to freedom. The Passover holiday is one of the major Jewish festivals that occur yearly each spring. Beginning on the 15th of the Hebrew month Nisan, it lasts for seven days for Israeli or Reform Jews, or eight days if you are an Orthodox or Conservative Jew living outside of Israel.

We learn about the passage from slavery to freedom, led by Moses, in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. Moses beseeches Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” Pharaoh repeatedly denies his request and God intervenes, sending ten plagues to torment the Egyptians. From blood, frogs, insects, wild  animals , livestock disease, boils, fiery hail, locusts, darkness, to eventually the death of male first-born Egyptian children. This final plague motivates Pharaoh to release the Israelites. However, when they were alerted that they could depart, they rushed, which did not give them enough time to allow their bread dough to rise. As a result, the Israelites created Matzah, a flat cracker, which is eaten throughout the holiday and is one of the most recognizable symbols of Passover.

While most Jews celebrate holidays in community, this is the perfect  pandemic holiday as it is celebrated at home with family. It is also one of the most observed holidays by Jews. A special meal is prepared, called the Seder, and the service preceding the meal is written in a Haggadah. Seder means “order” and Haggadah means “the telling.” Throughout the service and the meal, families retell the story of the Exodus in Egypt. All of the ritual foods are explained, each with a blessing recited before eating them. A Seder plate often sits in the center of the table with six symbolic foods:

  • Maror, the bitter herbs, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.
  • Charoset, a sweet mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon, and sweet red wine, represents the brick and mortar used by the Hebrew slaves to build Pharaohs’ pyramids.
  • Karpas, a vegetable, brings hope of spring and renewal as new seedlings begin to sprout. Many families use lettuce or parsley and these are also dipped into saltwater to remind us of the tears shed by the slaves.
  • Zeroah, the shank bone, while not eaten at the meal, is meant to remind us of the Passover sacrifice, when a lamb was offered in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
  • Beitzah, the roasted hard-boiled egg, recalls the festival sacrifice. We eat hard-boiled eggs during the meal as they serve as a symbol for mourning when mourners consume an egg after a funeral.
  • Three stacked matzot (plural of matzah) found on the Seder plate serve multiple purposes. The Seder leader breaks the middle matzah, putting aside half to be used as the afikoman, or “dessert.” Many families hide the afikoman and the children are sent to search for it and offer it back to the leader at a price. The Seder cannot continue or finish without the eating of the afikoman.

During the Seder, families also sing joyous melodies such as Dayenu, “it would have been enough,” as we recall all of the miracles God bestowed, and The Four Questions, often asked by the youngest member of the family. This begins with the question: Why is this night different than all other nights? It is actually answered with four statements about the differences such as eating matzah only instead of other breads, eating bitter herbs, dipping them twice in the saltwater, and reclining as if we are royalty when eating (and not slaves).

Wishing those who celebrate a wonderful Passover holiday. As the Seder concludes we say, “Next year in Jerusalem!” but I think we can all agree that we may want to amend it to just say, “Next year with more family and friends” as we all hope the pandemic ends swiftly.

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End of an era – Greyhound racing hits finish line in Florida

As the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, at  the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, 2020, in addition to being the end of a very turbulent year, the practice of greyhound racing in the state of Florida came to an end thanks to Amendment 13,  when the Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach ran its last race.

All the more reason to celebrate, according to those who worked tirelessly for more than a decade — including advocacy groups such as The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Grey2KUSA Worldwide and even the Doris Day Foundation, to end this century-old “sport,” which its opponents characterize as antiquated, out of touch, inhumane, and down-right cruel.

A fixture in Florida since 1931, the state was the largest state to have greyhound racing, with 13 tracks at its peak in the 1980s. Currently, tracks remain for now only in three states – West Virginia, Arkansas, and Iowa.

Kate MacFall, Florida state director for the HSUS, says, “The issue of greyhound racing has been put to rest in the state of Florida. We’re very pleased that the amendment was created, placed on the ballot, and passed by almost 70 percent of the voters in Florida.”

MacFall notes that her group, along with other animal rights organizations, worked tirelessly and diligently on this issue to raise awareness for more than 10 years. She says greyhound racing fell out of favor with constituents and attendance dropped at the venues.

“We brought this issue front and center to the public,” she says,
“and they responded.”

“When voters heard that these dogs were dying and spent their days confined in small cages, got frequent injuries, and were living sad lives, it was a no brainer,” MacFall said from her office in Tallahassee.

Now that this issue has been put to rest, MacFall is focusing her agency’s efforts on retail stores in Florida selling puppies from out-of-state puppy mills.

It is estimated there are more than 10,000 puppy mills operating in the U.S. and two million puppies are sold each year from these mills. Noting that the HSUS is not going after responsible breeders, MacFall says, “We’re working to create a more humane model and moving away from retail and storefront sales of these puppies.”

The non-profit, Grey2KUSA Worldwide, and the chief sponsor of Amendment 13, which passed 69 percent to 31 percent on Nov. 6, 2018 and was designed to prohibit dog racing and close down the twelve remaining tracks in Florida.

Flagler Greyhound Park in Miami closed before the vote, seeing the writing on the wall.

Carey Theil, executive director of Grey2KUSA Worldwide, which is based in Arlington, MA, said there were systemic problems within the racing industry and called them out for their treatment of the animals.

He says the racing dogs were kept confi ned in small, stacked cages for 20-23 hours a day and fed a diet of raw 4-D meat, (meat derived from dying, diseased, disabled, and dead livestock). He says that over the past decade, over 400 greyhounds tested positive for a variety of drugs and when let out of their cages to race, many were injured or even died.

In 2018, when 11 tracks were operating in the state, a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) report revealed that a greyhound died every three days.

At the sport’s peak in 1991, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times, Americans wagered $3.5 billion at tracks across 19states. By 2018, the amount had fallen below $500 million. , not everyone agreed with the impetus to shut down the tracks and the industry, including the American Kennel Club, the NRA, and the Farm Bureau. Many racing families had been in the business for generations and lost their livelihood.

Boynton Beach resident, Barbara Masi, was not in favor of shutting down the industry and blames out of state lobbying interests for closing down the tracks.

President and founder of Awesome Greyhound Adoptions, a volunteer-run, nonprofi t agency dedicated to fi nding homes for retired racing greyhounds, Masi also runs a program called Hounds & Heroes which provides retired racing greyhounds to veterans as full service dogs.

“These are not emotional support animals or therapy dogs, but fully trained service dogs,” she says. “They can help veterans with mobility issues, or those with MS, brain injury, PTSD, and Parkinson’s Disease. We call them “battle buddies,” and they are allowed full access to restaurants, buildings, and airplanes. They cannot be refused.”

She has been placing trained greyhound service dogs with veterans since 2011 and says, “Greyhounds sleep a lot and make the most awesome pets.”

Each dog trains for approximately 6-8 months to become a full-service dog and Masi says she currently has 11 dogs in training.

All the racing dogs here in Florida have been placed, Masi says, or are with adoption approved groups across the U.S. waiting to find homes. Others have gone on to race in other states.

And while Thiel and Masi are on opposite sides of the racing issue, Thiel credits Masi with helping the dogs and says “she does great work.”

Theil says that in Florida, both sides made their cases known, and disparate political interests joined together, even former governor and senator Rick Scott (R) and former mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum (D) were united in their opposition to the tracks.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” he says about the outcome of the vote. “Floridians love dogs.”

“This is a victory for Florida and a victory for everyone who cares about the dogs,” says Theil. “We are working to put ourselves out of business – that would be a good day.”

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Sandler Center hosts virtual Jewish film festival

This year, the Levis JCC’s SandlerCenter goes on-line with more  than 50 Jewish-themed films from around the world – from historical dramas to documentaries and shorts in its virtual Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival (BRJFF), running through May 16, 2021.

In addition, there will be Q&A webinars with filmmakers, cast members, and community lecturers, as well as the opportunity to view each film up to 72 hours after its scheduled time.

“Our strong relationship with the film industry has allowed us to present our patrons with a high-quality line-up of films and speakers year after year, in turn, we are able to continue to inspire, educate, and connect with our community year after year,” said Lesley Rich, BRJFF program & production director.

Making its Florida premiere on Mar. 22 is the Israeli documentary, “Shamir, His Way,” by filmmakers Igal Lerner and Erez Friedman, a one-hour documentary film about Yitzhak Shamir, former Israeli Prime Minister and one of the founding members of the State of Israel who has impacted the entire Middle East region for decades.

Shamir passed away in 2012 at the age of 97 and left a deep and on-going legacy in Israel, the state he helped to found. Shamir was the country’s third-longest-serving prime minister after David Ben-Gurion and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Born in Poland, Shamir was a soldier and politician who was elected to the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) in 1973 and again in 1977. He became Prime Minister in 1983–84,1986–90, and again from 1990–92. Before Israel’s statehood, Shamir was a leader in the LEHI, an underground movement against the British Mandate in Palestine and was a member of the notorious Stern Gang. In 1946 he was exiled to Eritrea by the British but escaped and made his way back to Israel. Shamir was also the head of an elite and secret unit in the MOSSAD

– Israel Secret Intelligence Service where he had served for more than 10 years before entering politics.

His son Yair Shamir, a former Colonel in the Israeli Air Force and now a philanthropist and venture capitalist says, “My father had a unique personality, and we try to show this in the film. He was a leader – a leader of people, a leader of the state, a fighter, and father.”

“Despite his accomplishments, he was a very modest person with zero ego,” he says. “On the other hand, he was always a leader with a unique style – very open and a team player.”

“Shamir’s story is intertwined with the story of Israel,” says Noa Cacharel, the film’s international sales agent. “Through the film, you are able to see how Israel has survived and gotten to where it is today. Shamir cared deeply about his country and is an icon in the state of Israel.”

“We owe him a lot,” she says.

The filmmakers decided to focus on the period in 1991 when Iraqi
missiles launched on Israel, and Shamir, then prime minister, made the decision not to retaliate against Iraq. They wanted to explore his decision-making process and ability to withstand pressure from both the United States and Russia.

Later that year, in September 1991, Shamir represented Israel at the Madrid Peace Conference, which brought about direct negotiations with Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and the Palestinians. He brought with him, a then-unknown young politician by the name of Benjamin Netanyahu and introduced him to the world stage. The film intertwines exclusive and behind-the-scene insights illustrating the unique path between the terror of war and the hopes of peace. It includes rare interviews with influential people such as Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, both Former Israeli Prime Ministers, in addition to Ya’akov Peri, Former Head of the Israeli Security Agency Shin Bet, and Shabtai Shavit, Former Director Director General of the Mossad, Israel’s Secret Agencies. All of whom have worked closely with Shamir through the years.

Lerner, a director and producer, is known for his documentary films about Natan Sharansky, and about the murder of an Israeli Jewish-Palestinian political activist, Juliano Mer.

Says Lerner, “Shamir kept his distance from the media and was one of the most ‘mysterious’ prime ministers of Israel. Our greatest challenge was to define and understand his way of thinking. He was a true chauvinist for Israel, an attitude he developed during WWII when his family was murdered by Poles in their village in Poland.”

It was that experience and way of thinking that led him in later years to advocate for both the emigration of Russian Jews to Israel as well as the later absorption of the Ethiopian Jews to Israel, as part of “Operation Solomon” in 1991.

“It was one of his missions in life to bring as many Jews as he could to the Land of Israel,” says Yair Shamir.

“For me, my father is a role model,” he says. “But, not only for me, but for my kids and nieces and nephews. He was a beacon shining a very focused light and providing a feeling of safety and lighting the way to overcome obstacles.”

“He is the beacon for our family,” he says. “It’s a challenge to live up to his ideals.”

“The name ‘Shamir’ means a very strong rock,” says Shamir. “My father lived up to his name.”

In 2012, Shamir was given a state funeral and buried amongst Israel’s other war heroes and prime ministers on Har Herzl in Jerusalem.

“Yitzhak Shamir was a tremendous beacon for all Israel,” says Cacharel. “So many people look up to him and admire him. We have schools and hospitals named in his honor. He stood for something and was steadfast in his ideals and principles – you don’t find that in many politicians these days.”

Other film screenings in March include Michael Lopatin’s “Code Name: Ayalon,” a David and Goliath story during Israel’s War of Independence, Jacek Borcuch’s “Dolce Fine Giornata,” a story about a clash of great creative intellect and femininity, with the backdrop of eroding democracy in Europe, and Oren Jacoby’s “On Broadway,” with Broadway legends including Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, and Viola Davis sharing their experiences On Broadway lifting the curtain to show behind the scenes, with glimpses into the world of live theatre.

Visit Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival (bocajff.org)

Tickets range from $4.99-$12 and film pass packages range from $59-$299 (prices are per household); tickets and packages are available for purchase online at Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival (bocajff.org). Movie rentals can be enjoyed on various platforms by downloading the Eventive TV app which is available on Apple TV, Roku, Firestick, Chromecast, etc.

The film will be screened in Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival on March 21-23. Together for a Q&A with Yair Shamir (son of Yitzhak Shamir) and filmmakers Igal Lerner and Erez Friedman on March 23.

Find a link to the film’s page at bocajff.org.

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Portrait of a lady: Marjory Stoneman Douglas

She was an environmentalist, a suffragist, and called herself a “writing woman.” Marjory Stoneman Douglas was born April 7, 1890, in Minneapolis. Douglas graduated from Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, in 1912, where she had been elected Class Orator. Wellesley, in fact, had a Department of Expression that Douglas believed “prepared me for all my later public speaking.”

Her mother, Florence Lillian Trefethen, but she went by Lillian, died of breast cancer after Marjory finished college. She was the one who made the funeral arrangements. She had been told her father was living in Florida at the time, her parents having separated when she was 6. In September 1915, after a brief and unsuccessful marriage to a man named Kenneth Douglas, she left Massachusetts and moved down to Florida to live with her father, Frank Bryant Stoneman.

Stoneman had started a paper in Miami, the “News Record” in 1906. He strongly opposed Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward’s eff orts to drain the Everglades. Marjory believed this is where her earliest love of the Everglades came from Stoneman and Frank Shutts reorganized the paper as the “Miami Herald” in 1910. Marjory started work at the “Herald” as the society editor. After a year, her father and step-mother took a month’s vacation and Marjory oversaw the editorial page in her father’s absence.

In 1916 Marjory Stoneman Douglas was enlisted by Mrs. William Jennings Bryan, along with Mrs. Frank Stranahan, founder of Fort Lauderdale, and the widows of two former Florida governors, to speak to the state legislature about ratifying the suffrage amendment.

“All four of us spoke to a joint committee, wearing our best hats.” She writes in her autobiography. “Talking to them was like talking to graven images. They never paid attention to us at all. They weren’t even listening.”

That same year Douglas was assigned a story for the “Herald” on the fi rst woman to enlist in the Naval Reserve in the state of Florida. She didn’t just get the story, she became a part of it as she, herself, enlisted. The Navy made her a yeoman first class. She convinced the commandant at Key West to help her put in for an official discharge in 1917. “The Navy was as glad to get rid of me as I was to leave,” she writes.

Douglas then joined the American Red Cross, Civilian Relief department. By the summer of 1918, she was on her way to an overseas assignment in France. She was gazing down the Rue de Rivoli when the peace treaty ending World War I was signed in June 1919. “…the guns went off from up and down the river…” and “everybody was kissing everybody,” she wrote. Douglas stayed on with the American Red Cross overseas, traveling from place to place and writing stories about the turning over of Red Cross clinics to local authorities.

Douglas returned to Miami in 1920. She returned to the “Herald” as an assistant editor making $30 a week. She also got her own column called “The Galley,” which she describes as “a string of short items, sayings, and musings on local and national affairs.” Douglas spent time with many friends after her return, including Ruth Bryan Owens, daughter of William Jennings Bryan, and Mrs. Bryan. Owens “lectured, ran the women’s clubs, and eventually ran for the legislature.” Ruth Bryan Owens was elected to the 71st Congress in 1928.

The idea for Everglades National Park started with landscape designer Ernest F. Coe, known as “The Father of the Everglades,” and Douglas supported it in print. A committee was formed which included botanist David Fairchild, writer and explorer John Oliver LaGorce of the “National Geographic,” and, of course, Douglas herself.

She writes: “The seasons of the Everglades are the mosquito season and the non-mosquito season. During the worst part of the mosquito season, people would move their cows up to Florida City where the cows wouldn’t be killed by the bugs.”

“People sent hives of bees down from Pensacola on flatboats to get the mangrove honey, but in the mosquito season, they’d take
the bees away so the mosquitoes wouldn’t kill them, either.”

In 1924 Douglas began to experience nervous fatigue. Eventually, her father called a doctor who said the “Herald” was too much pressure and she needed to get away from it. After returning from WWI she had contributed to other magazines.

In the summer of 1924, Douglas visited relatives in Massachusetts and the agent who had been selling her work, Robert Thomas Hardy. He recommended she write for the “Saturday Evening Post,” and she decided to freelance full time.

Douglas’ house in Coconut Grove was finished in the fall of 1926. The work had gone slowly as she had to pay the contractor based on the money she made selling her writing. The City of Miami designated it an historic site in 1995. From 1926 to 1941, Douglas continued writing magazine pieces, and for the local civic theater. In February of 1941, her father died. He and Shutts had sold the “Miami Herald” to the Knight family in 1939.

She took this time to get out of the newspaper business and write a novel, “The River of Grass,” about the Everglades. Her friend, publisher, and fellow novelist Hervey Allen had asked her to write about the Miami River, but she managed to change his mind.

She was referred to state hydrologist Garald Parker and worked with him through her three to four years of research. The book itself took four to fi ve years to complete but came out longer than the agreed-upon 120,000 words. Her publisher told her to cut 20,000. She wired back: “Cut 19,000. Refuse to cut another word. If you don’t agree, I withdraw the book from publication.”

“They say I’m pigheaded,” she cheerfully confessed.
“Pigheadedness covers a multitude of virtues as well as sins.”

“The River of Grass” was printed in November 1947 to great commercial success. It also coincided with the founding of the Everglades National Park. Douglas attended the ceremonies where President Harry Truman formally dedicated the park. Ernest Coe had wanted the park to encompass a much larger area and was upset with the result. He had to be convinced to attend the ceremony.

Douglas began lecturing in the 60s, and “The Rivers of America” series, of which her “The Everglades: River of Grass” was a part, was quite successful. She was also recruited to write a book for a series about regions of Florida. “Florida: The Long Frontier”was published in 1967.

Her next book project was a biography of ornithologist and naturalist W.H. Hudson. So, at the age of 77, sporting a black eye patch after cataract surgery, she traveled to Buenos Aires to begin research. She visited Hudson’s birthplace, then traveled to England to visit his old publishing house, J.M. Dent. She cut her travels short and returned to Miami when her eyes began to fail her completely. She turned over the rough draft to friend and editor Margaret Ewell.

In the late 60s, some 20 years after the publication of her seminal “The River of Grass,” Marjory Stoneman Douglas became an ardent environmentalist. The National Audubon Society in Miami got in a fi ght to stop a proposed oil refinery on the shores of lower Biscayne Bay. Immediately afterward, a jetport in the Everglades was suggested. Joe Browder, head of the National Audubon Society in Miami, showed up on Douglas’ doorstep to ask her to issue a “ringing denunciation” of the jetport. She said she felt those types of things were more effective if they came  from an organization. Browder then asked her to start one.

The Friends of the Everglades’ first member was weather historian Michael Chenoweth. Douglas enlisted a treasurer, vice president, and secretary, and started giving speeches wherever they would let her. The jetport was stopped, “not necessarily through my efforts,” Douglas said, “but through the efforts of many people and the responsiveness of the Secretary of the Interior under President Nixon.”

In 1990, a high school in Parkland, Florida was named after her when it opened, for her 100th birthday. In 1993 President Bill Clinton awarded Douglas the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor granted by the United States of America. Marjory Stoneman Douglas was active in environmental conservation in Florida until her passing in 1998 at  108.

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How my child’s battle with cancer prepared our family for the pandemic

Thirteen years ago my life changed overnight. I was happily living a normal routine. Then, suddenly, I found myself in constant worry. I was fearful of financial ruin. I was having constant concern of a family member’s failing health, and anxiety of the possible effects to a compromised immune system.

I found myself feeling safer in isolation. I went down a rabbit hole of unpredictability checking numbers, incessantly wiping down surfaces, washing hands, and applying for social services like food stamps after losing my job.

Back then, the numbers I was checking were not the daily percent of positive tests for an invisible illness in my community or the number of local hospitalizations.

The numbers were of the different blood cells my son had. The illness that he had was not invisible. In fact, it could be seen under a microscope in a regular blood sample because it appeared black. It was cancer. He was only 6 years old, and I was 26.

The whole world was not experiencing it with us at that time. Although some 300,000 families experience it annually, we still felt like the only ones.

The journey started in May of 2007. Seven years later, my son
was done with chemo and cancer free.

During those seven years he endured more spinal taps, bone marrow aspirations, blood transfusions, and needle pokes than I could ever count (or want to).

He also went through a relapse, six fractures to his spine, a blood clot, and a stroke.

The journey was tiring, scary, and forever life-changing.

What I didn’t expect in the years following his recovery was how useful all that I learned would become.

All the heartaches and lessons I learned during that time would become a road map for navigating a future health crisis: The COVID-19 pandemic.

A year ago, in March 2020, we all were plummeted into a whole new world. To me, however, the landscape looked familiar.

I discovered that I was equipped to navigate it. Through my experiences I had garnered some tools in dealing with uncertainty and crisis. I want to share the top 10 with you.

Find Joy- I found during those hard times that joy seemed to elude me. I was submerged in worry and sadness. It took a while for me to recognize that in the toughest of times you must work at finding joy.

When you look for beauty, you will find it, and once you do, beauty and joy will naturally find you.

Show Gratitude & Appreciation-They say nothing is a better teacher than experience, and I would add nothing makes a person wiser than proper perspective.

Finding gratitude was hard at fi rst, but suddenly I became grateful for the little things that became big things to me; little things like a smile or laugh from my sick son, his immune system being strong enough to visit friends, or the gourmet coffee shop at the hospital. The minute I started learning to appreciate and have gratitude for the little things everything changed.

Be Flexible- Life will take you down paths you never predicted or saw coming. The lesson learned is that control is an illusion and hanging on to habits that once made sense, but do not anymore, will only make change that much harder to adapt to. Be willing to learn new things. Adapt your schedule, and go with the flow.

Create Fun- This is so important. Get creative. When my son was unable to go to movie theaters, attend parties or restaurants, we, as a family, brought the fun to us.

My parents started creating movie nights for him and his brother, and expanded them into themed movie nights.

There are no rules that say you need a bunch of people to throw a party! You
can throw a party on an easy budget with just your immediate family.

Since the pandemic, we started this again. We have thrown over 20 theme nights at home with just us that include costumes, dinner, and a movie, all  around a central theme.

Nothing is Forever- The best of times will not last, which could be a depressing thought, until you realize that also means the worst of times will not last forever either.

Everything on earth is temporary. EVERYTHING. So, breathe in the good and be present for it, and breathe out the tough times.

Find Stillness and Nature- Find time to meditate, pray, or just count your breaths in and out every day.

Experts say that 20 minutes of meditation a day is optimal. But days can get away from you in a crisis, so if you can only close your eyes and count 10 breaths in and out, say a mantra 10 times, or say a quick prayer to your God, it is more than nothing at all.

Also, even five minutes of observing nature can do wonders. Going outside is preferable, but some days I would only be able to watch the swaying of the trees or clouds through a hospital window. But even that would lighten my spirit enough to bring me some peace.

Ask for and Accept Help if You Need it- Having too much pride can have a devastating consequence on your family and soul. If you need help, ask for it, and if it is off ered, take it. There is no shame in it.

Give Love and Help Others- Nothing will make you happier than helping someone else. There is no medicine as powerful as putting your woes aside and focusing on helping another person. Look around you and see how even in turmoil you still possess the ability to better the lives of those around you,  and then do it.

Find Balance- This is something everyone struggles with in their lives, even without a crisis. It is important. However, it is even more important amid a crisis.

You will not achieve that every day. The important part is not pressuring yourself into perfection of balance, only striving for it over the course of your journey.

If you try to focus on balance without judging yourself for not perfecting it, in the arch of time, you will find you achieved it.

Make Humor a Coping Tool- Of all the tools and lessons learned throughout my life’s journey nothing is more potent a healer than humor.

Don’t take life so seriously because life itself is constantly contradictory, indecisive, and unpredictable. It is a beautiful mess, and so are you. Learn to
laugh about it!

In the end you should accept right now that your life will not look exactly like you envisioned it.

Your life may never be the same after this pandemic. It’s ok and natural to struggle with it. Just know that struggle is how you will grow.

Remember this time of pandemic does not make up the sum of your life. But if you use it as a teacher and look at it with a wise perspective, you may see the time as one of the most valuable of your life. The beauty of it lies in the fact that you get to choose.

Destiny Haggett is an advocate for pediatric cancer research, former model, and public speaker. She currently runs a 962-seat live entertainment venue in Coconut Creek, Florida.

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SoFlo Gardening: March 2021

What to Plant

Annuals/Bedding Plants: Dianthus and other cool-season annuals continue to flourish. Consider planting warm-season annuals such as angelonia, was begonia, and zinnia at the end of the month.

Bulbs: Plant dahlia, canna, and glorious bulbs for spring and summer flowering. Provide stakes as needed to support growth.

Herbs: Consider growing edible ginger. Plant rhizomes in well-drained soil in full to part sun.

Vegetables: Begin planting warm-season crops, such as beans, tomatoes, squash, and corn, early in the month for late spring harvest. Protect from frost.

What to Do

Azaleas: Prune azaleas when they have finished blooming to reduce their size and improve the form.

Shrubs and trees: Prune when the dormant season ends and new growth begins.

Palms and shrubs: Fertilize palms, azaleas, camellias, and other ornamental shrubs if needed. Choose a fertilizer in which at least 30% of its nitrogen is slow release.

Irrigation: Check your sprinkler system for problems such as broken or misaligned spray heads.

Source: University of Florida IFAS Extension

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‘Closer Than Ever’ in a time of social distance

With the on-going blackout of Broadway, live theatre in New York and around the country has taken a hit since March when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

While many actors, singers, and dancers (not to mention directors, producers, technical staff , etc.) were on hiatus, theaters were searching for a way to remain relevant and keep their actors and staff employed.

Boca Raton-based MNM Theatre Company, a non-profit theatre company which has been producing professional musical theatre in Palm Beach County since 2014, was in residence at the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach prior to the pandemic.

In 2019 the company produced “Man of La Mancha,” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” both large-scale productions.

When the quarantine hit, MNM was in rehearsal for a production of the musical, “Cabaret” and one week prior to opening night last March, had to lay off 65 staff.

“No one really knows what the future of live theatre looks like,” says Marcie Gorman, CEO of MNM Theatre Company. “Will live theatre return to a full-house? Will it be half or quarter capacity? Will the audience return? Will it be safe?”

It was questions like this that kept Gorman up at night and prompted her and her staff to reinvent their stage productions.

She and her director, Jonathan Van Dyke, came up with what they call a “hybrid” – streaming their live production, which was produced following safety and CDC protocols and utilizing “projections” (or, graphics) to enhance the experience.

For example, if a couple was supposed to touch or hug following the script, they did not touch in real-life, but the f lm production was edited to seem as if they were hugging or touching.

“We followed strict protocols throughout the process and were constantly mindful of the health and well-being of our cast and our crew,” says Gorman, a South Florida native. “COVID testing, masks, cleaning, and sanitizing – we did it all constantly.”

“But,” she says, “what’s so wonderful is that we created and performed live theatre that we will be able to share with a worldwide audience.”

“It’s not just a film, not just a live show, and not just a series of projections,” says Gorman, noting that the filming was shot using multiple cameras and angles over a span of five days in their Boca Raton warehouse/studio. “It’s a combination of all three and as far as we know, no one has ever done anything like it before.”

Most recently, they used these techniques in their production of composer David Shire and lyricist Richard Maltby Jr.’s musical song cycle, “Closer Than Ever,” a lively and fast-paced musical revue starring Aaron Bower, Johnbarry Green, and Carbonell Award-winners Shelley Keelor and Elijah Word, exploring the everyday struggles such as second marriages, aging, mid-life crises, working couples, and unrequited love in the modern world.

“Our director, Jonathan Van Dyke, has developed an innovative theatrical hybrid that marries live performances with video, audio, and projections,” says Gorman. “The result is an exciting and creative way to create live theatre during the pandemic.”

“The integrated projections allow for intimate onstage moments,” says Van Dyke on the company’s website. “The actors were each green-screened separately and the results were edited for projection, so they appear to interact with one another, even as they social distance.”

After watching the production on-line, composer Shire wrote in an email to Gorman, “The performances were honest and great, the musical direction, staging, production design, choreography all first rate, and your direction and overall conception of how to present “Closer Than Ever” and keep it COVID-safe were truly impressive.”

Additionally, on their website mnmtheatre.org, the theatre company has a project called #MNMSings, where former cast members and alumni share their favorite numbers from the production in which they starred.

Currently, Shelley Keelor sings her favorite, “Back on Base,” from “Closer Than Ever,” (“My scattered life had no foundation. Couldn’t seem to fi nd my space. Then all at once came inspiration. Now I’m back on base.”)

Gorman says it’s a way for the actors to stay involved, connect with the audience, and remain in people’s consciousness during these trying times.

As a producer, former actor and singer — Gorman describes herself as “very involved and a hands-on producer.”

“I’m at every show,” she says. “I’ve never missed one. Even when the director leaves after a production, I’m still there.”

“It’s an adrenaline rush and a chance for me to bond with the actors,” she says. “I love mentoring them, being a part of the production, watching them perform and revel when they go on to do something bigger and better.”

“It’s all about the connections with people that has made it all worthwhile,” she says. “That’s my thing. I love theatre!”

Visit https://www.mnmtheatre.org/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mnmtheatrecompany

Clips from “Closer Than Ever” can be viewed on their website https://www.mnmtheatre.org 

 

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New nature preserve open in Broward County

Nature hikes are high on the list of safe outdoor activities during the pandemic, and Broward County Parks has added another place for such outings: the Herman & Dorothy Shooster Nature Preserve, 6200 SW Seventh Court, Margate, which quietly opened to the public in November.

The preserve includes nearly two thousand feet of nature trail, with an elevated walkway and overlook, along with interpretive signage and picnic tables.

The 19.78-acre site used to be known by its nickname, “the Forest.” It is primarily a basin swamp, characterized by bald cypress, red maple, and pond apple in its deeper region, with a few areas of willow.

An area of flatwoods with slash pines and laurel oak runs along the northern border of the site, while the interior contains a mature cypress dome with large pond apples, a habitat increasingly rare in Broward.

More than 75 species of wildlife have been documented in the preserve, including 43 species of birds, 18 butterflies, seven mammals, five amphibians, and three reptiles.

Had things gone differently in the mid-1980s, the land might have ended up as an office park. As it was, the original developers abandoned their plans after some preliminary construction. The property then passed into the hands of the Shooster family, from whom it was later acquired for $4.15 million of the funds approved by nearly 75 percent of voters in the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Referendum.

Herman and Dorothy Shooster moved from the Philadelphia area to Florida in the mid-1970s in search of career opportunities. Herman, an Army veteran who had served as a medic during World War II, and Dorothy, whose mother lived in South Florida, took over a small business called the Ding-a-Ling Answering Service.

For more information, contact Broward County Natural Areas, 954- 357-8109.

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