Federation’s Mensch of the Month – ANNE STEIN

The Federation is proud to announce a new program, “Mensch of the Month,” designed to honor members of our community who go above and beyond to make a difference. A mensch is described as someone to admire and emulate, a person with integrity and honor.  With that, we are delighted to introduce you to Anne Stein, the first Mensch of the Month…

Anne Stein is a hidden gem in our community. She quietly uplifts our Holocaust survivors, inspires our youth and supports our entire Jewish community. Not only does Anne sponsor individual students during the March of the Living Mission, but she also graciously opens her home to host elegant tea parties, meetings, and dinners for the students and their families before and after the mission. She regularly goes above and beyond for the students and families in our community.

However, Anne doesn’t stop there; she also serves on the Board of Directors of our Federation and is the First Lady of Chabad of Sarasota. She is very passionate about our beloved State of Israel, Holocaust awareness and education, traveling and of course…Hula dancing. Anne has been happily married to Dr. Barry Stein for over 30 years and together, they are the proud parents of Alexander and Samantha Stein.

We are truly fortunate to have Anne Stein as part of our Sarasota-Manatee community and we thank her for being an absolute mensch!

Day Five: The People of Israel

It is day five on the Young Ambassadors trip to Israel! We departed our hotel at eight in the morning from Jerusalem to head to our next destination: the kibbutz!! Before we got there though we headed to the underground water tunnels. These tunnels are over 22 kilometers long! Our guide, Itamar, was a lot of fun, and pointed out some of the holes where candles used to be to light the way, and he made sure that we didn’t trip into the freezing cold water. Brrr!!! Afterwards, we went to the ruins of Caesarea and learned about all the many years of history. It was interesting to see how the many centuries melded together.  Jessie and I climbed all the way up to the top of the theatre and stared out into the sky. After getting back on the bus, we headed to a Druze community to enjoy some delicious food while learning about their religion. It was mind boggling. I never knew about the Druze, and it was very interesting to see another religion other than the basic four. After saying goodbye, we made another stop at the Baha’i  Rose garden where we learned about the Baha’i faith. The garden was absolutely beautiful and I thought that it was so peaceful. I can totally see why it’s a holy place. Now, to my ABSOLUTE favorite part of the day.THE BEACH IN HAIFA!!!!!! It was so much fun!! We didn’t stay out for longer then maybe an hour but it was amazing. The yam (our sea) was a dazzling shade of blue, and surfing the waves was a blast. It was a shame we had to go but it was totally awesome! We ended the day with a good meal at our new residence for the next three nights, Kibbutz Hokuk, and I’m super excited for tomorrow.

-Allie Campbell, Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors 2013

Day 4: Touching Our History

Today we went to an archaeological dig. It was really awesome because we got to learn about what the archaeologists do and look for. Then we did our own sorting and found some really cool things! We had lunch in a shopping plaza and had some free time to shop. Next, we went to see the Kotel tunnels and we looked at what King Herod had constructed and we got to touch thousands of years of history. After that we visited the western wall and then got back on the bus. We drove to Sataf Springs which is one of the many hills surrounding Jerusalem. We hiked down the hill and stopped at two springs where we got to adventure inside of two caves! I had so much fun today!

-Brittney Mintz, Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors 2013

Day 3: Shabbat and Celebration

First, foremost, and most importantly, today is my birthday; thus, I was more than obliged to inform the streets of Jerusalem and every IDF soldier within a five mile radius of this fabulous news. Alright, now on to those things of relative importance but not weighing anywhere near as much value as madibry’s day of birth. Today is Shabbat! The streets are quiet and the weather is nothing short of beautiful. We slept in until 11:00 (God’s gift for me) and went to a lecture… It was really interesting and all, but not exactly a party or anything… After acquiring frostbite in the room of the lecture, we had a really tasty lunch (just kidding) and then we walked to a museum that had the Dead Sea scrolls in it. We walked because on shabbat, you aren’t supposed to drive or use electricity. This explains the unusual silence seeping through the streets of the city. Anyway, you don’t think the sea scrolls would be that cool until you’re standing right in front of it. Inside of that glass case was scriptures from thousands of years ago… I was practically scared to look at it for too long because of its fragility. Then we embarked on my personal favorite part of the trip so far: the park! As we sat in the itchy grass, we reflected on our experiences at the Kotel and discussed how we identify as Jews. It gets better: Len and Amber got me a delicious (and kosher!) cake for my birthday! We all shared the cake and then headed out to enjoy ourselves individually in this expansive sea of trees and green. I climbed some rocks and gained my bearings by looking at all of the Orthodox Jews prance around the hills with their iconic hats and curled hair. After our return to our hotel and delightful dinner (also kidding, the hotel food sucks sometimes), we went out for a night on the town! We shopped for our friends and family and fed our greed for tacky Israeli souvenirs on Ben Yehuda Street. I got a nice taste of obnoxious tourists failing at haggling, while I, personally, got a couple of fantastic bargains. We went back to the hotel at about 11:30 PM with a curfew of 11:45 PM and are forced to wake at 7:00 AM… Until we meet again Sarasota, perhaps when we are all less exhausted. Good Shabbas and most importantly, happy birthday to me!

-Madison Bryan, Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors 2013

Day 2: Jerusalem If I Forget You

Today we went to the Old City of Jerusalem. Our first stop was the city of David and we viewed his tomb. From there it was a short walk to ancient water tunnels that run underneath the city. The tunnel was very narrow and was filled with running water up to our ankles and at times our waist. Afterwards, we took the bus to the Shuk and split up into groups of three and explored for two hours what it is like to shop before Shabbat. We tasted many different foreign foods, mostly falafel. We walked back to the hotel from there and had time to rest before Shabbat began. We went to the Kotel (The Wall) which was such a powerful experience. It was amazing how many people were gathered there and the energy given off made it even more meaningful. We walked back to the hotel through empty streets with other Jews who were on their way to Shabbat dinners just like us. It was a long and exhausting day but extremely rewarding.
By: Sydney Ralph – Bob Malkin Young Ambassador

Day 1: Planting Our Roots

Today is June 13th. We’re on the plane. Sydney was just paid $100 to one one row back so thus guy can have the window seat. The wait before take off was long. Jake and I are talking deeply on weather. We think Benadryl will put us out for a reasonable amount of time. We land 10 hours later, pass customs are now now in Israel. Excitement is high. We get an amazing tour of acres and acres of Israeli biblical plant park. We plant trees, almond and oak, and put them wherever we want. Personally, my connection with Israel has changed from the planting on day one drastically. Then we went to the Haas Promenade in Jerusalem for a beautiful overlook of time city at sunset. We had dinner at the hotel, a short activity about the map of Israel and its borders. Well, off to tomorrow. Layla tov!

-Noah Haberer, Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors 2013 participant

Young Ambassadors Leave for Israel

Twelve Jewish teens from Sarasota-Manatee are about to see their lives change. Tomorrow morning, the Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors Teen Leadership Mission to Israel will depart on a 15 day adventure to see, taste, touch, smell, and experience the Jewish homeland.

The group was selected in December and has since participated in a series of pre-mission training sessions, learning about Israel’s history, culture, geography, politics, and religion, as well as team building activities and leadership training. They will be traveling all over the country – Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Tel Aviv, the Negev, Tzfat, Haifa, the Dead Sea, and more. They will be spending a weekend in Kiryat Yam, Sarasota’s partner city, with Israeli host families and teens in their age group.

Throughout the mission, our teens will be writing reflections on their experiences and posting them here on this blog. Stay tuned for daily updates and pictures from the mission here as well as on our Facebook page.

We wish our Young Ambassadors a n’siyah tovah - a great trip!

From left: Alex Eiffert, Adam Agran (committee member), Jake Hurwitz, Sydney Ralph, Shelley Simson, Patti Wertheimer (committee member), Ike Pintchuck, Jessie Greenberg, Brittney Mintz, Cece Bean
Bottom: Amber Ikeman (staff), Len Steinberg (staff), Madison Bryan, Allie Campbell, Andrew Wolfson
Not pictured: Noah Haberer, Jake Lefton