Great Communicators

STUDY SHOWS GROWING, HIGHLY CONNECTED COMMUNITY

The population of the Miami Jewish community has increased by 9 percent during the past decade, reversing about 30 years of decline, according to the 2014 Greater Miami Jewish Federation Population Study: A Portrait of the Miami Jewish Community released today by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

More than 123,000 Jews now live in Miami-Dade County, making Miami the eleventh largest Jewish community in the U.S.

“In the past decade, we have seen a flow of new Jewish residents, as well as an increase in the length of residency in Miami,” said Federation Chief Planning Officer Michelle Labgold. “This is significant news because Miami’s Jewish community experienced a steady decline in population between 1975 and 2004.”

The Country’s Most Diverse Jewish Population

The Federation’s study also found that Miami’s Jewish population has become increasingly diverse, with 33 percent of adults being foreign-born, the highest percentage of any American Jewish community. The number of Hispanic Jewish adults rose by 57 percent in the past 10 years, with the largest increases due to migration from Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Peru. The number of Israeli-born adults grew by 35 percent in the past decade.

While the percentage of Miami households identifying themselves as Orthodox grew from 9 to 11 percent over the past decade, the number of people residing in Orthodox Jewish households grew by 41 percent, mostly due to a significant increase in the average size of Orthodox households.

The study also reported that while the percentage of older adults in the Jewish community remained stable at 31%, there was an increase in the younger older adults as the Baby Boomers move into the 65- to 74-year-old age cohort. It also revealed that the largest growth (17%) occurred in the under-35 population with significant increases in the number of children and young adults.

The Miami Jewish community remains primarily concentrated in three main regions – North Dade, South Dade and The Beaches – with a new, emerging Jewish population center of 7,000, consisting mostly of young adults, in the Downtown Miami/Brickell/Midtown corridor. The Jewish population in North Dade increased by 19 percent in the past 10 years, while The Beaches’ Jewish population remained about the same, and South Dade decreased by 7 percent.

“There are so many exciting elements to this study,” said Amy Berger Chafetz, Chair of Federation’s Jewish Population Study Committee. “We are a growing, younger, stable Jewish community with longer periods of residency and a greater demographic distribution. We have new people coming here to stay and young people returning home, who contribute to the quality of Jewish life in Miami.”

Affinity to Jewish Identity and Israel

While the 2013 Pew Research Center Survey of U.S. Jews found that just 46 percent of American Jews said that “being Jewish is very important” to them, 74 percent of respondents to the 2014 Greater Miami Jewish Federation Population Study reported feeling this way. Only 16 percent of couples in the Jewish community are intermarried. The 16 percent has not changed since 2004. It is one of the lowest intermarriage rates of all American Jewish communities, and compares with the 61 percent figure in the Pew Study.

Jewish connectivity is strong in Miami, with 95 percent of households involved Jewishly in some way: either by home religious practice; synagogue attendance; membership in synagogues, JCCs and other Jewish organizations; or via donations to Jewish charities.

Study results also placed Miami among the nation’s top Jewish communities in rates of Jewish preschool, Jewish day school, and Jewish day and overnight camp participation. Eight in 10 children have participated in some type of formal Jewish education. However, the study also revealed that cost remains a significant barrier to enrollment in Jewish day schools, Jewish summer camps and organized trips to Israel.

Sixty-two percent of respondents reported they are “very” or “extremely” emotionally attached to Israel. Seventy-one percent of Miami Jewish households include a member who has visited Israel, the highest rate of any U.S. Jewish community. This increased from 62 percent in 2004.

“The Miami Jewish community is extraordinary in the depth of its attachments to Judaism and Israel,” said Robert G. Berrin, Chair of the Board of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. “We have much to learn from this study about increasing involvement in Jewish life and building a broader feeling of connection to the local Jewish community. The Population Study will help us find the necessary answers to a number of key issues, ultimately deepening affiliation and involvement, and enhancing services.”

Need for Social Services

Although a majority of the Miami Jewish community is relatively affluent, 29 percent report that they cannot make ends meet or are just managing financially. Fourteen percent of all Jewish households report incomes below $25,000 per year; many of these people are in need of community support.

Thirty-five percent of households indicated that they had a need for some type of social services in the past year, with the types of needs most often cited including coordinating services for seniors, job counseling, and help or screenings for children with disabilities or special needs.

“These components of the Study are extremely important because they provide us with strategic guidance about growing needs, and the importance of wisely and responsibly allocating charitable donations,” explained Federation President and CEO Jacob Solomon. “The final data will help us find the best possible ways to engage future generations in the important work of building community and meeting Jewish needs, as well as advancing Jewish life in Miami, in Israel and the more than 70 other countries served by Federation-funded agencies. Our Jewish community continues to evolve, and we must be prepared to meet needs today and into the future, as well as embrace the diversity that makes Miami such a special Jewish community.”

Population Study Methodology

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation commissions a Jewish Population Study of Miami-Dade County once every 10 years. Working under the guidance of widely respected demographer Ira M. Sheskin, Ph.D., of the University of Miami, a team of trained callers employed a random-digit-dialing system to contact 590 Jewish households in Miami-Dade County via telephone landlines and cellular numbers. In addition, another 1,430 interviews were completed with known Jewish households, including cellular telephone numbers of local residents with out-of-state area codes. Weighting factors were used to combine the two samples so that the results would properly represent Miami’s Jewish population.

Once a caller reached a Jewish household, he/she conducted a survey of about 20 minutes, using a questionnaire designed with the input of a Federation committee and more than 15 focus groups of Miami Jewish residents. All individual responses were kept completely confidential, no personally identifiable details were linked to the answers, and no financial solicitations were made.

To review a copy of the 2014 Greater Miami Jewish Federation Population Summary Report, click here. For further information about the study, contact Michelle Labgold at mlabgold@gmjf.org or 305.576.4000, ext. 492.

As the threat posed by ISIS, Hamas, al Qaeda and other radical jihadi organizations becomes a mounting international concern, we mark the 42nd anniversary of an event that horrified television audiences around the world and set the stage for modern terrorist operations.

The massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, demonstrated the bloody audacity of terrorist plots, particularly when they are planned and executed to intimidate a global audience in the modern information age.  Click here to read more.

Thousands of Miamians of all faiths and backgrounds are expected to come together to demonstrate their support for Israel in its battle against Hamas terrorists during a Community Solidarity Rally, dubbed “Miami Unites for Israel,” on Thursday, July 31, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The rally will be held at the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center, 18900 Northeast 25^th Avenue, North Miami Beach. Sponsors include the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, its Jewish Community Relations Council and the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami in partnership with the Israeli-American Council, area synagogues, and other Jewish organizations and agencies.

“We are calling on local residents of all faiths and backgrounds to join us, stand together and make their voices heard in support of Israel and its right to defend its citizens from the continuing barrage of Hamas rockets,” said Jacob Solomon, Federation’s President and CEO. “We also will raise our voices against the forces of hatred that have committed recent acts of outrageous anti-Semitism in recent days in our own community and worldwide.”

Rally speakers will include the Honorable Chaim Shacham, Consul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico; Pastor Carlos Ortiz, National Hispanic Coordinator of Christians United for Israel; local clergy and others.

Participants are encouraged to wear blue and white – the colors of the Israeli flag – and bring picnic blankets for the anticipated outdoor event. A variety of educational children’s activities will be offered, along with the opportunity to write letters of support to IDF soldiers and elected officials.

In case of rain, the rally will be moved inside to the Michael-Ann Russell JCC gymnasium

For more information about the event, call 786-866-8486 or email CommunityRelations@JewishMiami.org.

A re-envisioned publishing platform is positioned to radically change eBook publishing by empowering authors to write, design, and sell books on the open web. Readers enjoy an enhanced viewing experience, free of limitations imposed by eReader devices.

PubML™ has three components: a web-based eBook platform, a suite of over-the-top publishing tools, and an educational resource that covers writing, publishing, and book design.

David Bricker, a Miami-based web developer, graphic designer, educator, and author, created PubML™ based on his experiences with publishing, traditional book design, and web design. His new platform offers elegant typography, rich media, and direct access to readers. PubML™ bypasses the traditional “middlemen” associated with eBook production, sales, and distribution.

“PubML™ is the organic foods section of the publishing marketplace,’” Bricker says. “It empowers writers and publishers to produce their own beautiful, engaging, rich media eBooks, and sell them directly to readers.”

PubML™’s publishing tools also export to ePub, the standard eBook format used by popular eBookstores. “Publishers naturally want to offer books through traditional vendors. PubML™ offers an affordable, easy-to-use solution for producing quality eBooks.”

Publishing for Everyman

Consider the following advantages to understand why PubML™ promises to be the next wave in electronic publishing:

• PubML™ is an HTML5-based eBook platform that runs on any up-to-date web browser, including tablets and smart phones. “I’ve smashed the imaginary wall between eBooks and websites,” says Bricker. “EBooks on the free and open Internet make sense for authors, publishers, and readers.”

• The PubML™ suite of powerful, intuitive publishing tools allows anyone to create beautiful, rich media eBooks.

• PubML™ is bundled with expert guidance about writing, book design, and publishing.

• PubML™ authors embed maps, videos and photographs into eBooks without creating clutter. With a click, readers access pop-up footnotes or other media that never interfere with the book-like reading experience.

• PubML™ content is not buried inside a locked eBook file. Every word is easily indexed by search engines, making books easier to find.

• Web-based eBooks can be sold or shared like any other online content. <PubML™ eBooks can be secured behind pay walls or offered as digital downloads.

The PubML™ eBook format is open-source and free to the world. The PubML™ Publishing Tools are available as a WordPress plugin. An annual license fee of $100/year allows a publisher to create up to 12 eBooks. Plans are available for high-volume publishers.

Publishing Straight Talk

PubML™ developer David Bricker writes TheWorldsGreatestBook.com, a popular blog that assists authors with the process of writing, designing, and publishing. “With realistic expectations and proper guidance, self-publishers can produce books that meet or exceed publishing industry standards.”

Bricker has written and published five books, including three novels and The One Hour Guide to Self Publishing. His latest, The Blue Monk, is a colorful memoir of his solo sailing adventures. Specifically adapted to the PubML™ format, the book contains more than 80 maps, 100 photo footnotes, 200 photos, and 300 video clips, none of which bloat the file size or detract from the reading experience.

For more information about PubML™, click here.

To read and experience The Blue Monk, click here. 

Now that Donald Sterling has been banned and fined by the National Basketball Association, perhaps it is the appropriate time to step back from the moral outrage of this episode and take a good look at what the media’s reaction says about ourselves.

With lightening speed, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took action against Sterling because he faced pressure from the public and from the NBA Players Association, which threatened the ongoing, highly lucrative league playoffs.  But where were Silver and his predecessor, David Stern, in 2006 and again in 2009 when Sterling was charged by the Justice Department with discriminatory practices in his real estate business?  For that matter, Sterling had a history of bigoted, on-the-record public comments.  Where was the outrage then?  Why were the media silent?

It took a tawdry TMZ report about a recorded private conversation to generate public ire.  This surreptitious recording captured by Sterling’s publicity-hungry mistress became mainstream news and dominated the mass media for days.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest basketball professionals of all time, may have summed it up best in an Op-Ed article published in Time.  He wrote:

“Shouldn’t we be equally angered by the fact that (Sterling’s) private, intimate conversation was taped and then leaked to the media? Didn’t we just call to task the NSA for intruding into American citizen’s privacy in such an un-American way? Although the impact is similar to Mitt Romney’s comments that were secretly taped, the difference is that Romney was giving a public speech. The making and release of this tape is so sleazy that just listening to it makes me feel like an accomplice to the crime. We didn’t steal the cake but we’re all gorging ourselves on it.”

Yes, Sterling’s comments were despicable and he deserves to be vilified, even banned.  Yet this is the type of news that once would have been dubbed “tabloid journalism” and would never have appeared in respectable news media.  Today, it is a front-page story in every American newspaper and lead story on every broadcast network.

Coverage of this very sad incident says as much about our society as it does about the evils of discrimination.  When prurient interests overpower important societal concerns, it may be time for reassessment of our priorities.