Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on March 8, 2015

A ceasefire is set to begin Sunday in Ukraine, but the Jewish community has been hard hit during the long-running conflict. A synagogue was recently firebombed by pro-Russian insurgents. On Monday, two rockets hit a major Jewish welfare center that serves over 560 elderly and poor people daily.

Yaakov Bleich, the chief rabbi of the Ukraine, has called out Russia on anti-Semitism and violence. He will join honorary guest Rabbi Marc Schneier in a conversation about Crisis in Ukraine: Jews Under Siege at 10:30 a.m., toward the end of the 8:30 a.m. Shabbat services Saturday at New Synagogue of Palm Beach, 235 Sunrise Ave. Kiddush will follow.

They will discuss the crisis and its impact on the Jewish community. It is not only economic but also humanitarian, resulting in food shortages, the suspension of public transportation, a surge in fear (especially among the elderly), and the need to intensify security, said Schneier, who counts Crimea as a sister city to The Hampton Synagogue he founded in New York.

There is a sensitivity on the part of the Jewish community about what our brothers and sisters are enduring, said Schneier, noting that more than 300,000 Jews live in the Ukraine, the fifth largest Jewish community in the world. Historically, it has survived anti-Jewish pogroms under the czars, the Holocaust and Communist-Jewish oppression.

I believe that the rabbis presence in Palm Beach will really bring added meaning and understanding to what the community is now facing.

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Trio of choirs Three choirs will unite at Royal Poinciana Chapel, 60 Cocoanut Row, to perform sacred and secular music from around the world.

The concert, at 7:30 p.m. March 5, will feature the Stetson University Concert Choir, as well as the Bak Middle School of the Arts Chorale, led by Ken Taylor, and the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts Singers, conducted by Arlene Sparks.

The 60-voice Stetson ensemble, directed by Timothy Peter, will sing compositions by Hans Leo Hassler, Claude Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg, Knut Nystedt, Ko Matsushita and Stephen Paulus. The concert will conclude with all three choirs singing America the Beautiful.

Admission is free.

See the article here:

Synagogue to host chief rabbi from Ukraine

Category: Synagogue
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