Page 6 - The Jewish Voice - July '21

Page 6, The Jewish Voice

Local Happenings from page 5

Temple Israel Reopens This Can Happen

Temple Israel is thrilled to announce that it has reopened Rabbi Dovid Vigler of Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
its sanctuary doors to its members and overall community recently offered This Can Happen, a six-session course by
for worship services on Friday evenings. Services are led by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) that addressed a
Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin with artist-in-residence Peri Smilow and pressing question: Will the current situation get any better?
pianist David Block. Safety protocols are in place including
limited capacity, mask-wearing, social distancing, and
intensified disinfecting. Virtual services will continue for
those who wish to worship remotely.

Photo credit Carol Anne Albee

Alpert JFS Board President Zelda Mason (center) presents
awards to Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews’
Chair John C. “Skip” Randolph and Vice Chair Margaret
“Maggie” Zeidman.

“Skip and Maggie lead the efforts of the grassroots
organization dedicated to promoting fellowship,
understanding, and respect among all religions and cultures,
to build bridges and open doors to better communication
and mutual respect,” said Mason. “Because they care, our
community is a better place for people of all ages, faiths,
and backgrounds. Their actions of living the concepts of
respectful and civil dialogue are inspiring and enlightening.”
Randolph joined the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians
Chabad of PBG Hires Director and Jews 27 years ago, becoming chair of the organization a
year later. His motivation was the intolerance, antisemitism,
of Development and unjust discrimination he witnessed within the local
community and elsewhere, which was the total opposite of “Many people nurse this idea that matters are getting
Batya Lis ker the organization’s mission. A practicing attorney specializing progressively worse, and — fostered by much hysterical
has joined Chabad in governmental law, land use, and zoning in Palm Beach media and general dialogue — an environment of fear
of Palm Beach County, Skip is the attorney for the towns of Palm Beach, and despair is all too rampant,” said Rabbi Dovid Vigler,
Gardens as director Jupiter Island, and Gulfstream, Florida. He has served as the JLI Instructor in Palm Beach Gardens. “Exploring the
of development. president of the Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adults science of world history and looking at the actual facts
She is a respected in Palm Beach, and is a past-president of the Royal Poinciana paint an eye-opening picture, one that can provide real,
professional and board of directors, the Zoological Society of the Palm practical hope.”
dynamic leader in the Beaches, and the Florida Municipal Attorneys’ Association, Students enrolled in the course embarked on a journey
Chabad and broader which awarded him the Paul S. Buchman Attorney of the that explored one of the most misunderstood and maligned
Jewish community, Year Award in 2006. Skip has been listed in “Best Lawyers topics in the Jewish canon — the future redemption.
with a strong record in America,” the South Florida Legal Guide Top Lawyers, This Can Happen presented audiences with an
of accomplishments in elevating and advancing Jewish Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and Palm Beach Illustrated’s Top opportunity to appreciate what Judaism really means
institutions on both global and local levels. Lawyers. when it talks about a “Messiah.” Considering that, for
In her new role, Lisker will manage a broad portfolio of Zeidman was elected president of the Palm Beach Town many in the modern world, utopian visions of world
responsibilities, primarily involving developing connections Council in 2016. A resident of Palm Beach for 18 years, she peace and endless bounty sound like the stuff of fairy
with as many local Jewish residents as possible. The goal is was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Palm Beach tales, this course summoned the sources and data to dispel
to ensure that every single Jew in Palm Beach Gardens has Fellowship of Christians & Jews and subsequently elected such primitive notions and educate audiences that the
a strong spiritual connection to the Jewish community. vice chair. Maggie has participated in numerous other civic Messianic era is a deep, broad climax to the entire story
Lisker served as executive assistant to Rabbi Yehuda and charitable efforts, including but not limited to Catholic of the universe.
Krinsky, chairman of Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters Charities Health and Wellness, St. Edward Guild, the Palm The subtitle of This Can Happen — A Credible Case
for the past 12 years. She played a vital role in ensuring Beach Civic Association, and the Preservation Foundation. for Feeling Good About the Future — is indicative of an
streamlined operations of the organization in over 5,500 Well known for her expertise in the field of cardiovascular approach to the topic that is particularly timely. “Recent
Chabad educational and community centers in more than nursing, Maggie was previously the director of nursing at events have put so many on the edge, and the longer matters
100 countries. She successfully developed and directed Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She is a member of drag on the louder the voice of helplessness becomes,”
Chabad international initiatives providing opportunities for Sigma Theta Tau and has been published in nursing textbooks explained JLI’s Rabbi Naftali Silberberg. “If we can make
Jewish education, leadership, and the necessary resources and professional journals. Maggie also held the position of — as stated in our title — a ‘credible case’ to be optimistic
for community-building. She represented Chabad’s clinical director at Barnum and Souza, a New York-based about times ahead, that is remarkably edifying.”
global interests at UN functions and other venues forging marketing firm. She has been recognized by the American
new contacts for Chabad. She guided the founding and Heart Association, Critical Care Nurses Association, and the Local Happenings on page 7
development of new Chabad educational institutions to University of Miami as a leader in health care.
address the comprehensive needs of the universal Jewish
community and to help Jewish people enjoy a richer, more
meaningful Jewish life experience.
She is the founding principal of the Chabad Girls’
High School in Los Angeles, which she directed for 18
years. A committed and inspirational veteran educator with
over 25 years of experience, she is skilled in large-scale
administration. She fostered positive collaborative school
cultures with diverse student communities while mentoring
and inspiring a large staff.

In-Person Presentation,
Delayed by COVID-19, Made

to Leadership of Palm Beach

Fellowship of Christians &
Jews

Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service Board
President Zelda Mason recently presented awards to Palm
Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews’ John C. “Skip”
Randolph and Margaret “Maggie” Zeidman, chair and
vice chair, respectively, who were honored at the virtual
2nd Annual “Never Again” Holocaust Survivors Benefit
in December 2020. They were recognized for their work
throughout the community by promoting – and living – the
concepts of respectful dialogue and civil interaction among
people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds.