Editorials ..................................... 4A Op-Ed .......................................... 5A Calendar ...................................... 6A Scene Around ............................. 9A Synagogue Directory ................ 11A News Briefs ............................... 13A WWW.HERITAGEFL.COM YEAR 44, NO. 35 MAY 1, 2020 7 IYYAR, 5780 ORLANDO, FLORIDA SINGLE COPY 75¢ $80M earmarked for nonprofits (JNS)—Seven Jewish organizations to maintain foundations joined togeth- services and/or make payroll er to launch the Jewish in the coming three to six Community Response and months. Impact Fund, which will The loan program will provide more than $80 mil- be based at the Nonprofit lion in interest-free loans Finance Fund, which will and grants as thousands act as the loan fund admin- of Jewish nonprofit orga- istrator and lender of record. nizations are experiencing It will also partner with unprecedented needs due to the Jewish Federations of the coronavirus pandemic. North America, which will The challenges have af- source and recommend loan fected every sector of Jewish applications. Shira Hutt, communal life, including or- JFNA Chief of Staff and an ganizational closures, staff experienced nonprofit and layoffs, canceled programs, philanthropic professional, a pivot to online education, is serving as JFNA’s liaison an anticipated increase in fi- to the program. JFNA will nancial-aid needs, a decrease work with key national in fundraising and and other Jewish networks, including Miriam Alster/Flash90 operational interruptions. members of the National Election posters hung by the Blue and White Party show candidate Benny Gantz and Likud candidate, Israeli Prime “We have seen firsthand Emergency Coalition, as Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Feb. 18, 2020. the acute challenges Jew- well as independent Jewish ish organizations across nonprofits, to source loan the country are facing,” applicants. said JCRIF’s funders, which The aligned grant pro- Ins and outs of Israel’s unprecedented include the Aviv Founda- gram will provide a combina- tion, the Charles and Lynn tion of emergency funding Schusterman Family Foun- for immediate needs and national emergency unity government dation, the Jack, Joseph and strategic funding to ad- Morton Mandel Foundation, dress organizational and By Dov Lipman Both leaders posted tweets upon the at the right time. We need unity to deal the Jim Joseph Foundation, sector-wide shifts catalyzed signing. Netanyahu wrote that the deal with the country’s health and economic Maimonides Fund, the Paul by the crisis. The program (JNS)—Israel’s 15-month political is a fulfillment of his promise to form a challenges.” E. Singer Foundation and seeks to provide an efficient, stalemate, which led to three election “national emergency government that The unity deal, which is structured the Wilf Family Foundation. simplified and accelerated cycles within the course of a year, has will work to save lives and the livelihoods as six months of an “emergency govern- “While this fund alone application and reporting come to a close with the signing of a of the citizens of Israel.” Gantz tweeted ment” to be followed by a more permanent cannot address all of those system for both applicants unity government deal between Israeli that “we prevented a fourth election. one, established Netanyahu as prime challenges, we believe that and grant recipients. It will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, We will protect democracy. We will fight minister for the first 18 months, during investing together in these supplement each founda- head of the Likud Party, and Blue and the coronavirus and care for all Israeli which Gantz will be Vice Prime Minister vital pillars of Jewish life tion’s current grantmaking White Party head Benny Gantz. The two citizens.” and Minister of Defense, followed by will help ensure a stronger to Jewish organizations. sides are calling it a “national emergency Knesset member Yariv Levin, lead Gantz taking over the premiership for future for American Jewry To create an efficient government” in large part to manage negotiator for the Likud now slated to 18 months, during which Netanyahu in the months and years to process that ensures quick the ongoing coronavirus crisis, which serve as Speaker of the Knesset in the will be Vice Prime Minister. come,” they said. turnaround and deployment has stymied Israel along with the rest new government, told JNS that “this JCRIF includes two com- of resources, both programs of the world. emergency government is the right thing Unity on page 15A ponents: a loan program and will proactively source fund- an aligned grant program. ing opportunities rather The loan program will pro- than accept unsolicited pro- vide short-term unsecured posals. The fund welcomes Israeli startup can predict loans to alleviate cash flow additional investors. the spread of Covid-19 challenges and to enable By Brian Blum of the virus with uncanny precision and generating Heritage Human (ISRAEL21c)—Israelis re- actionable recommendations. ceiving daily coronavirus “Last Saturday night, we check-ins via text message can saw worrying data coming Service Award thank local startup Diagnos- from Migdal HaEmek, Ti- tic Robotics for developing the berias and Ashkelon,” Kira Heritage Florida Jewish award are individuals who cutting-edge questionnaire Radinsky, the company’s co- News is accepting nomina- do not look for recognition, that is tracking the spread founder and chief technology tions for the 2020 Heritage but perform tikkun olam— officer, told ISRAEL21c. “On Human Service Award, which repairing the world—out of Monday morning, the govern- will be presented at the an- internal motivation.” ment issued a lockdown order nual meeting of the Jewish Nominations should be in those cities.” Federation of Greater Orlando emailed to news@orlando- Diagnostic Robotics has in August. heritage.com with the subject sent its questionnaire to mil- “For more than 30 years, Human Service Award, or lions of Israelis, including individuals who have made typed on 8 1/2” x 11” paper some 2,000 Covid-19 patients. major, voluntary contribu- and sent by mail to Heritage Some 80 percent of recipients tions of their talent, time, Florida Jewish News, Human answer it. energy and effort to the Service Award, 207 O’Brien “People understand the A heat map showing areas of Israel most affected by Central Florida community Road, Suite 101, Fern Park, importance of accurate data Covid-19 on April 13, 2019. have been honored with the FL 32730. Included should for Covid-19 treatment,” selection and presentation of be the name and phone Radinsky explained. she had just received her PhD predict disasters including this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, number of the nominee, a The company is now “work- from the Technion (in which disease outbreaks, violence editor and publisher of the documented list of his or her ing on a media campaign to she enrolled when she was and natural catastrophes. Heritage. Last year’s recipi- accomplishments, and the help raise awareness even just 15 years old) and was The algorithms successfully ent was Dick Weiner. Former name and phone number of more and keep the numbers starting her own company, predicted cholera outbreaks recipients have included the nominator(s). high.” SalesPredict. in Angola and Cuba. Stuart Farb (2010)), Burt The Heritage is accepting Technion all-star team SalesPredict was bought by Radinsky’s years at eBay Chasnov (2008), and Bob nominations until Friday, Diagnostic Robotics is eBay in 2016 and Radinsky was were focused not on disease Yarmuth (2004). June 26. based on a decade of research named eBay’s director of data but rather on predicting which According to Gaeser, “Each by the 33-year-old Ukrainian- science and chief scientist in customers would buy which recipient chose their own born Radinsky, one of Israel’s Israel. She left eBay to cofound items. When the opportunity path, but made considerable top tech stars. Diagnostic Robotics last year. arose to get back into the and long-lasting contribu- When ISRAEL21c first At the Technion, Radin- tions to the Jewish commu- wrote about Radinsky in 2013, sky developed software to Startup on page 15A nity. Nominees for the 2020 PAGE 2A HERITAGE FLORIDA JEWISH NEWS, MAY 1, 2020 An update on The Roth Family JCC “These are interesting On Monday, May 4, the camp, as long as we can do so times, with things changing majority of the ECLC lead in a safe manner,” Dvorchik on a daily basis and so much teachers, assistant teachers, stated. The JCC camp director more that is unknown than is and specialists will be back and assistant camp director known,” said Keith Dvorchik, on the job. Throughout the began working last week to de- CEO of The Roth Family JCC month of May, the ECLC staff termine how to hold Camp J. as he shared some things the will be training on operational Both the CDC and the JCC is working on. and procedural changes while American Camping Associa- Getting back to work preparing to address the needs tion will be issuing guidelines slowly of its children and families in early May that the JCC The Roth Family JCC has after the extended closure. staff will incorporate into the received Paycheck Protection “We will be reviewing the preparations to ensure a safe Program funding and because CDC guidelines and making and healthy camp experience. of this, they can bring back the sure everyone is fully trained Dvorchik explained that it staff in a “strategic fashion,” and well-versed on what the is too early to commit to an according to Dvorchik. new reality will look like when official opening date, how- On April 27, the ECLC we reopen our doors,” Dvor- ever he said the JCC staff are supervisors, JCC department chik wrote in the newsletter. working hard to ensure the directors and accounting staff Camp J JCC can reopen as soon as it remotely went back to work.