January 2023 News:
Our caucus is planning for the coming year. We will be having our first Board of Directors Election on January 29th at 3PM. Ione Townsend, the Chair of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party will be our guest speaker. This is a very important meeting so don't forget to mark your calendar for the event. Please register for location details.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
February 2023 News:
Our caucus has elected a new board. President: Stephen Shaiken
Vice-President: Marlene B Rubin
Secretary: Becky Ferrell-Anton
Treasurer: Christopher Radulich
At-Large Members: Merle Berg, Julianne Jodi Cohen, Patricia A Cohn, Pamela Fisher, Eddie Geller, Bonni Tandet
Bonni Tandet, Julianne Jodi Cohen and Marlene B Rubin manage our Facebook group.
Pamela Fisher (your's truly) manages our chapter website.
Join us for our February meeting on Sunday, February 26th, at 3 PM. Our special guest is Congresswoman, Kathy Castor.
Ms. Castor has been representing us in the 14th district since 2006, the first woman to ever represent our area! She has had key roles on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and she was the chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
Please join us to hear updates about what is happening in Congress and ask your own questions of our representative. If you have never met Ms. Castor in person, know that she is a great speaker and a delightful person with whom to interact. Register via Mobilize.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
March 2023 News:
It's hard to believe, but we started accepting Jewish Caucus Memberships just about a year ago. Please don't put off renewing your membership!
Join us for our March meeting on Sunday, March 26th, at 3 PM.
The Jewish Caucus's March meeting will focus on the topic of refugees. Passover is coming, so it's the perfect time to talk about refugees.
Our guest speaker is Dr. Robbie Baer, Professor Emerita from USF. Dr. Baer is an anthropologist and has many years' experience working with refugees and asylees. You will be fascinated by her knowledge of the US's immigration "system," challenges, and needs. Also, you will learn about our very extensive refugee/asylee communities right here in the Tampa Bay area.
This event is in-person, but you can also participate through Facebook Live. Let us know if you need help figuring out how to connect with us.
Register via Mobilize.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
April 2023 News:
Happy Passover and Easter to all our members and friends.
It's hard to believe, but we started accepting Jewish Caucus Memberships just about a year ago. Please don't put off renewing your membership!
Join us for our April meeting on Sunday, April 30th, at 3 PM .
This month, we are talking about Anti-Semitism. Antisemitic attacks, harassment, and other incidents are on the rise across the nation —and especially in Florida. At the University of South Florida, Jewish students and Jewish groups are witnessing increased hostility, with threats, slurs, vandalism,. and protests. Come listen as Sylvie Feinsmith (USF Hillel Program Director) discusses the threats and fears the students face at USF and how they are responding.
Note that this meeting may contain graphic subject matter.
This event is in-person, but you can also participate through Facebook Live. Let us know if you need help figuring out how to connect with us.
Register via Mobilize.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
May 2023 News:
Our guest speaker in April, Sylvie Feinsmith from USF Hillel, was fabulous! She talked about the challenges and many interesting programs happening at USF Hillel. Did you know they make ice cream in-house every week and welcome students of all faiths to come enjoy it? That’s just one of the many cool things happening right here at USF. If anyone is interested in supporting their programming, you can make a donation HERE.
Our May meeting is on Sunday, May 21, at 3 PM. Doors open at 2:30, so come shmooze and nosh before the meeting starts. We’ll be done by 4:30.
Our speakers for May are Scott Hottenstein and Stephanie Vanos, speaking about the state of public education in Florida. Scott is the President of the Democratic Public Education Caucus ofFlorida, and Stephanie is Chair of the Help Out Public Education (HOPE)political committee. They will share information about the issues facing public education, as well as their efforts to elect pro-public school candidates in 2024. Register via Mobilize
(If you want to join via Facebook Live, be sure to join our Facebook group before the meeting - use the little f button at the bottom of this email. And, note that the sound is best if you listen from a cell phone. Computers don’t seem to broadcast at an adequate volume.)
This event is in-person, but you can also participate through
Facebook Live. Let us know if you need help figuring out how to connect with us.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
June 2023 News:
Our guest speakers in May, Scott Hottenstein and Stephanie Vanos, were great. They spoke about the state of public education in Florida. It was a an extremely informative meeting!
Our June meeting is on Sunday, May 25, at 3 PM. Doors open at 2:30, so come shmooze and nosh before the meeting starts. We’ll be done by 4:30.
Our speaker for June is Robin Lockett, from Florida Rising. Ms. Lockett will talk about voter turnout - finding our voters and encouraging them to vote. Florida Rising is a group that organizes multi-racial movements to win elections, change laws, and create a state where everyone can be safe, happy, healthy and whole.
Register via Mobilize
(If you want to join via Facebook Live, be sure to join our Facebook group before the meeting - use the little f button at the bottom of this email. And, note that the sound is best if you listen from a cell phone. Computers don’t seem to broadcast at an adequate volume.)
This event is in-person, but you can also participate through
Facebook Live. Let us know if you need help figuring out how to connect with us.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
July 2023 News:
Our July meeting is on Sunday, July 30, at 3 PM. Doors open at 2:30, so come shmooze and nosh before the meeting starts. We’ll be done by 4:30.
Our speaker for July is Anna Eskamani. Ms. Eskamani is from Orlando, the daughter of working class immigrants, and a UCF graduate. She was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018, representing the North Orlando area (District 42), and reelected subsequently. Currently Ms. Eskamani is the Democratic ranking member of The Ways & Means Committee. She will discuss the new legislation that has been passed and what we can do to advocate for change.
We will meet in person and via zoom. The link for zoom will be sent after you register.
Register via Mobilize
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
August 2023 News:
As we head into the last days of summer, here’s all the news you need to proceed as active Jewish Democrats:
At our last meeting, we heard from the dynamic Anna Eskamani, State Representative from the Orlando area. If our party has a future in this state, she is certainly a big part of it. If you missed the meeting, make sure to watch for future opportunities to hear her speak.
Other news: Just recently, our caucus sent a representative to a Kathy Castor thank-you fundraiser. This event was hosted by AIPAC and included some of our Democratic elected officials such as Andrew Warren and Ben Diamond (former congressman from Pinellas County). Kathy Castor has taken strong positions in support of Israel, and the crowd was very supportive of her. We made some good contacts and had some great conversations (welcome to the newsletter, New Friends of the Caucus!).
AUGUST MEETING INFORMATION
Our next meeting features Rocky Brancato, COO for our local Public Defender’s office. Mr. Brancato has been with the Public Defender’s office for 20 years, and he also chairs the Circuit 13 Juvenile Justice Advisory Board. He serves on the board of directors of DUI Counterattack and the Hillsborough Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (HCACDL). He is past vice chair of the Safe and Sound Hillsborough Youth and Gun Violence Committee, and he is a past member of the board of directors for the Pace Center forGirls, Hillsborough. Mr. Brancato will be speaking about criminal justice reform from the perspective of one who represents indigent defendants.
The meeting will be Sunday, August 27 at the HCDEC offices in Temple Terrace (13220 N 56th St. Temple Terrace, FL 33617) and also available via Facebook Live. Join our Facebook group (click the little f at the bottom of this email to join), and the video will pop up automatically at the scheduled time.) If you want a ride, let us know so we can find someone coming from near your home.
If you are joining us in person, note that the doors open at 2:30 for shmoozing and snacks, and the meeting starts promptly at 3:00.
RSVP Here
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
October 2023 News:
Happy New Year and welcome, Fall! As we head into the busy season for holidays and events, here’s the news from your Jewish Caucus:
Our Sukkot membership social was great! Thanks to everyone who came out. We hope everyone will consider becoming a member of the caucus (or renewing their memberships if they have expired). The link to join is here– and it’s only $36 per person or $54 per couple. You can also make a one-time donation to the caucus at any time. The funds go to support our activities, and once we have enough, they will go to support Democrat candidates through the HCDEC. We recently celebrated our first year as a caucus, and we are excited about our growth and opportunities to help elect good Democrats!
Our next meeting is October 29, 3 PM, at the HCDEC offices in Temple Terrace (and streaming on our Facebook page). Our guest speaker is Mariella Smith, former Hillsborough County Commissioner. Mariella will speak about the issues facing our county, how the current (R-majority 
) commission is handling things, and what we can do to improve our county going forward.
Our next big event is our SECOND ANNUAL CHANUKAH PARTY! It will be held on December 10 from 4-6 PM at the Neuman Cigar Company. We are so excited to be able to use this beautiful space to celebrate Chanukah with our fellow Democrats.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.
October 2023 News:
Happy New Year and welcome, Fall! As we head into the busy season for holidays and events, here’s the news from your Jewish Caucus:
Our Sukkot membership social was great! Thanks to everyone who came out. We hope everyone will consider becoming a member of the caucus (or renewing their memberships if they have expired). The link to join is here– and it’s only $36 per person or $54 per couple. You can also make a one-time donation to the caucus at any time. The funds go to support our activities, and once we have enough, they will go to support Democrat candidates through the HCDEC. We recently celebrated our first year as a caucus, and we are excited about our growth and opportunities to help elect good Democrats!
Our next meeting is October 29, 3 PM, at the HCDEC offices in Temple Terrace (and streaming on our Facebook page). Our guest speaker is Mariella Smith, former Hillsborough County Commissioner. Mariella will speak about the issues facing our county, how the current (R-majority ) commission is handling things, and what we can do to improve our county going forward.
Our next big event is our SECOND ANNUAL CHANUKAH PARTY! It will be held on December 10 from 4-6 PM at the Neuman Cigar Company. We are so excited to be able to use this beautiful space to celebrate Chanukah with our fellow Democrats.
REMINDERS: If you have not formally joined the caucus, you can do so here. If you aren’t following our Facebook group, you can find us at Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.