Friends and Neighbors: Haiti Jewish Refugee Project honors Holocaust survivor

- Plaza Construction Golf Invitational to again benefit Miami’s Voices For Children Foundation
- “Around The World in 80 … Minutes!” concert Sunday at the Banyan Bowl in Pinecrest Gardens
- Moonlight Garden Tour at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
BY CHRISTINA MAYO
christinammayo@gmail.com

Miriam Klein Kassenoff was awarded a Tikkun
 Olam Award for her work educating teachers
 about the Holocaust.
 Photo provided to the Miami Herald

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/community-voices/article60814861.html#storylink=cpy

Miriam Klein Kassenoff has made her life’s work teaching about the Holocaust. She learned her own first lessons as a child survivor who fled Nazi Europe with her parents.
Since then she has trained thousands of teachers as an educational specialist of Holocaust Studies for the University of Miami’s School of Education and Human Development and Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
For her passionate work, Klein Kassenoff recently received an important Tikkun Olam Award from the Haiti Jewish Refugee Legacy Project.
“I am humbled by every award that I have received,” Klein Kassenoff said in a release. “But this one took me by surprise. It shows that if you do the work you love rewards will come to you.”
The award is named for a Jewish principle that translates to “repairing the world.” The honor is given to individuals who have made a considerable contribution to do just that.
It is granted by Bill and Harriet Mohr, who are founders and publishers of the Haiti Jewish Refugee Legacy Project, which was established after the 2010 earthquake to gather information about Haiti’s Holocaust history.
Bill Mohr and his family were among 300 Jews who were given refuge by Haiti during the Holocaust.
“We wanted to recognize the outstanding contributions of a wide range of individuals who are working to raise awareness of important issues that need to be addressed in the context of Tikkun Olam,” said Bill and Harriet Mohr in a written statement. “They have moved forward to ‘repair the world’ and from their perspective, take action in ways that have beneficial results for society and can positively impact the general welfare of humanity.”
HELPING CHILDREN
Miami’s Voices For Children Foundation will again be the recipient of a corporate giving event by Plaza Construction, Miami. Last year, the company’s annual Golf Invitational at La Gorce Country Club in Miami Beach raised $150,000 to help abused, abandoned and neglected children in Miami-Dade County.
Plaza Construction’s Southeast Regional President Brad Meltzer presented the check in 2015 to the nonprofit organization. Last year, more than 110 Plaza Construction staff members, clients, subcontractors, and industry leaders played in the tournament, according to the company website.
This year, the Feb. 29 event will mark the 10th annual Golf Invitational and the second year that Voices For Children has been the beneficiary.
The foundation allows the Miami-Dade Guardian ad Litem Program to recruit, train and support volunteers who serve as “Voices” for children in dependency court proceedings. Voices For Children also helps with the children’s medical, educational and social needs.
Plaza Construction dedicates time to helping local and national organizations. Previous recipients of the annual golf tournament have included the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. The company also has sponsored corporate events for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center through its participation in the Dolphin Cycling Challenge.
To learn how to become a volunteer with the Guardian ad Litem Program, visit www.weareguardians.org and to help Voices For Children, visit http://beavoice.org/.
CONCERT OF WORLD MUSIC
Enjoy a grand selection of music from around the world at the next Greater Miami Symphonic Band concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Banyan Bowl in Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 Red Rd.
Bring friends and family members to the “Around The World in 80 … Minutes!” concert featuring classical and popular music from England, France, Korea, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Norway, Russia, Spain and more.
Tickets are $15 for adults, and $5 for students and children over age 5. Buy advance tickets online at www.gmsb.org/ticketsconcerts.html or at the box office day of the show. Admission includes admittance to the gardens one hour before the concert. South Florida-based musicians started the GMSB in 1979. The mission of the group is to keep alive the great American tradition of community concerts, and “to provide audiences with high quality symphonic band music, to highlight the diversity of wind band repertoire in performance, and to give regional musicians a gratifying artistic experience.”
STARGAZING AT VIZCAYA
Here’s your chance to see the stars from Vizcaya’s “backyard” following the museum’s next scheduled Moonlight Garden Tour on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The tour starts at 6:30 p.m. and the Southern Cross Astronomical Society members will have their high-tech equipment set up on the bayside plaza starting at 7 p.m.
You can experience Vizcaya at night only four times a year through a Moonlight Garden Tour. Tickets are $20 for nonmembers and $15 for members, students and seniors, and are available on-site only from 6 to 8 p.m. on the evening of the program. Note: the main house is not open during these tours.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is at 3251 S. Miami Ave. For more go to http://vizcaya.org/programs-moonlightgarden-tours.asp
The Astros also have a free family fun night scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at Fruit & Spice Park, 24801 S.W. 187th Ave., Homestead.
Enjoy moonlight tram rides, and a campfire. SCAS members will set up their high-tech telescopes to focus on the brilliant winter night sky in the dark outback of the park. Bring chairs and blankets, and your own binoculars and telescopes. Bug repellent is recommended. Call 305-247-5727.
WALK FOR THE ANIMALS
Remember to get out for a fun time to support our furry friends at the next big event hosted by the Humane Society of Greater Miami. More than 3,000 animal lovers gather, with and without their dogs, to help the homeless and abandoned animals of our community.
Registration for the Walk For The Animals starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Miami’s Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd. The one-mile stroll begins at 10 a.m.
You will enjoy a morning filled with fun activities, entertainment and yummy snacks. There also will be the Adoption Center where local rescue groups will bring their puppies, kittens, dogs and cats to help them find a forever home.
To register online for this caring event, go to www.humanesocietymiami.org or call 305-749-1822.
GROWING HERBS
Tropical Fruit & Spice Park is offering a class “Growing Herbs in South Florida” conducted by Carolyne Coppolo, owner of Red-Land Herb Farm. The class is 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at 24801 SW 187 Ave. Cost is $25.
The class will give tips on winning the battle of heat, humidity, pests and diseases using organic methods. Learn about soil mixtures, fertilizers, and pesticides to use on herbs. A large selection of herbs will be on display and can be purchased after the class. To register, call 305-247-5727 or call Coppolo at 305-246-5825 or email redlandfarm@bellsouth.net.
If you have news for this column, please send it to Christina Mayo at christinammayo@gmail.com.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/community-voices/article60814861.html#storylink=cpy