Rhode Islanders gather in Florida to support the Alliance

Donald and Bonnie Dwares

On Feb. 8, the Jewish Alliance gathered a group of Rhode Islanders for a cocktail party hosted by Stephen and Diana Lewinstein in Palm Beach, Florida. The participants were captivated by the story of Leonid Feldman, who was born in the former Soviet Union and experienced violent anti-Semitism from teachers, neighbors and government officials. In fact, he did not know he was a Jew until his first day of kindergarten when his teacher called him a liar for telling the class that he was a Soviet citizen.

As a young man he went on a hunger strike in order to escape from Russia, and after imprisonment with violent criminals, he was finally allowed to emigrate to Israel. He is now the rabbi of Temple Beth El in Palm Beach and has shared his story all over the world. 

Sharon Gaines, chair of the board, thanked the group for its generous support of the Alliance and its continued loyalty to the Jewish community in Rhode Island. Mitzi Berkelhammer, vice chair of philanthropy, announced that the Annual Campaign has raised $2.75 million to date, but cautioned that the campaign is far from over. Jeffrey Savit, president and CEO of the Alliance gave an update on recent Alliance activities. To learn more about how you can support the Jewish Alliance, contact Trine Lustig, vice president of philanthropy at tlustig@jewishallianceri.org.