(PRESS RELEASE)_Boca Raton, FL – The 2021 Virtual Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival (BRJFF) presented by the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC Sandler Center will continue through May 16, 2021. Film aficionados still have time to enjoy the flexibility and convenience of exploring Jewish-themed films from around the world, ranging from historical dramas to documentaries—all from the comfort and safety of their own homes. BRJFF includes insightful Q&A webinars with filmmakers, cast members, and community lecturers, as well as the opportunity to view the film up to 72 hours after its scheduled time. Since January, the Festival has featured over 50 premiere films and 24 webinars, and is considered one of the largest virtual Jewish/Israeli Film Festivals in the country. With laugh-out-loud comedies, and dramatic and political documentaries remaining to be screened, the Festival provides audiences the chance to expand their awareness and understanding of the Jewish world. Not-to-be-missed films screening in May include: Kubrick by Kubrick premieres in Palm Beach County from May 1 – May 7 features a trove of never-before-heard audio recordings and is a cinematic essay on the methods and madness of master director Stanley Kubrick. The Invisible Line premieres in Palm Beach County from May 2 – May 8 and reflects on the social experiment in fascism conducted by California high school history teacher Ron Jones. The test to sample the experience of the attraction and rise of the Nazis in Germany before World War II immediately spun out of control and ultimately lead to trauma and regret. This documentary serves as a teaching tool to facilitate discussion of those uncomfortable topics of history, human nature, psychology, charismatic leaders, group behavior, intolerance and hate. Portrayal follows Roman Lapshin across three continents and five nations as he puts together the pieces of a mysterious puzzle surrounding the troubling origins of thousands of missing pieces of artwork painted by his grandfather. The film premieres in Palm Beach County from May 8 – May 11 and includes a Q&A on May 10 at 7pm with Director Billie Mintz and Roman Lapshin. Who Will Remain documents the journey of Israeli actress Hadas Kalderon as she travels to Lithuania to gain a better understanding of her grandfather Avrom Sutzkever, who was described by the New York Times as the “greatest poet of the Holocaust.” The film screens May 9 – 15. Last Picture Show In Bucharest, is a film about a theme as old as the world: revenge. The true story of Eliahu Berkovitch, also known as Tony Nelson, is cut in the tragic cloth of life itself. The film screens May 11-13. Tango Shalom, the Festival’s closing film screens from May 14 – May 16 and is a heart-pumping, heartwarming film that comes from the makers My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The film tests the bonds of family and community, and the bounds of tolerance and faith, all while telling the story of a Hasidic Rabbi and amateur Hora dancer as they enter a big, televised Tango competition to save his Hebrew school from bankruptcy. The filmmakers and cast will offer behind-the-scenes insights during a cast party on May 16 at 2pm. A full program guide including dates, showtimes, trailers, a synopsis of each film, and Q&As are available on http://bocaff.org/. Individual tickets range from $4.99-$12 and film pass packages range from $59-$299 (prices are per household); tickets and packages are available for purchase online at bocajff.org. Movie rentals can be enjoyed on various platforms by downloading the Eventive TV app which is available on Apple TV, Roku, Firestick, Chromecast among others. For more information on film passes and packages, or how to stream from various devices, contact Lisa Barash at [email protected] or call 561-558-2514. The Levis JCC Sandler Center is located at 21050 95th Avenue S. in Boca Raton. Check out these special offers for Mother's Day from Discover the Palm Beaches: "There’s a good chance that Mother’s Day was a little different last year, so make her feel especially pampered in 2021. This selection of sumptuous hotel packages, festive dining experiences, gift ideas, and outdoor and indoor experiences will delight any mother and make this year’s festivities unforgettable." GO HERE TO VIEW THE DEALS (PRESS RELEASE)_(Boca Raton, FL – April 23, 2021) With the whole world battling the current pandemic, two extraordinary musicians from Boca Raton have come together to write and record the inspirational COVID-19 BLUES. Deborah Silver, #1 Billboard jazz vocalist, and Dennis Lambert, the 12-time GRAMMY nominated songwriter, are today releasing a celebrity-packed remix of the recording with 100 percent of all sales going to The Actors Fund (https://actorsfund.org) and Jazz Foundation of America (https://jazzfoundation.org). “The music community has been hit particularly hard by this pandemic, and both charitable organizations are currently helping those in our industry who are struggling with COVID, so this is our way to support fellow artists and many others during this difficult time,” says Silver, who came up with this concept during her 58 days of isolation while recovering from the virus. Hailed by Quincy Jones for her “strong and sultry vocals (that) are seductive and soul-soothing,” Silver is the 2020 Broadway World Best Commercial Recording Award Winner, whose best-selling albums include Glitter and Grits, The Gold Standards and Pure Silver. LISTEN TO A SAMPLE SONG: “Our goal is to have musicians and performers across all genres record the COVID-19 BLUES for distribution on all music platforms with an accompanying video,” adds Lambert, who has helmed hit records for The Four Tops, Dusty Springfield, Glen Campbell, and more.
Among the artists who have donated their time and talent to perform on the remix are Tony Orlando, Melissa Manchester, Tom Wopat, Billy Gilman, Susan Anton, Casey Abrams, Siedah Garrett, Lisa Fisher, Allan Harris, Melissa Errico, the Sharpe Family Singers, Bernard Fowler, Daniel Emmet, Nita Whitaker, Luba Mason, Tony Tavares, Chubby Tavares, J.D. Nicholas, N’Kenge, and Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. In addition, many members of the general public—especially healthcare workers—contributed video segments to this remix of COVID-19 BLUES, with clips coming from Key West to India. Also heard on the recording are drummer Steve Jordan, Alan Palanker on keyboards, guitarist Ray Parker Jr., bass player Leland Sklar, Tom Scott on horns, and Mickey Raphael, who has been Willie Nelson’s harmonica player for nearly a half-century. This new remix of COVID-19 BLUES is now accessible through such streaming services as Spotify, Apple Music, deezer, and Tidal by visiting https://orcd.co/covid19bluesremix. The new video version will be out next week. How to Donate: + Online: Visit www.jazzfoundation.org. Please designate your gift for “COVID-19 BLUES/Deborah Silver and Dennis Lambert.” + By Mail: Send a check payable to “Jazz Foundation of America” to: Jazz Foundation of America 247 West 37th Street, Suite 201 New York, NY 20018 Memo: “COVID-19 BLUES/Deborah Silver and Dennis Lambert.” (PRESS RELEASE)_West Palm Beach, FL (April 22, 2021) — Local children’s charities received $280,000 in grants today from The Children’s Foundation of Palm Beach County through its “Partnership” initiative. Five charities received $50,000 grants and an additional six charities received grants of $5,000 each. The Partnership is an annual initiative started by the Children’s Foundation of Palm Beach County, in which interested individuals or organizations are invited to purchase a “share” for $500. Each “share” represents a vote to select grant recipients. Eleven local children’s charities competed for the winning grants to support specific programs. Part of this year’s fund raising was an initiative, Grandkids Give Back. Grandparents purchased shares for their grandchildren, and asked them to review the proposed grants and choose the ones that resonated with them. This helped kids at an early age to recognize and understand the many needs in their community and how they can be part of fixing them. The grant recipients were announced on April 21 during a Facebook Live event. The $50,000 grant recipients are: A Place of Hope will provide meals for children residing at their campuses for four months. The Fuller Center/Caridad the grant will support one of the many educational and health related projects that meet the needs of the children and families who count on both organizations. Jewish Adoption & Foster Care Options will provide all the children living on the campus with computers and enhanced network infrastructure to continue with virtual school. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital will provide 750 critical therapy sessions for children who have long term degenerative medical conditions that require continuing physical care. Sweet Dream Makers will supply 200 children with beds who are now sleeping on the floor, a sofa, sharing a bed with siblings. Grants of $5,000 were presented to: Boca Helping Hands, to provide six weekend meals to local children through its Back-Pack Food Distribution Program. Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County to send underserved kids to one week of sleep-away camp. Center for Family Services the S.A.F.E. Kids Program, will treat children from various forms of abuse and/or violence. Education Foundation of Palm Beach County will provide backpacks and all the school supplies needed for an entire year for students in our highest risk schools in the neighborhoods with the lowest median income. Junior League of Boca Raton will provide mothers with the greatest need with diapers for their babies and toddlers for a full year. YMCA of the Palm Beaches will send children at risk to summer day camp including meals for the full summer, allowing their parents to continue working. The Partnership was spearheaded by Foundation Board Members and Town of Palm Beach residents Sharyn Frankel, Michelle Lucknow, Linda Schaps, Barbara Stoller Wittenstein, and Yvonne Ackerman. The Children’s Foundation of Palm Beach County was established earlier this year and is an affiliate of the Boca West Children’s Foundation, which has granted more than $11.5 million in the past 11 years to its 31 non-profit partners. “We received a tremendous response to the Partnership, selling 560 shares, giving these generous individuals input on which charity programs received the grants,” said Pamela Weinroth, Executive Director and COO, for the Children’s Foundation of Palm Beach County. “The program will provide thousands of children and families with meals, therapy, computer, school supplies, education and a bed on which to sleep.” (PRESS RELEASE)_Palm Beach Gardens, FL – Meat lovers can celebrate their favorite cut of beef on National Prime Rib Day, April 27, at III Forks Prime Steakhouse in Palm Beach Gardens. Executive chef Tommy Nevill will be serving up a 16 oz. prime rib dinner with au jus and III Forks’ famous mashed potatoes for $55. Probably one of the most popular, and most beloved, roast beef preparations is the prime rib. Also known as a “standing rib roast,” the name derives from the tradition of cooking the ribs “standing” up, with the meat not touching the pan. Roasted in a simple aus jus sauce, prime rib is one of the most flavorful and tender cuts that a bovine can boast. Feeling toasty? Enjoy opulent wine pairings from the celebrated steakhouse’s wine cellar, home to more than 300 wines from around the world. III Forks also utilizes the Coravin Wine System, a proprietary technology that keeps the cork in place while allowing the wine to flow, so that every sip tastes as if the bottle was just opened. The National Prime Rib Day special is available April 27 through May 1. III Forks Prime Steakhouse is located at 4645 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens. For more information, call (561) 630-3660 or visit 3forks.com. (PRESS RELEASE)_(West Palm Beach, FL – April 20, 2021) Friends of the Mounts Botanical Garden will be hosting 27 amazing al fresco events in May for people of all ages, including celebrating National Public Gardens Week (May 7-16), participating with the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County’s award-winning MOSAIC program, and launching a month-long membership campaign offering two complimentary event passes with every new membership card. “While the diminishing COVID-19 pandemic still continues to limit indoor events, outdoor activities in Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest botanical garden are still available for socially-distant mask-wearers of all ages,” says Mounts Curator-Director Rochelle Wolberg May 4, 11, 18 & 25 Capturing the Garden in Watercolor Workshop Tuesdays, 10 am to 11:30 am Four-Day Workshop Fee: $150 for members; $190 for nonmembers (Registration is required; class size is limited; includes full Garden admission) Explore MBG’s unique display gardens and find inspiration to paint on location! This weekly workshop will cover various watercolor techniques, color mixing, and how to capture a sense of place. Artists at all levels are welcome. Classes will be led by artist/instructor Marilyn Walter. To register, please visit https://www.mounts.org/events/. (PRESS RELEASE)_Boca Raton, FL, April 19, 2021 – Outstanding male volunteers will be honored at the Fuller Center’s 19th Annual Men with Caring Hearts Awards Celebration on Saturday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. This year’s event will feature a drive-up, tailgate-style celebration at Boca West Country Club, with music and Boca West’s popular food truck. Tickets are $125 per person. “This is always one of the most anticipated events of the year,” says Ellyn Okrent, CEO of the Fuller Center. “While we aren’t able to do our traditional luncheon this time, our team has worked hard to make Men with Caring Hearts a spectacular community gathering suited to honor the outstanding men in our community. Who doesn’t like to tailgate?” The annual event offers local non-profit organizations the opportunity to acknowledge male volunteers who improve the lives of others in Palm Beach and Broward Counties. In addition to recognizing volunteers in both adult and youth categories, the Fuller Center will also be honoring Cliff Viner with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The 2021 Men with Caring Hearts Nominees are: • Aitor de Achurra, Hispanic Entrepreneur Initiative • Bob Buruchian, Rotary Club of Boca Raton • Phillip DiPonio, Unicorn Children's Foundation • Thomas Groendyke, Boca Helping Hands • Dr. Donald Janower, Junior League of Boca Raton • Alan Kaye, Rotary Club of Downtown Boca Raton • Major General Bernard "Burn" Loeffke, USA, (Ret.), Food for the Poor • Harry Meran, Fuller Center • Doug Mosley, Spirit of Giving Network • Mark Moza, CROS Ministries • Dan Paulus, Eda & Cliff Viner Community Scholars Foundation • Robert Robes, YMCA of South Palm Beach County • Ramon Robinson, AVDA • Dr. David Snyder, Caridad Center • Dr. Thomas Tift, American Association of Caregiving Youth • Eddie Ventrice, George Snow Scholarship Fund Outstanding Male Youth Volunteer Award Recipients are: • Ethan Foreman, AVDA • Alexander Kaye, Eda & Cliff Viner Community Scholars Foundation Thank you to our event sponsors: Office Depot, Plastridge Insurance Agency, Sam and Simone Spiegel Family Foundation, and Boca West Children’s Foundation. Men with Caring Hearts tickets can be purchased here. To sponsor the event, purchase an ad in the program book, or to make a donation in support of Men with Caring Hearts, please contact Special Event Manager Alana Lagerström at [email protected] or call (561) 391-7274, ext. 134. (PRESS RELEASE)_NORTH PALM BEACH, FL – A group of local business and culinary leaders have teamed up to launch QuenchTime, a creative loyalty program that provides diners with exclusive offers at participating restaurants. The initiative was designed to support area restaurants that have struggled over the past year due to the pandemic and economic anxiety and is the collective brainchild of local ‘foodie’ Taylor Morgan, along with The Honorable Ronald R. Spoehel, former CFO of NASA, and restaurant entrepreneur Bruce Caprara. Through QuenchTime, diners pay a modest membership fee (ranging from $9.99 to $19.99 per month) and receive complimentary drinks (a glass of wine, a beer, a cocktail or $15 off a bottle of wine) whenever they dine at participating restaurants. There is no fee for restaurants to participate, and more than 85 restaurants throughout Palm Beach County have already signed on to the program. Participating restaurants include Carmine’s La Trattoria (Palm Beach Gardens), Dada (Delray), Kapow (Boca Raton and West Palm Beach), Leila Restaurant (West Palm Beach), Tommy Bahama (Jupiter), Nicoletta’s (Boynton Beach), and many more. A portion of all monthly membership fees are donated to the QuenchTime Restaurant Relief Fund, which will provide financial assistance directly and through a 501c3 non-profit organization to restaurant owners and their employees in times of crisis. “When the pandemic hit, restaurateurs struggled to keep staff employed and pay their leases and utilities, while being unable to generate revenue,” said Taylor Morgan, president of QuenchTime. “Many relied on loans and even crowdfunding to help them survive. When we realized that there was no local Relief Fund in place to help them during a crisis, we decided to create it. Restaurant owners are always stepping up to the plate to support the local community and charitable organizations. We wanted to do something to be able to give back to them.” “2020 was devastating, to say the least,” said Karen Howe, co-owner of Pelican Café in Lake Park. “When we were offered a chance to participate in QuenchTime – at no charge – we jumped on board. It’s a brilliant program and they’ve created it for all the right reasons.” A Palm Beach County resident for over 40 years, Ms. Morgan serves as QuenchTime President and Co-Founder. A former radio personality, founder of Sprinkles Ice Cream Shop, and creator of the popular app LocalDines, she has developed close personal friendships with many local chefs and restaurateurs. Chairman and Co-Founder of QuenchTime, the Honorable Ronald R. Spoehel, is a private investor with more than 40 years of board, executive management, banking and private investment experience. He also served as the Presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed Chief Financial Officer of NASA from 2007-2009. The third Co-Founder of QuenchTime is restaurant industry veteran Bruce Caprara, former long-time General Manager of Carmine’s Restaurants in Northern Palm Beach County. He most recently served as Founder and CEO of yougetmore.com, a digital platform that raised money for schools. QuenchTime is also expanding into Broward and Miami-Dade counties, and into additional markets throughout the U.S. in the near future. For more information on QuenchTime, please visit QuenchTime.com or follow on Facebook or Instagram. (PRESS RELEASE)_Delray Beach, FL – This Mother's Day, May 9, let's bend a knee to all the amazing super women in our lives - from South Florida to Themyscira (Wonder Woman's hip hometown) – with great gifts that will rock their world, compliments of Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. Take haha's ("mother" in Japanese) taste buds on a culinary adventure – to the Land of the Rising Sun! – with a wasabina herb seed growing kit ($12). Packed in a plastic lined paper bag and tied like traditional bags of rice, the Wasabina kit features wasabi flavored mustard greens that are tasty and easy to grow. The kit includes potting mix, seeds, and gardening instructions. Once established, the plant can be easily transplanted to a larger pot or added to the garden. Wasabina grows quickly and should be harvested young for best flavor. For nature-loving gals, shower them with sumptuous sakura (cherry blossoms). Eco-friendly sakura scarves ($80) are glamorous sheaths for poolside gatherings and blooming cherry blossom snow globes ($60) are the perfect way to celebrate Spring year-round at home. For the culturalist, give the gift of great taste. Individual ($60) and dual ($95) museum memberships offer fabulous rewards including free admission to the museum and gardens, members-only priority access to bucket list-worthy festivals, as well as exclusive invitations to members-only receptions and special events. As a parting gift, receive a complimentary rose quartz sakura necklace (choice of gold or silver 16" chain) when you spend $50 or more at the Museum Store. One per customer. Available while supplies last. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. For more information, call (561) 495-0233 or visit morikami.org. |
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November 2024
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