Passover Food Drive serves local community
Passover Food Drive serves local community
MILWAUKEE – Food donations for the Community Passover Food Drive (Ma’ot Chittim) will be collected Monday, March 25 until Wednesday April 10 at several sites throughout the community, including the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center and local synagogues.
Products needed, which must have kosher certification for Passover: matzo, matzo ball mix and grape juice. These basic items will then be supplemented with additional traditional Passover items. In 2023, the drive was able to serve 415 individuals and families.
Monetary contributions will be used to purchase food items. Send donations to: Community Passover Food Drive Project, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53217; make checks out to JCC Community Passover Food Drive Project. Donations may also be made online at give.jccmilwaukee.org/Passover24.
This year’s Passover food distribution will be April 14. For further details, contact Laura Slatky-Verkuilen at 414-967-7145 or lslatky-verkuilen@jccmilwaukee.org.
For a complete list of collection sites, go to MilwaukeeJewish.org/PassoverFood.
The Community Passover Food Drive is a joint effort of: Coalition for Jewish Learning and Jewish Community Relations Council, programs of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation; Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center; Hillel Milwaukee; Jewish Community Pantry; Jewish Family Services; Kosher Meat Club; Ovation Jewish Home; Rabbi Scheinfeld Maos Chitim Fund; Salinsky Program to Feed the Hungry; Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee; and Wisconsin Council of Rabbis.
Franklin seeks Nicolet re-election
Marilyn Kohler Franklin is seeking re-election to the School Board of Nicolet High School.
The spring general election will take place on April 2. Franklin has served as a member of the School Board since 1988, including as president and clerk.
Franklin’s community involvement includes serving as president of the North Shore Library Board (Fox Point-Bayside Library), director of the Fox Point Foundation, Fox Point election inspector, and member of the Fox Point Fair Housing Committee.
On the Nicolet School Board, Franklin has supported the offering of Hebrew in the Nicolet curriculum, expansion of Hebrew opportunities for students, creation of a Leadership for Social Justice class that includes Holocaust study, and the expectation that the school calendar recognizes major Jewish holidays with adherence to days off for Jewish High Holidays, she said.
Franklin is a member of Congregation Shalom and a long-time teacher in the religious school. She is a past recipient of the Shalom Pasch Meritorious Service Award and recently was honored as the 2023 Levy Family CJL Jewish Educator of the Year.
Franklin and her husband David live in Fox Point. They have two married sons and four grandchildren.
EL AL Israel Airlines expands routes
In response to increased demand, EL AL is expanding its operations and flight schedules in the U.S., according to a news release.
Beginning in April, EL AL will be adding two weekly flights from South Florida, bringing the weekly South Florida schedule to seven, with the new flights from EL AL’s new Fort Lauderdale gateway. Both Miami International and Fort Lauderdale International offer passengers access to many connections, both domestic and international, especially with the new Delta Air Lines codeshare. Delta and EL AL also have a codeshare agreement, meaning the airlines sell seats on each other’s flights.
Moreover, EL AL will add a new weekly flight on the Boston-Tel Aviv route, which will now operate four times a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer schedule. With the Boston Logan Airport serving as a hub for connections in the Americas, EL AL’s collaboration with Delta, JetBlue, and other partner airlines ensures convenient connecting travel options, according to the release.
Starting in June, EL AL will add two weekly flights from Los Angeles, supplementing its existing daily flight. The company continues to add flights from New York and Newark, increasing capacity for the summer season.
With plans to operate over 50 direct weekly flights to Israel this summer, EL AL’s expanded route network is made possible by the optimization of its Dreamliner aircrafts’ schedules and changes to the rest of its international routes. These moves align with EL AL’s strategic growth plans.
“Since October 7, EL AL has strategically adjusted its U.S. flight schedule to uphold an air bridge which is vital for the State of Israel. As we enter the summer season, our commitment to U.S. expansion remains resolute,” said Shlomi Zafarani, VP of EL AL commercial and aviation relations.