Under the direction of Zoetic Stage's Stuart Meltzer, The New World School of the Arts High School students staged a production of the Laramie Project which explored the community reaction to the murder of Matthew Shepard.
Students from the production discuss what the play means for them and the power of the proedcution.
For Jimmy Tate, a new business venture is an exciting and rewarding, long-term commitment. His prolific career in real estate and working with troubled assets have taught him important business concepts that have paved the road to multiple business ventures in and out of South Florida, which even include an apparel company with an office in Shanghai and a building supply company.
But among his most important ventures currently in the works is a deal to purchase and recapitalize US Century bank.
He believes that his success has been genuinely achieved by keeping a positive mind, serving the community and surrounding himself with those who advise him best: his family and friends.
Miami Today reporter Blanca Venegas interviewed Mr. Tate in his office in North Miami.
WINNERS OF THE 37TH ANNUAL CARBONELL AWARDS ANNOUNCED
MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE SWEEPS MUSICAL CATEGORIES
AT ANNUAL CEREMONY
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. --- On Monday night, April 1, at the 37th annual Carbonell Awards, when the statuettes were all handed out, the musical numbers had concluded and the audience had left Broward Center for the Performing Arts to attend the after-party, two things could not be denied: South Florida is home to a rich, vibrant theatrical community packed with talent; and it was a good night to be the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.
Although the nominations were spread among 18 of South Florida theaters, three theaters dominated Monday night’s ceremony. Maltz Jupiter Theatre was honored with nine awards, winning every musical category, a feat that hasn’t happened in 34 years, when the Miami Beach Theatre of the Performing Arts swept the musical categories at the third annual Carbonell Awards. The awards for Maltz Jupiter Theatre were spread across three productions: The Music Man took honors for Best Musical, Best Actor/Musical, Matt Loehr; Musical Direction, Anne Shuttleworth; Choreography, Shea Sullivan; and Costume Design, Jose M. Rivera. Marcia Milgrom Dodge won Best Director for Hello Dolly!, a production that also saw wins for Best Actress/Musical, Vicki Lewis; and Best Supporting Actor/Musical, Matt Loehr. Angie Radosh won the Best Supporting Actress/Musical award for Cabaret.
The awards in the play categories were divided between GableStage in Coral Gables and Zoetic Stage in Miami. GableStage won four awards: Best Production of a Play for the drama Ruined; Best Director, Joseph Adler; Best Actress, Lela Elam; and Best Supporting Actor, Robert Strain, all for their work in Ruined. Zoetic Stage won three awards: Best Actor, Tom Wahl in I Am My Own Wife; Best Supporting Actress, Elena Maria Garcia, for Moscow; and Best New Work, Moscow, by Michael McKeever.
Four other theaters were honored with one award each. Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs won the Best Ensemble award for Rumors. Matt Corey won Best Sound for The Birds at Mosaic Theatre in Plantation. Margaret M. Ledford won Best Lighting for The Turn of the Screw at Naked Stage in Miami. And Michael Amico won Best Scenic Design for Talley’s Folly at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach.
Palm Beach County theaters earned 10 awards, followed by Miami-Dade theaters with 8 awards and Broward County theaters with 2 awards. (A full listing of the award winners follows.)
Along with honoring excellence in theater, a highlight of the annual Carbonell Awards ceremony is recognizing those who have made significant contributions to the arts.
The prestigious George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, awarded to an individual (or team) who has contributed significantly to the artistic and cultural development of the region, was presented to Mario Ernesto Sanchez, founder and Producing Artistic Director of Teatro Avante and the International Hispanic Theatre Festival of Miami. Sanchez has worked with a passion to preserve, promote and develop Hispanic theater across the Americas with a major impact locally and internationally since founding Teatro Avante in 1979.
The Ruth Foreman Award, which recognizes significant contributions to South Florida theater development by an individual or group, was awarded to Actors' Equity Association, the union that represents professional stage actors and stage managers across the U.S. Working to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society, Actors’ Equity was honored in recognition of 100 years representing professional American theater on the occasion of their centennial.
The Carbonell Awards also awarded $1,000 scholarships to four South Florida students pursuing careers in theater or journalism: Sammi-Jack Martincak (Miami Dade County) who attends of New World School of the Arts; Christian Frost (Broward County) who attends J.P. Taravella High School; Vanessa Contreras (Palm Beach County) who attends John L. Leonard High School; and Jade Zaroff (Palm Beach County) who attends West Boca Community High School.
Generous Sponsors Help Set New Record
The Carbonell Awards, a not-for-profit organization, is funded by tax-deductible donations and award sponsorships. This year’s ceremony set a record for the most money raised in a single year. The generosity of this year’s sponsors shows a growing commitment from the community to the Carbonell Awards and their mission to advance theater in South Florida.
This 37th annual Carbonell Awards was generously supported by a leadership gift from the South Florida Cultural Consortium, Additional major support was provided by the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Actors’ Equity Association, Dr. Margaret and Mike Eidson, Rita and Jerry Cohen, Don Walters, Kerry and Scott Shiller, South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, Ann Kelly, Mary Ellen and Michael Peyton, Tony Finstrom, Neil Goldberg Dream Foundation & Cirque Dreams, Esslinger Wooten Maxwell (EWM) Realty, designel, Broadway Across America, Broward Cultural Division, ArtServe, Palm Beach County Cultural Council, and the South Florida Theatre League.
About the Carbonell Awards
The Carbonell Awards fosters the artistic growth of professional theater in South Florida by celebrating the diversity of our theater artists, providing educational scholarships, and building audience appreciation and civic pride by highlighting achievements of our theater community. Over 25 professional theater companies in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties participate in the awards process every year. Each season volunteer panelists and judges choose nominees and recipients from hundreds of shows produced on our area stages. The Carbonell Awards also celebrate the accomplishments of our artistic leaders by presenting ‘Special Awards’ and support the next generation of artists and journalists by awarding scholarships. Along with New York's Drama Desk and Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Awards, the Carbonell Awards are among the nation’s senior regional arts awards and predate others, including Washington, D.C.'s Helen Hayes Awards. The Carbonell Awards are named after Manuel Carbonell, an internationally-renowned sculptor, who designed the original solid bronze and marble award in 1976, the signature trophy that is given to Carbonell Award winners.
Below is a complete list of this year’s Carbonell Award winners, followed by a breakdown of the awards by county, theater and production.
Carbonell Award Winners, 2012
Best New Work (play or musical)
Moscow, Michael McKeever, Zoetic Stage
Best Production of a Play
Ruined, GableStage
Best Director/Play
Joseph Adler, Ruined, GableStage
Best Actor/Play
Tom Wahl, I Am My Own Wife, Zoetic Stage
Best Actress/Play
Lela Elam, Ruined, GableStage
Best Supporting Actor/Play
Robert Strain, Ruined, GableStage
Best Supporting Actress/Play
Elena Maria Garcia, Moscow, Zoetic Stage
Best Production of a Musical
The Music Man, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Director/Musical
Marsha Milgrom Dodge, Hello Dolly!, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Actor/Musical
Matt Loehr, The Music Man, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Actress/Musical
Vicki Lewis, Hello Dolly!, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Supporting Actor/Musical
Matt Loehr, Hello Dolly!, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Supporting Actress/Musical
Angie Radosh, Cabaret, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Musical Direction/Musical
Anne Shuttleworth, The Music Man, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Choreography/Musical
Shea Sullivan, The Music Man, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Scenic Design/play or musical
Michael Amico, Talley’s Folly, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Best Lighting Design/play or musical
Margaret M. Ledford, The Turn of the Screw, The Naked Stage
Best Costume Design/play or musical
Jose M. Rivera, The Music Man, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Sound Design/play or musical
Matt Corey, The Birds, Mosaic Theatre
Best Ensemble Production (play or musical)
Rumors, Broward Stage Door
Awards by County
10 Palm Beach
8 Miami-Dade
2 Broward
Awards by Theater
9 Maltz Jupiter Theatre
4 GableStage
3 Zoetic Stage
1 Broward Stage Door Theatre
1 Mosaic Theatre
1 The Naked Stage
1 Palm Beach Dramaworks
Awards by Production
5 The Music Man Maltz Jupiter Theatre
4 Ruined GableStage
3 Hello, Dolly! Maltz Jupiter Theatre
1 I Am My Own Wife Zoetic Stage
2 Moscow Zoetic Stage
1 Cabaret Maltz Jupiter Theatre
1 The Turn of the Screw The Naked Stage
1 The Birds Mosaic Theatre
1 Rumors Stage Door Theatre
1 Talley’s Folly Palm Beach Dramaworks
Shanghai’s thriving community of Sephardic Jews, made up of emigrants from Baghdad via India since the middle of the 19th century, was enhanced when tens of thousands of Ashkenazi refugees fleeing Hitler found refuge in the 1930s and 40s. Hear the fascinating story of this community from Dr. Nathan Katz, an authority on Asian Jews, and Fred Ezekiel, a Miami Beach resident whose family migrated to Shanghai more than a hundred years ago.
Shanghai’s thriving community of Sephardic Jews, made up of emigrants from Baghdad via India since the middle of the 19th century, was enhanced when tens of thousands of Ashkenazi refugees fleeing Hitler found refuge in the 1930s and 40s. Hear the fascinating story of this community from Dr. Nathan Katz, an authority on Asian Jews, and Fred Ezekiel, a Miami Beach resident whose family migrated to Shanghai more than a hundred years ago.
Joel Stigale (founder) talks to uVu about Catalyst Hip Hop. Dancers/Bboys Daniel Zao Montenegro and Kevin Newcre Sanchez tell us about how Catalyst has effected their lives in the Hip Hop community.
The need for Physician Assistants in the labor pool continues to be on the rise in the last few years years and continues to be quickly moving forward to grow. Unless the instances are too complicated, PAs can diagnose and perform treatments to individuals. However, they mainly function under the supervision of a doctor.Physician Assistant programs could be considered at Master's, Bachelor's or Associate's Degree levels or may possibly be completed as a Certificate program.
There are plenty of universities in California, that give students with the chance of becoming a Physician Assistant. These institutions range from allied health schools, medical schools, academic well being centers to an undergraduate degree college. Based on the institute selected, either just a single or multiple degree courses may be pursued. PA degree aspirants in California come about to become some of the most fortunate ones inside the country. According to the physician assistant programs in California guide, the demand of the pa profession is increasing continuously. California has a number of the most prestigious Educational institutions within the country additionally to the largest population. The majority of these organizations offer you students several good courses and also incorporate some first rate job offers upon completion of these courses. You'll find about 6500 Physician Assistants currently hired together with the health care solutions in the CA state and also the number of employment openings is expected to help keep escalating with the upsurge in population.
PAs in California are usually paid a mean yearly salary of $95,000 that's higher than the national common of $93,000. The University of Southern California in Alhambra, Loma Linda Western University of Health Sciences and Loma Linda University are a handful of the most coveted educational facilities inside the CA state. They are extremely exceptionally ranked in the top one hundred educational institutions from the US school ranking orgranization. Evaluated from a total of 5, each of these educational institutions obtained over 2.6. Stanford University School of Medicine is the singular from the list up to now that offers Physician Assistant Programs at all 4 diverse stages. The additional 3 colleges just offer Master's Degree classes.
Sacramento's University of California Davis and Riverside Community College tucked within Moreno Valley complete this list of institutes that offer undergrad Certifications for becoming a Physician Assistant. Students admitted in to the programs then go through classroom as well as practical lessons to acquaint them with the world of medicine.Presently there will probably be book work as well as face to face practice of the abilities that a pa is essential to work with at work. At both master's and bachelor's amount of instruction, the PA applicants are supplied practical clinical rotations. A PA may usually be faced with really stressful scenarios that can necessitate fast choices to be made and the education will help them to become ready within these circumstances. The most effective place to practice this is in a real health-related place. Prior to joining a program for becoming a Physician Assistant it really is crucial to be sure regarding your selection, think of whatever you strive to achieve, by way of which degree and from which school otherwise this could become a very intricate task with every one of the smaller details concerned.Doing which will additionally help you restrict your selections to only one particular school exactly where it is possible to enjoyably start in your journey to becoming a Physician Assistant.
Fans, rejoice – baseball season is no longer a dot on the horizon. It is now in plain sight, and the Miami Marlins have started their spring training under the guidance of a familiar face, Mike Redmond.
Mr. Redmond, a catcher, made his major league debut with the then Florida Marlins and played for the team from 1998 to 2004. He has many memories as a Marlins player, including being part of the winning 2003 World Series team. The team defeated the New York Yankees in six games, four games to two.
After his stint with the Marlins, Mr. Redmond was off to Minnesota, where he played with the Twins from 2005 to 2009. The next stop was Cleveland, where he played for the Indians in 2010.
In 2011, it was time for Mr. Redmond to make another baseball debut, this time as manager. He did so with Lansing – and earned the Midwest League Manager of the Year award for guiding the Lugnuts to a 77-60 record and an appearance in the Midwest League finals.
He added Dunedin manager to his resume last year, leading the Blue Jays to a 78-55 record and advanced to the first round of Florida State League playoffs.
Mr. Redmond’s career has transitioned from player to manager and the organization has made some significant transitions of its own in the past few years.
The franchise ended 2011 with a name change – from Florida Marlins to Miami Marlins – and a new logo and uniforms were unveiled.
It wasn’t long after that the Miami Marlins started their 2012 season at their own ballpark – the site of the former Orange Bowl. After sharing Sun Life Stadium with the Miami Dolphins for 19 seasons, the team finally had a stadium to call its own – with a retractable roof, no less.
While the stadium has been a sore point for some in the community, remarks made by then manager Ozzie Guillen about Fidel Castro last year soured things for the Marlins even further.
He apologized, was suspended for five games, and 13 months after signing a four-year, $10 million deal, was dismissed as manager.
In stepped Mr. Redmond – the recipient of the 2005 Bob Allison Award, given by the Minnesota Twins organization to a player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field. These qualities, Mr. Redmond said, are what he wants in his Marlins players this season.
With a host of young players ready to take the field, Mr. Redmond said he is looking forward to starting the season and showing the fans some good baseball.
Before spring training for the team started last week in Jupiter, Miami Today reporter Laura Stace interviewed Mr. Redmond in the Marlins dugout at Marlins Park.
A long time journalist and commentator on the complex and conflicted Miami political scene, Ms. Helen Ferre will turn her attention to the role of the humanities in public life. Ms. Ferre will apply wide-ranging experiences across the diverse cultural groups that make up the various constituencies of South Florida politics and that so enrich our sense of community in Miami-Dade to insightful examinations of the way elements of the arts and humanities enhance the lives of all of us who live in the area. Ms. Ferre's sense of the political dynamics that moves South Florida life will be just the starting point for a penetrating examination of how our sense of community and our sense of art come together in diverse forms across the metropolitan area.
A long time journalist and commentator on the complex and conflicted Miami political scene, Ms. Helen Ferre will turn her attention to the role of the humanities in public life. Ms. Ferre will apply wide-ranging experiences across the diverse cultural groups that make up the various constituencies of South Florida politics and that so enrich our sense of community in Miami-Dade to insightful examinations of the way elements of the arts and humanities enhance the lives of all of us who live in the area. Ms. Ferre's sense of the political dynamics that moves South Florida life will be just the starting point for a penetrating examination of how our sense of community and our sense of art come together in diverse forms across the metropolitan area.
When Miami Beach’s self-described “people’s mayor,” Matti Herrera Bower, steps down in November, it will cap a more than 30-year career in community affairs and local politics – maybe. She says she hasn’t decided yet whether to run for city commissioner, a position she held for eight years before she was elected in 2007 to the first of three two-terms as mayor. She is a democrat, although city elections are nonpartisan, and is Miami Beach’s first woman mayor and its first Hispanic mayor.
Her final term has been a challenging one as controversy has marred Miami Beach City Hall. The last year has seen corruption probes of several city departments that have resulted in a string of arrests of city employees; longtime City Manager Jorge Gonzalez resigned and the mayor and commissioners are in the process of hiring a replacement – all while the city is taking on one of its largest projects ever: the development of a Miami Beach Convention Center District, never mind the more routine but never boring matters of governing one of the world’s most famous international beach resort communities.
Ms. Herrera Bower was raised in Miami after leaving Cuba with her parents when she was a girl. She eventually became a dental assistant, got married, moved to New York for about 13 years, got divorced, moved back to Miami, and met her second husband, a postal worker, who passed away about two years ago. She has four grown daughters and six grandchildren.
As a local community activist, she started out as a PTA mom, working to save an elementary school from closing, joined the campaign to save the historic Art Deco District in South Beach, and helped create affordable housing for low-income elderly and others. Aside from efforts to improve local schools and providing housing, she has supported social equality initiatives – including the first city-supported gay pride festival – and development of the arts, among other causes.
Mayor Herrera Bower discussed her career and current city issues with Miami Today reporter Scott Blake during an interview at her City Hall office.
When Miami Beach’s self-described “people’s mayor,” Matti Herrera Bower, steps down in November, it will cap a more than 30-year career in community affairs and local politics – maybe. She says she hasn’t decided yet whether to run for city commissioner, a position she held for eight years before she was elected in 2007 to the first of three two-terms as mayor. She is a democrat, although city elections are nonpartisan, and is Miami Beach’s first woman mayor and its first Hispanic mayor.
Her final term has been a challenging one as controversy has marred Miami Beach City Hall. The last year has seen corruption probes of several city departments that have resulted in a string of arrests of city employees; longtime City Manager Jorge Gonzalez resigned and the mayor and commissioners are in the process of hiring a replacement – all while the city is taking on one of its largest projects ever: the development of a Miami Beach Convention Center District, never mind the more routine but never boring matters of governing one of the world’s most famous international beach resort communities.
Ms. Herrera Bower was raised in Miami after leaving Cuba with her parents when she was a girl. She eventually became a dental assistant, got married, moved to New York for about 13 years, got divorced, moved back to Miami, and met her second husband, a postal worker, who passed away about two years ago. She has four grown daughters and six grandchildren.
As a local community activist, she started out as a PTA mom, working to save an elementary school from closing, joined the campaign to save the historic Art Deco District in South Beach, and helped create affordable housing for low-income elderly and others. Aside from efforts to improve local schools and providing housing, she has supported social equality initiatives – including the first city-supported gay pride festival – and development of the arts, among other causes.
Mayor Herrera Bower discussed her career and current city issues with Miami Today reporter Scott Blake during an interview at her City Hall office.
When Miami Beach’s self-described “people’s mayor,” Matti Herrera Bower, steps down in November, it will cap a more than 30-year career in community affairs and local politics – maybe. She says she hasn’t decided yet whether to run for city commissioner, a position she held for eight years before she was elected in 2007 to the first of three two-terms as mayor. She is a democrat, although city elections are nonpartisan, and is Miami Beach’s first woman mayor and its first Hispanic mayor.
Her final term has been a challenging one as controversy has marred Miami Beach City Hall. The last year has seen corruption probes of several city departments that have resulted in a string of arrests of city employees; longtime City Manager Jorge Gonzalez resigned and the mayor and commissioners are in the process of hiring a replacement – all while the city is taking on one of its largest projects ever: the development of a Miami Beach Convention Center District, never mind the more routine but never boring matters of governing one of the world’s most famous international beach resort communities.
Ms. Herrera Bower was raised in Miami after leaving Cuba with her parents when she was a girl. She eventually became a dental assistant, got married, moved to New York for about 13 years, got divorced, moved back to Miami, and met her second husband, a postal worker, who passed away about two years ago. She has four grown daughters and six grandchildren.
As a local community activist, she started out as a PTA mom, working to save an elementary school from closing, joined the campaign to save the historic Art Deco District in South Beach, and helped create affordable housing for low-income elderly and others. Aside from efforts to improve local schools and providing housing, she has supported social equality initiatives – including the first city-supported gay pride festival – and development of the arts, among other causes.
Mayor Herrera Bower discussed her career and current city issues with Miami Today reporter Scott Blake during an interview at her City Hall office.
Space Apes
Joshua Jean-Baptiste
Time:10:45 am
Place: A Florida State Prison
Advisor: James Randolph
Stage Manager: Anissa Comonte
The first breath of fresh air a prisoner takes after he/she has been released is a meaningful one. Their “re-entry” comes with great responsibility. They are faced with many obstacles, such as family members disassociating themselves, and employers turning a blind eye. The biggest challenge is enduring disaffection, staying focused, and staying away from getting detained again. From the moment they take a step back into the community they are faced with a broken life, and often have no tools to repair. But there are those who can supply the resources to fix a damaged life, with a mere second chance.
Growing up in a setting where being a hoodlum was promoted; I came very close to walking down the path of being another disappointing statistic. It was not until I earned the faith of a few people who in turn offered me another shot. I found what I wanted out of life. This show is dedicated to those who have given and gotten a second chance.
Special thanks to my Mommy, and my Auntie who are still supporting me for being in a field where playing dress up can one day get them a big house.
Super Special thanks to New World School of the Arts, Troupe 3206, James Randolph, Patrice Bailey, NWSA Class of ’13, Daphnie Sicre, Keisha Smith, JR Miller, Edson Jean, Jeano, Steve Della-Valentina, Jean Zephyr, Maximo Santana, Frank Hernandez, Atom Phly Media, Jayy Black, Marckenson Charles, Elliot Jones, Hotel Urbano, and all of the goons in North Miami Beach and North Miami for inspiring this piece.
*This show contains Adult Language/Content
The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 2, 2013. How will this new law affect the Haitian American community of South Florida?
[Air Date: 01/13/2013]
The tenth annual celebration for Florida Jewish History Month (FJHM) will take place at the Museum on Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. To complement the statewide observance that marks the 500 years anniversary of the arrival of Juan Ponce de León in Florida, the FJHM theme is “Could Jews as Conversos/Crypto Jews/New Christians have lived in St. Augustine in the 16th century?”
Founding Executive Director,
Marcia Jo Zerivitz
Marcia Jo Zerivitz, the Museum’s
Founding Executive Director, will lead the conversation that will include Dr. Abe Lavender on the history of Conversos in the U.S. and members of the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society, Rabbi Merrill Shapiro and Prof. John Diviney, Coordinator of the Departments of Spanish and Latin American Studies at Flagler College. Dr. Lavender is editor of the Journal of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Crypto Jews and Professor of Sociology and Sephardic Studies at Florida International University (FIU).
The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sailed from Puerto Rico to Florida, landing in April 1513. He named the area La Florida after Pascua Florida, or the “Festival of Flowers,” in honor of the Easter season.
The observance concludes in 2015, with the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest permanent settlement in the United States, established in 1565 by Spanish Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Aviles. The first school, first church, hospital and town hall in the United States were established in St. Augustine. The city was also the first melting pot of different cultures.
Ferdinand and Isabella chose Catholicism to unite Spain and in 1478 asked permission of the pope to begin the Spanish Inquisition to purify the people of Spain. The Alhambra Decree, which ordered the expulsion of Jews, was issued in January 1492. Jews could not live anywhere in the world under Spanish rule. They had three choices: convert to Catholicism (becoming New Christians, Crypto Jews or Conversos), leave the country, or be killed. Since the discovery of Florida and the settlement of St. Augustine were during the Inquisition (1478-1834), were fleeing Jews part of these historic events? Someone needs to ask the question so this is not just a Catholic observance.
Just as these events predate the first permanent English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, if Jews sailed with Ponce de Leon in 1513 (just as we know Jews sailed with Columbus) or with Menendez de Aviles in 1565, these facts predate 1654 when Jews arrived in New Amsterdam.
Currently, the earliest documentation of Jews living in Florida is 1763. From 1513-1762, Spain owned Florida, so only Catholics could live here for those 250 years. Following the French-Indian War when the Treaty of Paris was signed in late 1762, Florida was ceded to Great Britain and people other than Catholics, including Jews, could settle. In early 1763, three Jews arrived in Pensacola, bought land and started businesses there.
More than 25 years ago when Marcia Jo Zerivitz began researching and collecting material evidence on Florida Jewish history, she met with Dr. Eugene Lyon, then the director of The St. Augustine Foundation, who shared with her 16th century records of soldiers and settlers in St. Augustine that reflect Spanish Jewish names. Since that time, Zerivitz has been seeking funding and scholars to research her hypothesis that Jews may have lived in Florida 89 years before the commonly accepted date of 1654 when Jews first arrived in North America and 189 years before the first records of Jewish life in Florida.
If documented, this would rewrite American Jewish history.
The only known persons working on this project currently are members the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society (SAJHS), led by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro.With the impending celebration of the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, they rose to represent the Jewish component. Examining evidence that includes Menendez’ taking on “undocumented” passengers after leaving the harbor at Cadiz, Spain; the dates of the sighting of the Florida coastline and the first landing; the archaeological revelations of human remains at Fountain of Youth Park; the founder’s understanding of the native Timucuan as the supposed Ten Lost Tribes of Israel; the markers suggested by the Spanish Inquisition as to the characteristics of Conversos/New Christians and the anthroponomastic study of surnames, comparing them to known Sephardic names and names of those tried by the courts of the Inquisition, the SAJHS finds ample support for the hypothesis that Jews first came to what would become the United States along the northeast coast of Florida in 1565.
Rabbi Shapiro said, “To be sure, the presence of Jews in Florida from 1565, unlike the experience of the Jewish refugees from the Inquisition in Recife, Brazil who came to New Amsterdam in 1654, was neither continuous nor populated by anyone other than those whose religious and cultural identities were ruthlessly suppressed with brutality, threats of violence, torture and death. Nonetheless, the SAJHS is greatly concerned with the future of our past and vigorously labors on in the pursuit of the repatriation of the Jewish souls who came to these shores in the days of the Spanish Inquisition.”
Since the Museum’s partnership with Florida International University (FIU) and the arrival on the faculty of Dr. Tudor Parfitt, there is enthusiastic interest in pursuing the question of Conversos in St. Augustine in the 16th century.
Dr. Parfitt said,”It is not yet certain if the first groups of Spaniards to set foot in Florida in the 16th century contained any New Christians/Conversos or not. However the balance of probability is that they did.” Tudor Parfitt, the new President Navon Professor of Sephardi Studies at FIU, assisted by Olivia Autolino, will attempt to ascertain if there were any Conversos among the early settlers in St. Augustine. Working along with the SAJHS, they plan to examine archives in the United States, Spain, Italy and Cuba in an attempt to discover when the first Jew settled in what is now the United States.
The tenth annual celebration for Florida Jewish History Month (FJHM) will take place at the Museum on Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. To complement the statewide observance that marks the 500 years anniversary of the arrival of Juan Ponce de León in Florida, the FJHM theme is “Could Jews as Conversos/Crypto Jews/New Christians have lived in St. Augustine in the 16th century?”
Founding Executive Director,
Marcia Jo Zerivitz
Marcia Jo Zerivitz, the Museum’s
Founding Executive Director, will lead the conversation that will include Dr. Abe Lavender on the history of Conversos in the U.S. and members of the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society, Rabbi Merrill Shapiro and Prof. John Diviney, Coordinator of the Departments of Spanish and Latin American Studies at Flagler College. Dr. Lavender is editor of the Journal of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Crypto Jews and Professor of Sociology and Sephardic Studies at Florida International University (FIU).
The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sailed from Puerto Rico to Florida, landing in April 1513. He named the area La Florida after Pascua Florida, or the “Festival of Flowers,” in honor of the Easter season.
The observance concludes in 2015, with the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest permanent settlement in the United States, established in 1565 by Spanish Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Aviles. The first school, first church, hospital and town hall in the United States were established in St. Augustine. The city was also the first melting pot of different cultures.
Ferdinand and Isabella chose Catholicism to unite Spain and in 1478 asked permission of the pope to begin the Spanish Inquisition to purify the people of Spain. The Alhambra Decree, which ordered the expulsion of Jews, was issued in January 1492. Jews could not live anywhere in the world under Spanish rule. They had three choices: convert to Catholicism (becoming New Christians, Crypto Jews or Conversos), leave the country, or be killed. Since the discovery of Florida and the settlement of St. Augustine were during the Inquisition (1478-1834), were fleeing Jews part of these historic events? Someone needs to ask the question so this is not just a Catholic observance.
Just as these events predate the first permanent English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, if Jews sailed with Ponce de Leon in 1513 (just as we know Jews sailed with Columbus) or with Menendez de Aviles in 1565, these facts predate 1654 when Jews arrived in New Amsterdam.
Currently, the earliest documentation of Jews living in Florida is 1763. From 1513-1762, Spain owned Florida, so only Catholics could live here for those 250 years. Following the French-Indian War when the Treaty of Paris was signed in late 1762, Florida was ceded to Great Britain and people other than Catholics, including Jews, could settle. In early 1763, three Jews arrived in Pensacola, bought land and started businesses there.
More than 25 years ago when Marcia Jo Zerivitz began researching and collecting material evidence on Florida Jewish history, she met with Dr. Eugene Lyon, then the director of The St. Augustine Foundation, who shared with her 16th century records of soldiers and settlers in St. Augustine that reflect Spanish Jewish names. Since that time, Zerivitz has been seeking funding and scholars to research her hypothesis that Jews may have lived in Florida 89 years before the commonly accepted date of 1654 when Jews first arrived in North America and 189 years before the first records of Jewish life in Florida.
If documented, this would rewrite American Jewish history.
The only known persons working on this project currently are members the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society (SAJHS), led by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro.With the impending celebration of the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, they rose to represent the Jewish component. Examining evidence that includes Menendez’ taking on “undocumented” passengers after leaving the harbor at Cadiz, Spain; the dates of the sighting of the Florida coastline and the first landing; the archaeological revelations of human remains at Fountain of Youth Park; the founder’s understanding of the native Timucuan as the supposed Ten Lost Tribes of Israel; the markers suggested by the Spanish Inquisition as to the characteristics of Conversos/New Christians and the anthroponomastic study of surnames, comparing them to known Sephardic names and names of those tried by the courts of the Inquisition, the SAJHS finds ample support for the hypothesis that Jews first came to what would become the United States along the northeast coast of Florida in 1565.
Rabbi Shapiro said, “To be sure, the presence of Jews in Florida from 1565, unlike the experience of the Jewish refugees from the Inquisition in Recife, Brazil who came to New Amsterdam in 1654, was neither continuous nor populated by anyone other than those whose religious and cultural identities were ruthlessly suppressed with brutality, threats of violence, torture and death. Nonetheless, the SAJHS is greatly concerned with the future of our past and vigorously labors on in the pursuit of the repatriation of the Jewish souls who came to these shores in the days of the Spanish Inquisition.”
Since the Museum’s partnership with Florida International University (FIU) and the arrival on the faculty of Dr. Tudor Parfitt, there is enthusiastic interest in pursuing the question of Conversos in St. Augustine in the 16th century.
Dr. Parfitt said,”It is not yet certain if the first groups of Spaniards to set foot in Florida in the 16th century contained any New Christians/Conversos or not. However the balance of probability is that they did.” Tudor Parfitt, the new President Navon Professor of Sephardi Studies at FIU, assisted by Olivia Autolino, will attempt to ascertain if there were any Conversos among the early settlers in St. Augustine. Working along with the SAJHS, they plan to examine archives in the United States, Spain, Italy and Cuba in an attempt to discover when the first Jew settled in what is now the United States.
