Florida hosts the nation’s third-largest Jewish community with a surprising history! This comprehensive history of the “Jews of Florida” from colonial times to the present is a sweeping tapestry of voices spanning centuries and examines their contributions to Florida’s growth.

This program is based on Dr. Marcia Zerivitz’s book of the same title published in 2020. Marcia Jo Zerivitz, LHD, is the Founding Executive Director of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU in South Beach. A trailblazer in Florida nonprofits for 60 years, she observed that Florida’s Jewish community had a challenge: its continuity. Traveling 250,000 miles from 1984 to 1992, she collected stories and material evidence to document more than 250 years of hidden Jewish history. Her work resulted in the MOSAIC exhibit, and eventually the Jewish Museum of Florida.

The library provides free parking; the meeting will be held in Room A.

Support for this Florida Talks program was provided by Florida Humanities with funds from the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the Jacarlene Foundation. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities and its partners.