Gulf Coast JFS sponsors Passover Seder for Holocaust survivors

Participants at Seder Meyer Goldstein and Rita Litvin. Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services held the eighth annual Passover Seder for Tampa Bay area Holocaust survivors at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Palm Harbor on Tuesday, March 16.

The program was attended by 50 people, a dwindling group from the almost 100 survivors in attendance four years ago.

Cantor Deborah Jacboson of Temple Ahavat Shalom conducted the Seder. One of the highlights of the afternoon was singing by the children of the Krieger Early Childhood Center of Ahavat Shalom.

Presenting the program from Gulf Coast JFS were Dorothy Chambers, Jewish Family Services Program Director; Carla Washinko, Chief Financial Off icer; Leah Holzer, Holocaust Case Manager; Francine Wolf, Family Support Coordinator; Sue Charlip, Administrative Assistant, and Holocaust Support Group Facilitators Renee Baseman, Maya Lazarus, and Evgenia Levina.

Volunteers packing bags of Passover food were (back to front) Mordekhai Kolpakchi, Michael Bensonoff, Lilia Bensonoff, Zenaida Kolpakchi, Bea Friedman, Lev Friedman and Debbie Cusik. All participants received a bag of kosher for Passover food, packed by volunteers the day before.

Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services administers funds for compensation to Holocaust Survivors through a grant from the Claims Conference Office in New York. The Passover Seder is one of several special events made possible by the annual grant, which enables Holocaust Survivors to experience their heritage.