Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center celebrates 20th Anniversary

(L-r) Dr. Barry Silverman, Rabbi Jonathan Berkun, Irwin Tauber, Laura Tauber, Mayor Jeffrey Perlow, William W. Landa, Dr. Amir Baron, Laurence Herrup, Marcy Resnik, Dr. Allan Feingold, Mark Gordon, Margo Absher

On Saturday, January 15, the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center celebrated its 20th anniversary since its transformation from a humble storefront into a state-ofthe- art facility that serves as the beacon of Jewish life for the Aventura community and beyond. To commemorate this milestone occasion, the ATJC welcomed over 450 congregants, community leaders, and honored guests to a spectacular gala affair to reflect upon the building of the synagogue and Tauber Academy.

The ATJC paid tribute to the dedicated individuals whose visions and tireless efforts have shaped the success of ATJC, Chairman of the Board William Landa, President Laurence Herrup, Past Presidents Dr. Barry Silverman; Margo Absher; Mark Gordon; Dr. Allan Feingold and Jacob Cohen; Tauber Academy Past Chairs Mayor Jeffrey Perlow; Marcy Resnik; Mark Pomeranz and Irwin Tauber; Past Tauber Academy Presidents Robyn Tauber; Amy Chafetz and Laura Tauber.

Gala Co-Chair Margo Absher opened the evening with a warm welcome and congratulations, giving special thanks to fellow co-chairs, Carole Landa and Carol Soffer, and paying special tribute to professional staff members Dr. Amir Baron, Executive Vice President; Cantor Isaac Gamliel, Ritual Director and Mark Lovinsky, Chief Engineer for their 20 years of dedicated service. “We’ve taken this remarkable journey together, starting 20 years ago when we marched from the storefront, carrying the Torah, with Bill Landa, Dr. Barry Silverman and Eugene Kessler leading the way,” Margo said. She continued, “I have realized how important our synagogue is for the community. Rabbi teaches us, comforts us, and blesses us; Cantor prays for us, and our friends surround us, there for us in times of simchas and sorrows. The ATJC is more than just a synagogue, it is our home.”

The major highlight was the presentation of the film “The Celebration,” with a special introduction by Michael Putney. Executive Producer and Synagogue President Laurence Herrup introduced the film, “There have been many individuals who were instrumental in making our dreams come true, some of whom are in this wonderful film, directed by renowned documentarian, Eduardo Montes-Bradley.

The challenge was to capture the essence of our history.” “The Celebration” is a 35 minute retrospective film profiling the history of the synagogue through eyewitness testimony and photos. In addition, the synagogue also published a commemorative book, capturing the last twenty years through words and images, which celebrate the synagogue’s achievements while remembering those who made them happen.

Rabbi Jonathan Berkun presented proclamations to the honorees marking the occasion, “For two decades, our congregation has reaped the benefits of this dream becoming reality. We are grateful to the individuals whose commitment, dedication, and support have made this milestone possible,” said Rabbi Berkun. He continued by saying “The foundation of our synagogue is strong and true. Chazak chazak v’nit-chazek. May we continue to build upon them for generations to come. It is an honor and privilege to serve as spiritual leader of this esteemed congregation with a distinguished past, and with God’s blessing, an even more glorious future.”

Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center is a vibrant and diverse conservative synagogue and home to the Tauber Academy. Under the spiritual guidance of Rabbi Jonathan Berkun and Cantor David Muchnick, ATJC provides a stimulating environment for long-standing members as well as newcomers to the area encompassing spiritual, social, educational, and cultural programming for all ages.

For more information, call 305-935- 0666 or visit www.atjc.org.


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