High school students in the NCSY JUMP Project at the Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach spent Christmas hosting Israel Awareness Day to help educate the community about what is going on in Israel today.

NCSY JUMP (Jewish Unity Mentoring Program) is a 12-member volunteer leadership group. Participating students include captains Jordana Rotenberg and Michelle Shakib, as well as Alix Klein, Hailey Dobin, Ariela Stein, Jackie Olemberg, Danny Bister, Pesach Bixon, Ethan Danial, Tomer Zed, Shoshy Ciment and Madison Emas.

Selected following an application process, JUMP students attended a leadership skills conference in New York in October before coordinating Israel Awareness Day with help from Hebrew Academy co-mentors Rabbi Aryeh Young and Rachel Shakib and financial support from Dr. Shmuel and Evelyn Katz.

Held in the school’s auditorium (2400 Pine Tree Dr.), the program featured Sgt. Benjamin Anthony, founder of Our Soldiers Speak; Rabbi Seth Mandell, co-founder of the Koby Mandell Foundation; and Osher Twito, a child victim of terror from Sderot, Israel.

Osher, 13, was injured by a bomb in 2008 while buying a gift for his dad. His left leg was amputated and he wears a prosthetic. Osher was able to visit Miami Beach for a week with his mother — and address the crowd in English — thanks to assistance from The OneFamily Fund, an Israeli-based charity that helps child victims of terror. As part of the program, Osher also celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, complete with a luncheon, music and dancing.

"We felt very accomplished, and a lot of people appreciated what we did," said 14-year old JUMP member Alix Klein of Israel Awareness Day.

In other Hebrew Academy news: On January 6, the school will host its 65th annual Blue Sapphire Scholarship Ball at the Miami Beach Convention Center (Hall D) beginning with a VIP reception at 5:30 p.m. The honoree will be director/producer Brett Ratner, who attended the school during elementary and middle school. Tickets are $180 each ($1,800 VIP). Event chairs are Simon Falic, Alvin Malnik and Ronald O. Perelman. To attend or learn more, call Robyn Malek at 305-532-6421, ext. 110.

SUNNY ISLES CONDO KICKS OFF IN STYLE

Approximately 1,500 brokers, buyers and guests attended the Dec. 13 kickoff for 400 Sunny Isles, a two-tower bay-front condominium and marina at NE 163rd Street, west of Collins Avenue. Construction is slated to start in mid-2013.

Held at the site (which today houses the 50-year-old Sunny Isles Marina), the Balinese-themed evening was designed to showcase the project’s waterfront lifestyle. The event featured a dramatic display of Ferretti and Riva Yachts, a swimwear fashion show from Saks Fifth Avenue Bal Harbour, and Brazilian drummers. Guests entered via a custom-made 170-foot-long, tented walkway, complete with grass floor and stepping stones, inspired by the open-air "arrival courtyard" that will grace 400 Sunny Isles.

VIPs in attendance included Sunny Isles Beach Mayor Norman S. Edelcup, Vice Mayor Isaac Aelion, Commissioners Jennifer Levin and Jeanette Gatto, and top executives from Key International, Key International Sales and 13th Floor Investments, the project’s joint venture partners.

Key International has acquired/developed area properties including Eden Roc Resort and Spa, Eden House, South Beach Marriott, The Ivy, Mint, and 407 Lincoln Road. President/CEO is architect/developer José Ardid, who runs the company with sons Iñigo Ardid and Diego Ardid.