As Rosh Hashana nears, SoFla group brings food, hope to Holocaust survivors
As Jews across South Florida prepare for Rosh Hashana, one Broward County group is ensuring that everyone — including seniors and Holocaust survivors — gets a chance to celebrate the Jewish New year with traditional foods and good company.
One 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, Ruth Di Stefano, opened her small Fort Lauderdale apartment to reporters and visitors on Friday as she received a holiday gift package from Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County ahead of the High Holy Days, a 10-day season that kicks of with Rosh Hashana on Monday and ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which ends at nightfall on Oct. 2.
She’s just one of hundreds of homebound seniors who will receive a prepared Rosh Hashana meal and gift package that includes traditional apples and honey which symbolize the hope for a sweet new year, along with candles and other traditional gifts, from the Broward organization this holiday.
Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1928, Di Stefano vividly recalls how her happy childhood was interrupted under the Nazi regime. She remembers being banned from public parks, watching synagogues burn and fearing the sound of the doorbell as Gestapo arrests became more frequent. Eventually, her father lost his job for being Jewish and the family was forced to flea to Italy.
“We could no longer go into the parks, we had to shop only at certain stores, and eventually we had to move from our beautiful luxurious home,” Di Stefano said.
With just $8 each and U.S. immigration papers, Di Stefano’s family boarded a train to Italy, but was stopped at the border by German police. Fortunately, Italian train engineers intervened, allowing the family to board the last American ship out of Europe before war shut down the route. Eight months later, nearly every Jew who was left in Hamburg was deported to concentration camps, including her entire extended family who was murdered, except for one surviving aunt.
Di Stefano’s family rebuilt their lives in Baltimore with help from Jewish charities and Ruth went on to graduate high school, become a professional photographer in New York, and eventually earn a degree in computer programming, all while working and raising three children. Even in her retirement, Di Stefano volunteered at the Broward Center for the Performing Art. She remains passionate about the importance of Holocaust remembrance.
‘More than just food’
The Broward social services group doesn’t just deliver on holidays.
Goodman JFS serves over 700 food insecure families every month through their food pantry and connects seniors like Di Stefano with food, healthcare and other essential services year round. Many of the seniors are homebound or live alone, which can be particularly challenging during holidays, said Randy Colman, president and CEO of Goodman Jewish Family Services.
“Our high holiday deliveries are more than just food,” Colman said, adding that the gift packages bring “dignity, tradition and the comfort of knowing that someone cares,” to seniors and Holocaust survivors who “endured unimaginable hardship.”
In addition to the meals, Colman said that the volunteers who visit the homes are bringing conversation, warmth and connection to people who are often in need of community.
Around Miami-Dade County, dozens of Rosh Hashana celebrations and services will take place at homes, synagogues and Jewish Community Centers. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has a full calendar of local events, as well as a program that offers free High Holiday seats at synagogues across the county.
At Temple Beth Am, a Reform synagogue in Pinecrest, Rabbi Jaime Aklepi said High Holy Day services are among the most widely attended.
“I think it shows that people genuinely want to be hopeful for the new year, and they want to take these ideas of renewal and the return to faith and community, seriously, and they show up. They show up for community.”
One of the things Jews celebrate during Rosh Hashana, Aklepi said, is the creation of the world and humanity. Her wish her the new year is one of safety for the Jewish community.
“My wish for Jewish communities, the South Florida Jewish community, of course, remains safe and flourishes continues to grow, that we can all practice our faith without fear,” Aklepi said.
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM.
