As we enter the festival’s 12th year, we are especially proud to present a premier line-up of 21 remarkable and diverse films that will impact, provoke, and move you. They are documentaries, narratives, tragedies and comedies, mysteries and love stories. Most have won awards and will have special meaning to our community of viewers. All films are being held virtually. During this time of COVID we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of our Sponsors for their continued support of the Jewish Film Festival. In doing so, you are fulfilling our Federation’s mission and the tenet of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world, ultimately, helping to provide our community much needed enjoyment. The Jewish Film Festival is one of many programs also sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. The yearly Film Festival that attracts so many movie-goers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, is all about strengthening Jewish life in Sarasota-Manatee. We hope you will leave energized, inspired and moved by the rich traditions and culture of Judaism found in movies celebrated around the world. See you at the movies.

Mixed Media Workshop with Allison Lehti will take place on February 17 from 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Zoom. Discover the joy of mixed-media acrylic painting in this 3 hour workshop designed to increase your creative skills using an abstract composition with a limited color pallet. For beginning to intermediate skill levels. Instructor will provide examples of artwork, overall and step by step methods, informational handouts and links for continued explorations. This is an online course. When you register (and are paid in full), a Zoom link will be emailed to you. If your teacher has additional handouts, those will also be emailed to you.

Women’s Resource Center Hosts A Free Woman-Owned Business Webinar on February 17 from noon to 1pm. Guest speakers include representatives from the Small Business Development Center, the Manatee County Libraries Information Services, CareerSource Suncoast’s Thrive program, and the owner of Snarky Tea. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, new business applications are up over 26 percent compared to last year with many of those coming from companies started by women. A recent study found that, between 2014 and 2019, the number of women-owned businesses climbed 21 percent to a total of nearly 13 million companies, representing 42 percent of all U.S. small businesses with revenue topping $1.9 trillion—growing at double the rate of all U.S. businesses. Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is hosting a free online webinar, February 17, noon-1 p.m., to help connect women to free resources to help them evaluate this potential career path. The session is part of WRC’s monthly Career Connections program to link women to quality jobs and funded trainings. Participants can attend by phone or computer and will be able to ask questions via a chatbox. Register at www. mywrc.org/womenowned or call (941) 256-9721 for more information.

The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (CWC-FPRA) is hosting “Striking the Balance in a Year of Transformation” on February 17 at noon, featuring Universal Orlando Resort’s Alyson Gernert, APR, CPRC. As the Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Gernert will be discussing how her team worked to strike the balance amidst a global shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including finding new ways to communicate, care for their guests, care for their employees and care for self. Gernert has worked on Universal’s communications team for more than 12 years and also serves as the state president for Florida Public Relations Association. Tickets for the program are $10/FPRA members, $15/guests; cost includes access to the recordings after the event. To register, visit cwcfpra.com/events. This event is virtual via Zoom. Upon registration, event attendees will receive a Zoom link for the event. A link to a recording of the webinar can be provided to registered event attendees following the event as well. The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association meets monthly for professional development luncheons and networking. Visit www.cwcfpra.com for more information.

Art Marketing: The Business of Selling Your Art Lecture Series with Kate Burridge will take place on February 16 and 18 from 6pm to 8pm on Zoom. Two informative lectures on marketing yourself, your work, and your brand presented by Kate Burridge. Want to sell your Art? Kate will answer your questions - "Do this...not that," is the focus of these workshops, all geared to help you be a successfully selling artist. February 16: Artist Self-Promotion, Websites & Social Media - Use social networking to your benefit, why have a website, write great artist promo statements and how to put together a winning portfolio. February 18: Basic Training: Pricing, Commissions and Solo Exhibitions - Get your act together! Establish a pricing structure, learn the why of copyright law, all about licensing and goof-proof commissions, and how to negotiate and navigate solo exhibitions. This is an online course. When you register (and are paid in full), a Zoom link will be emailed to you. If your teacher has additional handouts, those will also be emailed to you.

Reaching agreement is often a difficult task, but in a democracy, lasting progress is only possible through dialogue. What makes true dialogue possible? Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart (’72-’76) is a Cuban-American attorney, consultant, and human rights advocate. He represented South Florida in the Florida Legislature from 1986 to 1992, and in Congress from 1993 to 2011. He authored and passed significant pieces of legislation in Congress, such as the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act of 1997 (NACARA), which granted legal residency to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. who were previously at risk of deportation. Díaz-Balart founded the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) in 2003, which he still serves as chairman. CHLI provides internships and leadership training in our nation’s capital to college students. After leaving Congress in 2011, he founded El Instituto La Rosa Blanca (The White Rose Institute), which stands in solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in Cuba. He currently is a practicing attorney based in Miami. This event will take place on February 18, 2021.

Virtual

Join us at Restorative Ringling on February 18, 2021 from 4 pm to 5 pm for a variety of activities designed to soothe body, mind, and spirit. Herb gardening with Royce Davis in the herb garden.

The Ringling Museum

A Celebration of Female Voices and Female Composers on February 18 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens with Jenny Kim-Godfrey, soprano; Robyn Rocklein, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Holt, piano and narration by Marcy Miller: In the classical music world, the last names Mendelssohn and Schumann usually evoke the first names Felix and Robert, two great composers of the 19th century. But Felix Mendelssohn’s older sister, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann’s wife, Clara Schumann, were each brilliant musicians and composers in their own right. "Women of Note" showcases works by them plus two other formidable but often overlooked female talents, Amy Beach, the first composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra, in 1896, and Marion Bauer, a contemporary of Aaron Copland and a key figure in the shaping of 20th-century American music. Noted area sopranos Jenny Kim-Godfrey and Robyn Rocklein are joined by pianist Joseph Holt and narrator Marcy Miller as they reprise their roles in a live performance of the program that they recorded on video in summer of 2020 as part of Florida Studio Theatre’s Suffragist Project.