It was back in November 2001 whenBHA passed a Resolution objecting toconstruction sprawl. It was formally

presented to the City Commission in Jan-uary 2002. The resolution’s themes werepedestrian safety and taking back thestreets and sidewalks usurped by con-tractors.

After hearing BHA’s concerns, theCommission instructed City staff to lookinto the problem. But it languished andnothing was done.

Fast forward to 2007. BHA addressedthis issue with its new District 2 Commissioner, Marc Sarnoff, who agreed thatthis is a serious problem, not only a matter of inconvenience

NEWSBrickellHomeownersAssociationVOL. XVII NO. 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. SUMMER 2007

I N S I D E

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERSASSOCIATION is comprisedof condominium associationmembers and associate mem-bers representing some16,000 residents along theBrickell corridor and on BrickellKey from the Miami River tothe Rickenbacker Causeway.The purpose of BHA is to com-municate common interestsmore effectively and mobilizesupport on important issuesrelating to the quality of life inour neighborhood.

www.brickellhomeowners.com

CONSTRUCTION SPRAWL

Five+ years later, “take back thestreets” ordinance passed by City

President’s Column:

The Magic of Brickell Remains

Page 3

Brickell Gets Historic

Designation; Name & History

Preserved

Page 5

Saving Trees in Miami &

Changes in Rules and Fines

Page 9

Canine Courtesy

Page 11

Cornerstones of Faith:

Beth David Congregation –

Miami’s Pioneer Synagogue

Page 13

Continued on page 14

BHA President Tory Jacobs at podium at CityCommission meeting while Commissioner

Sarnoff reads the Emergency Ordinance.

Arrests of City Staffers ExplainsSome of Brickell’s Woes

ABrickell Avenue Streetscape Plan thatshould have been completed two or threeyears ago. Potentially life-saving traffic

calming for the Brickell Key Bridge delayed foralmost as long.

These two big projects for the Brickell neigh-borhood, along with countless others throughoutthe City of Miami, citizens learned June 21st weredelayed because City staffers responsible for thework were busy working on their own freelance construction projects on Citytime. We’re not talking a little bit of time, or just a few employees. The investi-gation revealed that 85% of the 11 employees’ time at their City jobs was spenton non-City work as determined by computer tracking devices. Ten of the 11

Continued on page 6

“These peoplewere supposed

to be improvingyour City.”

-Commissioner Marc Sarnoff

SUMMER 2007 3

Hardly a month goes by, or aBHA Board meeting con-

cludes, without someone asking,often incredulously, why can’t weslow down the traffic on BrickellAvenue? Afterall, it’s a neighbor-hood street where thousands of res-idents live, and the sidewalks areoften full of walkers, joggers, pets,strollers and bikers. Yet, there arefew signals to slow vehicles down,enforcement seems spotty, and carsare left to speed along our mainstreet (except of course when con-struction sprawl or congestion has

traffic at a crawl). Why should it beso hazardous for us to get ontoBrickell from our driveways, theyask, and so scary to slow down toenter a driveway with the speedingvehicles tailgating?

Indeed it IS a hard-to-believesituation. And hard to compre-hend. With so many newcomers tothe area, and with many old timersgetting fed up, we thought it worth-while to reprint our column fromseveral years back on why it is as itis with our beloved BrickellAvenue. We present this explana-

tion so thatneighbors under-stand what we’re up against, andunderstand the challenges the dualidentity of Brickell Avenue presentsas we advocate for our StreetscapePlan, including crosswalks, signalsand signage, and other improve-ments to our neighborhood mainstreet.

From BHA Volume XIII, No. 2:Miami is often called The Mag-

ic City. Much of Miami’s magic

President’s Column By T. Sinclair (Tory) Jacobs

The Magic of Brickell Remains, Along with Some Mystery

BHA Board of DirectorsOFFICERST. Sinclair (Tory) JacobsBRICKELL 25President

Claudia BruceBRISTOL TOWER1st Vice President

Ernesto CuestaTHE METROPOLITANTreasurer

Jose DieguezONE TEQUESTA POINTSecretary

DIRECTORSBlanche P. Back BRICKELL BISCAYNE

Herbert BaileyBRICKELL FOREST

Linda BakerBRICKELL PLACE PHASE I

Jose Maria Carneiro daCunhaSANTA MARIA

Philip CarpioTHE CLUB AT BRICKELL BAY

Timothy CzerniecTWO TEQUESTA POINT

Jorge De la TorreBRICKELL EAST

Andres DuarteTHE PALACE

Francois Fournier BRICKELL WOODS TOWNHOUSE

Louis GonzalezST. LOUIS CONDO

Bruce Higley2000 BRICKELL AVENUE

Vera HochbergMARK YACHT CLUB ON BRICKELL BAY

Jorge IglesiasBRICKELL MAR

Julian Leon-VelardeFOUR SEASONS RESIDENCES

Ira LevenshonVILLA REGINA

Brad McMorrisBRICKELL PARK CONDO

Anibal Lopez-MolneBRICKELL BAY CLUB

Carlos MigoyaTHREE TEQUESTA POINT

Daniel PayetBRICKELL HARBOUR

Franka PossoBRICKELL FOUNTAINS

Carlos M. RodriguezTHE ATLANTIS ON BRICKELL

Mac SeligmanBRICKELL TOWNHOUSE

Xavier SuarezBRICKELL 25

Danny van der ReisTHE IMPERIAL AT BRICKELL

Yvonne YeomansonHOUSES OF BRICKELL

Salvador Ziegenhirt25 BAY TOWER____________

Melvin FrankelGENERAL COUNSEL

Ron SmithDEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL

Natalie BrownCOMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSJohn BarrosoBRICKELL BAY YACHT CLUB ATTHE FOUR AMBASSADORS, PH. V

Angie CarterSKYLINE AT MARY BRICKELLVILLAGE

Joseph L. CombsIMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH

Edgardo De FortunaFORTUNE INTERNATIONAL

Marcos FreireMARY BRICKELL VILLAGE

Gabriel A. GhanoumST. JUDE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Robert B. Green1550 BRICKELL APARTMENTS

Tibor HolloFLORIDA EAST COAST REALTY

Juan Carlos PadialSOL SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

Wayne KirkFIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Charles LeemonHAMPTON INN

Hal MartellBRICKELL AREA ASSOCIATION

Alexander MeinholdCOLUMBUS CENTRE

Arthur MurphyCMC MANAGEMENT

Alan OjedaRILEA GROUP

Bill ThompsonTHE RELATED GROUP

Tim WellerJW MARRIOTT HOTEL MIAMI

John YanopoulosINFINITY AT BRICKELL

Continued on next page

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION4

comes from Brickell,now a world-class streetname in a league thatincludes Peachtree inAtlanta, Rodeo Drive inBeverly Hills, FifthAvenue in New Yorkand Champs-Elysees inParis.

Brickell’s closenessto Biscayne Bay adds toits distinction, as few ofthese dream streets runalong such a beautifulshoreline.

Brickell doeshave something ofa dual personality:the financial cen-ter of the Americ-as to the northand the elegantcondominiumtowers to thesouth. The Brick-ell Neighborhoodis indeed a greatplace to work, a great place to live and a great place todine. And it is transforming into a great place to shop.

Of course, Brickell is more than the name of astreet; it is a thriving neighborhood.The name conjures up an image ofthe ultimate in urban living, animage that seems to be irresistible todevelopers who continue breakingground for ever more elegant towers.Some wonder where the people willbe coming from to fill them. Actual-ly, they're coming from all over theworld, as well as from right here in

our backyard. Our newest residents include peopletrading up as they prosper, and people moving in fromthe far reaches of Miami-Dade, tired of long com-mutes.

There is ashadow overBrickell, howev-er. The darkcloud comesabout becauseBrickell is some-thing else, aswell: it is a Feder-al Highway, US 1. And as such, is governed by the Fed-eral Highway Administration rules and regulationsadministered locally by the Florida Department ofTransportation (FDOT). The Federal Highway Admin-istration controls the flow of federal highway dollars toeach state and it is a powerful bureaucracy. So, whilewe see Brickell as our main artery, the all-powerful reg-ulators see it as part of the national highway system;their overriding concern, after safety, is moving asmany vehicles as quickly as possible.

This is why we are unable to have traffic signalsand traffic calming devices installed. North of the

“President’s Column” continued from page 3

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There is a shadow overBrickell, however...

Brickell is somethingelse, as well: It is a

Federal Highway, US 1.

Brickell, now a world-class street name in a

league that includesPeachtree in Atlanta,

Rodeo Drive in BeverlyHills, Fifth Avenue in

New York and Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Continued on page 6

SUMMER 2007 5

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Naming Rights

Brickell Avenue Gets Historic Designation;Brand, History Preserved

Governor Charlie Cristsigned legislation June 14,2007, declaring Brickell

Avenue a state historic road andprohibiting the Brickell Avenuename to be extended beyond itsMiami River north boundary. Thisact will forever quash the efforts ofthe developers of Met 2 office tow-er just north of the river who werelooking to cash in on the cachet ofthe Brickell Avenue name byextending it up Southeast SecondAvenue.

The victory was led by the busi-ness leaders of Brickell Area Asso-ciation who have been battling thebrand dilution, not to mention his-

torical inaccuracy, such a nameextension would create. BrickellHomeowners Association andDade Heritage Trust also tookstands against the name extension.

The BAA was well prepared forthe 2007 Florida Legislative sessionafter narrowly seeing the close ofthe 2006 session without last-minute legislation slipped in toextend the Brickell name, aided bythe strong lobbying efforts of thedevelopers.

The legislation also symbolizesa victory for historical preservationand accuracy. Miami HistorianArva Parks McCabe explains that itwould not have made sense for the

From the Bill“That portion of BrickellAvenue situated within thecorporate limits of the Cityof Miami and lying betweenS.E. 25th Street and thesouth shoreline of the Mia-mi River is designated as astate historic road. No statefunds shall be expended byany public body or agencyto alter its location whetherby extension of its bound-aries or the extension ofthe name Brickell Avenue.”

Continued on next page

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION6

“Brickell Name” continued from previous page

“Arrests” continued from page 1

area north of the river to be called “Brickell” as thatwas Julia Tuttle’s territory. The river was always thegeographic dividing line among these two leaders inMiami’s founding in 1896.

The state historic designation of the roadway recog-nizes that Brickell Avenue, stretching from Miami Riv-er south to 25th Road, has distinct cultural, historic,architectural, recreational, natural and/or scenicresources value. •

Although the battle has been won, neighborsshould still check out www.savehistoricbrickell.com,the website created for the effort. It may take your con-nection several seconds to load, but it’s worth the loadsof information and the beautiful historic images ofBrickell.

“President’s Column” continued from page 4River on Biscayne Boulevard, there are traffic signals atevery intersection and Biscayne Boulevard is also US 1.(They must be grandfathered.)

Brickell traffic will improve from a combination ofmass transit and circulatory bus route additions, morepedestrian-friendly crosswalks, better traffic movementpatterns including more efficient use of bridges andtunnels, and better signalization. Police trained in mov-ing traffic, and control of public space utilized by con-tractors as they build the new towers, are also neededfor an improved conditions.

Even FEMA (Federal Emergency ManagementAdministration) has relaxed its flood control elevationsfor “downtown Brickell” to facilitate a more pedestri-an-friendly environment. Now, we must find a way toencourage FDOT to use its power, professionalism andaccess to federal funds to join in the support of Brick-ell’s conurbation. It would appear to require a changein mindset. [See “Agenda for FDOT” below of con-cerns BHA is presently working on with the agency.]

Let’s get out the Magic Dust! •

were in the City’s Capital Improvement Programs (CIP)department and one was in the Zoning department.

“These people were supposed to be improving yourCity,” Commissioner Marc Sarnoff said. “This is notgood government. We need more transparency.”

The 11 are accused of doing construction designand planning work for outside companies on City timeusing City computers and equipment, and even going sofar as to brazenly visit the construction sites in Cityvehicles. Their City job titles ranged from CADD Oper-ator to Project Manager, with an average City basesalary before benefits of $69,270; two were paid morethan $100,000. All but one was hired by the City morethan seven years ago; two were on the City payroll formore than 30 years and recently retired.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle hascharged them with racketeering, theft and organizedfraud. The Herald reported that indeed they wereorganized; they called their enterprise “The Firm.”They face 23 to 95 years in prison and the loss of theCity pensions.

Not surprisingly, among the accused was one stafferBHA worked with in trying to get the Streetscape Planmoving. Those interactions were so fruitless and frus-trating, that BHA complained about her to superiorslast year.

“In all the years since 1990 that we’ve been inter-facing with the city on behalf of Brickell neighbors, wehave never made a complaint about a particular staffperson’s performance,” President Tory Jacobs said.“But Maria E. Lopez, with whom we had to work onthe Streetscape project, seemed utterly incompetent,unresponsive, and any information she gave was totallyunreliable. Now we see why she couldn’t give our proj-ect any attention.” •

BHA Agenda Items for FDOTThese are the items BHA leaders have been pur-

suing with Florida Department of Transportationofficials and will continue to advocate for on behalfof neighbors:• Resurfacing of Brickell, asphalt, not concrete.• Crosswalk for Brickell at 25th Road, between

bus stops.• Signage for four crosswalks south of 15th

Road.• Traffic signal between bus stops at Immanuel

Lutheran Church, 1770 Brickell and UTD Tow-ers at 1809 Brickell

• Recognizing Brickell and Biscayne Blvd. asmajor urban thoroughfares rather than part ofthe US Highway system. (Combine US 1 with I-95 through the City.)

• Traffic calming on Brickell Avenue/speedingproblems

• Intersection of Brickell and 26th Road, gridlockwhen events on Key Biscayne, need protectedpedestrian crossing to access Alice WainrightPark from north side of intersection.

• Intersection of Coral Way & 15th Road (nowBroadway). FDOT December, 2002 Intersec-tion Study recommended remedial action.Nothing done as of yet.

Coral Way NETAdministrator Liza Walton

(305) 329-4750lwalton@ci.miami.fl.us

Downtown NETAdministrator Eddie Padilla

(305) 579-6007hpadilla@ci.miami.fl.us

City of Miami PoliceOfficer Jeffrey Giordano

(305) 710-5222Commander Ron Papier

Ronald.Papier@miami-police.org

Miami-Dade County CommissionerDistrict 7: Carlos A. Gimenez

(305) 375-5680District7@miamidade.gov

Miami-Dade County CommissionerDistrict 5: Bruno Barreiro

(305) 643-8525District5@miamidade.gov

City of Miami CommissionerDistrict 2: Marc Sarnoff

(305) 250-5333msarnoff@miamigov.com

Miami-Dade Public Schools Board-Dist. 3: Dr. Martin Karp

(305) 995-1334martinkarp@dadeschools.net

Florida SenateDist. 39: Sen. Larcenia J. Bullard

Tallahassee (850) 487-5127Miami (305) 668-7344

bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov

Florida SenateDist. 35: Senator Gwen Margolis

Tallahassee (850) 487-5121Miami (305) 993-3632

margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov

Florida House of Representatives Dist. 107: Rep. Luis Garcia, Jr.Tallahassee (850) 488-9930

Miami (305) 325-2501luis.garcia@myfloridahouse.gov

U.S. House of Representatives Dist. 18: Congresswoman

Ileana Ros-LehtinenD.C. (202) 225-3931Miami (305) 220-3281

U.S. SenateSenator Bill Nelson

D.C. (202) 224-5274Coral Gables (305) 536-5999

Senator Mel MartinezD.C. (202) 224-3041

Miami: (305) 444-8332mel_martinez@martinez.senate.gov

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION8

The First Presbyterian Church held its First Annual MemorialDay patriotic service on May 28th. More than 100 guestsattended including local veterans, soldiers and their fami-lies, and local leaders. CH (COL) Wayne D. Kirk, pastor, FirstPresbyterian Church, greeted the guests and delivered thesermon. Well known local vocalist Maryel Epps performed,and bagpiper Mark D. Pinks escorted guests to a receptionhosted by the Presbyterian women. Coral Gables Mayor DonSlesnick, current Florida Army Reserve Ambassador Florida,was also on hand. Specials thanks went to the members ofthe First Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian women, Ter-ra Flowers, Freedom Flag and Banner, City of North MiamiCouncilman Scott Galvin, Donna DeCarlo and First Presby-terian Church member Paul C. Savage, Esq. of the law firmof Greenberg Traurig, P.A., for donating their services. A col-lection was taken up to benefit the Paralyzed Veterans. The2nd annual event is being planned for 2008. www.miamipres-bychurch.com; 305-371-3439.

IMPORTANT COMMUNITY CONTACTS Brickell Church Hosts Memorial Day Event

COL Lettie Bien, CH (COL) Wayne Kirk (Pastor, First Presbyterian),CSM Jose Morin, LT Alvio Dominguez and CWO Anthony Atwood

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SUMMER 2007 9

Perhaps you like me have felthelpless seeing yet one moreof the majestic trees that once

lined Brickell being cut down, orbrutalized with a “hat-rack” trim.You assumed that if the tree was onprivate property, there was nothingyou could do. WRONG!

Lucky for us, the City of Miamihas strict laws limiting or prohibit-ing the removal or overly-aggres-sive trimming of trees whether ornot on private property. The Cityseeks to protect, preserve andrestore the tree canopy here, andhas laid out a wonderful Ordinanceto enforce this policy—ZoningOrdinance Article No. 8.1.

I live at 2180 Brickell, directlyto the South of2110 which hadbeen sold and itsbuildings leveled inthe last two years.Several huge, oldMahogany treesremained on theproperty. Thesetrees have been ajoy for me duringthe 25 years I havelived next door.

By accident,then, I saw a small,posted noticeattached to theproperty’s iron gate,stating that thenew developerhad been grantedpermission to cutdown five ofthese trees, unlesssomeone, within10 calendar daysof the posting of

the notice, appealed. I stumbled abit, but after a number of phone callsand visits to city agencies, I appealedand at this point, the official decisionis to save three of the five otherwisedoomed Mahoganies.

This is how I learned about theprocess and I urge you to read on andto be vigilant as well, for saving a treeconfers grace and benefits our neigh-borhood, our city and our neighbors.

First, it is not true that becausea tree is on “private property,” itcan be cut or abused at the order ofthe owner. The owner must obtaina permit from the city to cut down,move or “effectively removethrough tree abuse” most trees. If

Continued on next page

GUEST COLUMN By Joan Tumpson, Brickell Resident

Trees are a Neighborhood Asset& How You Can Save Them

TREES: From theCity of MiamiThe City of Miami wants topreserve and increase our treecanopy.

Trimming your tree more than25% can kill or severely dam-age the tree. To protect ourtree canopy, the City of Miamirequires you to apply for apermit to remove a tree ortrim more than 25% of yourtree's canopy. Permit applica-tions can be obtained at theCity of Miami offices of CodeEnforcement, NET and Build-ing Department.

Trees removed or trimmedmore than 25% without apermit will be the propertyowner's responsibility and willbe subject to fines of up to:

• $500 per tree for city residents

• $1,000 per tree for non-residents

• $1,000 per tree for second-time offenders

• Up to $15,000 per tree ifthe tree suffered perma-nent damage.

These increased fines wentinto effect June 1, 2007. Formore details, call 311 or visitwww.miamigov.com/codeen-forcement. You may also visityour local NET office for aproper tree trimming pam-phlet.

See extended tree ordinance docu-ment on expanded web version ofBHA News at www.brickellhome-owners.com.

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION10

new construction is contemplated,the Zoning Department must firstdetermine that no tree-removal per-mit is required before a buildingpermit can be issued. And a permitis required to trim more than 25percent of a tree’s canopy.

If you see a tree being cut ortrimmed, ask to see the permit. If nopermit is available, call our NEToffice (Liza Walton at 305-329-4750) or the Department of CodeEnforcement at 305-329-4770, andreport the activity. They are won-derful people, will send someone tostop any improper activity and/ortell you what to do.

As for me, I saw the notice on aFriday, and had only five days toact. I called our Net Office and fromthere, called and visited CodeEnforcement (at 1300 S.W. 12thAvenue and then Ms. ProvidenciaVelazquez at the City PlanningDepartment, Historic and Environ-

mental Preservation Board, 305-416-1459). Ms. Velazquez wasextraordinarily helpful, and I amgrateful to her to this day.

The process was not difficult. Iwent to Code Enforcement (thank youCode Enforcement Officer Del Vallefor your help and direction), reviewedthe developer’s application for a permit(Tip: I took my camera and pho-tographed some of the plans which aretoo large to photocopy), then wrote abrief letter stating I was appealing thedecision to allow the developer to cutdown the trees and why.

I took the “appeal” (only twopages) to City Planning DepartmentOffice, filed it and then went insearch of an arborist. This is a treeexpert who will look at the trees,form a professional opinion, put iton paper and come to the hearing totestify. I was extraordinarily luckyto find Arborist Lisa H. Hammer.(lisaahhammer@bellsouth.net)

Lisa was painfully fair and had

appeared many times before HEPBoard hearings. She knew the terri-tory and was respected by the com-munity. She was great.

Finally, some of my neighborsand our association president werekind enough to come to the hearingitself and testify. The entire processwas very impressive – the BoardMembers were genuinely interestedand very fair. I think my primarycontribution to saving the three treeswas the decision to say little myselfand let Lisa Hammer do the talking.

It is not hard and you can saveand/or protect a tree if you see onein jeopardy. My best advice is to callany of the people mentioned above,or just call me at 305-856 2114immediately. One cannot delay, foronce the tree is destroyed, it is gone.

Email: tumpson@aol.com •

BHA thanks and congratulates Joanfor going “above and beyond” toprotect our neighborhood assets!

cut and color guru

“Trees” continued from previous pg.

SUMMER 2007 11

Canine CourtesyEnforcement, education to be key in effort

The BHA Task Forcefor Canine Courtesyheaded by Claudia

Bruce and hugely assistedby NET Administrator LizaWalton investigated gettingdisposal bags and recepta-cles installed along BrickellAvenue in the continuingquest to improve the situa-tion for walkers, joggersand other residents runningacross dog waste on thepublic sidewalks and green-ways.

A myriad of roadblocksmake getting the dispensersinstalled impossible, even ifthe association were to pickup the tab for their pur-chase. Instead, propertiesare being encouraged to doas the Four Seasons Resi-dences and other condoshave done, and make thebags available to residentson their way out of thebuildings for dog walks.

The combination ofeducation (signs) andenforcement (police writingcitations for those who vio-late the ordinance and donot pick up after their pets)will be used. •

The letter reprinted here isbeing sent to PropertyManagers to share withtheir residents.

RE: Dog waste on Brickell

Dear Brickell Property Managers:

The City of Miami Coral Way and Downtown NET offices have receivednumerous complaints from residents regarding area dog owners who arenot cleaning up after their dogs in the Brickell area. Not only is it illegal toleave pet waste behind, but it also transmits disease. In addition, theseunlawful dog owners are fouling up the wonderful streetscape that is Brick-ell Avenue; creating a nuisance for families, joggers, and pedestrians.

The City of Miami Ordinance No 12189 states that it is unlawful for any per-son to not immediately remove and dispose of any fecal matter depositedby a dog on private or public property. This includes sidewalks, swales,and condominium lawns. Any person violating this ordinance shall bedeemed guilty of a civil infraction, and may be fined up to $500.

The City of Miami is notifying all Brickell residents that the Brickell Home-owner’s Association is currently working with the Miami Police Departmentto immediately begin strict enforcement of this ordinance.

In order to help your residents comply, the Brickell Homeowner’s Associa-tion has provided a list of vendors that supply clean up solutions that westrongly encourage you to place where dog owners exit your building.

Please post this letter and educate all of your residents about thisordinance. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions, or ifyou would like to set up a time for me to present this information to yourresidents.

Thank you for your cooperation. I look forward to working with you in cre-ating a cleaner and more pleasant Brickell environment.

Sincerely,

Liza Gallardo Walton, Administrator, Coral WayCity of Miami Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET)

BHA News is published by the BrickellHomeowners Association to keep neigh-bors, public officials and others in thecommunity informed of the activities andconcerns of its residents. Advertising is

accepted on a space-available basis,and BHA reserves the right to accept orreject all advertising. For advertisinginformation or other details, see theBHA website or write to Communica-

tions Director Natalie Brown at email nbrown@brickellhomeowners.com Edi-torial material and suggestions arealso welcome for consideration.

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION12

SUMMER 2007 13

Along canopy-lined CoralWay sits a striking architec-tural treasure featuring a

large dome and six supportingcolumns. It’s the synagogue built in1949 for the Beth David Congrega-tion, Miami’s pioneer synagogueoriginally founded in 1912 and rep-resenting an important part of ourneighborhood’s cultural and histori-cal roots.

What’s behind the remarkableedifice is equally as impressive. Con-tained within are the 1,000 seat Falksanctuary, a bimah (platform forTorah reading and prayer service) ofBrazilian mahogany, the peacefulScher prayer chapel, a chandelieredSpector ballroom, two state-of-the-art school wings and computer lab,the Simons library, the Traurigreception hall and the historic BeckMuseum of Judaica. The museumincludes in its impressive collectiona Persian Torah from the 1600s, atravel-size Torah from Bavaria, aHungarian prayer schedule withmoveable clock faces and pop-upRosh Hashanah cards from pre-warEngland and Germany.

Steeped in tradition, Beth Davidprovides full-service programs formore than 450 families and strivesto be a welcoming place forstrengthening Jewish identity and her-itage, while continuously evolving tomeet the needs of the fast-changingsurrounding neighborhoods. Pro-grams and services are led by the newleadership team of Rabbi HectorEpelbaum, Cantor Julie Jacobs andEducation Director Debbie Hafetz.

Rabbi Hector Epelbaum joinedthe Beth David Congregation in fall2006, and has served in pulpits inthe U.S., Israel and Argentina.

“Beth David is a place to find

meaning and purpose; aplace to find God throughour worship and our socialexperiences; a place togather together to form areligious community, tosanctify life, to performdeeds of caring compassionand philanthropy; a placewhere we can acquire theknowledge and the desire tolive as learned and commit-ted Jews,” Rabbi Epelbaum said.“Beth David is more than a syna-gogue, more than a house of prayer.Beth David is a place where tradi-tion and values inspire us to livemodern and meaningful lives. BethDavid is the most exiting way torenew the holy and to make holyevery new challenge.”

In addition to his work at BethDavid, Rabbi Epelbaum is a boardmember of the Israeli Cultural Insti-tute for Miami and Puerto Rico,Vice President of the Greater MiamiRabbinical Association, chaplain atthe Hebrew Home of Miami Beach,a columnist for Diario Las Americ-as, and was recently named by May-or Manny Diaz as part of hisFaith-Based Advisory Council.

Beth David programs designedto encompass the religious, socialand cultural needs of the congrega-tion are offered to all those interest-ed in participating. These includeconcerts, speakers, and live musicwith traditional prayers, as well as aunique program to attract youngJewish professionals in the Brickell,Roads and Coconut Grove Neigh-borhoods: Rock Shabbat followedby speed dating. An Early Child-hood Center enrolls children 18months to 5 years old and the Jew-ish Day School serves grades kinder-garten through 5th.

“Downtown Miami and theBrickell neighborhood are undergo-ing tremendous transformation withnew businesses, new condos, andmany new residents,” remarked onecongregant. “Beth David Congrega-tion strives to attract and suit theneeds and ideas of the people, aswell as maintain the years of Jewishtradition.”

Cantor Jacobs described themusical events taking place at BethDavid: “We have concerts through-out the year from Florida GrandOpera recitals, Jewish SymphonyOrchestra, Cantorial, and Klezmer.In the planning stages are a culturalarts program that will feature localtalent from Jazz to Jewish to Latin,and benefit concerts to supportcauses such as Autism research.”

A creative CongregationalSchool provides classes for childrenand their families to enrich theirJewish identity through worship,study and community, and a teenprogram is also provided.

“The beauty of the educationalprogramming at Beth David GordonSchools is that the quality of theacademic curriculum is matched bythe quality of the Jewish values thatare transmitted,” Education Direc-tor Hafetz said. “Our students arenot only learning information, theyare learning how to live good lives.”

CORNERSTONES OF FAITH

Beth David Congregation: Miami’s Pioneer SynagogueBy Donna DeCarlo

Continued on page 15

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION14

“City Arrests” continued from page 1and quality of life, but of publicsafety. Commissioner Sarnoff pre-sented the ordinance May 10th andat BHA’s urging, the Commissionpassed it unanimously as an Emer-gency Ordinance, bypassing theneed and delay of a second reading.

Slowly neighbors should see lessuse of sidewalks and streets by con-tractors, less construction sprawland more protected pedestrianwalkways adjacent to constructionsites. This is required in other cities;Miami should have the same stan-

dards. Word on the street is,however, at the time of this writ-ing in late June, that the contrac-tors are balking, not wanting toincur the costs associated withplanning for and protecting thepublic. •

Right: President Tory Jacobs showed upat City Hall to present to the Commis-sion’s May meeting with the 5-year-oldresolution exhibit first used in 2002,showing its age and weariness awaitingreal action by the City.

Coral Way NET Office Relocated

Afire at the Coral Way NET offices at 1300 SW 12 Avenue has dis-placed the office staff due to damage. Liza Walton and the NET

staff have temporarily relocated their offices to Simpson Park, 55 SW17th Road, until repairs are completed, anticipated this fall. In themeantime, their phone number, 305-329-4750, and hours of opertaion(M-F, 8-5) remain the same. No one was injured in the fire. •

Elevate your life to a new chai at Beth DavidCongregation, Miami’s downtown synagogue

Join Rabbi Hector Epelbaum, Cantor Julie Jacobs, and Education Director Debbie Hafetz – our warm, approachableand inspirational leaders – for the wide array of spiritual and

educational possibilities for all ages.

Contact us or stop by to find out how you can become a part of our engaging and caring community

• Beth David Gordon Schools – Early Child-hood, Jewish Day School and ReligiousSchool

• High Holy Day services• Daily minyan (7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.)• Holiday Celebrations• Creative and Traditional Worship options

• Teen programming• Adult Education• Cultural Events

(concerts, lectures, theater)• Life Cycle events (baby namings, Bar/Bat

Mitzvah, weddings, etc)• Conversion Classes...and so much more!

Beth David Congregation2625 SW Third Avenue • Miami, FL 33129www.bethdavidmiami.org • Tel: 305-854-3911

Excerpts of BHA comments from January2002 presentation to the City about

Construction Sprawl, still applicable today

“...We would like to see the City take a holisticapproach to development. Rather than just considereach individual project, recognize the cumulativeimpact of all the proposed development.

We would like to see the City approve onlydevelopment that can be supported by existing infra-structure.

Finally, we call on the City to find the means tocoordinate the work of all entities digging up the streetsand sidewalks or blocking same with construction andfilming equipment to minimize disruption to the pub-lic’s use of these facilities. We would like to see police,flagmen and/or traffic aides on hand to enforce regula-tions and facilitate traffic movement.

Obviously, this will be no easy task … coordi-nating the several juristrictions and entities involved,FDOT, the County, the several utilities. But, the Citymust control by whom, when and where use of ourstreets and sidewalks is impeded....”

SUMMER 2007 15

OF BRICKELL

TM

• On site in 45 minutes• Water removal and dehumidification

experts. Certified by the Institute ofInspection, Cleaning and Restoration

• Certified Mold Remediation company bythe Institute of Air Quality

• Fire damage cleaning & restoration

• Odor removal • Preferred vendor of 400+ insurance

companies• Part of a national network of Servpro

franchises – no job is too big or too small• Florida Licensed General Contractor• Bonded and insured

24 hours, every day of the year…FIRE, WATER and MOLD EMERGENCY SERVICES

Proud supporter of the Brickell Homeowners Association • Member of the Brickell Area Association • Building Owners and Managers Association-Miami • Better Business Bureau

Like it never even happened.

Main Office: 305.251.4646 www.servproofbrickell.com

“Cornerstones of Faith” continued from page 13Unique and progressive Friday night Shabbat serv-

ices have been added and are highlighted by a variety ofthemed nights such as “Tot Shabbat” (Happy Feet). ASpanish speakers’ service with prayers in Hebrew andsermon in Spanish is offered, and a Miami-suited Shab-bat Passion features a live band setting of traditionalprayers to Latin rhythms.

In the planning stages for next year are a congrega-tional mission to Israel to celebrate Israel’s 60th birth-day, the Rock Shabbat Service for young Jewishprofessionals, an elementary school production of“Annie” and a Summer Theatre Camp.

Beth David is affiliated with the United Synagogueof Conservative Judaism and retains the practice of tra-ditional Judaism while addressing the needs and aimsof modern Jewry.

Beth David Congregation is located at 2625 SW 3rdAvenue, Miami, Florida 33129, Tel: (305) 854-3911.Email info@bethdavidmiami.org. Web site under con-struction www.bethdavidmiami.org •

Cornerstones of Faith is an occasional series by BHA Newson the Brickell area’s houses of worship.

BRICKELL HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION • 145 SE 25TH ROAD • SUITE 1002 • MIAMI, FL 33129