Jewish Council of North Central Florida names Linda Maurice new executive director
Linda Maurice was recently named the new executive director of the Jewish Council of North Central Florida, the umbrella organization for the diverse Jewish Communities of Gainesville, Ocala and surrounding area with a main focus on fundraising and programming, both locally and virtually.
“The JCNCF has a long, and impressive history of community work and philanthropy, not just in the local Jewish Gainesville and Ocala communities, but also the greater, diverse community,” Maurice said. “Additionally, the community avidly supports important Jewish organizations, both regionally and worldwide. I am excited and honored to be a part of this wonderful organization’s mission and future.”
Originally from New York, Maurice comes to the JCNCF with a diverse background. For the last 15 years she has been affiliated with the Nova Southeastern University Lifelong Learning Institute in Fort Lauderdale where for the last 11 years she has served as institute director. Previously, she worked in public relations for the David Posnack Jewish Community Center in Davie.
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Before moving to Florida 2000, Maurice lived in Jerusalem for many years where she primarily worked in television news production. JCNCF board president Debby Kinman-Ford says “Maurice’s extensive background working with Jewish communities, her time in Israel and her dynamic personality will make for an exciting new pathway for the JCNCF. Her enthusiasm and energy will allow us to continue to move the JCNCF forward and create programs and initiatives to a broader section of our Jewish community.”
Locally the JCNCF runs educational and social programs for all ages. Some of the programs include the PJ Library, which sends free books celebrating Jewish values and culture to families with young children; events commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah); Israeli Independence Day, and the Annual Jewish Film Festival, organized in collaboration with the University of Florida Center for Jewish Studies.
JCNCF raises funds for The Jewish Federations of North America which distributes funds as needed through the Joint Distribution Committee, a leading global Jewish humanitarian organization, and, The Jewish Agency for Israel, which works to ensure a vibrant Jewish future around the world.
Both organizations have created urgent campaigns to help Jews in Ukraine during the current war. The JCNCF directly supports two organizations in Israel: The Jaffa Institute, helping underserved families in Jaffa-Tel Aviv, and The Beit Ruth Educational and Therapeutic Village, which is a home and innovative community for abused and neglected women and girls in Afula, Israel.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Linda Maurice new director of Jewish Council of North Central Florida
