It was a first for Lubavitch Educational Center in Miami, Florida.
Having welcomed from time to time dignitaries from around the world to view the facilities, the administration was more than delighted to welcome a local official and friend, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
As Miami-Dade’s highest-ranking elected official and chief administrator, Mayor Gimenez heads a governing body that has jurisdiction over all of the schools in Miami-Dade County. The mayor was interested in LEC’s urgent need to expand its facilities to accommodate its burgeoning enrollment.
At a lunch meeting at LEC’s South Beach facility—arranged by community activist Mr. Yehuda Kaploun—Rabbi Benjy Korf, along with his father and Head Shliach Rabbi Abraham Korf, Rabbi Leibel Schapiro, and Rabbi Mendy Katz, discussed the pressing need for expansion.
As the school’s enrollment nears 1,500, more space is urgently needed—either on the present property in Miami Gardens or by purchasing an additional facility. Zoning and permits were a few of the topics discussed with Mayor Gimenez, who was very impressed with the school’s growth and was very positive about its future.
As they took a tour of the building—Mayor Gimenez had already visited the LEC facility in Miami Gardens—they visited one of the classrooms. The Mayor took the opportunity to present one of the students, Moshe Kaploun, with a Bar Mitzvah Certificate and welcomed him into the Army of Hashem.
Mayor Gimenez also showed the students that, although he may be a bit older than them, he could still sink a basketball. The visit ended on a very uplifting note, as everyone gave the mayor blessings for the New Year, and for a win in his next election in November.
