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Florida Matters: Growing Up Jewish In Polk County

Courtesy of Catherine Eskin
Credit Florida Humanities Council

WUSF’s Robin Sussingham recently hosted “Our Jewish Communion: Religious Identity and Growing Up Jewish in Polk County” at Florida Southern College in Lakeland to discuss what it was like to come of age in a predominantly Christian region. This week on Florida Matters (Tuesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 20 at 7:30 a.m.), we bring you highlights of the conversation.

The panel, which was organized by Florida Southern College professor Dr. Catherine Eskin, includes:

·         Rabbi Samuel April, who served Temple Emanuel in Lakeland from 1956 to 1958

·         Susan Eckert, who grew up in Lakeland and now lives in Sarasota

·         Jeffrey Miller, who grew up in Lakeland  and is the immediate past president of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center in Orlando

·         Dr. Jack Kugelmass, director of the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Florida

·         Dr. Waite W. Willis, Jr., a Lakeland native and Christian religious leader

Robin Sussingham was Senior Editor at WUSF until September 2020.
Lottie Watts was our Florida Matters producer from 2012 to 2016. She also covers health and health policy for WUSF's Health News Florida .
Carson Cooper served as host of WUSF’s "Morning Edition" for 18 years. He took the job in 2000, after working in Tampa Bay radio for decades. He was a fan favorite of our listeners, bringing his friendly and familiar voice to listeners as they started their weekday mornings.
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