Marketing Brochure for Kinneret, 1967.
Kinneret was the first nonsynagogue facility erected by the Orlando Jewish community. In 1960, members of the Jewish Community Council learned about a federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program providing low interest mortgages to build housing for seniors with fixed incomes. Abe Wise located land near Lake Lucerne, which reminded him of the Sea of Galilee, known in Israel as “Lake Kinneret.” Orlando’s Kinneret opened in 1968 with 168 apartments. Monthly rent started at $75. George Weinman moved in as a tenant and became the first manager. Following its success, a second tower was built in 1978 with 112 apartments. With Kinneret II, HUD provided additional funding for a connector between the two 15-story towers that included a kitchen and dining room for meals and events. The dining facility is run by the nonprofit Kinneret Council on Aging, which raises funds for all activities at Kinneret. Kinneret Apartments represents the power of community coalitions and government resources. Through the work of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, the Kinneret Board of Directors, the Kinneret Council on Aging and the US Department of HUD, Kinneret provides safe and affordable housing for seniors of all faiths.
Kinneret Council on Aging
Signing Kinneret II mortgage, 1979.
L-R: Jerry Bornstein, Murray Schwartz, Ernest Rapp (standing) and Elliott Zerivitz
Collections of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, originated by Marcia Jo Zerivitz, LHD, Founding Executive Director
Resident Rose Levy, mother of Gloria Titen, participates in Kinneret II groundbreaking, 1979.
Collections of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, originated by Marcia Jo Zerivitz, LHD, Founding Executive Director
Passover seder in Kinneret dining room, 1993.
Judy Kahan
Kinneret Towers I and II stand prominently in Orlando’s downtown landscape, 2005.
Donna Render