MUST Expands into Miami, South Florida

Inspired by the MUST (Mothers Unite to Stall Technology) Crown Heights Kickoff Event this past June, a group of Miami mothers, representing a variety of South Florida Jewish schools, is officially launching MUST South Florida at a community-wide event.

MUST unites parents to postpone the age at which their children are allowed personal ownership of smart devices or to pause the progression of their use of personal device technology and social media. By joining together, we eliminate the peer pressure surrounding our children. The MUST revolution will protect and enable our children to thrive without the distractions and dangers of smart devices.

A group of Lubavitch Educational Center (LEC) mothers had already launched the MUST program in July 2021, working off the momentum provided by the Crown Heights event. Over the summer, over 25 moms signed up as “Pledge Initiators” or “Class Ambassadors” across 10-year levels (girls and boys) at LEC.

The upcoming event being arranged by MUST South Florida invites mothers and fathers to get empowered to stall giving their children a personal device and to learn about the importance of MUST and how it works. So far, parents from a wide spectrum of schools have signed up to attend the event, including LEC, Lanaar Elementary School, Yeshiva Toras Chaim Toras Emes (YTCTE), Gan Katan (Elementary), Yeshiva Elementary School (YES), and Lubavitch Hebrew Academy. Parents of children in additional schools are expected to get involved in the coming days.

The event will be held on Sunday, Dec 26, 2021, at 7:00 PM EST at Bais Menachem Chabad of North Miami Beach, 17299 Northeast 10th Avenue, North Miami Beach, FL 33162.

The keynote speaker, Rabbi Mendel Toron, MSW, LSW (mendeltoron.com), a passionate advocate of improving mental health education in the Jewish community, will address the pitfalls of giving children personal smart devices. Rabbi Toron is a psychotherapist in private practice working with teens, adults, and their families in South Florida. As he partners with Jewish Community Services of South Florida to provide counseling to the students at LEC and Rohr Middle School, he is well aware of the impacts technology has on our community.

A MUST South Florida parent will also be addressing the audience, explaining how the program works, and inviting parents to become a part of this community-wide program. The event will also enable parents to connect with other like-minded parents within their school communities for much-needed moral support and networking to kickstart the MUST programs on a class and school-wide level.

This event is for both mothers and fathers of children in any Jewish school in South Florida. Entry to the event is FREE, but since space is limited, registration is required. Please register by clicking here.