Dr. Leslie Kaplan

Posted on December 13, 2012 By Editor Our Community

By Julie Kerns Garmendia
Resident Community News

Leslie Kaplan was introduced to CISV (Children’s International Summer Villages) when her two sons, Alexander, 15, and Jeremiah, 13, participated in the cross-cultural program to promote peace and understanding among youth.
Both boys traveled to Denmark to stay with host families. Leslie teaches Folklore & Folklife at UNF and her husband Philip, a UNF History Professor, have supported and volunteered for the organization continuously since 2007. The couple’s youngest child is daughter Elinor, 5, and the family has a rescue cat, Coraline.
“I believe in the mission and have been a volunteer recruiter for CISV, finding adult and college-aged leaders for the programs, recruiting children to participate, selecting the kids and then matching children with adults,” she said. “My involvement goes deeper because of the local CISV – Faces of Jacksonville program started by former City Council President Lad Daniels. This local effort applies concepts of the international program to bring local diverse communities together for better understanding and the good of the city.”
Through Faces of Jacksonville Kaplan learned that her ZIP Code, 32207, is one of the biggest resettlement areas in the entire Southeast, except Miami. This is largely due to Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida and World Relief Jacksonville which assist many immigrants: both are located near Emerson and Philips Highway.
“I am UNF’s Interim Director of the honors program and teach a class for incoming freshman – Immigration & National Identity. Through my volunteer work with CISV and Faces of Jacksonville I learned how many immigrant groups have settled here. There are individuals and families from Bhutan, Burundi, Burma, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq and Syria among others,” she said. “I realized my interests had coalesced and by connecting these diverse groups, all would benefit.”
Kaplan’s students perform a service project as part of their class and interact with the refugees by mentoring, tutoring or through activities like coaching soccer. She has been amazed at the mutual enrichment of integrating the cross-cultural program with her
students.
“I’ve watched how my students have grown through meeting people from all over the world, without need for travel or even a plane ticket. They get so much from the experience, and vice versa. Immigrant kids – who are often isolated at school due to differences in appearance, language, clothing, eating habits, etc. – are helped academically, socially. Simultaneously, they are influenced towards higher education and set on a path toward success,” Kaplan said.
To clearly explain CISV is difficult, according to Kaplan, because the term “camp” has a preconceived meaning to most Americans. The camp concept of CISV actually refers more to a refugee camp.
“In some of the local apartment complexes where these refugees live it is like walking into another country,” she said. “They are trying to build new lives and want to retain their own cultures, while adapting to a new life…the mission of CISV brings us all together and by involving youth we are training the leaders of tomorrow while bringing awareness and understanding of cross-cultural differences.”
The Kaplans moved from Mandarin to San Marco in 2005 to enjoy the walking/ biking lifestyle as a family. They especially enjoy biking over to the Riverside Arts Market where they meet Saturdays at 9 a.m. at the bike valet. Families gather there to bike the historic district, visit a playground and stop to enjoy coffee for the adults and snacks for the kids. Kaplan said families from San Marco, Springfield, Riverside and Avondale join the outing.
On the home front, they renovated their Hendricks Avenue 1948 Spanish-style Bungalow and especially enjoy the yard. Four garden beds produce an abundance of herbs, fruits (tons of blueberries) and vegetables. Fruit trees add to the edible landscape.
“We are probably known for having a ‘messy’, but yummy yard…everything growing there is feeding someone or something including our family, neighbors, or wildlife. We are supporters of Slow Food First Coast which promotes local fresh, natural and wholesome foods,” Kaplan said. She serves on the board of Slow Food First Coast and leads the volunteer nutrition committee for J. Allen Axson Montessori School where her daughter Elinor is a student.
“I especially enjoy taking fresh fruits and vegetables, including raw herbs like fennel and even raw spinach for the children to try. Surprisingly when one or two kids try something the others all ask to try some too, so it’s a wonderful, easy way to introduce them to new tastes,” she said.
The Kaplans like to have a date night, walk to a local restaurant and then through the neighborhoods to the river to watch the sunsets. They attend services at Congregation Ahavath Chesed and support the local Lutheran Social Services and World Relief organizations.
Future plans for the Kaplans include their annual summer trip to Europe, where they are based in Athens, Greece and accompanied by Leslie’s students. Leslie will teach topics regarding modern Greece, and Philip will teach ancient Greek history to the students for five or six weeks of overseas study.