- November 7, 2025
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When they lived In Baltimore, Maryland, Lakewood Ranch’s Irv and Suzanne Seff said they lived in a tight-knit Jewish community with easy access to Jewish foods, synagogues, organizations and more.
When the couple moved to Lakewood Ranch five years ago, they said they had to seek out people who held similar beliefs and traditions within the Jewish community.
“The majority of people that I came in contact with (in Baltimore) were Jewish like myself and when we moved here, we felt like we were in a different world,” Irv Seff said.
With 800 people on its email list and approximately 500 active members, the Lakewood Ranch Jewish Club’s goal is to bring people, such as the Seffs, together.
“Since we've become more active, our circle of friends has grown immensely,” said Irv Seff, who now serves as the club's communications chair. “It's a feeling like you're never alone, that you've got somebody there for support and friendship.”
Suzanne Seff said she feels it is her duty to make other Jews in the community feel part of their family.
“With that comes the challenge of trying to do the work to form a solid Jewish community, and I believe we are doing that,” Suzanne Seff said.
The Seffs said several small groups have formed within the club already. Suzanne Seff serves as the small interest group chair and she said there has been talk of starting even more. Potential new groups include a group for singles, a book club and a Yiddish (a Jewish language) club.
The Jewish club holds a variety of educational, social and cultural events. With so many members, the events become networking opportunities. The events include field trips to live theatrical performances and gathering for meals at local restaurants. They also hold health and wellness seminars.
Richard Josephson, a self-described “ineffectively retired physician,” combines with Lee Frank to organize the health seminars roughly once a month. Topics have included or will include physical therapy, pain relief, living independently in your home as you age, benefits of exercise, plant-based diets, and Medicare issues.
Josephson moved from Ohio after being a snowbird. He joined the club in 2021.
“It's fair to say most of us probably come here with some commonalities of a world view, but you would say that about many groups,” Josephson said. “Here it's about peace, treating others with respect, education, charity and making the world a better place.”
Lakewood Ranch’s Steve Gold has been in the club for six months and is the social committee chair. He said he investigated the Jewish community before moving from New York because it is of great importance to him.
Both of his parents are survivors of the Holocaust and he wants to make sure he does his part in making sure the Jewish community is strong.
“It's important to understand that being Jewish isn't just a religion or a culture,” said Frank. “It's an identity that you have, whether you are spiritually active or not, you are Jewish. You are there for the good times and bad times.”
Suzanne Seff said an important part of being Jewish is giving back. In one event at All Faiths Food Bank, 16 volunteers from the club packed 1,200 bags of snacks. This experience stuck with her as it was a way to not only give back to the community, but also to bond and strengthen relationships.
“It's about belonging to the group, so your birth religion is not as important as wanting to just hang out and have some spiritual and social thought,” said Saul Zuchman, president of the Lakewood Ranch Jewish Club.
Zuchman initially joined the club in 2023 before becoming a board member in April 2024. He became the president in January.
“I stepped into a leadership role to help nurture those bonds and ensure that every member feels seen, included, and valued,” Zuchman said. “There’s nothing more fulfilling than hearing someone say they made new friends at one of our events.”
