Abraham Lavender

He was editor-in-chief of Journal of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian Crypto Jews,[2][3] and had served as president of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies.

Among his publications linking multiple areas of interest (Jews, Latins, ethnicity, political sociology) are A History of Jewish and Hispanic Interaction in Miami-Dade County (published by the American Jewish Committee) and Jews, Hispanics, Blacks, and Others in Miami Beach: An Ethnically Divided City or a Cosmopolitan Multiethnic City?, a monograph published by the Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship Studies at Florida International University to which the answer was Cosmopolitan Multiethnic City.

[6] As of 2014[update], he was completing a seventh book, Early Social Life in Miami Beach: From Mangroves and Mosquitoes to Mansions and Millionaires.

[7] On six occasions, Lavender was honored (Distinguished Citizen Award, Key to the City, Certificate of Appreciation) for his civic activities in Miami Beach.

[citation needed] Lavender also maintained close ties to Charleston, South Carolina, his second home, where he lived part-time, had many relatives and friends, visited frequently, had been a speaker at the historic (founded in the 1740s) Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, conducted extensive research at the Huguenot Society, and was involved with the International Huguenot Conference held in Charleston in 1997.

[citation needed] Lavender also was active in civic and political affairs, serving as advisor to Miami Beach mayor Seymour Gelber, vice-chair and commissioner of the Miami Beach Housing Authority, chairperson of city's Homeless Committee, and as a member of the city's Safety Committee.