Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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If you thought that the Jewish National Fund only planted trees, you are way behind the times. JNF was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land for Jewish settlements well before Israel became a nation in 1948. By 2007 it owned 13 percent of the total land in Israel and the nonprofit has planted over 240 million trees. Now JNF is invested in many other ways to support the land and the people of Israel through water solutions, research and development, education and most recently, becoming a key... Full story
On the coldest morning of the year, Jan. 21, Jewish Academy of Orlando students, teachers, staff and parents braved the weather to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Gan Shel Chesed, the Kindness Garden. The fifth grade class—under the guidance of their teacher, Emily Watson, and art teacher Penny Goldstein—chose to do this project as their legacy to the school. In the center of the garden, the fifth graders planted an olive tree—the tree of peace. The other grades also planted trees... Full story
By Christine DeSouza Many people in the Central Florida Jewish community know Idit Lotringer very well. She is the type of person who is liked immediately because of her energy, openness, friendliness and kindness. She is also a real go-getter and is the Orlando regional manager of the Israeli American Council, which opened a chapter here last August. "There are 20 offices in the United States and we are the 18th office to open!" Lotringer proclaimed with a big smile. She wasn't always involved... Full story
Are the Jews in Israel white European colonialists? Are Israel’s settlements in the West Bank illegal? Isn’t a Jewish state, by definition, racist and undemocratic? These are just a few of the questions StandWithUs addresses to educate middle and high school students about Israel in an effort to dash all the mistruths about Israel and perhaps tear down some walls of anti-Israel sentiment. Tuesday evening, Jan. 22, Dr. Daniel and Staci Layish opened their home to introduce the community to StandWithUs, an international, nonprofit Israel edu... Full story
Almost every year during Passover, Rafi Layish's family would watch "The Prince of Egypt," an animated movie about the Exodus. He loved it. "It was a really cool movie all around for animation, soundtrack," said Layish. It was also the inspiration for what he wanted to do with his future. He loved the newspaper comics, too. "Pearls Before Swine" was one of his favorites. When he was a child, he and friends would spend hours drawing pages and pages of comics. And even today if he thinks of a funn... Full story
This year’s Men’s Night Out, the second event of its kind, was again, a successful venture. While last year’s get together could be defined as a reunion among men who hadn’t seen each other in a while, this year’s event was a coming together of generations. Several UCF and Stetson Hillel members turned out for the good eats and networking with active members of the Jewish community. “We are incredibly grateful to the leadership of Federation for extending tickets to Stetson Hillel students,... Full story
Ask people in the Miami area if they have heard of Stephen Gamson, and the majority will say a resounding "Yes!" He is so well known that Dec. 3, 2018, was proclaimed Stephen Gamson Day by City of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and Vice Mayor Michael Gongora. The honor was bestowed upon Gamson during a pre-Art Basel party held on Fisher Island, an exclusive private island off the coast of Miami Beach. Gamson was the featured artist at the party, a forerunner of the art festival held in Basel,... Full story
I just came from one of the most inspiring luncheons I have ever attended. Even though this time of year is very busy with luncheons, office parties, and friend or family get-togethers, I am glad I took the time out of my day to be at this one. It was the annual RAISE holiday luncheon. Like other gatherings, people were recognized, thank-you gifts were given, and a fun gift exchange kept everyone laughing (I really wanted that Olive Garden gift card, and I had it for but a brief moment). But there was just something about this particular... Full story
On Wednesday, Dec. 12, supporters of Jewish Family Services Orlando received via email a letter from the executive director-only it wasn't from Executive Director Eric Geboff, it was from the "interim executive director" Mike McKee, the former president of the JFS Board of Directors,-stating that Eric Geboff formally resigned from his position. No explanation was given for the sudden resignation. McKee immediately accepted the executive director position pro bono, while still running his... Full story
Sandra Solomon, formerly of Casselberry, was recently honored at a special meeting of the Casselberry City Hall Board of Commissioners. Solomon served 12 years on the board as a commissioner, filling seat 3, and was retiring after her term limit was completed. Tenacious, passionate, an inspiration, personable, full of vim and vigor, and Casselberry's No. 1 cheerleader were all descriptive words spoken by the board members of Solomon at the ceremony. "What we love about Sandi is that she puts it... Full story
Three minutes. That is all the time it took for an Arab terrorist to stab to death Michal Salomon's husband, Elat, his sister Chaya, and father, Yosef. The story of her family's tragedy was covered by many news sources as the Neve Tzuf massacre worldwide in July 2017. Salomon calmly recounted the events at a gathering held at the Roth Family JCC last Wednesday evening. She lived because she rushed her three children upstairs to a bedroom where her twin babies were sleeping. The terrorist, Omar... Full story
The 20th annual Central Florida Jewish Film Festival brings five special movies and two shorts to the Enzian Theater Nov. 10-12. The opening features, "Wig Shop" and "Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel," will be held at the Orlando Science Center at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Once again, the Heritage was privileged to review the movies to give our readers a synopsis of each presentation. "Wig Shop" (in English and Yiddish with subtitles) and "Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel" (in English)... Full story
While more than 6000 Christians celebrated Sukkot in Israel, Central Florida Christians celebrated the feast with a replica of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, also called the Tent of Meeting, erected in the field behind Fellowship Church. Banners with each tribe's name were displayed around the Tabernacle courtyard, showing where each tribe set up camp during the 40 years the Israelites traveled in the desert. Sukkot is the festival in which the Jewish people are reminded of living in tents... Full story
Since its beginning in 2014, RAISE has grown in many ways. Still keeping the number of employees at seven-RAISE has been able to fine tune the program that greatly benefits not only those who are employed by RAISE, but their families as well. RAISE, an acronym for Recognizing Abilities & Inclusion of Special Employees, is a work and social skills training program that provides paid employment within partnering agencies of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. With their newly acquired... Full story
Fashion guru Coco Chanel famously said, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off." This wasn't anywhere close to what Harriett Lake thought. Her fashion style was "once you get dressed, put on one thing more." In everything from clothing to charitable giving, Lake's philosophy, biography and wardrobe (or a portion of it) are captured in "Too Much is Not Enough: The History of Harriett's Closet," a just released coffee-table book written by Kristina... Full story
Last year, Sami Kuperberg, a student at Oviedo High School, planned a program to address anti-Semitism with the support of JOIN Orlando and StandWithUs, titled "One Day Starts Today," that was held in the Oviedo High School auditorium. The event, which hosted two Holocaust survivors, was an overwhelming success with more than 600 students, faculty and parents in attendance. The purpose of the program was to educate students how to effectively respond to hate. StandWithUs, an international,... Full story
Last week, Heritage ran a story about Kehilat Yonatan, a Reform congregation in Israel, winning a legal battle to build their synagogue. Heritage attempted to contact Lori Stein Erlich for comment. However, because of the High Holidays and the time difference between Israel and the States, a response wasn't received until the Sept. 14 issue went to press (we received her response about 10 minutes after the paper went to the printers). Erlich is a founder of Kehilat Yonatan and an immediate past... Full story
More than 40 years ago a small group of Christians, under the leadership of Pastor Ken Garrison, chose to step away from traditional Baptist practices and began to learn about the biblical feasts found in Leviticus, and to be a support to Israel by following the calling to comfort His people. Over the years, Fellowship Church in Winter Springs, has led Passover seders to teach fellow Christians about how Christian beliefs tie into the celebration that the Jewish people have observed for more... Full story
How would you feel if your child came home from school and said that he/she had to memorize and recite the Apostles Creed? The Apostles Creed is a statement of faith that many Protestant Christians recite in church every Sunday. What if your child was required to make rosary beads for a class art project and recite the Hail Mary prayer, commonly called the Ave Maria or Angelic Salutation, a traditional Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the “Blessed Virgin Mary”? By refusing to do the art project or recite the creed or prayer in cla... Full story
This article ran in the Nov. 18, 2016 issue of the Heritage shortly before Myrtle turned 106. She passed away on Aug. 18, 2018. As I pulled into Myrtle Rutberg's driveway at the house she has lived in for 30-some years, her son, Gerald, greeted me at the door. "My mother likes visitors to come in through the front door," he said as he led me to the front porch. Myrtle's dear friend Karnine greeted me at the door. Karnine stays with Myrtle and their relationship is like a mother and daughter.... Full story
When it comes to choosing judges on a ballot, many voters really don't know much about the people they select. The position is nonpartisan, so being "Democrat" or "Republican" doesn't help; and many folks hope to never see the inside of a courtroom, so what difference does it make which name one chooses? Adam Pollack, who is running for a Circuit Court judge seat in Group 24 of the 18th Judicial Circuit in Brevard and Seminole counties, knows that it makes a big difference who the person is... Full story
“In Judaism, prophets were considered visionary not because they predicted the future, but because they saw possibilities. Roz has always been someone with the ability to both see possibilities and then take that all-important step and make them happen,” said David Bornstein of his cousin Roz Fuchs, this year’s recipient of the Heritage Human Service Award. From an array of multi-colored glass vases arranged neatly on a bookcase to the artwork on the walls and the simple arrangement of chairs and couches all brought together by a 1920... Full story
An icon of the Jewish community has passed away. Harriett Lake, born Harriett Tuck on April 7, 1922, in Lebanon, Pa., died on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Harriett was a special lady. She was (Hello) Dolly Levi, Cher, Lady Gaga and Elton John all rolled into one. From the top of her hat-covered head to the tips of her designer-shoe-clad toes, she was always impeccably dressed "to a (second) t"-like her name. In fact, the only thing that tops her fashionable wardrobe was her extremely generous... Full story
An icon of the Jewish community has passed away. Harriett Lake, born Harriett Tuck on April 7, 1922, in Lebanon, Pa., died on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Harriett was a special lady. She was (Hello) Dolly Levi, Cher, Lady Gaga and Elton John all rolled into one. From the top of her hat-covered head to the tips of her designer-shoe-clad toes, she was always impeccably dressed "to a (second) t"-like her name. In fact, the only thing that tops her fashionable wardrobe was her extremely generous... Full story
Cade Resnick is a dreamer and visionary in the classroom and the community. "I see what I think would be amazing. If I can get other people on board with me, then we can do that!" He has spent 16 years as a well-grounded economics and psychology high school teacher and served as a Winter Springs city commissioner. This combination of visionary, community service and teacher has a lot of impact on his students, and he hopes to make this impact on all the students and community in Seminole County... Full story
