Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 148
(JTA)-Three years ago, Don Was walked into a Jewish service in Los Angeles without high expectations. Was, born Don Fagenson in Detroit, is a producer who has worked with musicians like John Mayer, Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. Since 2012, he has also been the president of Blue Note Records, the historic and acclaimed jazz record label. Since his bar mitzvah in 1965, he has rarely stepped into a synagogue. But his aging father, who was getting remarried, was set to be honored by his beloved egalitarian congregation and wanted his son to be... Full story
(JTA)-When Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel created the Superman character in the early 1930s, they were still living at their parents' homes. Of course, the character and his story-the arrival from another planet, his dual identities as mild-mannered reporter and flying, bulletproof crime fighter -would go on to change the comics industry in several ways and pave the way for the super-heroization of our popular culture. But Siegel and Shuster originally just wanted to make a little income to support themselves and their families, who had both... Full story
(JTA)-"Star Wars" fans are eagerly awaiting the franchise's latest film, "Solo: A Star Wars Story." As its title suggests, the flick focuses on Han Solo, the legendary character made famous by Harrison Ford in the series' first films from the late '70s. The "Solo" movie, which hits theaters on today, is the second of what are being called the "Star Wars" anthology films-or offshoots of the main series (which, for now, is made up of three trilogies: the original films, the early 2000s prequels and the more recent sequels-got that?). The first... Full story
(JTA)-The world is about to revolve around PyeongChang, a mountainous county in the northern half of South Korea, for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Jewish fans won't have quite as many standout athletes to cheer for this year as they did in 2016, when multiple American members of the tribe won medals at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. But there are several compelling Jewish stories to catch up on before the action starts. Israel is sending its largest team ever. Before this year, the largest Israeli delegation at a Winter Olympics was five.... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—It’s always difficult to whittle down the list of influential Jews who died in a given year, but this year the task seemed to be especially tough. The number of Jews who left historic marks on their fields—and, more broadly, on Jewish culture—was remarkable. As 5777 draws to a close, here are some members of the tribe—representing areas as diverse as pop culture to politics—we’ve mourned since last Rosh Hashanah. Carrie Fisher, 60 Most know Carrie Fisher because of her iconic role as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” f... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—There’s a small music room in the basement of cellist Maya Beiser’s large, kempt house in the leafy Riverdale section of the Bronx. It’s pretty spare—a few cellos, some basic recording equipment and posters from past concerts. Against one wall, though, rests a cherry red Gibson SG guitar, the kind made famous by AC/DC guitarist Angus Young. Beiser—a tall, auburn-haired and beautiful Israeli-American—smiles when asked about it. “I play around with it sometimes,” she said. She also owns several foot pedals, which alter and distort... Full story
(JTA)-Curious George-that curious little monkey-is beloved by millions of readers around the world. His adventures with the Man With the Yellow Hat impart important life lessons amidst silliness and mayhem. But many people probably don't know that the children's book character was actually born during very dark times. His two Jewish creators, Margret and H.A. Rey, fled the Nazis in 1940-on homemade bicycles, no less-carrying their unpublished manuscripts with them. The story of the couple's daring escape is told in the forthcoming documentary... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-As a rookie in the National Football League, New York Giants offensive lineman Adam Bisnowaty is splitting most of his time before the season starts in September between grueling practices and long team meetings. To lighten the mood, veteran players ask the newbies each preseason to sing in front of the team. Bisnowaty figures that when it's his turn, he'll go with "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel." Bisnowaty, 23, is Jewish-a rarity in professional football-and comfortable talking about it with his teammates. "One of the first things... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-In history books, the summer of 2007 will go down as the official start of one of the worst financial crises in American history. It started in July, when Bear Stearns announced that two of its hedge funds had lost all their value-and from there, as we know, panic, chaos and lots of mortgage defaults ensued. But to my 15-year-old self-and to thousands of other teenage boys of my generation-the summer of 2007 will be remembered for an entirely different reason: It was a season when a few funny, schlubby Jews took over the world... Full story
(JTA)-Renting a house in the Italian countryside and eating loads of pasta is about as blissful a vacation as they come. For the three Anati brothers, however, such a trip is a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. Yet the brothers-Bubi, 77; Andrea, 85; and Emmanuel, 88-did just that in 2013, precisely with the aim of reconnecting with their past. The Anatis were raised in an upper-class family in Florence. In 1942, just before the deportations of Florentine Jews to Auschwitz began, the family escaped the city. They fled from village to vil... Full story
(JTA)-Not much could have prepared Molly Yeh for moving from New York City to Grand Forks, North Dakota-a city of a little over 50,000 residents near the state's eastern border with Minnesota. At the time of her move in 2013, Yeh (pronounced "yay," as her website explains with several exclamation points) was a Juilliard graduate and classically trained percussionist playing professional gigs around New York City. She often hosted concerts in her Brooklyn apartment and enjoyed biking around the city with her then-boyfriend to see how many shows... Full story
(JTA)-Israeli race car driver Alon Day's rise to the highest ranks of NASCAR has been an unexpected one for a variety of reasons Here's one of them: The 25-year-old has done the bulk of his training on computer-screen simulators. That's because Israel didn't have a motor sport track until this year. On Sunday, he became the first Israeli to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series-the sport's highest league of competition-when he raced the No. 23 car for the BK Racing team at the Sonoma Raceway in Southern California. Though Day... Full story
(JTA)-When Wimbledon starts next week, no other Jewish tennis player will be seeded higher than Diego Schwartzman. The scrappy 24-year-old from Argentina, fresh off an impressive five-set duel with perennial star Novak Djokovic at the French Open earlier this month, is No. 37 in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings. That easily makes him the best Jewish tennis player on the planet. Schwartzman, who was raised in a Jewish family in Buenos Aires, has steadily risen in the rankings since turning pro at 17. Between 2010 and 2012, he... Full story
(JTA)—If you’re a young Jewish woman—or if you just happen to love “Broad City” or wacky recollections of Jewish summer camp—there’s a new website for you. Alma, which was launched Tuesday by 70 Faces Media (JTA’s parent company), aims to be a resource for millennial women navigating the often fun, sometimes tricky years of early adulthood. Readers can expect everything from personal essays—the wide-ranging topics include grief and figuring out what to do after college—to slideshows of embarrassing bat mitzvah photos. Alma will have a “Jew-is... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Paul Shaffer, sporting a gray T-shirt and a one- or two-day-old beard, is sitting in the living room of his spacious Manhattan apartment near Lincoln Center. The walls are crammed with music memorabilia, including a signed Curtis Mayfield single and a plaque presented by the State of Israel to Sammy Davis Jr. The homey scene is a far cry from the glamorous studio environs that made Shaffer famous. For more than 30 years, Shaffer served as David Letterman's sidekick, musical director and band leader on his two late-night... Full story
(JTA)-Try to think of the most famous Israelis in history. Not necessarily the most consequential or "important" ones-like any number of Nobel Prize winners or behind-the-scenes Middle East peace deal negotiators-but those who are most universally recognizable. Most lists would likely include a pioneering role model (Golda Meir), a supermodel who once dated Leonardo DiCaprio (Bar Refaeli), its seeming prime minister for life (Benjamin Netanyahu), a politician with crazy hair (David Ben-Gurion), a war hero with a pirate-style eye patch (Moshe... Full story
(JTA)-It's safe to call the Israeli film "The Women's Balcony" the opposite of a Hollywood blockbuster. The movie, directed by Emil Ben-Shimon, is a sensitive, slice-of-life story that focuses on the rift caused in a modern Orthodox community in Jerusalem when a Hasidic rabbi offers to fill in for the congregation's leader, who is traumatized when his wife is hurt in an accident. When the new rabbi urges the men in the congregation to embrace a more strictly religious lifestyle, they buy in and ask their wives to dress more modestly and adhere... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Gluten-free matzah might sound like a bad joke—after all, regular unleavened bread tastes pretty cardboard-like already. But for Jews with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that can damage one’s intestinal lining, or gluten intolerance, which involves icky reactions to that pesky protein found in wheat, finding the right matzah is not an easy task. (Matzah in its normal form is made of wheat.) Thankfully, as the gluten-free diet has rocketed into mainstream food culture, there are now options for every kind of glute... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Veteran actor Shane Baker has performed in three productions of "God of Vengeance," Sholem Asch's Yiddish classic about a brothel-owning family and their daughter's lesbian relationship. Currently playing to sold-out audiences at New York's Theatre at St. Clement's Church, the play-which was first staged in 1906-still resonates today as a treatise on morality, religion and sexuality. When Baker brusquely growls, in Yiddish, to his wife, Sarah (played with charm and poise by Caraid O'Brien) about wanting to own a Torah scroll,... Full story
(JTA)-Birthright trips, the 10-day Israel tours offered free to young Jews, are so much part of mainstream culture that they have been copied by other religions, parodied on television shows like "Broad City" and "Transparent," and debated by academics and activists But if your idea of Birthright is outdoor hikes, camel rides, visits to the Western Wall and flirty bus trips up and down the spine of Israel, think again. The third-party vendors that work with the Taglit-Birthright Israel foundation offer an array of unexpected options-including... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Saul Kaye never wanted to be a "Jewish blues" player. In his opinion, the Jewish music he had heard growing up in Northern California's Bay Area ranged from "really bad to horrible." In 2009, he was touring as a rock musician, playing hundreds of shows a year with various bands at bars and clubs. And though he had never been very religious, he experienced a bad breakup and felt the need to do something spiritually "radical." So Kaye decided to take a Talmud course at the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel. One... Full story
(JTA)-Have you seen "Supergirl" yet? No, we're not talking about the popular TV series about Superman's fair-haired cousin, currently in its second season on The CW. Rather, we're talking about the new documentary "Supergirl" about Naomi (pronounced "Na-AH-mee") Kutin, a real-life Orthodox Jewish girl who broke world weightlifting records when she was just 9 years old. She has accomplished some incredible feats, but Naomi says power lifting is only about 30 percent physical-the rest is mental. That might help explain how the now 15-year-old... Full story
(JTA)-There are athletes, and then there are Olympic athletes. And then there are Jewish Olympic athletes. When the 2016 Summer Olympics open Friday, we'll of course be cheering the American athletes-all 555 of them-and we'll be rooting for Israel, too, which this year is sending its largest ever cohort to Rio. But we're saving a special shout-out for some of the Jewish-American Olympians who have given the Tribe extra reasons to be proud this year. (Interestingly, Jews make up about 2 percent of the U.S. population-and by our calculations,... Full story
(JTA)-Gideon Grossman taps out rapid hip-hop beats on his compact setup of bucket drums. He beams at the camera. His drumming is so effortless, it's hard to believe he suffers from a sometimes-crippling gastrointestinal disease. In addition to flawless rhythm, Grossman has Crohn's disease, an inflammation of the digestive tract that usually manifests itself through chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain. As yet there is no cure. Grossman, 24, is a lanky and cheerful New Jersey native who's relying on his charm and talent to launch an ambitious eff... Full story
(JTA)-Investigators may never know with certainty what combination of factors led Micah Xavier Johnson to methodically fire upon police officers in Dallas. Five white officers were killed in the attack, which came during a peaceful rally protesting the shooting deaths of young black men by law enforcement in other cities. Johnson has been variously portrayed as a follower of the Black Lives Matter movement who was pushed to the edge by recent police shootings; a loner who not only was unaffiliated with various black nationalists organizations... Full story
