Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Bruce Feiler has written a really fascinating book titled “Abraham—a Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths.” It tracks the story of this founder of the three dominant faiths in the world today. Abraham, the man, if he did exist (calm down relig...

My grandfather, Abraham Shiplacoff, was a proud Jew. He was a Socialist labor leader in Brooklyn who led the Ladies Garment Workers’ Union into the American Federation of Labor, believing that Jewish workers should have the same rights and p...

Prior to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, public opinion on a Jewish Homeland was divided—even among Jews. Some, especially in the United States felt that we shouldn’t make a fuss. After all, wasn’t life here pretty good? Well, yeah,...

I found out something a few weeks ago that I should have known for decades. When the Roman Legions left Israel, having slaughtered thousands and sent thousands more out into what would become known as the Diaspora; they left behind dozens of Jewish...

I am a member of the first post- “Sha, Still” generations. Those were the generations of Jews in the United States who wanted to remain quiet. “Don’t make a fuss.” That was there mantra. The Jews who came in waves during the latter part of the 19th...

Jews spent close to two millennia away from home. When the Romans finally expelled the Jews from their land, really upset because it took so long to beat their guerilla forces, we scattered to over 50 countries. Gone was the Second Temple, gone was o...

In the 1920s, Vladimir (Zev) Jabotinsky traveled through Eastern Europe trying to warn Jewish communities of a coming disaster. His was a lone voice in the wilderness. Jews knew of pogroms under the czar of Russia who was now gone. They were aware...

The fact that the world has a double standard when it comes to Israel is no secret. Things that are either accepted or ignored in the wide world become big news when Israel is involved, allowing the public at large and the United Nations in particula...

Every time I pick up a newspaper (I am of that generational bent) I hold my breath. I do the same thing in turning on the news. Matter of fact, wife Rachel will greet me with “Anything in the news about Israel?” To be a Jew and to live like a Jew...

There was a time when Jewish humor ruled. Sometimes it might have been “racy” but never obscene. The great Jewish comics did not have to resort to profanity or description of body parts to get laughs. They told truths about themselves and their peo...

Hamas won this one. The universal condemnation of Israel in almost every newspaper in the world; the thousands of people taking to the streets of major cities to protest the “senseless” killing of innocent civilians has made great fodder for the 24-...

Every two years it seems Hamas gets the courage and the means to begin an aerial assault on Israel. The usual responses always come. The Arab States and Iran call on Israel to stop the “aggression.” Gaza civilians get killed because Hamas puts the...

In 1977 we had been living in Orlando for less than two years. We had moved from Cleveland and seen a great city begin its slow slide out of greatness. We were active Zionists, frequent visitors to Israel and personal friends of one of the founders...

In Herzl’s dream, Israel was to be the home of the Jewish people. A home for the Jewish people. Herzl pictured a utopian libertarian place where creative, literary and academic Jews could be Jews. Where their knowledge, their inventiveness would n...

So, what does that mean? If it is the duty of the Jewish People to “Heal the World,” where would you start? Is it up to us to finally wake the world up to the fact that the world—our world—really needs healing? Yes, it is. No one in this winter of sn...

I guess we could blame it on Mohammed’s lawyer. Apparently he never got Mohammed to write a will. As a result there was no clear heir to the throne of Islam. None of his sons made it to adulthood. So, some of his followers chose a relative, Ali, t...

There are words, expressions and entire languages that rise, spread and then seem to just disappear. Today it would seem even the email is going out of style, replaced by texting which replaces words with single letters (You = U). This is not a judgm...

Life at the top can be lonely. If you became the “Decider”—the one who must make the difficult decisions—taking the best advice of trusted associates, there would come a time in any really important decision when it is on you and you alone. While D...

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana said this in his “Reason in Common Sense, The Life of Reason, Vol.1”... and it’s still true. Look, call it “Arab Spring,” “Uprisings,” “Revolution”—the...

I don’t know, maybe it is age, but the years roll around awfully fast (yeah, it’s age). Was it a full year ago we were preparing for the High Holy Days? OK, so we know that Jewish holidays are never “on time.” “Oy! Didn’t Yom Kippur come early this...

There are some basic things that constitute nationhood. A nation must have a native language; but it’s all right if the same language is spoken elsewhere. The language must be constantly updated to cover the events, history and culture of that c...

Jews were a peoplehood long before we were a religion. I’ve said many times, I know a lot of ex-Catholics, but I never met an ex-Italian. When we became a religion we suddenly had a bunch of rules to follow and the peoplehood and the religion kind o...

Roman Blum died a few weeks ago. He was 92, and he wasn’t well. He died a very rich man. According to estimates from his accountant and lawyer, somewhere in the area of 40 million dollars. A nice area. Roman Blum left no family. His wife died a f...

I—and most of the world—was struck by the photo of young Martin Richard, tragically killed by the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Martin is holding a poster he created saying simply: “No More Hurting People” and underneath “Peace.” Martin will...

Jews are pretty good developers and builders. Look at Lennar Homes, Toll Brothers, KB Homes and others. The basics are easy. The builder-businessman selects a market that looks promising, buys the land, gets his permits. Up go the homes and the...