Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles written by Marc Brodsky


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  • Orthodox Jewish businessman vies for the crown at World Series of Poker's main event

    Marc Brodsky|Jan 15, 2021

    (JTA) — As Gershon Distenfeld sees it, life and poker have their similarities — notably “a certain amount of uncertainty.” “There is a little bit of luck involved — sometimes a lot of luck,” an Orthodox Jewish businessman from Bergenfield, New Jersey, told the morning show “Bloomberg Surveillance” last week, as reported by the Forward. “But in the end, skill does win out.” Distenfeld, 43, is hoping any combination of luck and skill will land him the champion’s bracelet at the World Series of Poker’s final table, which started Dec. 28 in Las Ve...

  • Israeli teen Deni Avdija goes to Washington Wizards

    Marc Brodsky|Nov 27, 2020

    (JTA) - Deni Avdija, the 19-year-old Israeli basketball phenom, was taken by the Washington Wizards with the ninth overall pick of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night – the earliest an Israeli has been picked in league history. Avdija, a lanky 6-9 forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel's top professional league, becomes the second player from the Jewish state to go in the first round. Omri Casspi, also a standout forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv, went 23rd to the Sacramento Kings in the 2009 draft a...

  • With a nod to Carl Reiner, 'My Favorite Year' recalls the infancy of TV sketch comedy

    Marc Brodsky|Jul 10, 2020

    (JTA) - With the passing of Carl Reiner, who passed away of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills on June 29, 2020, at the age of 98, we lost one of the comedy greats, Jewish or otherwise. His obituary recalled a show business career that dated to the infancy of television in the 1950s. Reiner gained success starting in his late 20s as a writer and performer on "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour," sketch comedies that one might broadly consider precursors to "Saturday Night Live," san...

  • Quarterback Kirk Cousins wishes a 'mazel tov' to Jewish students

    Marc Brodsky|Jul 10, 2020

    (JTA) — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins scored a touchdown with his congratulatory message to the graduates of a Jewish student program. Cousins wished the graduates of the Jewish Student Union, a program of the Orthodox Union’s youth group NCSY, a “mazel tov” on Monday in a video address and mentioned the Torah several times. “Many of you might not know that I am a huge fan of all things Jewish,” he said. “I have a mezuzah in my office. I take very seriously the Torah, the word of God. I believe it’s an inherent word of God tha...

  • 'Blazing Saddles' still stands as one of the great comedies-and the Mel Brooks film teaches lessons, too

    Marc Brodsky|Apr 17, 2020

    Social distancing and staying inside is hard. Thankfully, accessing good things to watch during this time is not. This is the second installation of a weekly column on Jewish movies and TV shows that you should stream in quarantine. "Blazing Saddles" Streams on: Hulu Available to rent on: Amazon, YouTube, iTunes and more. Family friendly? No-only for mature audiences due to language and adult material (JTA)-Confined by the coronavirus plague over the Passover holiday, what better way to satisfy... Full story