Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
(JNS) - A Jewish man from Ann Arbor, Mich., is hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether anti-Jewish protesters outside a local synagogue on Shabbat morning violate his right to freely practice religion. "I think Jews have to stand up for themselves against people who are obviously Jew-haters," says Marvin Gerber. "People of Beth Israel have the right to be free from harassment." The case stems from weekly anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests led by Henry Herskovitz in front of...
WASHINGTON (JTA) - Julie Platt is a one-time banker who has become a leader in promoting Jewish education and helping to rescue Jewish camping from the ravages of the pandemic. Now, she's about to make history as the second woman to chair one of the largest Jewish fundraising powerhouses in the United States, the Jewish Federations of North America. She's also musical star Ben Platt's mom. The JFNA on Tuesday said that Platt would assume the leadership of the umbrella body for Jewish federations...
(JTA) - Eight days after I was born, I had a brit. I was a Jew, and that's what Jews do. Well, many do it anyway; Jews who are not observant may not, but that wasn't my family. We kept Shabbat. We had the best meals and wine during Passover. And on Yom Kippur, at a young age there was no excuse for me not to afflict my soul, my mom said. There I was, on the Day of Atonement, a little young boy starving and crying in the shul, like everyone else. When I told my rabbi I wanted to make aliyah, to...
Jewish Academy of Orlando's Rejoicing in our Roots Gala: Celebrating 45 years of Jewish Education in Central Florida takes place on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 6:30 p.m., at the brand new Winter Park Event Center, 1052 W. Morse Blvd., Winter Park. The event will honor four of JAO's superstar educators - Penny Gold, Vicki Peisner, Ann Montgomery and Karen Willoughby. Together, these outstanding honorees have educated hundreds of JAO alumni and have a combined 95 years with the school. Celebrating...
Hadassah Orlando's monthly in-person luncheon meeting on March 1 features well-known Orlando area jeweler Tony Tsirigotis from Park Jewelers in Lake Mary. Hadassah Orlando's monthly luncheon meeting takes place at Congregation Ohev Shalom, 613 Concourse Parkway South, Maitland, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reservations are available through Nancy Greenfield at Nancyg357@yahoo.com. Luncheon price is $18. With nearly 40 years in the jewelry industry, Tsirigotis is a widely acclaimed expert in...
St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society presents a teaching among the most under-told stories in history — the Jewish history of St. Augustine. This important event shares the story of the Jewish people in the New World. The event is open to the community and is free. Register online via jcajax.org or call 904-730-2100, ext. 233....
As a caregiver, practicing self-care might feel like you're being selfish, but remember that the best caregiver is a healthy caregiver. You can't take care of another person's health if you don't take care of your own. The first step is to figure out what makes you feel healthy and happy. Even if it's for a few minutes, add something you love to your daily routine, like calling a friend during your drive to work (via Bluetooth in your car, not on your cellphone, of course), reading your...
ANN ARBOR, Michigan (JTA) – In the latest twist in the long-running legal saga over a small group of protesters who have gathered weekly outside a Michigan synagogue for the past 18 years, a judge has ruled that Jewish worshippers who lost a lawsuit against the protesters must pay them more than $150,000 in legal fees. U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Roberts ruled on Jan. 25 that the two plaintiffs - including one who is a Holocaust survivor - and their lead attorney who had sued the group o...
(JNS) — “We are together in the fight against terror posed by Iran and its nuclear development,” Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday at the Knesset. Iran “is a threat to the world,” said Pelosi, who is heading a delegation of high-level members of Congress. “Israel’s proximity to Iran is a threat to us all and the responsibility of all of us.” Pelosi was greeted by Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, who said: “The strategic alliance between Israel and the United States has proven that we know how to stand toge...
(JTA) –When Rabbi Larry Sernovitz was asked to deliver the morning devotion to the Georgia state legislature, he came armed with an ancient alarm: A shofar, the ram’s horn blown in synagogues during the high holy days. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Sernovitz made history Tuesday when he blew a shofar in the legislature, a first for the state legislature — and, according to Howard Mortman, an author who has tracked rabbinical benedictions in legislatures, probably the first in any U.S. legislature. Sernovitz, the rabbi of Kol E...
(JNS) — It’s difficult to know where exactly the crisis over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine will end. Yet no matter whether Russian President Vladimir Putin seizes more of the former Soviet satellite nation, conquers it entirely or winds up leaving it alone, the shock to the international system that his threats have caused isn’t limited to the future of Eastern Europe. That’s not easy for many Americans to comprehend. The reaction to the possibility of a country whose independence was guaranteed less than 30 years ago by both the Uni...
(JNS) — In an interview published on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides again used his phony assertion that he is “trying not to do things to agitate people” as a pretext for boycotting (“not visiting”) Jewish communities in the lawful and historic Jewish heartland of Judea and Samaria where more than 500,000 or almost 10 percent of Israel’s Jews live. The only people who are “not agitated” by Nides’ boycott are the terrorist dictatorship of the Palestinian regime, Israel-haters and Jew-haters and extremist leftists. Yet his...
Poor Whoopi Goldberg performed “Foot-in-Mouth” once again. The argument (only maybe three centuries old) is about antisemitism. When is it real? When is it imagined? Now, poor Whoopi added some fuel to the fire. And as such things do, here we are weeks later and people are still all over her and the subject. She said: “Antisemitism is not about Race, it’s about man’s inhumanity to man.” Okay – so? What is Race? Well, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Race is pretty much a matter of personal choice – BUT divided along Color lines. When it...
(JNS) — According to an old Israeli quip, the way to remove 500 Canadians from a swimming pool at closing time is to whisper, “Everybody out of the water, please.” The implication is both clear and amusing to each group. Israelis are famous for and proud of being disobedient and unruly; Canadians are considered and view themselves as well-mannered and orderly. But the joke, apparently, is on all concerned, now that the latter’s truckers have entered the picture. These guys aren’t exiting the proverbial premises with a subservient bow. On the co...
(JTA) — Is it appropriate to call an ancient rabbi a “legendary hottie”? To translate one Talmudic voice replying to another as, “Oh my God, what the actual f–k is wrong with you, you misogynistic ageist dips–t”? Miriam Anzovin, an ex-Orthodox artist in Boston, ignited debate over those questions this week after making headlines in both North America and Israel for her series of TikTok videos responding to passages in the Talmud, the central text of rabbinic Judaism. Anzovin’s way of talking about Talmud has been shocking for some. “This is...
MORNING MINYANS (Please note, because of the coronavirus, some minyans have been canceled or held virtually.) Chabad of North Orlando and Chabad of Altamonte Springs are holding in-person minyans. Chabad of South Orlando — Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. and 10 minutes before sunset; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m., 407-354-3660. Congregation Ahavas Yisrael — Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-644-2500. Congregation Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Daytona — Monday, 8 a.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m., 904-672-9300. Congr...
(JNS) - Jewish producer and director Ivan Reitman died in his sleep on Saturday night at his home in Montecito, Calif., at the age of 75, his family told The Associated Press. "Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life," his three children said in a joint statement. "We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will...
(JNS) - The southern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel chose a new leader in recent weeks that cements its continued role in the Israeli government. Sheikh Safwat Frij, who previously served as deputy head of the movement and based in Kafr Qasim, was elected over Sheikh Muhammad Salameh Hassan, a religious authority in the movement. He has publicly used harsh rhetoric, saying, "The people of Palestine are united from the river to the sea until the occupation disappears entirely." Frij...
(JTA) - Felice Jacobs and Alan Feldstein could have tied the knot in Phoenix, where they met and where his mother worked at the local Reform synagogue. Or they could have held their wedding on the U.S. Army base in Austria where Alan was stationed at the time. Instead, they chose the Eagle's Nest, the Nazis' former mountain retreat in the Bavarian Alps - a location that, as far as anyone knew, had never before hosted a Jewish wedding. "We got married there because my husband wanted to thumb his...
A New Jersey evangelical minister and Orthodox Jew walk into Congress …. It sounds like the beginning of a quirky joke, but in fact it’s how we developed a close, warm friendship. Years ago, for a number of years in a row, we participated together in the annual Christians United for Israel Washington Summit. Shawn Hyland of Bayville, N.J., served as the CUFI New Jersey state coordinator. As such, he coordinated an annual day of meetings to lobby New Jersey’s congressional and senatorial representatives on issues related to and in support of Is...
A Poem For You (from me)... "I'm elderly (?) a senior gal, a name that used to pain, Instead of young and beautiful, being old makes me insane, But then I think of all the songs, the music of my time, How beautiful and meaningful, not rap (pure crap) a crime! And stars like Benny, Berle and Brooks, And even Baby Snooks! The Broadway shows, the acts, the movies of my day, Were absolutely brilliant, great in every way! SO WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?? Okay. So we look and sound alike ... Of course you...
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) – Steadfast listeners of "Borscht Beat" - a weekly FM radio show featuring Jewish music, old and new - will be thrilled to hear of host Aaron Bendich's latest project: a new Jewish record label of the same name. On his hour-long radio program, the 27-year-old plays a wide variety of Jewish recordings - songs from the heyday of Yiddish theater, as well as a mix of contemporary klezmer, Yiddish and Jewish music from around the world. On Friday, Bendich's label a...
(JTA) - Steven Spielberg's remake of "West Side Story" drew seven Oscar nominations Tuesday, including best picture and best director. Spielberg's best-director nomination makes the Jewish Hollywood legend one of only four filmmakers in history to ever be nominated at least eight times for best director. (Two of the others are also Jewish; the third is Martin Scorsese.) He has won the award twice before, for "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan." With this nomination, Spielberg also...
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) - Jessica Seinfeld's parents were true children of the '60s. They did yoga before it was cool and served their three daughters brown rice, tofu and wholesome cereal purchased in their local food co-op in Burlington, Vermont. The young Jessica, embarrassed by their focus on healthy eating, "always wanted regular cereal that you could buy on the shelves of typical supermarkets." These days Seinfeld, 50 - the wife of comedian Jerry, of course, and a mother of three -...
(JNS) — After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Mission to Israel kicks off Sunday in Jerusalem. The umbrella group, which represents more than 50 Jewish communal groups spanning from the right to left flanks of American Jewish life, gets unprecedented access to Israel’s top leaders. Scheduled to speak at this year’s conference are Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett; President Isaac Herzog; Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid...
