Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 32
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israeli and world leaders gathered atop Mount Herzl on Friday to say goodbye to Shimon Peres, Israel's last founding father. In addition to fond personal recollections, many of those who took the stage alongside Peres' Israeli-flag-draped coffin offered their visions of the peace that eluded the former president and prime minister. Peres died early Wednesday at 93 after suffering a major stroke two weeks earlier. President Barack Obama, the last of the 10 speakers, called... Full story
A world-wide registry of sukkahs has been set up, and is listed online at www.localsukkah.org. The directory has been designed for Jews to locate a sukkah near to them, so that they can go there to eat. The idea of this service is not to list every sukkah, but to try and have a sukkah listed for every area in which Jewish people may find themselves during Sukkos. The main focus of this service is to enable people who work on Chol-Hamoed to eat lunch in a sukkah, which is close to their place of work. As all listings are confirmed annually... Full story
More than 65 children, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents enjoyed a Sept. 23 multigenerational Shabbat Picnic in the Park in Baldwin Park sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's PJ Library/Shalom Families program. All the families who attended received a basket with all the Shabbat essentials (candles, "wine" and challah). There was a family craft in each basket so families could make new honey pots for Rosh Hashanah. The event featured other Rosh Hashanah-themed... Full story
The 2016 Chanukah stamp will be issued on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The First Day Ceremony will be held at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Florida. "This is the first time, I believe, such a ceremony for a Chanukah stamp has been held in a Temple," said Ronald Scheiman, founder of The Quest for Annual Hanukkah Stamps. This design is only the sixth new design since the first Chanukah stamp was issued in 1996. If your local post office does not have the stamp at any time on/or after Nov. 2, please let... Full story
Rabbi Adam Grossman, CEO of UF Hillel joined Sue Wagner, director of Community Relations for the UF College of Journalism and Communications and Christine Ackerman Machen, former first lady of University of Florida for the WUFT-FM's 35th Anniversary Fall Membership Campaign. WUFT-FM, provides 24/7 news and talk to residents in North Central and Mid-Florida and is a main source of information for UF Students and the local community. Rabbi Grossman said, "When I was asked to be involved in the dri... Full story
By Penny Schwartz BOSTON (JTA)—A new study, touted as the first-ever state-by-state, county-by-county Jewish population estimate, shows how the Jewish vote could play a crucial role in key battleground states. The study, released Thursday and conducted by the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University in suburban Boston, found that in Bucks County, Pennsylvania—one of the areas closely watched this election cycle—Jewish adults make up more than 6 percent of the population. “That’s three times more than the national numbers... Full story
RA’ANANA, Israel—Leket Israel, the national food bank and the largest nonprofit food rescue organization in Israel is increasing its activity to rescue food for the needy this High Holiday season. It is expected that the organization will feed over 175,000 people, including children and Holocaust survivors during the Jewish holidays. Due to the growing demand on Leket’s nonprofit partners before the holidays, Leket is collecting larger quantities of food, particularly before Rosh Hashanah. More than 1,200 tons of fruit and vegetables are expec... Full story
ORLANDO—Family reunions, weddings and birthdays are a time for families to gather together, celebrate each other and share a meal. For the kosher community, however, trying to simply share a meal isn’t always that simple. Dietary restrictions and kosher guidelines can put the kibosh on party planning faster than you can say bar mitzvah. To answer the call, Rosen Hotels & Resorts founded Zayde’s Kosher Catering; and in nine short months, it has quickly emerged as Central Florida’s premier kosher catering service. The Zayde’s concept is the brain... Full story
Jewish Academy of Orlando thanks Hillary Bressler and Wendy Nissan, two outgoing board members, for their hard work and dedication. Bressler sat on the executive board for three years as the vice president of Marketing. "Hillary was a very passionate board member," said Alan Rusonik, head of school. She contributed and led many projects but is most proud of the signage program she created. "The directional signs helped differentiate the Jewish Academy of Orlando from the JCC. People get them... Full story
On Sunday, Nov. 6, Temple Israel Sisterhood, together with friends and community members, will head south to Pompano Beach for a day of adventure and camaraderie. Bagels, snacks and water will be available and a comedy video and movie will be shown for the travelers' pleasure. It always makes for a very pleasant and fast ride! South Florida family and friends can join the group at the Food Court for additional enjoyment. First stop will be the famous Festival Flea Market where everyone can shop... Full story
Giles, Howe, a composer and producer formerly from the United Kingdom and now living in Florida, will have a selection from his show “Soviet Union” performed by The Bel Canto Singers at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Daytona Beach Shores, on Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m. “Soviet Union” made its debut at the London Jewish Museum in 2014. The show is a musical drama set in Birobidzhan, the Jewish Autonomous Region of Siberia, and looks at the lives of an American and a Ukrainian family who each move to what they soon find out is a failed state,... Full story
Ten years ago my life started to unravel. Not completely. I always had love and support—my wife, my children. But a corner of it frayed, and the loose strands couldn’t easily be fixed, and holes that couldn’t be patched appeared. When my younger brother Ray died, I lost more than a family member. I lost a best friend who couldn’t be replaced. I lost faith in the order of things. The youngest in the family isn’t supposed to go first. I lost visions of the future, which had always included... Full story
L’Shanah Tovah from the Jewish Community Relations Council! We look forward to a year ahead of continuing to advocate for Israel and the Jewish people, engage with other organizations in acts of tikkun olam, and build relationships within and beyond our Central Florida Jewish community. As 5777 gets underway, we want to give you a preview of what we will be working on in the coming months: Being more proactive on Israel All too often, we extol Israel during times of strife; when Israel is attacked, either physically or verbally, we spring i... Full story
Several of our headlines have dealt with an issue that is always in the near background: Who are the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs? How do they think? and Is there any chance of living in a condition of peace, or at least reasonable quiet? One of the headlines came from responses to a comment by a prominent radio journalist, Razi Barkai. He began a mini-storm by questioning the policy of holding back the bodies of Palestinians killed while attacking Israelis, noting the feelings of Palestinian families, and comparing them to those of Israeli... Full story
Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes Israeli entrepreneurs succeed because they challenge authority, question everything, and don’t go by the rules. “The impact of the Israelis on science and technology is immense, so that’s why I’m here and why I’m investing here,” he told a large crowd at Israel’s Weizman Institute in 2015. Schmidt’s statements not only apply to Israel’s high tech businesses and start-up companies, but also to Israel’s budding medical marijuana industry. From organic chemists to entrepreneurs, nearly everyone in Israel’s field o... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ statement before the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday revived old hatreds more than it broke new ground. It was little more than a rote diatribe against Israel and a call for international pressure to coerce the Jewish state in place of the hard give and take that happens at the negotiating table. It shed light on why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured so long through so many failed final status negotiations—and, consequently, why the Palestinians continue to li... Full story
(JTA)—A Jewish educator who works on behalf of the Jewish people every single day recently received a letter that began with harsh words about her support for the anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence. Before long it took a startling turn. “I regretfully must express my utmost hope,” the author wrote, “that you are hit by a car to put a stop to the injury you will cause the children that I love.” This was not an anonymous comment hiding in the murky depths of a blog post somewhere. It was a signed letter fervently praying for the viole... Full story
MORNING AND EVENING MINYANS (Call synagogue to confirm time.) 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. Congregation Ohev Shalom—Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-298-4650. GOBOR Community Minyan at Jewish Academy of Orlando—Monday—Friday, 7:45 a.m.—8:30 a.m. Temple I... Full story
For many years, Rabbi Adler was the heart of this Jewish community. Rae Wallach, Rabbi Adler's daughter, graciously provided The Heritage with Rabbi Aaron Rubinger's eulogy for her father, and her daughter Rabbi Shira Wallach's beautiful words about her Zaydie. In his eulogy for Rabbi Adler, Rabbi Rubinger shared that when Rabbi Adler retired, he agreed to serve as the interim rabbi at the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation. His son-in-law, Paul Wallach, asked him why he would take on this... Full story
(JTA)-If you're like me, you blog, read and share a lot of political stuff. But who really reads these posts and articles all the way through? Especially with the longer stories, who has time to look up the sources, or check if that odd photo was first posted on some sketchy partisan website? Instead, we click and we skim; we copy and we paste. But then comes Yom Kippur. If we accept the accounting in the Talmud that says "Evil gossip kills three: the one who says it, the one who listens and... Full story
They started out as volunteers, and some strangers to each other, but they had one common passion-mahjong. And now they have yet another love in common, their dear friend Ruth Elson. Over three years ago, Ruth Elson, had been adjusting to her new home at Horizon Bay on Montgomery Ave. The one void in her life was her mahjong game, which she was used to playing several times a week. Julie Levitt, a program director for the Jewish Pavilion and also an avid mahjong player, knew that she had to... Full story
Just last month, Josh Zeffren, a seventh grader from Congregation Ohev Shalom, approached The Jewish Pavilion regarding meeting with a senior regularly and exploring his or her Jewish history. This would be his bar mitzvah project-with the tangible result being a short written journal of what was discussed. Josh continued on his path this past week, meeting with Pearl Bernstein, a relatively new resident of Brookdale Island Court. The two chatted about half an hour, sharing life stories. Neither... Full story
A wonderful man... Rabbi Adler died recently. He was in his mid 90s. A scholar and teacher, he was a Holocaust survivor (something I never knew). When my late husband, Irv, our young son DAVID, and I moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Central Florida back in 1964, among the first people we met were Rabbi and Rose and their children. Rabbi was spiritual leader of Congregation Ohev Shalom and we became members as soon as we arrived. Through the years he was always there for us. All three of our... Full story
Many people in the community may remember Marc Blattner, and if not Marc, certainly his parents, Adrianne and Myron (of Myron's Deli fame). Blattner is currently the head of the Jewish Federation of Portland, Oregon. When he heard the news of Rabbi Rudolph Adler's (z"l) passing, he wrote the following in his weekly column "Marc's Remarks." On a more personal note, many people often refer to the rabbi they either grew up with or have known for a very long time as "my rabbi." I was saddened to... Full story
Celebration Jewish Congregation (Reform) Rabbi Dr. Richard M. Cowin with Wendi Harris Cantorial soloists Dr. Norton and Jane Christeson Celebration’s Heritage Hall 951 Spring Park St. Celebration, Fla. 407-566-9792 www.jewishcelebration.org Tues. Oct. 11 Kol Nidre, 6:30 p.m. Wed. Oct. 12 Yom Kippur, 9 a.m.; Yizkor, 11 a.m. Chabad House, Center for Jewish Life (Orthodox) Rabbi Yossi Hecht All services take place at 13030 CR 103 Oxford, Fla. 352-330-4466 www.ourchabad.org Tues. Oct. 11 Kol Nidre, 6:45 p.m. Wed. Oct. 12 Yom Kippur, 10 a.m.; T... Full story
