Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 32
Students for Justice in Palestine held its first die-in protest at the University of Central Florida on Wednesday, April 6. Shortly after noon, UCF students bearing handmade signs laid on a grassy area outside the John T. Washington Center. They remained motionless to demonstrate how Israel's alleged occupation of the West Bank affects Palestinians. Freshman Noa Tann, 19, held a cardboard sign that read, "Proud Israeli for Justice! In Palestine." Tann said her heritage makes it imperative for...
Last summer, RAISE program coordinator Loren London received a phone call from Heidi Solomon director of Jewish Family Services Association of Cleveland's Horvitz YouthAbility. "Can our group perform for RAISE or another venue when we come to Orlando next year?" asked Solomon. London explained to Solomon that RAISE is a work program for people with special needs, but she would look into finding a place for YouthAbility to perform. After seeing a video online of YouthAbility's performance, two...
The entire Orlando community is invited to participate in Mitzvah Day on Sunday, May 1. In past years, The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando has hosted J-Serve, an International Day of Jewish Youth Service, for Jewish teens in sixth through 12th grades. This year, the service projects have expanded to incorporate different age groups other than teenagers, including young adults, families with young children, and college students. "Mitzvah Day was created to start to bring...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2016 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. “For almost 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Berny Raff. Former recipients have included Wolf Kahn...
At a special concert fundraiser for Israel's largest volunteer EMS service held at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, United Hatzalah was honored by Jay Leno, who performed a long comedy set and offered on the spot to donate a $36,000 fully equipped ambucycle for the EMS organization to use to save lives in Israel. The former Tonight Show host called Eli Beer, founder and president of United Hatzalah, to the stage after his act to tell him "What you guys are doing is so special I am so...
ISRAEL21c-In the wake of deadly terrorist attacks at Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station in Brussels yesterday that killed 34 people and injured about 200 others, law-enforcement agencies in Europe's major cities are scrambling to beef up security at airports and transport hubs. This latest horrific incident-and the revelation that the Islamist suicide bombers were known to police and yet still managed to access the airport's departure hall-has intensified speculation that European...
Menemsha Films launched the U.S. theatrical release of the feel-good comedy "Dough," in South Florida Feb. 12. Now in its 10th week, the film continues to play to sold out crowds and Menemsha Films is rolling out "Dough" to markets nationwide on April 29 including Orlando, Tampa and Gainesville. Jonathan Pryce ("Pirates of the Caribbean," "Game of Thrones") stars as curmudgeonly widower, Nat Dayan, who obstinately clings to his way of life and his livelihood as a Kosher bakery shop owner in...
Marthe Cohn was a 20-year-old French Jewish girl when the Nazis invaded France in 1940. Her life then took a turn so extraordinary that it could have been pulled straight from a Hollywood movie script. While the rest of her family fled south Marthe decided to fight back. After graduating from nursing school she joined the French resistance and, because of her perfect German accent and Aryan appearance, was recruited to be a spy. Carrying forged identification papers, she infiltrated German...
Temple Shalom will host a Holocaust Remembrance event, titled “Never Again! Has the World Learned,” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in The Villages. Doors will open at 3 p.m. It seems that we have not learned from the past. Still untold numbers of people have been, and continue to be, slaughtered around the world because of their religious beliefs. Guest speakers Dr. Elizabeth B. White and Mitchell Bloomer are authorities on the Holocaust. They will explain how we can learn from the past and eliminate hate, negat...
The COS Men’s Club invites all congregants and friends aged 10 and older to come to the races and determine just who is the best driver! This event is not just limited to COS members, it is open to one and all! Welcome to a Day at the Races Sunday May 15. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and eliminations start at 1:30 p.m. at Lil 500, 150 Atlantic Drive in Fern Park. It is about 5 to 10 minutes from the (COS) synagogue. The cost is $20 per person and includes at least three races, pizza and soda. There is no charge to watch the races and those r...
Here’s the latest episode of outreach to Iran from the lips of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. After condemning, during a press conference in Bahrain, the “destabilizing actions” of Iran in the Middle East, he then followed up with a plea. “Help us end the war in Yemen,” Kerry implored the Tehran regime. “Help us end the war in Syria, not intensify, and help us to be able to change the dynamics of this region.” What do you call this? Naiveté? Hard-nosed realism? The actualization of President Barack Obama’s deeply held belief that Amer...
A new Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group has emerged—and by appearances, it may be expanding. In less than two years, Harakat as-Sabeeren Nasran il-Filastin (The Movement for the Patient Ones for the Liberation of Palestine), also known as al-Sabireen, has committed several terrorist attacks against Israel, drawn worries from rival terror groups, and promoted its “brand” through an ambitious social media presence. Yet major U.S. print and online news outlets have failed to report the rise of this group, which calls for Israel’s destruc...
Four issues in current headlines may be causing some Israelis to avoid the news, and embarrassment for our overseas friends, while they are sending other Israelis to various sides of virtual barricades. One is that young soldier who killed a Palestinian in Hebron. Another is the faltering deal to expand the plaza alongside the Western Wall so that non-Orthodox Jews can pray as they wish at Judaism’s iconic site. The third is the arousal of an issue associated with the newborn wards of Israeli hospitals, i.e., should Jewish and Arab women be p...
(JTA)—The Israeli Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling on conversion is a truly historic decision—for Israeli and American Jewry. While the case only concerns a few individuals, the general rules and unequivocal language have wide significance for both Israeli and American Jewry. The ruling represents another blow to the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly on religious affairs; it strengthens a pluralistic approach to Judaism; and it upholds the principles of religious freedom and the rule of law. In the narrowest sense, the ruling affirme...
It was ironic that the day The Atlantic monthly published what was supposed to be the definitive work on U.S. President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he was removing the bulk of his military forces from Syria. Jeffrey Goldberg’s long profile titled, “The Obama Doctrine,” sought to define the theoretical underpinning of Obama’s foreign policy. Goldberg devoted the bulk of his 20,000-word corpus to analyzing Obama’s policies in Syria, where, he offered, Obama finally broke free from foreign pol...
Dear Editor: Last evening (Saturday, April 16) I attended a presentation by Israeli Druze families. Each had sons or brothers who died while serving in the IDF or Border Police. They shared their lives and their loses. It was an emotional and profound evening. It was a privilege to be among these devoted and brave citizens of Israel. I thank the sponsors of the event, the Orlando/Israeli nonprofit organization We’re With You, for making our lives richer and for their devotion and support to these families and to many more who have e...
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...
(JTA)-Afikomen hunts, a rambunctious pup and the catchy classic "Dayenu." All are featured in a half-dozen new Passover books for children that will inform and entertain even the littlest kid-or a whole herd of 'em. The eight-day holiday kicks off this year on the evening of April 22. Why not pick up a new tome for the tyke in your life? Prices are about two zuzim and up. Passover is Coming Tracy Newman, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli Kar-Ben; ages 1-4; $5.99 This colorful board book is the...
(The Nosher via JTA)-With Passover comes lots of cleaning, matzah eating, and potato peeling. I know, I know-potatoes get a bad rap during Passover because they're one of the seemingly few things we can eat (and therefore are made very frequently during these eight days). But I say don't fight the potatoes. Embrace them! They're cheap, they're easy, everybody likes them and they really are delicious. This Potato and Carrot Gratin recipe is the perfect side dish for your Passover seder. It's got...
Tim and Courtney and their two children, Talan, 6, and Zach, 2, were vacationing at the beach in Volusia County from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They called the Jerry Doliner Food Bank there and asked what was needed. Gloria Max, executive director of Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler counties, said they told her they wanted to teach their children that if they take them on a one-week vacation, they have to learn to give back to the community they are visiting. "It was so refreshing to see...
Thanks to the support of a generous Central Florida community, Zei Gezunt-Be Healthy began with the return of the popular Chair Exercise class, on Tuesday, April 5, and will continue every Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. Twenty-four residents participated in the class that is held in the Kinneret dining room. Zei Gezunt-Be Healthy is a new program created to ensure that the ongoing health and wellness of the residents is addressed not only through the daily dining program, but also through programs that...
Residents at Encore at Avalon Park enjoyed a Passover seder led by Cantor Nina Fine. The seder was one of many sponsored by the Jewish Pavilion....
A fabulous talent... When I read this in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest it gave me tremendous pleasure so I decided to pass it along to you: "Itzhak Perlman, the 70-year old Israeli born violin virtuoso, is the third winner of the annual Genesis Prize, joining past recipients former New York City Mayor MICHAEL BLOOMBERG and actor-director MICHAEL DOUGLAS. Established in 2012 by a consortium of Russian Jewish philanthropists, the prize is presented annually to individuals who have achieve...
The Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler Counties will host guest speaker Angela Orosz, one of only two babies born in Auschwitz, at Temple Beth-El, 579 North Nova Road, Ormond Beach on Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Angela Orosz came into this world in one of the most horrific places imaginable—the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. As thousands of Jews around her were sent to the gas chambers, Orosz’s mother was strong and was sent for hard labor. She was two months pregnant when she arrived at the cam...
Jay Feinberg of Olney, Maryland. invented a unique pen-shaped cleaning tool that helps clean the house for Passover as well as safely removes candle wax drips left by Shabbat and Hanukkah candles. The new product called the Scrigit Scraper was inspired by his mom's sturdy long fingernails and can remove small amounts of unwanted substances, such as dried food, adhesive labels and buildups of chamitz in corners, edges and grooves, without damaging household surfaces. The old saying goes,...
