Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 36
Maya Brenner, a fourth-grade student at the Jewish Academy of Orlando, was one of 50 winners in the 2018 Worldwide Jewish International Heritage Competition. The competition, called "My Family Story," is now in its 23rd year and is sponsored by Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Israel. The competition has students competing from 160 institutions, representing 28 countries worldwide. Participating countries include: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Canada,...
(JTA)-Barbara Bush "was the gold standard for what it means to be First Lady," the Republican Jewish Coalition said following her passing Tuesday night in Houston. The wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, as well as the mother of the 43rd, George W. Bush, died at her home with her husband by her side. She was 92 and had been battling COPD, a lung disease, and congestive heart failure, according to reports. Barbara Bush was known for her large fake pearl chokers and grandmotherly...
Founder of Give Kids the World and a loyal philanthropist to the Jewish community, Henri Landwirth died on Monday, April 16, 2018. He was 91 years old. Landwirth and his twin sister, Margot Glazer, were born March 7, 1927, in Antwerp, Belgium. His father and mother were killed by the Nazis. He and Margot were imprisoned in Auschwitz and Mauthausen Nazi death camps between the ages of 13 to 18. Both miraculously survived and were reunited after the war. Landwirth worked his way to America on a...
Meet Loretta Miller. She is a Constitutional Republican running for Florida US Representative, District 15. "We need a strong representative who is not in the large corporation's pockets," she stated in a straight-forward manner. "The people of Florida are sick and tired of our representatives voting for what big corporations want." What will she fight for? Straight and to the point she states: "We need jobs. We cannot rely on the tourist industry. We need to produce, manufacture, improve...
The Jewish Community Relations Council and Temple Israel are joining forces to welcome Fuente Latina at a special Shabbat and presentation. The event, which is open to the public, will be at Temple Israel on Saturday, May 5. After a dual-language Shabbat service, Gloria Garcés, Fuente Latina's Media Outreach director based in Miami, will lead the program about Fuente Latina's work connecting informed and unbiased speakers with Spanish-language news programs. "The work Fuente does is invaluable...
The Jewish National Fund's Women for Israel is hosting "A vision for Israel's future through the preservation of its past" program, featuring Noa Geffen. The event will be held 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, at the Star Tower Building Rooftop, 260 S. Osceola Ave., Orlando. As the executive vice-chairwoman of the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites, a JNF partner, Gefen plays an instrumental role in restoring, preserving and maintaining important historical and heritage sites...
On Sunday, May 6, at 10 a.m. the COS Sisterhood will hold its end-of-year brunch featuring mentalist Mark Stone. Stone is one of the nation’s most sought after entertainers. He acquired an interest in ESP and began developing his skills early in his senior year at the University of Maryland. By year’s end, Stone had put together a short show and he performed if for the members of his college dormitory. A natural comedian, he added comedy to his routine, and he was called to appear on the Dick Cavett show. He has also performed on the Joh...
The League of Women Voters Orange County will present its first League Showcase/Orientation Session of 2018 at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, at the Winter Park Community Center, 721 W. New England Ave., Winter Park (free and plentiful parking). Open to men and women, young and old, the non-partisan LWV has been doing due diligence during this year’s Florida Legislature session, keeping legislators’ feet to the fire on the gun safety issue as well as such other watchdog issues as affordable housing, the environment, immigration and education. Hea...
(JNS)-Members of the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli civilians are jointly commemorating the decisive battles of the 1948 War of Independence ahead of national celebrations of Israel's 70th year of Independence. "When you study the War of Independence, which is fascinating, in an in-depth manner, you see that the IDF was born in this war," Education Officer Lt.-Col. Shuli Ben Moha, who is running the commemoration tours, told JNS. "In this war, the IDF built itself up. Its values were born in...
Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for International Negotiations, hit back Friday after being accused of automatically “repeat[ing] Israeli talking points” while “omitting any word of condemnation” of Israeli forces at the Gaza border fence, where daily violence orchestrated by Hamas has been ongoing. Chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat had leveled these highly critical accusations at Greenblatt and the American administration in a letter sent to all foreign diplomats in Ramallah last week. Not...
(JNS)—Christians United For Israel, one of the nation’s largest pro-Israel organizations, announced new leadership team on Monday as the group seeks to build on its success in strengthening Christian support for Israel in the last decade. According to the organization, Diana Hagee and Shari Dollinger will take on the roles of co-executive directors. Hagee previously served as chief-of-staff to her husband, CUFI founder and chairman Pastor John Hagee. Dollinger has served as CUFI’s associate director since 2007. “With great success comes g...
(JNS)—The Iron Dome missile-defense system has been voted the winner of Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry contest ranking of the greatest Israeli inventions of all time, in honor of Israel’s 70th Independence Day. In the first stage of the competition, 70 Israel inventions were listed and then whittled down to the top nine by 52,000 participants. In the second stage, some 63,000 online participants had to choose the single greatest Israeli invention. In first place among the top nine came the Iron Dome missile-defense system; follo...
The Anne House employee isn’t the only person told not to wear his kippah at work. When Barry Vingerling, a 25-year-old Dutch Jew, started working at the Anne Frank House in 2017, he might have assumed his new employers would be sensitive to his religious identity. After all, Anne Frank House commemorates a teenager who was hounded and murdered solely because she was Jewish, helping to make “never again” a reality when it comes to anti-Jewish discrimination. Vingerling wore a kippah to his interview and got the job. Yet, when he started weari...
The Trump administration may be patting itself on the back by playing tough guy with tariffs in its effort to convince the Chinese government to return to the negotiating table for the purpose of revising reciprocal trade arrangements. President Xi, however, may have turned the tables in China’s favor with his hosting last month of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un who received a very warm welcome in Beijing. The economic brinkmanship game being played out by the two leaders of the world’s two biggest economies is not occurring in a diplomatic vacuu...
Truthfully? I don’t remember when I first heard the word “Holocaust.” In the 1940s I went to Bala Cynwyd Junior High and then Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, where out of 1500 students, less than 20 were Jews. In my senior year, Israel declared its independence. There was a discussion about it in Miss Lamb’s history class. As I remember, the class was about evenly divided on whether or not Israel as a State was legitimate. I do not remember any mention, much less discussion of the Holocaust. Perhaps it came into my conscio...
(JNS)—In what must be considered a public-relations coup of epic proportions, the New Israel Fund announced this week that it would be benefiting from the sales of copies of Anne Frank’s diary. The diary is among the most beloved books of the 20th century and the standard introduction to the Holocaust for many people. The foundation created by Anne’s father, Otto Frank—the sole member of the family to survive after being captured by the Nazis and sent to death camps—receives the proceeds from the bestseller and related works, and it will now...
(JNS)—There was a time when a proposed U.S. sale of sophisticated rocket systems to an Arab regime that finances terrorism against Israel would arouse fierce opposition from American Jewish leaders. So why are Jewish leaders silent in the face of the Trump administration’s announced plan to sell $300 million in advanced rocket technology to the government of Qatar? The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, claimed at his White House meeting on April 10 that he doesn’t help terrorists. (I guess his well-paid American PR advisers told him w...
(JNS)—The head of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Washington office received a thunderous welcome on Monday afternoon from self-described “pro-Israel, pro-peace” activists at the 10th anniversary J Street conference. Despite a speech peppered with obvious agitprop, Husam Zomlot was cheered heartily by attendees. “It warms my heart to know we have allies like you,” Zomlot told the crowd. “Allies with such courage and conviction to stand up for what is right. You are not dreamers, but realists.” The J Street lobbying agenda includes...
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 Isr...
It is that time of year once again when Heritage Florida Jewish News is putting out feelers for one outstanding person in the Jewish community who has given his or her time or talent or monetary gifts to better the Orlando Jewish community. Nominations for the 2018 Heritage Human Service Award are now being accepted and the award will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “For more than 28 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and e...
More than 200 supporters of The Jewish Pavilion and members of the Citrus Club gathered together April 16 for an elegant evening downtown filled with networking and philanthropy. Attendees to the night's "United For a Purpose" event enjoyed beautiful sunset views along with delicious drinks and apps, all while shining a spotlight on the important community contribution of The Jewish Pavilion. Carina Gerscovich, a board member of The Jewish Pavilion, helped coordinate the night and presented a...
Over 100 fashionable ladies gathered at Bloomingdale's on April 12 to view the latest in spring fashion while raising funds to support the Jewish Pavilion. Among the attendees at the 2018 Elyane Burke Wershil Memorial Fashion Show were volunteers and board members, program participants, and even representatives from the facilities who benefit from Jewish Pavilion-provided programming. It truly was a day of fellowship and fun that allowed supporters of The Jewish Pavilion a chance to shop with a...
Celebrate Shabbat with the Synagogue that feels like family. Shabbat evening service will be led by Rabbi Karen Allen on Friday, May 11 at 7 p.m. Socialize with members and enjoy refreshments at the Oneg Shabbat following the service. The Rabbi’s Torah Roundtable Discussion Group with Rabbi Karen Allen of Congregation Beth Sholom will be held on Thursday, May 17 at 1 p.m. at the Sumter County Administration and Library Building (with the golden dome) at 7375 Powell Rd. (near Pinellas Plaza and 466A), Wildwood. The Rabbi’s Roundtable series exp...
The third annual Rosen JCC Golf Tournament is coming up on Monday, May 14. It will be held at Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Club with shotgun start at 8 a.m. Registration starts at 7 a.m. with a light breakfast. At 1 p.m. there will be a luncheon and awards program with raffle. Event competitions include Longest drive; closest to the pin; and long drive opportunity. The cost is $100 per individual golfers; $400 for foursomes. Register at http://www.rosenjcc.org/special-events/golf....
"Canada, Oh Canada"... That's how the song starts. I have a special feeling for Canada as my mom, Sally, was born in Montreal, Canada. Her parents, (my maternal grandparents) fled to Canada from the Ukraine before the turn of the last century with my Uncle Jack and my Aunt Betty. Jack and Betty made it to the States when they were grown and my mom came with her father (her mom was deceased) when she was a young girl. The rest is history! Speaking of Canada... I read this in a recent copy of the...
