Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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As a response to recent events of anti-Semitism at Lake Brantley High School, a group of Jewish teens who are members of Club L'chaim at Lake Brantley and their teacher, Dan Smith, partnered with Chabad of Altamonte Springs and hosted an evening of awareness and education. Seminole County Public Schools were also a sponsor of this event. They expected 50 people to come, and planned on holding it in the community room at Lake Brantley. Over 750 people joined the event, which had to be moved to...
The past three years, Brian Bellinkoff has been producing, shooting and editing in Kenya, Somalia and the United States a passion project called "Men in the Arena," a film by J.R. Biersmith. It is the story of two Somali national team soccer players-Saadiq and Sa'ad-chasing their dreams of playing professionally against impossible odds. The film's mission is to shine a positive light on the most war-torn country in the world through the lens of sports. Saadiq lived in a complicated Nairobi...
RAISE, a work and social skills training program for adults with special needs at the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, is celebrating its third successful year. Just this month, two of its current participants have moved on to new jobs. And, as always happens with RAISE, more than one person was involved in the process of making this happen. Take Caitlin for example. She spent six-months in RAISE and was recently hired to work at FASTSIGNS Orlando Central by owner Renee Friedman, who saw...
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando’s Jerome J. Bornstein Leadership Development Program is accepting applications for the 2017-18 class. The Bornstein program is designed to develop future leaders for the Central Florida Jewish community. Bornstein graduates have gone on to serve on boards and hold top leadership positions in Jewish organizations locally, nationally and internationally. Federation selects 15 or fewer individuals each class year to participate. Much of the Bornstein Program’s success is attributable to the outstanding qua...
WASHINGTON (JTA)-President Donald Trump got the memo on the Holocaust and the Jews. In a barrage of statements this week from the president and his aides, the Trump administration wants you to know, he gets it, he really gets it: The Holocaust describes a genocide committed only against one people, the Jews. It's a radical departure from the first days of the Trump administration, when a statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day omitted any mention of Jews. That was made worse,...
NEW YORK-United States Ambassador Nikki Haley spoke before the World Jewish Congress' Plenary Assembly in New York on Tuesday, telling the 600 delegates from more than 90 countries, "I can safely say that it's a new day for Israel at the United Nations. I know it's a new day for Israel at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The United States will no longer be silent as Israel is unfairly attacked at the United Nations. Silence is not my thing anyway, but that's especially true when it comes...
Leading American Jewish groups were quick to praise President Donald Trump’s forthright condemnation of anti-Semitism during a Holocaust commemoration speech. Speaking on behalf of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Stephen Greenberg, its chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, its executive vice chairman/CEO, noted appreciatively that Trump “clearly and forcefully condemned all forms of anti-Semitism, calling out Holocaust denial, threats to Israel’s existence, anti-Semitic discourse and rhetoric and attacks on Jewis...
It all began in Valdosta, Georgia, in the late 1960s with a pair of his and her golf clubs. Elise and Henry Schilowitz, took up recreational golf as a way to spend time together, while Henry served out his two-year commission as an OB/GYN in the Air Force. Almost 50 years later, the ball is still rolling, as the community-minded couple and Jewish Pavilion volunteers are honored at the Pavilion Golf Society Tournament on Sunday, May 7. The 5th Annual Event will be held at the Rosen Shingle...
One fateful week in June 1967 redrew the map of the Middle East. Fifty years later, Israel continues to face numerous existential threats. Beginning the week of May 7, Chabad rabbis throughout central Florida will offer a new six-session course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute called Survival of a Nation: Exploring Israel Through the Lens of the Six-Day War. Commemorating 50 years since the Six-Day War, the course invites participants to experience a captivating account of what was at the...
The Meitin Alliance for Growth And Learning, the collaborative religious school between Temple Israel (Conservative) and Temple Shir Shalom (Reform), will hold its first in a series of open houses for the 2017-18 school year this Sunday, May 7, between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. All families in the Central Florida Jewish community are cordially invited to attend. MAGAL is located on the campus of Temple Israel, 50 S. Moss Road, Winter Springs. Come and meet Rabbi Neely and Cantor Kim, heads of...
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 2017 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, which will be held Aug. 27. “For more than 27 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, t...
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando is accepting applications for Community Collaborative Grants for summer 2017 and the 2017-18 program year. Federation expects to award a total of $50,000 in this round of grants. The grants are available for programs and services that are collaborative in nature and address an unmet need in the Greater Orlando Jewish community. The Federation debuted its Community Collaborative Grants initiative in 2015, awarding $100,000 to 18 programs and services in 2015-16. The programs that benefited from the Federa...
Israel observed Yom Hashoah—Holocaust Memorial Day—last week, pausing to remember the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. As Holocaust survivors age and die, it’s not long before our memory will be without the benefit of people who actually suffered and still bear witness to these unspeakable and unparalleled horrors. It’s all the more important to remember in light of Holocaust denial; claims that the Holocaust simply didn’t happen, that there was no systematic murder of European Jews, or that we are exagg...
There’s always something to bother the Jews of Israel. Currently we’re smelling the preparations for a national election. Some may suspect that it wafts over the continent from Britain or France, but it comes from local pressures. The major responsibility may be those long-running police investigations into Sara and Bibi Netanyahu, with a lesser inquiry into one of their sons. Likud politicians are positioning themselves, still careful to say that they support the Prime Minister, but getting ready to replace him. Also playing the election game...
I am loath to criticize other organizations that are trying to help students and combat the BDS campaign on college campuses; however, I have also felt an obligation to correct misinformation put out to create hysteria about the alleged dangers faced by Jewish students. Selective use of extraordinary incidents and flawed data have been disseminated to create a picture of campuses across the country being engulfed with anti-Israel activity and anti-Semitism, a portrayal that is simply inaccurate. Earlier this year, I criticized the AMCHA...
Three opinion pieces on U.S. policy toward North Korea have appeared in the New York Times in the past week. They deserve critical comment. The writers are all very capable people who share a deep concern about Korea’s security and the possibility of a major blowup that would cause enormous human and material losses throughout the Asia Pacific. As a longtime student of Korean affairs, however, I find that these commentaries—which reflect analysis in the U.S. mainstream media generally—are narrowly focused and alarmist. They would make it seem...
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...
On April 6, more than 100 students, their parents and Orlando residents attended the first "Answering Difficult Questions About Israel" workshop at The Roth Family Jewish Community Center in Maitland, Fla. It was organized by Spark Orlando and the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. Representing StandWithUs were Ron Krudo and Rayna Rose Exelbierd, who presented the program. Israel is so often a topic of conversation these days that it is no surprise that pro-Israel people are challenged regula...
More than 100 guests gathered at Jewish Pavilion's "Spring into Fashion" event at Bloomingdales in Orlando on April 20, for a morning of friendship, fashion, fun and to raise funds for senior programs provided by the nonprofit for elder-care residents throughout Orlando. A handful of Pavilion volunteers graciously served as runway models as Jennifer Bentson, Bloomingdale's public relations specialist, shared the latest fashion trends. Bentson pointed out seasonal trends including lightweight...
Israel's story... I received a little booklet with that title from StandWithUs. You probably can order it and many other related materials at www.standwithus.com/store This is what it says: Over 3,000 years ago an indigenous people developed a thriving civilization and culture in their homeland. Over time, they were conquered by a series of aggressive foreign empires. While some of the people stayed in their cities and communities, most of them gradually scattered across the Middle East and...
NEW YORK—Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder was reelected for a third term as World Jewish Congress president on Monday, at the WJC’s 15th Plenary Assembly in New York. In his address to the more than 600 delegates from 90 countries, Lauder said: “I have done many things in my life, but there is no accomplishment, no title, no honor that I am more proud of than being president of the World Jewish Congress... we are one people, and we take care of each other.” Lauder spoke to the delegates about the challenges facing the Jewish world, including the ant...
Leaders from the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council met with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, at his Orlando office on April 14. Nelson, a longtime ally of the American Jewish community and of Israel, expressed his continuing support for Greater Orlando’s Jewish community institutions. JFGO is working with Nelson’s office to find federal grant monies to fund security improvements on the Maitland Jewish Community Campus. From left: JFGO President Rhonda Forest, JFGO Executive Director Olga...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center's annual Dinner of Tribute recognized Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer for his advocacy and commitment to better the lives of all of Orlando's citizens. The award and its purpose were explained by the Holocaust Center's Executive Director Pam Kancher and Board President Mark Freid. Mayor Bill Frederick introduced Mayor Dyer and recognized his effective response to the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting. Other highlights of the evening included...
There is a new "animal" in town and it is called "genus jewishacademius." This unique species has a love of learning and a strong connection to its Jewish heritage. In all seriousness, the first grade students at the Jewish Academy of Orlando have been studying all about animals and animal classifications. As a culminating activity, they had an incredible visit to the Brevard Zoo! The students were able to interact, touch, and feed real animals. The "animalia" presentation and the train ride all...
Beverly Duel, age 86, of Longwood, passed away on Monday, April 24, 2017, at Brookdale at Island Lake in Longwood. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Beverly was born on Oct. 25, 1930, to the late Nathan and Rose Sylvia Riseman Friedman. A homemaker, she was the beloved wife of Bennie Duel, her husband who survives her. She and Bennie relocated to the Orlando area in 2003, to be closer to family. In addition to her husband, Beverly is survived by her children, Susan (Jay) Steiner of Longwood and Debbie Duel (Ray Perez) of Maryland; and her...
