Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Several people were honored at the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's annual meeting, held Wednesday, Aug. 19 at The Roth Family JCC. "This Jewish community is truly fortunate to have many dedicated volunteers working on its behalf, and several of them were honorees Wednesday night," Federation Executive Director Olga Yorish said in the weekly Fed Friday e-newsletter. With a Star Trek theme, the meeting was streamlined and fast-paced-theater seating and no tables this year, and the house...
Few sounds are more mystical and breathtaking than the sound of the shofar heard daily during the month of Elul. And no shofar blast is perhaps more awe-inspiring than the blast heard at the conclusion of the S'lichot Service. Congregation Beth Am in Longwood is proud to host the community-wide S'lichot service on Saturday night, Sept. 5 and a Shabbat dinner on Friday, Sept. 4 that will be co-hosted by Our Jewish Orlando (OJO). The S'lichot Scholar-in-Residence will be Dr. Jonathan Milgram, assi...
The Christian Zionist organization Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN) convened a special session at the United Nations in New York City on Aug. 11 to help Christians learn more about the impact of genocidal anti-Semitism. "Our goal for the program was to reach ambassadors of predominately Christian nations and to help them understand anti-Semitism and how to deal with it," Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president of PJTN, told JNS.org. The session was attended by diplomats from 13 countries:...
The Holocaust Center and the Congregation of Reform Judaism will co-host an evening with Emory University professor and author Dr. Deborah Lipstadt on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at CRJ. The focus of her presentation will be the current state of anti-Semitism in the United States and abroad. She will explain how this "new" anti-Semitism is different from the religious and race-based hate of yesterday and how the global community should respond to it. Dr. Lipstadt is an Emory University...
(JTA)—Across the United States, Jewish community groups have appeared unsure about exactly how to respond to the Iran nuclear deal. Consider Massachusetts. Three groups in the state last month attempted to coordinate a single statement on the Iran nuclear deal now under consideration by Congress. The underlying sentiment: Working with Congress, the Obama administration should find a way to “address serious questions about the vulnerabilities” of the deal. As planned, almost identical statements were released by the Jewish Community Relations Co...
(JTA)—There are 28 Jewish members of Congress: 26 Democrats, one independent who caucuses with the Democrats and one Republican. Nine of them are senators and 19 are representatives. Nine back the Iran deal, seven oppose it and 12 are undecided. The positions of Jewish lawmakers are being watched as Congress decides whether to reject the July 14 agreement between Iran and world powers. The vote, to be held by the end of September, is expected go against the deal. The real question is: Will opponents manage two-thirds majorities in the House o...
The summer is coming to an end and The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah is gearing up for a sensational new season of exciting programs. Orlando Hadassah kicks-off its 2015-2016 year on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015 with a musical performance by the Michael Kramer Trio, featuring Mr. Kramer on piano, Pete Portee on bass and Paul Scavarda on guitar. Michael Kramer has lived in Central Florida for 28 years. He has been an accompanist and arranger for many talented performers, including Michael Andrew, Frank Wess, Jacqueline Jones, Ira Sullivan, Rick Fay,...
It all started with a little bump on his neck. Now Jason Mendelsohn is on a mission to conquer cancer and spread the word about human papilloma virus (HPV) related cancer. In April 2014, Mendelsohn was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, which turned out to be stage four HPV-related tonsil cancer, which had spread to two lymph nodes in his neck. He had a radical tonsillectomy and neck dissection in which 42 lymph nodes were removed in his neck, followed by seven weeks of chemo, radiation...
Noa Weil, daughter of Aaron and Sharon Weil, went to Israel a year ago to join the Israel Defense Forces. Recently, she was highlighted in the IDF magazine "B'Machaneh." The following article was written by magazine reporter Naama Bialer: Meet Private Noa Weil, 19 years old from Kibbutz Magen, fighter in the Search and Rescue unit of the Home Front Command. She spoke with writer Naama Bialer about her life in the army. About her daily routine: "Under the current security situation, we patrol, ar...
The nuclear deal with Iran has, inevitably, been accompanied by a large amount of crystal ball gazing among its defenders and opponents as to how the legitimization of Tehran’s nuclear capacity will impact its behavior. Will the Iranian regime emerge from the deal as a responsible international actor—an outcome on which President Barack Obama himself is betting—or will it seek to rub salt into the wounds of its gullible Western interlocutors by fanning existing regional conflicts and launching new ones? Predicting politics is a notor...
Bruce Feiler has written a really fascinating book titled “Abraham—a Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths.” It tracks the story of this founder of the three dominant faiths in the world today. Abraham, the man, if he did exist (calm down religious ones), was indeed every man. All our foibles, all our visions, all our shoulda-couldas are in him. He had a wife who could not bear him a child, so he took his maid to bed. Now in the story, his wife told him to do it. Arnold Schwarzenegger did not have the same excuse. Later, his wife did bear him a...
The US State Department and Justice Department are wrestling with an issue concerned with a verdict handed down by a Federal Court in New York. It involves a civil suit, brought by American families who suffered injuries and death due to Palestinian terror attacks in Israel. The jury decided in favor of family charges that the Palestine Authority and PLO personnel were responsible for the attacks, and awarded the families $218.5 million. Due to provisions of US antiterrorism law, the verdict was automatically tripled, to $655.5 million. The...
I was born in Iran, but I fled when I was just 17, leaving my home for the uncertainty of a life without family or friends, and enduring a dangerous desert crossing that forever changed my life. Although I love Iranians, I love the freedom and choices offered in the West more, and I want to protect them. The decision to facilitate nuclear production under the Iranian-Islamic government puts us all at risk. The nuclear deal is not good for the Iranian people, the region or the world. It gives the mullahs power to suppress opposition and...
With the Obama administration determined to see the Iran nuclear agreement passed in Congress, and increasingly belligerent toward its critics, many opponents of the deal worry that by continuing to wage what appears to be a losing fight in Washington, Israel will pay a heavy price The Day After the mid-September vote. But several key anti-deal Israeli and American Jewish officials I have spoken to in recent days insist that is not the case. Rather, they say that in addition to the moral imperative of opposing what they view as a catastrophic...
I didn’t think the Iran deal could get any worse. I didn’t think I would find any more loopholes that would make it even easier for the Iranians to cheat and get away with it. Then, this morning, I read this extraordinary news item from the Associated Press in our Jewish Insider Daily Kick-Off, and I had to find a word that would be stronger than “rip-off.” I found swindle. Here is the news item: “AP Exclusive: U.N. To Let Iran Inspect Alleged Nuke Work Site” by George Jahn: “Iran will be allowed to use its own inspectors to investigate a...
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...
Recently, professional photographer Rinat Halon of Rinat Halon Photography and Communications devoted an afternoon to taking pictures of residents at Brookdale Island Lake assisted living facility. Volunteers and residents dressed up in holiday attire and used different Jewish props to capture the fun spirit that Jewish Pavilion volunteers bring to the residents. Shown here are volunteer Barry Rubenstein (left) and a resident enjoying The Heritage....
WASHINGTON (Washington Jewish Week via JTA) - When prominent Washington rabbi Barry Freundel was arrested last year for secretly videotaping dozens of women using the mikvah adjacent to his Orthodox synagogue, the sense of sacredness of the ritual of mikvah immersion was shattered for some local Jewish women. Local artist Rena Fruchter recently spearheaded a community project to put the pieces back together: A mural created by female members of Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue to place...
Irving Yousha, born Sept. 7, 1933 in Rockaway Beach, N.Y., died Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, in Winter Park, Fla. He was 81 years old. He was a loving, generous, and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. Mr. Yousha graduated from Rollins College, served in the Korean War, and worked as an engineer in Aerospace and Defense. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Gloria; sons, David (Jolene), Steven (Jessica), and Ron; grandchildren, Lauren and Zachary; and a rich extended...
The Jewish Pavilion's Young Women's Friends Group is off to a great start with events planned every other month throughout the year. On Aug. 13, the young women enjoyed painting on canvas at the JCC. Their next event is on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at Rock and Brews where pets are welcome. RSVP to Maya Brownyard at may8380@gmail.com or info@jewishpavilion.org....
Jordan Kane, son of Joshua and Jessica Kane of Sanford, will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015, at Congregation Beth Am in Longwood. Jordan attends Markham Woods Middle School where he is a member of the school choir and band and has earned "outstanding" evaluations for both activities. His hobbies and interests include helping to rehabilitate and foster dogs and cats through The Pixel Fund. He also enjoys music, reading, cycling, swimming and jet-skiing....
(JTA)-During my four months studying in Italy in the fall of 2007, you could say I had more than my fair share of strange Jewish experiences. Running late for a train one morning in Florence, I decided the best course of action would be to lay tefillin in the janitor's closet at the station, only to have a policeman threaten to arrest me for trespassing. Lost in Rome one Friday afternoon, a Smart car pulled up alongside me, a 17-year-old leaned out the window and, in Hebrew, invited me to jump i...
From the Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes book by Laura Frankel Rubbed Brisket Makes 10 servings Brisket is so traditional—how can you improve upon it? My friend Julia makes brisket rubbed with spices, wrapped in foil, and slowly cooked in the oven. She swears that the spice-infused meat stays plump and juicy and keeps its hearty texture. Inspired by her technique, I decided to adapt her method for the slow cooker. Boy, was she right! The fat melts into the meat and drips off. The bed of vegetables keeps the meat from sitting in the fat, and the f...
Dangerous internet?... I received this warning from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. (With all the mishagas that's happening in my world lately, this I DIDN'T need!) The heading reads "Online Holocaust Denial Spreading Rapidly, LAJC Warns." I pass it along to you: "The Latin American Jewish Congress (LAJC), an affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, has warned that Holocaust denial on the Internet is growing quickly, and they have launched a campaign to combat the dangerous phenomenon....
On Friday, Aug. 14, the nearly 100 executive leaders of the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) and the B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG), the high school leadership fraternity and sorority of BBYO, gathered for their annual International August Executives Conference, where they work together to set the priorities for the Movement for the coming year. One of the motions that passed ensures BBYO continues to be fully gender inclusive and pluralistic. The motion from teens across the BBYO International Order asserts: Young people who genuinely identify as Jew...
