Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 33
From the tiny seed of an idea, an enormous community event has grown. In February of 2015, Sara Stern assembled a committee for Congregation Ohev Shalom to begin planning its centennial celebration. COS was the first chartered congregation in Central Florida, and thus, in both concrete and symbolic ways, represents the formalization of Jewish life in the area. The idea to create an exhibit exploring the 100-year history of the congregation intrigued the group, but rather than limit it to one... Full story
On Sunday, Oct. 22, Hedy and Yumi Schleifer will be in Orlando to lead a very special one-day workshop for couples. Organized by JOIN (Orlando Jewish Outreach Initiative) this event will be held at The Roth Family JCC from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is open to couples within the Orlando Jewish Community. In An Adventure in Intimacy-The One-Day Experience couples workshop, The Schleifers will share the lessons from their 51-year marriage as a Jewish couple, their very personal relational odyssey, and... Full story
Chabad of Greater Orlando and Altamonte Springs and AIPAC jointly present Palestinian human rights activist Bassem Eid on Oct. 29, 7 p.m., at The Alfond Inn in Winter Park. The evening discussion will be centered on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Eid's point of view. "We are thrilled to have Baseem Eid here to speak," said Rabbi Mendy Bronstein. "He calls it like it is as he shares his refreshing perspective, with such honesty, on this difficult issue." Jerusalem-based political analyst,... Full story
Jewish Academy students cast their sins away in Tashlich services. The third through fifth graders walked to Lake Lily to participate in a Tashlich service. Students gathered in a circle, listened to the shofar, sang and then symbolically threw away their misdeeds to begin the New Year renewed. In addition to the students and teachers, many of the Jewish Academy's parents joined in this meaningful program. Robyn Eichenholz, JAO parent, said, "it was very significant to me to participate in Tashl... Full story
This Zionistas program was scheduled for earlier in September but was postponed due to Hurricane Irma. Alan Kornman was in Israel to witness the ceremonies remembering the 1967 Six Day War and celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem 50 years ago. On Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 at 7 p.m., Alan Kornman will share with us, in film and in words, how exciting it was to join with the Israelis at this historic time. Kornman is the regional coordinator for the United West, contributing editor with... Full story
For those grieving the death of a loved one, The Jewish Pavilion and Vitas Healthcare offer a free grief support group. This is a six-week program led by Rabbi Moe Kaprow, the Vitas Healthcare chaplain, and will be held at Oakmonte Village—Valencia Building, 1021 Royal Gardens Circle, Lake Mary. The sessions are from 10:30 a.m.—noon, and meet Wednesdays: Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29, Dec. 6 and 13. If you have lost a spouse, partner, parent, child, sibling or other loved one this support can make a difference. Refreshments and socializing are part of the... Full story
Jewish Family Services Orlando in cooperation with Hospice of the Comforter is helping connect and support the Jewish community through life transitions. This group will be co-led by a Jewish therapist and a hospice social worker. The group will meet for 6-weeks at 12:15 p.m., starting Tuesday, Oct. 17 and ending Tuesday, Nov. 21. Registration required and a $5 per session contribution is suggested. Please contact JFS by phone 407-644-7593 ext. 247, or by emailing Ashlyn.Douglass-Barnes@jfsorlando.org.... Full story
Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Tuesday made an impassioned pitch for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, calling for both sides to take advantage of a "rare" opportunity to achieve the elusive goal. El-Sissi broke from his prepared remarks to the United Nations General Assembly in classical Arabic to address Israelis and Palestinians informally in colloquial Egyptian Arabic, saying they should take advantage of an opportunity that "may not be repeated." The Egyptian leader... Full story
Chabad Lubavitch of North Orlando is sponsoring "An Evening with Mickey Bielski-Son of Partisan Hero Tuvia Bielski." On Sunday, Oct. 22, Mickey will tell the story of what it was like to come of age in the shadow of the incredible legacy of his father. He will share his own, and his father's stories, with humor, passion and above all, love. Mickey Bielski was born in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1952, shortly after the end of World War II. His father, Tuvia Bielski, was the leader of an organization of... Full story
(JNS.org)—The international police organization Interpol voted Wednesday in favor of granting the “State of Palestine” full membership, in a diplomatic defeat for Israel. At the organization’s annual General Assembly that convened this year in Beijing, the Palestinian membership bid was approved with 75 countries voting in favor, 24 voting against and 34 abstaining. Israel had campaigned against the move, arguing the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) support for terrorism would undermine Interpol’s efforts. The U.S. also opposed Palestinian... Full story
(JNS.org) Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah arrived in the Gaza Strip Monday for the first time since 2014, as the PA and its rival, the Gaza-ruling terror group Hamas, initiated the first steps in forming a unity government. Hamdallah’s visit is intended as the first symbolic move towards transferring custodianship of the coastal territory from Hamas to the PA. Upon arrival, Hamdallah and his 30-vehicle motorcade were greeted by Hamas members as well as members of the PA’s ruling party, Fatah. A crowd of 2,000 peo... Full story
(JNS.org)—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated Tuesday he would mull severing ties with Israel if the Jewish state does not withdraw its support for an independent Kurdish state. “If Israel does not reconsider its support for Kurdish independence, Turkey could not take any steps [with Israel],” Erdogan said, the Turkish news outlet Daily Sabah reported. “Those trying to establish new states in Iraq and Syria should not be surprised when they are tossed aside by those who use them,” he said. The Turkish leader’s warning came a day... Full story
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to extort Israel to withdraw its support, and threatened to end the process of normalization unless it does so. It is worth noting that Turkey strongly supports statehood for the Palestinians but not for their own Kurdish population. The Palestinian leadership, which is seeking statehood for its people, also opposes statehood for the Kurds. Iraqi Kurds were a key partner for the U.S. coalition that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime and has staved off further sectarian tensions in that country. One t... Full story
For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political opponents, his government’s woes aren’t just an opportunity to score political points at his expense. They also provide easy-to-understand explanations for the question that nags at the margins of every debate about American Jewish attitudes toward Israel. Every negative development or unpopular decision associated with the prime minister is used to rationalize and sometimes even justify the growing chasm between American Jews and Israelis. But a new study about America Jewish identity gives... Full story
It is difficult to look at the scandalous international response to the Kurdish independence referendum and not think, at the same time, of the betrayals endured by the Zionist movement in the decades after World War I. In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, promising a Jewish national homeland in Palestine. What people forget is that in 1939, Britain then issued a White Paper limiting Jewish immigration to Palestine—on the eve of the Holocaust—to a paltry 75,000 souls over five years. They forget, too, that as late as 1947, Bri... Full story
Public figures occasionally misspeak. That is, they say something that is clearly untrue, not because they are intentionally lying but because they innocently stumbled in their articulation of some thought. A famous example occurred during the 2008 presidential campaign, when Democratic nominee Barack Obama was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on the ABC-TV news program “This Week.” At one point, Obama used the phrase “my Muslim faith.” Now, Obama obviously did not intend to say that. He had already said many times that he is a Christi... Full story
Today is October 6. Forty-seven years ago on this date, I was in my dorm room at the Hebrew University (I was spending a year in Israel as an exchange student) napping after Musaf service on Yom Kippur/Shabbat, Oct 6, 1973 At 2 p.m. I was awoken to the sounds of sirens. Sirens? On Yom Kippur? Didn’t make any sense. Was this a local malfunction? Strange. I turned over The sirens continued and did not stop for many long minutes. At this point, many students were out of their rooms seeking an explanation. I went to our floor counselor, an I... Full story
LAS VEGAS (JTA)—We just got into our car and drove. Going to Las Vegas after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history felt like the right thing to do. As Americans and as Jews, we wanted to be a source of support and love in the face of terror. We wanted to stand with the victims and their families. With Yom Kippur only two days behind us and Sukkot on its way, we saw a window to show up—and so we started to drive from L.A. Rabba Ramie Smith and I are graduates of Yeshivat Maharat, the first school to ordain Jewish Orthodox fem... 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
JFS Orlando is currently recruiting volunteers to help in its computer lab. Clients need help creating resumes, search for jobs and apply for benefits. There is an immediate need for Spanish-speaking volunteers. Please contact volunteer coordinator Amanda Benedit at Amanda.benedit@jfsorlando.org for more information. JFS Orlando’s Computer Lab is open to the community! If you are in need of assistance with your resume, job search, government benefit applications, Microsoft software or any online-based activity, call 407-644-7593 to schedule a... Full story
The rise of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the country's recent election has been described as a "political earthquake," while Jewish leaders' immediate reaction was toexpress concern about AfD's views. But what are the broader implications of the party's electoral showing for German Jews and for Israel? In late September, AfD won 12.6 percent of the public vote, in the first time a German far-right party won seats in the country's Bundestag legislature in decades. Chancel... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion was all about the sweet memories as they celebrated the High Holidays around town.... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-The Trump administration is encouraging the Palestinian Authority to assume control of the Gaza Strip and leaving the door open for a role by Hamas in the subsequent Palestinian government. But if such a move was once seen as a traditional predicate to a two-state solution, top Palestinian leaders are hedging their bets, saying they would not rule out a "one-state" solution in which Palestinians have the same one-person, one-vote rights as Israelis. Israeli leaders have long... Full story
I am emotional... Before I even start this column, I must mention the Monday, Sept. 25th, showing of the tape, Broadway from 1893 to 1927, a JCC 39ers program presented by SHELDON BROOK. Although I am living in Central Florida for more than 53 years, New York City will always be "home" to me, but, of course the last time I was there was with my dear departed spouse, Irv. Just seeing Times Square created much emotion. That was followed by the stories of legends Irving Berlin, Fanny Brice, Jerome... Full story
The following are excerpts from the U.S. Congressional Record of 1922 that demonstrates the powerful sense of the members of Congress in favor of reestablishing a Jewish national home in Palestine: “Palestine of today [1922], the land we now know as Palestine, was peopled by the Jews from the dawn of history until the Roman era. It is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. They were driven from it by force by the relentless Roman military machine and for centuries prevented from returning. “At different periods various alien people suc... Full story
