Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The United States Postal Service periodically issues a commemorative Hanukkah stamp. The tradition of the USPS printing a Chanukah stamp began in 1996. Initially the same design was repeated for many years before a new issue with different artwork was introduced. However, since 2016 a newly designed Hanukkah stamp has been produced every two years. To date there have been 10 different issues celebrating the holiday, each designed by a different artist, most of whom have been Jewish. Behind each...
(JNS) - I doubt that my grandchildren would recognize the Chanukahs of my childhood. They took place amid the backdrop of my best friends' and next-door neighbors' Christmas extravaganzas. Their homes looked to me like fairy houses strung with colored lights on the outside and huge Christmas trees in the living room, with colored balls and delicate, shiny angels on top. Underneath the tree were beautifully wrapped presents in all shapes and sizes. This was long before there were Chanukah decorat...
This Italian recipe uses a potato base. I often use the donuts as dessert for a Chanukah meal with fried chicken, potato pancakes (Latkas), a green salad and a vegetarian dish. You won't find this menu on most diet plans. Make ahead. Makes 24, 2" donuts. 1 1/2 cups mashed Russet potatoes about 1 lb. or 1 large potato, microwaved in parchment 7 minutes or until soft for mashing 3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature 1 pk. yeast (1 1/4 tsp.) 1/2 cup plus 3 T. sugar for rolling 3 - 3 /1/2 cups flour...
Cobwebs! But a vacuum cleaner won’t help. Neither a Bissell nor a Hoover. Be-cause this is brain fog — cobwebs in the brain. In my case, it’s writer’s block. My Yiddishe Kop (Jewish brain) has nearly shut down. Was it the tryptophan from too much turkey on Thanksgiving? Not likely. That was days ago, and I had no leftovers. I suspect it’s from an ac-cumulation of factors. Last month’s time change. Preparation and planning for multiple holiday events. Trying to decide between pumpkin cheesecake...
There are certain topics that make even the boldest dinner guests squirm in their seats. Circumcision tops that list. Just saying the word makes people shift positions. Yet for Jews, it has always been more than a medical procedure — it’s a sacred act, a covenant sealed in flesh. According to the Book of Genesis, God’s command was explicit: “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a si...
Mom, who was raised in Buffalo in a family of Orthodox emigrants from Eastern Europe but strayed from strict observance when she left home, and became more traditional as she aged, religiously commemorated Thanksgiving. Her parents, unfamiliar with U.S. customs, did not prepare a Thanksgiving meal when she was young. Later, living with her folks, she convinced them to make a holiday meal that day. Then, she got married and made it part of our family tradition — and of the tradition of her out-of-town children. After she left her hometown the ye...
(JNS) - The rise of Jew-hatred in America is not only under the guise of anti-Zionism, but it also promulgates the false belief that Jews have exercised too much political power in America and that this alleged power has been used to promulgate views that are not in America's interest. The fact of the matter is that American history is replete with evidence that the Jewish influence-to whatever extent it has been on American politics-has been overwhelmingly beneficial to America's interest and...
I often served this salad at Chanukah family gatherings. 12 large eggs 2 cans of asparagus stems, drained or 17 pieces of celery stalks. (I actually prefer to bake fresh asparagus sprinkled with 2T. olive oil and 1 T. lemon juice to have firmer, thicker stalks.) 1 tsp. prepared mustard 1/2 tsp. salt 2 cups crushed ice One head of greens (1 iceberg lettuce, 1 romaine, 1 butter lettuce, or 1 head of cabbage) cut in 1/4" shreds 1 small jar of pimento or 1 tomato to make flame tips. Paprika Salad...
As we age, maintaining good health becomes an increasingly important part of living independently and vibrantly. At the Orlando Senior Help Desk, we are al-ways looking for natural and gentle ways to support the well-being of our sen-iors. One of the newer additions gaining attention in the world of holistic health is Korean Retinal Tea, a traditional herbal infusion now being studied for its po-tential benefits, especially for eye health and cognitive clarity. What Is Korean Retinal Tea? Korean Retinal Tea is an herbal tea made from a blend... Full story
For Negin Nader Bazrafkan, Yiddish lessons have been an unexpected perk of moving into her Upper West Side apartment. Her roommate - and unofficial Yiddish teacher - is 96-year-old Rebecca Schull, a retired actress best known for her roles as Fay Cochran on the sitcom Wings and as protagonist Mike Ross' grandmother on Suits. From Schull, Bazrafkan has learned words like chutzpah, schmuck, simcha, klutz, schmutz, and faynshmeker. Her favorite is tuches, slang for buttocks, a word that makes them... Full story
The High Holidays are a big deal to George Paul-and he's not even Jewish. This needs explaining. Paul is owner/chef of George's Cafe, the popular eatery and caterer in downtown Winter Park, and, indeed, he's not Jewish. But you'd never know it once you sip a spoonful of his matzoh ball soup or bite into a hot pastrami on rye ... two of the many Jewish-style deli foods that George prepares daily in his kitchen. When we refer to the high holidays, we mean to include all Jewish events and family...
There are a variety of spellings of the game of mahjong. Heritage uses the AP Stylebook format, unless used in a specific name like the National Mah Jongg League. Few games have managed to be both ancient and newly fashionable, but mahjong is one of them. Mahjong is a tile-based game of skill and strategy, played with 152 engraved tiles, racks, dice, and chips. Its roots in China stretch back centuries, but it gained popularity in the United States during the 1920s. It was Jewish women who adopted it early and made it their own, turning the...
Navigating the complex world of veterans’ benefits can be overwhelming for seniors and their families. At Jewish Pavilion Senior Services and the Orlando Senior Help Desk, we understand the unique challenges veterans face as they age, and we are here to connect them with trusted resources that offer free, certified support in filing claims and accessing the benefits they have earned. In Brevard County, the Veterans Services Offices provide no-cost assistance for veterans and their eligible surviving family members. These offices are staffed w...
(JNS) - A 100-year-old great-grandmother of 15 became the oldest person to immigrate to Israel this year, the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency for Israel said on Thursday. Sara Unterberg moved to Israel from Uruguay last week to be closer to her extended family. "I realized I may not have much time left, and I want to spend it with my many grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Israel," the Lithuanian-born centenarian said. "I believe all Jews should live in Israel. The world is becoming less...
For book lovers, the news that Cambridge University has acquired a previously sealed personal archive of Amy Levy, a Victorian Jewish novelist and poet who won praise from literary notables of her era, is a cause for celebration. Levy's 1888 novel Reuben Sachs is an exasperated, yet affectionate, look at English Jewish middle-class life. Levy, the daughter of a prosperous stockbroker, knew whereof she spoke. At the British Library in London, Levy rubbed elbows with Eleanor Marx, daughter of the...
Holocaust movies have become such a genre of their own that it is hard for them to find anything new to say. Yet directors keep trying - perhaps out of a sense of duty, or the assumed prestige of the subject matter - to keep the atrocities front of mind. "Nuremberg," a star-studded new film written and directed by James Vanderbilt (the writer of Zodiac and both installations of the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Anniston hit Murder Mystery), focuses on the trial of Hermann Goering, Hitler's second-in-com...
October 7th. One day. But the repercussions persist two years later. And so many people are suffering. How many more wars will there be? When will people put grievances aside? When will the world see lasting peace throughout the planet? What about human conflicts in daily life and within families? I recall the Six Day War of June 1967. Israel celebrated victory with joy and songs while her neighbors prepared in anticipation of future conflicts. It was such a dramatic time. So much happened that...
Thanksgiving has always been our favorite holiday. When we lived in Clifton Park, we celebrated for many years by running the Troy Turkey Trot in the morning and then joining the family for dinner at Larry's cousins' home in Argyle, New York. Our most memorable Thanksgiving was also our saddest. In 1974, two and a half months after we married, Larry's beloved grandmother passed away. Bubbe Rose was the matriarch of Larry's family. Her tiny stature - she was under five feet and weighed less than...
(JNS) - Voice actor Eli Schiff, 42, and his wife, cartoonist Chari Pere, 40, have spent years building their creative careers. Their latest project has turned their family into castmates. The couple and their children-Jakey, 13; Bailey, 10; and Serina, 6-have voice roles in the animated feature "David" from Angel studies, lending their voices to the biblical story of King David. "It was fun," Pere told JNS. "It definitely helped us build some amazing memories." Schiff's connection to the film...
Navigating the complex world of veterans’ benefits can be overwhelming for seniors and their families. At Jewish Pavilion Senior Services and the Orlando Senior Help Desk, we understand the unique challenges veterans face as they age, and we are here to connect them with trusted resources that offer free, certified support in filing claims and accessing the benefits they have earned. In Brevard County, the Veterans Services Offices provide no-cost assistance for veterans and their eligible surviving family members. These offices are staffed w...
These make an attractive side dish. 1 lb. carrots peeled and cut into sticks or left whole if small 2 T. olive oil 2 T. honey 1 T. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. garlic powder Salt and pepper 1 tsp. Fresh thyme and parsley chopped for garnish Heat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss carrots with olive oil, honey, Dijon, salt and pepper and coat carrots. Roast carrots in one layer for 20-25 minutes flipping them halfway through. They should be tender and...
ROSWELL, New Mexico - If it weren't for an Ashkenazi Jew named Stanton T. Friedman, the world might have long ago forgotten what's come to be known simply as the "Roswell incident." Instead, countless books, documentaries and made-for-TV dramas have explored the 1947 discovery of mysterious materials found on a New Mexico ranch that Friedman argued were the relics of extraterrestrials. A wave of successors, including a prominent Israeli-American physicist, continue to press the case for alien...
The ethnic cleansing mob outside Villa Park football stadium, Birmingham It was never about Israeli football fans. It was always about Muslim Jew-hatred. And last night in Birmingham, we saw that in Britain it’s Islam that now controls the streets. A Muslim mob presenting a serious threat of violence and disorder was allowed to stage a thuggish display of hatred of Jews, incitement against them and intimidation. The mob swarmed the area around the Villa Park stadium where Aston Villa was playing Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Maccabi away-fans had b...
Just hours after New York City’s mayor election was called for Zohran Mamdani, a top Israeli official issued an invitation. “New York will never be the same again, especially not for its Jewish community,” Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli tweeted. “I invite the Jews of New York to seriously consider making their new home in the Land of Israel.” Chikli’s call dovetailed with another appeal to Jewish New Yorkers made by a spokesman for the Jewish settlement in Hebron, Yishai Fleisher. “Indeed, it was a great run, and you were a blessing to N...
This article was produced as part of the New York Jewish Week’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around New York City to report on issues that affect their lives. Sixteen-year-old Chase, who lives on the Upper East Side, is close with his grandparents. They talk about school, work and national politics, but there’s one topic he avoids discussing with them: the New York City mayoral election. He and his grandparents, who are all Reform Jews, have split views on the 34-year-old democratic socialist fro...
