Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The pleasant, heart-warming re-incarnation of ABC's "The Wonder Years" has offered a bar mitzvah episode, as did the original series in 1989. The setting is Montgomery, Alabama, during the late1960s, when Blacks were fighting for civil rights and Jews still wanted simply to be accepted. Written by Yael Gatena, the episode begins with some boys throwing pennies at Brad Hitman (Julian Lerner) in front of his friends, goading the Jewish lad to pick them up in order to be true to stereotype. His...
Pashtida (a crustless quiche) is beloved and common in Israel, where it is enjoyed at everything from potlucks, school events, shivas, and everything in between. It's also commonly prepared for Shavuot and Sukkot. The versatile dish transports well, and there is no right or wrong way to make one. Israelis make pashtida all year long, but it's a dish especially perfect for warmer climates and seasons, when it's just too hot to spend hours in an overheated kitchen. Plus, during warmer months, ther...
(JTA) - Days after defending their decision to play in Tel Aviv, the hometown of their bass player, the indie folk rock band Big Thief canceled two scheduled Israel shows, writing that they "oppose the illegal occupation and the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people." Last week, the Grammy-nominated band had announced two shows at Tel Aviv's Barby venue in July, and said that they would donate the gig profits to NGOs that aid Palestinian children. They also noted that they wanted to...
The Jewish Pavilion takes pride in the many volunteers who offer compassion, skill and understanding to hundreds of seniors living in Central Florida. Along with helping to enrich these lives, a volunteer is able to benefit in a variety of ways. Volunteering increases self-confidence. A sense of accomplishment occurs when doing good for others. Volunteering combats depression. Having regular contact with others, volunteers can develop a support system, which in turn can protect against stress when going through challenging times. Volunteering b...
The music I love … If you’re like me, you too will consider that “Rap is Crap”! I love and perform the good stuff, the music of the 30s and the 40s…not rock and roll & (heaven forbid) rap! Maybe the music I love will live on… or maybe, with today’s teens, it will go by the wayside. But why should I care? I am considered a senior citizen. (NOT MENTALLY!) We lost one of the best … I’m referring to Stephen Sondheim, of course. He was one of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater. Stephen was born in New York City (of cou...
(JNS) - It's not quite New Kids on the Block getting back together, but it's still meaningful. When Blue Fringe released "My Awakening" in 2003, frontman Dov Rosenblatt had no idea that it would sell more than 15,000 copies and that his Jewish rock group that formed two years earlier would take the Jewish music world by storm, performing at Irving Plaza, Makor Center and B.B King Blues Club in Times Square, as well as venues around the world. The singer, guitarist and founder of "Blue Fringe"...
The Jewish world has a longstanding aversion to tattoos. Even among largely secular Jews, the taboo against body ink remains powerful - a disinclination attributed both to the tattooing of concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust and the myth that tattooed Jews can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery. As tattooing has grown increasingly mainstream in recent years, some Jews have even embraced it as a way to honor ancestors tattooed by the Nazis. While some liberal Jews have taken a fresh...
(JTA) - Five years ago, Rabbi Guy Austrian made a small but powerful change at the synagogue he leads: He wrote down the language his community used to call non-binary members to the Torah. That language had been developed informally over time through a process that Austrian recalled as being "a little awkward" because it involved tweaking language on the fly for congregants whose gender did not fit into the male-female binary that's baked into Hebrew. Codifying the language meant changing only...
(JNS) - Being a Mossad operative in Iran isn't a job for the faint of heart. Viewers get a sense of such intensity watching "Tehran" on Apple TV+, a show that will keep them on the edge of their seats. In Season 1, Israeli actress Niv Sultan proved as Tamar Rabinyan, a young Jewish woman born in Iran but raised in Israel, that she was able to hack almost any computer system, shoot anyone and happily risk her life for Israel. In the first episode of Season 2, she has to save the life of an...
No one likes a dirty house, where stuff is chaotically piled on top of each other just like in a flea market. The situation isn’t helped by the fact that retirees can turn into ‘hoarders’, filling every free space of their home with old junk because ‘it might come in handy one day’. Many older folk tend to hold on to useless items that may become room obstacles, which increase their chance of tripping and falling. Dirt and dust buildup and other unsanitary living conditions may also have serious health consequences. Hoarding tends to get worse...
We can thank members of the tribe for many wacky, wonderful, important, life-changing inventions of the past 120 years. 1. The Teddy Bear Did you know that the teddy bear owes its existence to a Jewish couple? Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy shop owner, and his wife, Rose, created a stuffed toy bear in honor of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. It all began when Roosevelt went on a hunting trip in 1902 but failed to locate a single bear. His assistants reportedly cornered and tied a black bear to a tree for the American president to shoot. A big...
(The Nosher) — While cheesecake may seem as American as, well, apple pie — and as Jewish as the New York deli — the truth is that cheesecake has been around for nearly 3,000 years and has traveled the world in many different forms, from savory to sweet, pie and pancake to pastry, tart to mousse. Cheesecake’s roots are in the ancient world, where it was fed to athletes at the first Olympic games in 776 BCE to boost their energy for the competition. That might also explain why it became a wedding...
Blintz souffle is synonymous with easy, classic Ashkenazi-Jewish-American comfort food. The ingredient list isn't long, the steps are very simple but the result is pure, creamy indulgence. Plus, this dish calls for frozen blintzes for extra ease. Many American Jewish families serve this for Yom Kippur break fast, but I think its also a great dish for a meal train, brunch or even Passover, as there are several brands that sell kosher-for-Passover frozen blintzes. Ingredients 6 eggs 2 tsp vanilla...
What did you say? Oops, speak louder! ... Deaf since she was 18 months old, MARLEE MATLIN made her acting debut in the romantic drama, “Children of a Lesser God.” She won an Academy Award for best actress for her performance. She is the first deaf performer to win an Oscar! She also had many successful television roles and she also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for her outstanding work. Marlee was born in Illinois. She and her siblings were brought up in a reform Jewish household. Her family roots are the same as mine … Russia and Polan...
(New York Jewish Week) - After she finished her compulsory military service as a singer in an IDF performing arts troupe, Israeli folk singer Bat Ella wasn't sure how she would incorporate music into the rest of her life. That is, until she met Debbie Friedman, the American singer-songwriter who revolutionized Jewish prayer services by translating popular prayers and setting them to unforgettable melodies. "She wrote melodies that are simple, catchy and touch your heart right away," Bat Ella,...
(JTA) — The way author Michael Benson tells it, one day in 1938, New York judge and Jewish communal leader Nathan Perlman sat at a bar and thought, “How come these Nazis get to march down 86th Street, goose-stepping and ‘sieg heiling’ like it’s the Macy’s Parade? Why are they so brazen?” It was because they were not worried about the consequences. Too few people in then-isolationist America really cared about what was being said about the Jews or what was happening to them in Europe, Benso...
For many Jews today, pets are beloved household members who are often considered part of the family. That is despite the commonly held perception that Jewish observance and pet ownership are incompatible. There is no Jewish prohibition against owning pets. And while we know of no studies on Jewish pet ownership, anecdotal evidence suggests that pet ownership is not uncommon among Jews, even in the Orthodox community. Today, some Jews have even created Jewish life cycle rituals and mourning...
They escaped destruction by the Nazis, survived communism, and found their ways to new homes. This is a story of three Torahs that all have their roots in long-gone Czechoslovakian synagogues. Up until World War II, Czechoslovakia had a thriving Jewish population rooted in hundreds of years of interaction with its Christian neighbors. With the rise of Hitler, however, came the rise of antisemitism and The Final Solution. Throughout Europe, synagogues were burned and Jews were deported to...
Feeling burned out at work and need to take a day off for your mental health? Well, that break will deliver few benefits if you spend it in bed binge-watching your favorite shows or "doom-scrolling" online. Such activities are like "eating junk food" - it tastes good in the moment, but it's not good for you long-term. Instead, pepper your day with activities that are restorative but not stressful, such as taking a long walk outdoors or calling a friend or family member if you feel you've been...
Seniors living at home may forgo exercise. They may have limited access to the proper equipment and fitness programs and lack motivation. Senor communities offer a full range of gym equipment. They also offer a wide variety of classes such as chair exercise, yoga, weight lifting, dance etc. Daily on-site opportunities to improve mobility, strength and overall wellness make a world of difference. In a senior community, the support of friends may be a motivator as well. We all know that regular exercise is good for your heart and for weight...
Season four of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" was just as Jewy as the ones that came before it - with bar mitzvah scenes, lots of Yiddishisms, Jewish foods and contemplations about the existence of God. The Amazon Prime show about a Jewish standup comedian played by Rachel Brosnahan has consistently been one of the most Jewish shows on TV, despite the controversy about the fact that its star isn't a Jew. In almost every season, protagonist Midge Maisel visits a very Jewish location. In season two,...
American Jewish food is most typically defined as pastrami sandwiches, chocolate babka, or bagels and lox. But I am here to argue that the greatest American Jewish food may actually be the humble hot dog. No dish better embodies the totality of the American Jewish experience. What’s that you say? You didn’t know that hot dogs were a Jewish food? Well, that’s part of the story, too. Sausages of many varieties have existed since antiquity. The closest relatives of the hot dog are the frank...
From the editor: Last week’s Heritage ran a Scene Around column from May 27, 2016. We do not understand how this happened, and we sincerely apologize to Gloria Yousha and our readers for any confusion about events that were posted in the column. The following is the column that should have appeared. What a surprise!... I’m referring to Frances Rose Shore … okay, you guessed it. “Dinah, is there anyone finer, in the state of Carolina” Dinah Shore, the fabulous singer! I never would have believed that Dinah Shore was Jewish, not in a million year...
MONTREAL (JTA) - In her 96 years on earth, Lilly Toth didn't get much of a formal education. Born in Budapest in 1925, the self-proclaimed spoiled brat often misbehaved and was frequently suspended from school. But instead of attending university in her late teens, the Holocaust survivor was literally running for her life - hiding with neighbors, surviving an attempted execution on the shores of the Danube, then working for the very fascist organization that attempted to take her life. Despite...
JERUSALEM (JTA) — I was on a short visit to Israel last week, and spent time with a friend with whom I have been engaged in a 30-year argument. Elli Wohlgelernter and I met when he was the managing editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and I was a staff reporter. We would argue about the future of Jewish life in the Diaspora, which even then he considered in unstoppable decline. We continued the argument after he moved to Israel not soon after. Over the years we’ve both dug in our heels: I am convinced, even after living for a time in Isr...
