Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1201 - 1225 of 4386
(JTA) — Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. Jewish tradition teaches us that our fate for the year ahead is sealed on Yom Kippur — and our Book of Life was a raging epic this year. The book was on fire as our lives and our cities and our lungs were plagued by an invisible silent killer. On Yom Kippur, I am used to praying all morning, chanting haftarah as I have done for 20 years, crying through yizkor — my father z”l in heaven listens as we weep and shuckle. And then my ex-husband takes our boys and my mom home, and I stay behind to daven m...
Too many to list at one time ... I'm talking about famous Jewish entertainers like Billy Crystal and Zac Efron. Also, Natalie Portman (oh wait! You knew she was born in Israel.) How about "Saturday Night Live's" MAYA RUDOLPH. (I never even suspected.) Also Sarah Jessica Parker. (I sort of suspected.) What about Paula Abdul (NO WAY!) Yes, way! Wow! If you are shocked about these artists being Jewish, just wait until next week! The future of the Jewish people ... I read this in a World Jewish...
(JTA) - I know the holidays will look, and taste, different than most years. I also know many families cherish the big brisket, standing rib roast or pot roast that graces their table each year. Traditions are important, and food imparts its own sanctity as part of holiday experiences; the smell, the sight and the taste all play a crucial role in what makes family gatherings during a holiday so very special. It might not even be the flavor of the dish itself, but rather the knowledge and...
(JTA) — For many Jews, predominantly Sephardim, Rosh Hashanah foods extend way beyond apples and honey. Among the numerous simanim (foods that have symbolic or linguistic significance for the upcoming year) are squashes and gourds. The Aramaic word for gourds and squashes is kara, which sounds similar to the Hebrew word kra, which means “to tear up.” Therefore, eating them at Rosh Hashanah conveys the hope that any harsh decrees should be torn up, and that any merits over the past year should be judged favorably by God. But this tradi...
The year 2020 was filled with a lot of heartbreak in the film community and it ended delivering one final blow. On Dec. 31, one of the most important independent filmmakers of the last 50 years lost her battle with dementia. Joan Micklin Silver passed away at the age of 85, leaving behind quite the legacy. With 18 films under her belt, her most notable film, "Hester Street," released in 1975 and starring Carol Kane and Steven Keats, has stood the test of time and is still considered one of the...
With the New Year comes the opportunity to reflect on the past year and assess our impact. Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando has always stood by our community during life's most difficult moments. It has been no different this past year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although JFS closed our building to the public, we have continued to operate to make sure those who are hungry get food, clients can meet with counselors virtually, and folks who are looking for spiritual guidance can speak...
(MJL via JTA) — Here are some important Hebrew words and terms you may encounter over the High Holiday season. Akedah — Pronounced ah-keh-DAH. Literally “binding,” the Akedah refers to the biblical story of the binding of Isaac, which is traditionally read on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. Chag sameach — Pronounced KHAG sah-MAY-akh. Literally “happy holiday,” a common greeting on Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays. Elul — Pronounced el-OOL (oo as in food). The final month of the Jewish calendar, it is designated as a time of reflect...
L'Shana Tova! What a year it has been. Each year, Rosh Hashanah gives our students an opportunity to renew our commitment to our heritage. We, at Jewish Academy of Orlando, are so grateful to be back safely and in person with all of our students and our Jewish community. "We engage as a united family, providing a safe environment to celebrate our shared heritage and Jewish identity through Mitzvot (good deeds), Tzedakah (acts of righteousness), and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness), as...
One of my favorite traditions from my childhood was every Shabbat drizzling honey on my challah and then dipping it in a thimble-sized "cup" of Mogen David wine. When I was finally old enough to realize that this ritual was unique to my family, I learned that it was a delicious custom handed down by my grandparents. My mom explained that just as we dip apples in honey on Rosh Hashanah to express our hope for a sweet and fruitful year, our family welcomes each Shabbat with a similar hope for a...
One of the more wonderful parts of being Jewish is living in "Jewish time." It's having Rosh Hashanah in September, instead of waiting four months to define the end of a hard year by bringing in the sweet promise of goodness and redemption. As 5781 rolls over to 5782, we will all be looking to repeat some of the wishes that we had this time last year. • The wish for Covid-19 to stay put and not join us as a most unwelcome guest in the coming year. • The wish for loved ones, friends and col...
The Jewish month of Elul is traditionally a time for personal reflection and spiritual preparation for the New Year. It offers a structured opportunity to examine what is holding us back from being who we really want to be. If we use the period of Elul to take concrete steps toward becoming advocates for change, together we can make a difference. Relationship With God Tradition: The word Elul can be understood as an acronym for the Hebrew verse Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li — “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.” Suggestion: Think about your r...
By Shannon Sarna Hummus, a Middle Eastern chickpea and tahini dip, has been adopted and Americanized in every possible way in recent years. Americans haven’t just embraced hummus, they have found truly appalling ways to make it their own. Here are the most horrifying flavors we could find. Snickerdoodle Hummus Snickerdoodle cookies are delicious, with their chewy texture and cinnamon sugar flavor. But in hummus form like this variety from Delighted By? Hard pass. Cake Batter Hummus Birthday cake is one of the world’s most perfect foods. It does...
In 1789 Ben Franklin wrote in a letter to a friend, “… in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” He may not have been the first to make this reference but it is an expression that has stood the test of time. Even with the certainty of these two things it is often surprising how hard we try to put them off and not think about them. In this season of reflection, as we conduct an accounting of our souls (cheshbon hanefesh), it is a good time to reacquaint the community with our local Hevra Kadisha of Central Flori...
Question: Is there a reason we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and why don’t we use a trumpet or some other instrument? I know it’s traditional, but is there a reason that the shofar is so special? Answer: Well, I don’t want to toot the shofar’s horn too much, but it really is pretty special. Allow me to explain. In the Torah, we’re given a commandment that on the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) “you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts.” (Leviticus 23:24) These loud blasts, or teruah, were...
(JNS) - American Jews are often criticized these days for distancing from Israel as a result of political considerations. To counteract that trend, the "Israel trip" has become a central way to positively interact with the Jewish state and all it has to offer. But due to the coronavirus pandemic and the inability of traveling there this High Holiday season, Israel-loving foodies say it's more vital than ever to find new ways to connect. Bringing Israeli cuisine to the Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot...
(JNS) - A historian is claiming that Alexander Hamilton, the country's first treasury secretary who was instrumental in the ratification of the Constitution and whose popularity has risen in recent years due to the musical "Hamilton," had Jewish ties as a child in the Caribbean. "The balance of evidence suggests that Hamilton in all likelihood had a Jewish identity in his youth in the Caribbean," said Andrew Porwancher, a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma and author of the book...
(Israel Hayom) — A controversial Israeli documentary about an Israeli attorney who represents terrorists received a double Emmy nomination on Wednesday. “Advocate,” from directors Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche, follows Israeli self-described “human-rights lawyer” Lea Tsemel as she navigates the Israeli judicial system in defense of Palestinian security prisoners, including terrorists indicted for the murder of Jews. The film is up for Emmy awards in the Best Documentary and Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary categorie...
By (JNS) - Twenty years ago, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Sbarro restaurant at the corner of King George Street and Jaffa Road in the center of Jerusalem. Fifteen people were murdered, including seven children, and 130 people injured. Dozens of families were destroyed in the blast. The survivors have moved on, each in their own way, one day at a time. The nails and bolts packed into the bomb to increase its destructive properties have been removed with multiple surgeries over the...
(JTA) - "Jeopardy!" is getting its first-ever Jewish host as Sony Pictures Television announced that actress Mayim Bialik will host some of the game show's new prime time specials. Following longtime host Alex Trebek's death last fall, Bialik served as one of the show's celebrity guest hosts for two weeks in June. In her new role, the star of "The Big Bang Theory" will host new spin-off series, including a college tournament next year. Mike Richards, one of the show's executive producers, will...
(JTA) — Many people have curbed or curtailed their big Shabbat dinners during the COVID-19 pandemic, but not the cast of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” On the episode that aired Tuesday, the cast of the Bravo reality TV series about socialites in the city is shown attending a drama-filled event described as “Black Shabbat” by its host. Eboni Williams, the show’s first Black cast member, hosted the dinner at the home of Archie Gottesman, a founder of JewBelong, a nonprofit that set out to “rebrand Judaism” and recently took out billbo...
I'm writing this from Miami, 10 minutes from the beach. There are many reasons to be here - the beach, the sun, the culture. And there are many reasons not to be here. As my grandma keeps calling to tell me, COVID rates are skyrocketing in Florida, and maybe it's not the best place to be right now. But none of these considerations really mattered to me. I came for a reason nobody should have to come for: to be at the shiva of a former student of mine, Ilan Naibryf, who was one of the victims of...
Eretz Israel ... Oops ... How did I miss writing about May 14 1948? YEAH! Israel is officially a state! Have you ever been to Israel? I have! It is our PROMISED LAND, YES! I left my heart there ... Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Masada, the Dead Sea. the Golan Heights and on and on. A return trip to Israel is definitely on my Bucket List! More about famous Jews who have my heart ... WOLF BLITZER, for one. He is a noted American journalist, television news anchor and author who has been a CNN reporter...
If you happened to be walking down the 800 block of Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn in the 1930s, you might have caught a whiff of horseradish in the air. From their Brooklyn apartment, two Jewish immigrants - Hyman and Tillie Gold, from Ukraine and Romania, respectively - were peeling the pungent roots at their kitchen table, filling bottles of prepared horseradish by hand and labeling them with homemade labels and paste made from flour and water. The couple came into the horseradish business a...
The selection of Bruce Gould as this year's recipient of the Heritage Human Service Award was a long time coming. One might ask why he had not been selected earlier. Well, he'd never been nominated. Perhaps everyone thought someone else would nominate him because his family's generous donations and endowments surpassed many other generous givers. One of those "other generous givers," Alan Ginsburg, who has had "the pleasure of knowing Bruce for 20+ years both socially and community-wise," said...
Decades after the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 3379, which declared Zionism was a form of racism, Zionists continue to be maligned on college campuses, social media and city streets. Confronting the ongoing hostility toward Zionism in a positive, multifaceted way, Jewish National Fund-USA launched "This is What Zionism Looks Like," a campaign that features a website, social media strategy, online events, boot camps, and educational courses designed with the aim of celebrating Zionism...
