Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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“ISResilience: What Israelis can Teach The World” is a collection of riveting true stories about people who survived against all odds and the lessons they impart to us all. Written by Michael Dickson, executive director of StandWithUs Israel and Dr. Naomi L. Baum, a pioneering psychologist in the field of resilience research and treatment, the book profiles a diverse group of compelling Israeli personalities and traces the characteristic of resilience that unites them all. From well-known lea...
Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, has completed a significant philanthropic initiative to digitize and make searchable millions of Holocaust and Nazi persecution-related records. Building on its commitment to preserve at-risk history, there are now more than 19 million Holocaust records available globally, for free and in perpetuity as part of the Arolsen Archives Collection. Ancestry also announced on Aug. 26 a new partnership with USC Shoah Foundation to publish an index to nearly 50,000 Jewish Holocaust...
(My Jewish Learning via JTA) - The High Holidays prayer book, or machzor, emphasizes the themes of the Days of Awe - introspection and repentance. Rosh Hashanah as the opening day of a court trial "The great shofar is sounded. A still small voice is heard. This day, even the angels are alarmed, seized with fear and trembling as they declare: 'The day of judgment is here!'" In a loud and trumpeting voice, the cantor describes the shofar's blast, then softly and gently describes a "still, small vo...
The cover of last week’s Rosh Hashanah issue was of Rabbi Jason Weiner who planned to put a mask on his shofar during the High Holidays. Many others have followed suit to ensure that they do not spread the coronavirus when blowing the ram’s horn. The photo is in this week’s issue (on page 10A) in the article “Six months into pandemic, Jews prepare for a High Holiday season of rupture and resilience.” The photo is courtesy of Weiner....
Heritage Jewish News employee Gil Dombrosky is a devout Democrat. Central Florida Publishing employee Johnny Johnson is a devout Republican. Johnson delivers the weekly paper from the printer to the Heritage office every Thursday. Over the years, the two men have developed a good friendship as Dombrosky helps Johnson bring in the papers as well as take out the old issues for recycling. Their political persuasions don't affect their working relationship though and each one takes the other's... Full story
Iran's ban on Israel ... I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest, said to myself "oy vay," and pass it along to you: Iranian President HASSAN ROUHANI issued an implementation order of a law banning any cooperation with the State of Israel, specifically bans on technological products, including computer hardware and software. Following the order, the Iranian interior, intelligence, foreign, and defense ministries, the Supreme National Security Council, and the Judiciary are now required...
(JNS) — A year ago, Jews looked back on 5779 and wondered, after the Pittsburgh and Poway synagogue shootings and a resurgence of anti-Semitism on the right as well as the left, how things in the United States could get any worse. As I do every year, I cautioned that such a turn of events is always a possibility. But 5780 proved me more right on that score than I could have ever imagined. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t have a worldwide deadly coronavirus pandemic that would send a thriving global economy into a near-depression as one of m...
NEW YORK (JTA) - The truth is, there is no commandment in Judaism to dip an apple in honey on Rosh Hashanah. But what would the Jewish New Year be without the custom? It's a question that bedevils vegans, many of whom won't eat honey because it's an animal product. So what's a mock chopped liver/seitan brisket/vegetarian stuffed cabbage kind of Jew to do? Jeffrey Cohan, the executive director of Jewish Veg, explains all the ways that honey production is problematic. In order to produce as much h...
The effort to strike a balance between a particularistic loyalty to Jewish religion and nationhood and a more universalistic commitment to the human community played itself out in the struggle to set a date for the beginning of the Jewish calendar year. The two possibilities were Nisan, the month of Passover, and Tishrei, the month of what is now known as the festival of Rosh Hashanah . In the Torah, the beginning of the year was clearly set at the first of Nisan, in the context of a description of the first Passover. “The Lord said to Moses a...
One of the unique mitzvot of Rosh Hashanah is hearing the sound of the shofar. The tradition of sounding the shofar every morning during the month of Elul, the Hebrew month before Rosh Hashanah is really leading up to and anticipating Rosh Hashanah. If we are praying by ourselves at home we would not be hearing the shofar. Even if we are joining via Zoom or some other similar technology, hearing the shofar through speakers is not the same as hearing the actual sound. In order to address this, th...
Shana Tova! Annually, the Jewish New Year gives us the opportunity to reflect on the lives we have changed and the impact that we have in our community. Through Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, our wonderful community has reached thousands of individuals and families in need over the last year. Whether it's through volunteering in the Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry, or by donating canned goods, or funding a client to participate in the Family Stabilization Program - you are changing...
This year's High Holidays promise to be like no other in anyone's living memory. As the "People of the Book," we have celebrated the Jewish New Year under a myriad of circumstances and in nearly every country on earth. We have gathered in peace time and during war. We have gathered at sumptuous tables free from worry in the Diaspora or modern Israel and have also gathered in shivering cold and fear in concentration camps across Europe. We have celebrated with family and have celebrated away...
As Rosh Hashanah approaches campus life is in full swing. Mezuzahs are going up in the dorms, the smell of Chabad's weekly BBQ wafts through the air, and students across campus look forward to Shabbat Dinner. There is something different this year. The BBQ is now socially distanced, the Shabbos meals are "to go," and the Mezuzah delivery comes with masks and gloves. Chabad continues to be there for our students, but there's no question the year is unique. This past year has been a year of...
Like most of our peer institutions, Stetson began fall 2020 in a hybrid model. Some students were on campus, some were at home, and all of them were online in some capacity. As the person charged with building community and helping to transition my freshmen to campus, it occurred to me that engagement - meaningful engagement - was not meant to be done while being physically distant. How for instance, can the community not be together to celebrate the High Holidays (side note: my slogan for this...
Within weeks of closing the doors to the Holocaust Center because of COVID, we hosted our first virtual event - our Yom HaShoah commemoration for an audience of over 500 people. Professional development programs, including our annual Norman Wall Summer Teachers Institute followed, allowing us to virtually reach teachers, students and so many others well beyond our Central Florida community. Our world had already been turned upside down by the pandemic when the killing of George Floyd triggered...
We miss our moms and dads! This has been an especially challenging year for everyone, but even more so for our seniors in elder-care communities who have not received any physical contact in months. For staff and volunteers at the Jewish Pavilion, touch is our secret ingredient. While our seniors adore their visits from volunteers, their Shabbat services, and holiday festivities, the thing that binds us together is the warm relationships we form. Hugs deepen that bond. Our staff and volunteers...
A scary, uneasy time ... I received the following from the World Jewish Congress and I pass it along to you: "There is no doubt that we are living through a tumultuous time of profound unrest and uncertainty across the nation and around the world. We continue to struggle against the consequences of COVID-19 and the resulting fight against new forms and new waves of antisemitism and discrimination of any kind. At the same time, there are glimmers of real hope and progress on the horizon. The WJC...
As we enter the new year of 5781, The Roth Family JCC has many new programs and opportunities for people to take advantage of. As a community center in the era of Covid, things look very different however our goal of providing a community environment has not changed. A few of our highlights include: • Shayna’s Village moving virtual with Earthly Treasures, a 7-week online journey starting Oct. 6. Participants will get their creative juices flowing as they decorate and fill their child’s own uniq...
As we enter 5781, the Federation is excited about what our community has been doing and is excited to bring even more to Central Florida during the coming year. Our Jerome J Bornstein Leadership Development program is preparing to graduate an incredible class of 15 leaders. Many have already taken positions on community organization boards and others are in the process of deciding how they will best serve our Jewish community. I'm excited to see these leaders in action and how they will impact o...
(My Jewish Learning via JTA) - Invited to someone's house for a Rosh Hashanah meal and looking for an appropriate gift? In addition to the always appreciated flowers or bottle of wine, here are some other must-have (or must-give) items for the Jewish New Year. If you're drawn to the edible items on this list, we recommend you check ahead of time whether your host keeps kosher or has other dietary restrictions. Jewish calendars Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year after all, and every year needs...
By Christine DeSouza What a year of surprises 5780 was — and that is stating it in a good light. Everything was going along sort of smoothly. There was an Israeli presidential election that made half of the country very happy and half of it very upset. So, what’s new with that? The Jewish Film Festival was held in November at the Enzian to rave reviews thanks to the JCC committee that shuffled through a multitude of videos to select just seven for our entertainment. Dedications, openings and galas were held, awards were given … and then suddenl...
What a year 5780 has been. Who would have thought that a year ago, as we were gearing up for the holidays, that we would soon be faced with one of the strangest periods that any of us have ever experienced? It has been a time of triumphs and challenges, great joys and great pains. Through it all the power of community has remained. At Rollins Hillel, our student leaders have quickly shifted gears to provide meaningful Jewish experiences to their peers virtually. From Zoom trivia nights, to...
It is the last day of Moses' life. He has one final opportunity to speak to the Children of Israel. He gathers everyone and says, "You are all standing today before your G-d: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers - all people of Israel." If this sounds like a lot of detail instead of just saying "everyone," you are not alone. According to one of our most important rabbinic sages, the phraseology here is on purpose. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchai, also known as Rashi, wrote that Moses i...
The Simon Wiesenthal Center ... I received a letter recently from Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the SWC. It started off like this: In 1977, I made a sacred vow to Simon Wiesenthal that the Center that carries his name would uphold his legacy of combating anti-Semitism, defending the Jewish nation and standing up for justice and human dignity. Forty-three years later, that struggle is very urgent and very real. The last few months have been an unprecedented time in our country. Like...
Drunk History, the beloved Comedy Central show where comedians get drunk and tell a story from history, was just canceled after six seasons. In honor of the show's fantastic run, we decided to highlight 10 of our favorite Jewish histories to grace the screen. 1. Rachel Bloom on the capture of Adolf Eichmann What's so great about Rachel Bloom's re-telling in Drunk History is, honestly, everything. A Jewish comedian telling the story of the capture of Eichmann? We can't get enough. As Bloom...
