Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Images of flight pervade much of the painter Marc Chagall's work. Some of Chagall's works depict people and objects defying the earth's gravity, hovering over a scene below. These images reflect the earthly and heavenly figures of Chagall's real and idealized life and world, and they offer a window of understanding into the artist's mind and work. Chagall's Humble Beginnings Chagall, born in 1887, found inspiration for much of his work in his upbringing in Vitebsk, Belorussia. There, a folktale...
Les Kramer, Ph.D., designed and developed a prosthetic foot that is more flexible than any other prosthetic on the market. Because of this unique prosthetic, Kramer recently was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. The actual ceremony to induct Kramer, along with seven others, was originally set for Sept. 11, 2020, at the Tampa Hilton, but it has been delayed until next year because of the uncertainty with COVID-19. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame honors and celebrates those...
Many in the community remember Beth Schafer as the former cantor at Congregation of Reform Judaism and Temple Shir Shalom. She now resides in Atlanta and is the Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair at Temple Sinai in Atlanta. However, Schafer is also an inspired Jewish composer, arranger and producer with hundreds of original songs, compositions and arrangements. Recently she took to the streets in Atlanta alongside her black brothers and sisters to protest the multitude of crimes against black people....
(JTA) - With the passing of Carl Reiner, who passed away of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills on June 29, 2020, at the age of 98, we lost one of the comedy greats, Jewish or otherwise. His obituary recalled a show business career that dated to the infancy of television in the 1950s. Reiner gained success starting in his late 20s as a writer and performer on "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour," sketch comedies that one might broadly consider precursors to "Saturday Night Live," san...
(JTA) — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins scored a touchdown with his congratulatory message to the graduates of a Jewish student program. Cousins wished the graduates of the Jewish Student Union, a program of the Orthodox Union’s youth group NCSY, a “mazel tov” on Monday in a video address and mentioned the Torah several times. “Many of you might not know that I am a huge fan of all things Jewish,” he said. “I have a mezuzah in my office. I take very seriously the Torah, the word of God. I believe it’s an inherent word of God tha...
This is the fourth article in a four-part series about the Puerto Rican Jews living in Central Florida and their history. In an attempt to atone for the Inquisition, Spain has been offering citizenship to the ancestors of the Jews whose families were expelled in the 15th century. In 2015 and by unanimous vote, the Spanish Parliament sought to make amends. The law invited Sephardim Jews who trace their roots to Spain the ability to return. The law stated that after "centuries of estrangement,"...
My first story is about Italy. I went to Italy a few years back. It was one of my favorite places. I visited Pisa, Venice, Florence, Rome, etc. I loved the scenery, the people, the culture... and especially, the FOOD! More about Italy... I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you: "The WJC and its affiliate, the Union of the Italian Jewish Community, welcome the Italian government's adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition...
Few things are more reminiscent of classic Jewish deli fare than whitefish salad. And while buying it by the pint is a weekend morning luxury, making your own whitefish salad might be even better because you can tailor it to your exact flavor preferences. Not a dill fan? Skip it! Like things uber-tart? Add more lemon juice. The only thing that's non-negotiable: smoked fish. Still, there's room for creativity - this salad is just as tasty when made with whitefish as it is with hot-smoked salmon o...
By Ben Sales (JTA) — This was going to be Jake Offenheim’s 14th straight summer at Camp Ramah in Canada. Then camp was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Offenheim, who was set to be a counselor for the fifth year, couldn’t bear a summer without Ramah — so he re-created it on Minecraft. In the popular “sandbox” video game, users not only can play as characters but can construct entire worlds to their fancy, with no spatial limits. Offenheim, 22, loved the game as a middle schooler and has jumped back in during this era of social d...
(ISRAEL21c) - Sitting at the crossroads of the ancient world, Israel is an archeologist's dream. Peeling back the layers of history here is a never-ending pursuit. Excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority with local and international experts are constantly turning up new clues to ancient civilizations. And it's quite common for casual hikers to contact the IAA about valuable antiquities they've stumbled across. Israel has invested heavily in enabling safe access to dozens of archeology...
This is the third article in a four-part series about the Puerto Rican Jews living in Central Florida and their history. "Grito de Lares," a revolt protesting Spanish rule over Puerto Rico began on Sept. 23, 1868. The revolutionaries also sought religious freedom and the abolition of slavery. The revolt failed, but as a result and with the intent to tamp down trouble, the Spanish government granted more political autonomy to the island two years later in 1870. Today, Puerto Rico has the largest...
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 frankfurter...
When will it end?... I read this in "Facts and Logic About the Middle East" written by President JAMES SINKINSON, and pass it on to you: "The coronavirus has unleashed a torrent of hate directed at Israel... creating just one more excuse for the anti-Semites to pile on. If it's not the Palestinians and Iran trying to convince the world that Israel invented Covid-19 to murder its enemies... it's misguided politicians telling Israelis they must make peace with terrorists. While we pro-Israel...
(JTA) - Last week, thousands of Jews in Israel and beyond responded to a plea for help in identifying a couple pictured in a yellowing photograph from 1955. "Everyone, I need help. I found this picture on a Tel Aviv street," Ariel Plavnik, a 43-year-old tourism salesperson from Kfar Saba, Israel, wrote in Hebrew and Spanish in a Facebook post with the photograph. "I want to return this old, beautiful photograph. If you share it, maybe we can find the owners! Thanks to all." More than 7,000...
(JNS) - For the last several weeks, habitual critics of Israeli policies, dubious self-described Israel supporters and even some longtime friends have come out against Israeli plans to "annex" parts of the West Bank. Here are their arguments: The Palestinian Authority will collapse; Israel will effectively kill the two-state solution and eventually become a minority within its own bi-national state; the peace treaty with Jordan will be rescinded; normalization with Arab Gulf states will halt;...
BOSTON (JTA) - In early April, just a few weeks after non-essential businesses in Massachusetts were shut down due to COVID-19, the staff at the Brattle Book Shop noticed that some prominent personalities conducting video interviews from home were seated in front of fairly lackluster bookshelves. So staffers at the legendary 185-year-old antiquarian bookseller in the heart of downtown Boston offered to help them out. In an April 7 Twitter post, they offered their expertise to prospective custome...
(JTA) - This week, as he prepares to open Camp Modin and administer coronavirus tests to its hundreds of campers and staff, Howard Salzberg is still fielding 50 calls a day from parents who want to send their kids. That's because Modin, a small, unaffiliated Jewish camp in Maine, is one of the only Jewish overnight camps to open in the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. So Salzberg and his wife, Lisa, who co-own and run the camp, must deal with a continuing deluge of interest from...
By Stephen Silver (JTA) — The mid-to-late aughts saw a run of films that featured Jewish characters, for lack of a better description, kicking ass. In 2005, there was Steven Spielberg’s “Munich,” about the Israeli government’s plot to get vengeance for the 1972 Olympics terrorist killings. It was famously the subject of a monologue by Seth Rogen in “Knocked Up,” about how “every movie with Jews, we’re the ones getting killed — Munich flips it on its ear.” There was also “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” in 2008, Adam Sandler’s cheeky Mossad age...
(JNS) - Atop a nearly barren mountain ridge at the tip of southeastern Gush Etzion, with breathtaking views overlooking the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea, two American immigrants are building an oasis - a working organic farm and spiritual retreat center - with the hope of turning the site into a global tourist destination. Meet Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel. Both are rabbis, former Israeli Defense Forces' soldiers, best friends and business partners, who combined their life savings and move...
This is the second article in a four-part series about the Puerto Rican Jews living in Central Florida and their history. Following the Spanish-American War, in 1898, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States, after which Jews were allowed to live openly. However, there were practically no Jews on the island. After the war, a small number of Jewish American soldiers remained on the island many of whom worked in Puerto Rico's government bureaucracy. They helped create the legal and court...
What makes one person tick is totally subjective, but science confirms that people are hard-wired to respond to music. It lifts moods, eases pain and triggers powerful emotions. Some songs become so popular that they transcend their original meaning. Take "I've Been Working on the Railroad" - today it's known as a popular children's folk song, but the origins of its lyrics lie in caricaturing Black dialect, and it makes light of the abusive and exploitive conditions endured by Black laborers....
(JUF News via JTA) - When Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jason B. Rosenthal first got married, they brainstormed long-term marriage goals. Some that made the list: "Get dressed up and go on dates," "Record our kids' voices every year" and "Whenever we sign something 'Amy & Jason,' we both sign our name." The Chicago Jewish couple lived by their rules in an almost fairy tale-like marriage for more than two decades. But in 2015, their marriage took a devastating turn when Amy was diagnosed with ovarian...
About the "new" normal... In a very short time, COVID-19 has changed almost everything in life, the way we interact with one another, the way we work (or don't work), the way we play and shop, and even the way we think about the future. But in the midst of the crisis, certain things have remained the same: our concern for each other, our gratitude to our supporters, and our commitment to the animals we care for. I love you, Chloe. Happening around the world... I read this in the World Jewish Con...
NEW YORK (JTA) - Social distancing and staying inside is hard. Thankfully, accessing good things to watch during this time is not. This is the 11th installation of a weekly column on Jewish movies and TV shows that you should stream in quarantine. There are no specific spoilers here, though there are broad thematic ones. Ramy Streams on: Hulu Family friendly? No The ink had not yet dried on my color-coded, scheduled-by-the-hour Shabbat plan when my phone chimed. "I think we'll be returning from...
BERLIN (JTA) - Nearly 80 years after the last train sent Jews to almost certain death from the main railway station in Wurzburg, a memorial to those who perished was dedicated in the German city. The memorial, designed by artist Matthias Braun, features a collection of suitcases, backpacks and assorted travel gear made of stone, ceramic and other materials. The luggage, its owners unseen, stands in front of the main station. Nearby are information steles with historical photos. In a modern...
