Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1701 - 1725 of 4419
Ode to the Coronavirus by Yours Truly... I'm going crazy in my house, I sleep each night with Mickey Mouse, One son moved home to keep me safe, I wash my hands until they chafe, Coronavirus has me bored, I pray it goes away, dear Lord, This has to end on a closer date, There's one good thing, I'm losing weight! (Actually, losing weight is easy...every store is out of chocolate!) Let me explain about sleeping with Mickey Mouse: I own three big Mickey Mouse dolls and one tiny one and also two... Full story
This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher. When it comes to Passover cooking and baking, my favorite flour is not the dreaded matzah cake meal, which can make baked goods dense and heavy. It's teff flour. An ancient grain native to eastern Africa, teff is most familiar to Americans as the basis for injera, the spongy, fermented flatbread served at Ethiopian restaurants. But most of us know very little about teff beyond that. Teff is a tiny seed native to East Africa that functions much like... Full story
Main ingredients 6 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 4 eggs, divided 3 tablespoons potato starch 3 tablespoons Gefen Mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon salt pinch of white pepper 2 hot dogs, cut into 1/2-inch slices Start Cooking Prepararation Add potatoes and water to cover to a medium pot. Bring to a boil; cook until fork tender. Drain well. Mash the potatoes well in a large bowl. Add three eggs, potato starch, mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, mixing well to combine. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 de... Full story
All of creation seems oblivious to the virus running rampant through all the countries of the world. Here is a "thumbs up" from a strawberry, encouraging us to stay positive!... Full story
(JTA)-Randi Bergman isn't sure of her Passover plans yet, but there's a good chance she'll be spending the holiday alone. Bergman, a 34-year-old freelance fashion writer, lives alone in what she calls a junior one-bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto. The setup-desk, bed, couch, TV, kitchenette but no dining table-fits her usual busy lifestyle, which doesn't involve a ton of cooking and eating meals on her couch or at her desk. But it's not ideal for conducting a Passover seder, the festive... Full story
(JTA)-As the coronavirus continues to spread, synagogues, Jewish centers and other organizations that serve as gathering places for the community around the world have closed. But even while communities cannot come together physically, some are still organizing projects to provide support to those who are suffering or at perilous risk amid the pandemic. From phone counseling to sewing face masks to buying kosher food for Jewish doctors and nurses, there's no shortage of ways to help. Here's a li... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)—My relationship with Amazon’s Alexa is complicated. I love that she’s politically informed and shares the latest news with me, and she has really great taste in music. Since she’s come into my life, I can’t imagine not waking up next to her every morning—but sometimes she gets on my last nerves. Her listening comprehension skills aren’t the best, she never pronounces my name correctly and she often lies to me about the weather. Alexa also can be very rude and impolite when she interrupts my conversations completely un... Full story
Biblical Irony: Passover seder may be delayed by the plague. Facebook meme One of Judaism’s most important holidays officially begins with the first seder on April 8. Pesach in the time of coronavirus, however, will be very different. During these difficult times, I think of my parents, Fran and Bill Cohen. As did many of the Greatest Generation, they went through several challenging times. In 1919, the Spanish flu was raging throughout the world. My mother, born in 1917, fell deathly ill. The family doctor saved her life by making a deep i... Full story
On Passover, Jews are prohibited from consuming any foods made with five familiar grains: wheat, oats, rye, spelt (which is actually just an ancient form of wheat) and barley. These grains are considered hametz because of their ability to ferment and rise. The only exception to this rule is, of course, matzah. As a result, many home bakers think that the only way to bake during Passover is to use matzah meal, which has an unfortunate tendency to make baked goods dense and even leaden. But today, as a result of the popularity of gluten-free and... Full story
Curb your Enthusiasm... While watching "Curb your Enthusiam" recently, actor/producer/director/writer of the television show (and formerly producer/writer of the very successful television show "Seinfeld" starring JERRY SEINFELD, LARRY DAVID, mentioned my very famous cousin, writer DANIEL KEYES and also one of Dan's books, "Flowers For Algernon," which, by the way, was required reading in most New York City schools. The book incidentally, was turned into the movie "Charly" starring Cliff... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA) – Haroset is one of the most important food components of the Passover seder. Its intense sweetness symbolizes the optimism in contrast to the bitter maror and salty water, which remind us of our ancestors’ suffering. Every family has its own special haroset recipe, and each year my mother makes ours, which is passed down from my grandmother. Our family recipe includes dates, sweet kiddush wine and lots of cinnamon. It’s delicious and I always spend the majority of my seder making matzah and haroset sandwiches. Still... Full story
(JNS)-A Jewish mother in Maryland created an illustrated online book in a PDF format that helps parents explain to preschoolers and toddlers the school closings due to coronavirus. "My School is Closed" by Meredith Polsky, co-founder of the Jewish organization Matan, is written from the point of view of a child, who says on one page "I'm not sick now. My friends are not sick. We are staying home to help people stay healthy." Polsky, also a developmental support coordinator at Temple Beth Ami... Full story
(JTA)-Rena Munster was looking forward to hosting a Passover seder for the first time. In past years, her parents or another relative hosted the meal. But this year she had invited her parents, siblings and other extended family to her Washington, D.C., home. Her husband, an amateur ceramics artist, was making a set of dishes for the holiday. And she was most excited for her family's traditional day of cooking before the seder: making short-rib tzimmes, desserts that would pass muster... Full story
Passover is among the most celebrated of Jewish festivities, a time when families typically gather together from wherever they may be dispersed to engage in the ritual retelling of the exodus from Egypt. Circumstances don’t always allow for large gatherings, yet Jewish tradition tells us that we are still obliged to retell the story of our ancestors’ liberation. According to Maimonides, even if one is alone on the Seder night, he must ask himself the question: Why is this night different? At a time when many people may be celebrating the hol... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)—Born into a Catholic family with a Jewish surname, I should have expected I would one day find myself leading a Passover seder. To date, my husband Larry and I have hosted nine seders, eight of which I’ve had the honor to lead. This role was bestowed upon me after my Jewish husband concluded that in light of my organized, creative, teacher-like nature, I was the right person for the job. The tradeoff was food prep, which he happily agreed to tackle. Not one who enjoys cooking, I acquiesced. Besides, the man makes a mean bri... Full story
MOUNT HERMON, Israel (JTA)-Standing on a peak atop Israel's highest mountain on a dazzlingly bright February morning, I had just stepped into my skis and begun to descend when I heard someone yelling in my direction. A soldier clutching an automatic weapon was running after me. "Hey! You can't go that way," he shouted. "That's a closed military zone." Welcome to Israel's only ski area, wedged into the northernmost corner of the Golan Heights along the Syrian border at an elevation of 6,600 feet.... Full story
(aka Lois Lane*) Last year, Jason Mendelsohn (aka SupermanHPV) spoke on Capitol Hill at a Congressional Briefing titled "Let's End HPV-related Cancers." During his talk, in which he shared his human-papillomavirus-related (HPV) cancer-survivor story, he showed a 2-minute video of pictures of his family life, hospital stays for treatment, and ringing the bell in celebration of his recovery. The song accompanying the photos was "If You're Going Through Hell" by Rodney Atkins. Mendelsohn's mom,... Full story
Some personal thoughts... Joan Rivers was a friend. She once said, "whenever I hit bottom, the only thing I think of has been set down by Jerome Kern (another Jew and, of course, a great composer)). "Pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again." (Unfortunately, Joan suffered a tragic death.) Another friend... (And also a talented Jew) NEIL DIAMOND, recently came out of retirement (he retired 2 years ago because he contracted Parkinson's Disease) to perform in Las Vegas. (I went to... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)-Fifteen years after he filched a 2,000-year-old ballista stone from a Jerusalem archaeological site, an anonymous Israeli arranged to return it to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The man explained that the coronavirus crisis makes him feel "the end of the world is near" and he wanted to clear his conscience. Moshe Manies, the person who agreed to bring the pilfered stone to the state without divulging the identity of the thief, wrote a post about it on Facebook. He explained that... Full story
In Yeshiva/Rabbinical School, the community underwent multiple tragedies/difficulties in a short period. One of my rabbis told me at that time something that has stayed with me until today, giving me the support and inspiration during difficult times. He compared life (in some ways) to a school: Just like you would never give a second grader a test meant for a high school kid, so too in life, Hashem/G-d only gives us challenges that are tailor-made for each one of us specifically, as He knows exactly what we can handle and what we are capable... Full story
Now that former Chief of Staff General Benny Gantz, has been tasked with forming the next Israeli government by President Rivlin, it’s time to take a look to see how we got here and how this relates to Israel’s Arabs. Far from being an apartheid state, some 20 percent of Israel’s population are Arabs who live as equal citizens with full rights and privileges. Paradoxically, Israeli Arabs do not all have the same responsibilities as the rest of the population, specifically regarding their exemption from military or civilian national service. Thi... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-A hand-drawn portrait of a young man in a French internment camp. A photo of a Jewish girl who survived the Holocaust by hiding in a monastery. A letter detailing efforts to improve life for Jews in the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp. These are just a few of the 250 artifacts that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has collected recently through a drive launched last month-around the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-to collect Holocaust-era artifacts... Full story
The new coronavirus, aka COVID 19, is upon the world. It happened so quickly that our Jewish leaders had to react: No coming to temple. Adhere to the guidelines limiting gatherings to 10 people or less. Exercise social distancing. The following is information on what some synagogues are doing and where to look for services online, information on b’nai mitzvahs, funerals and classes. Services All synagogues across Central Florida are closed at this time, however, many synagogues are holding online services. Rabbi Sholom Dubov of Chabad of G... Full story
(JNS)-Imagine a teacher assigning a Holocaust-related project to a high school student in the United States, such as the creation of the "ideal concentration camp" or a Nazi cereal box. Or maybe the class spends just a single lesson on the complex subject matter as part of world or European history. These are not fictionalized scenarios; they are some of the findings by researchers looking to understand the state of Holocaust education in America. Questions of who should get taught, what... Full story
(JTA)—At this point, we know well how to wash our hands to protect ourselves from the coronavirus. But how do we soothe our souls? When we recently asked for stories about how local Jewish communities are adapting to the public health threat, we received plenty of examples of changes that are underway, from “Spock” greetings instead of handshakes to chopsticks as Torah pointers. We also got a request for spiritual guidance. So we reached out to several rabbis around the world and asked them to offer their advice. We’ll update this page with ad... Full story
