Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA)-Theater folk in England are debating a recent revival of the musical "Falsettos," asking whether non-Jews should be playing its Jewish characters. In an open letter, critics of the religion-blind casting complain that non-Jewish actors can at best portray only a "secondary understanding" of Jewish mannerisms but have no awareness of the "psychology, geography, culture and history that have framed these outward signifiers of Judaism." To the perennial debate over whether non-Jewish actors...
(JTA)-Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky have careers that many people in Hollywood dream of. Not long after graduating from college and moving to Los Angeles, the duo joined the writing staff of "The Office" on the strength of a TV script they wrote together. After contributing to the show for several seasons, they co-created the HBO comedy series "Hello Ladies" with Stephen Merchant (the co-creator of the original British "The Office"). The pair also worked with Harold Ramis on the prehistoric...
Don't you dare!... Change Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty? NO WAY! That poem (as it is) is part of our beloved country's history. Please let your feelings be known about this. Write to your congressman or congress woman or senator! Israel is in the news a lot these days... (And not all positive.) I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you: "As Israel attempted to become the fourth country in the world to land a spacecraft on the moon, WJC President...
Israeli couscous, known in Israel as ptitim, which means "flakes" in Hebrew, is a pearl-shaped, pasta-like product with a delicious toasted wheat flavor. It was invented in Israel's early years as an inexpensive starch that was more affordable than pricey rice. Nowadays it's a nostalgic comfort food in the Israeli kitchen, but has also grown in popularity abroad and among chefs in the past 30 years. It's easily found in the U.S., where it's marketed as Israeli or pearl couscous. In this recipe,...
This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher. Pita bread is often stuffed with spiced, shaved shwarma meat or crunchy, deep-fried falafel. But my version of a pita sandwich is a hearty vegetarian alternative to a meat-stuffed pita, inspired by the anything-but-ordinary stuffed pita sandwiches of Miznon from iconic Israeli chef Eyal Shani. Eggplant is a common ingredient in Israeli and Middle Eastern cooking. After all, it is meaty, delicious, versatile and can cook up quickly-ideal for...
Dedicated to those whose loved ones perished in El Paso and Dayton... Ever so close in mind and heart No further away than a picture, a smile of remembered phrase, Our loved ones live in memory so close in many ways. For how often does a sunset bring nostalgic thought to mind, Of moments that loved ones shared in days now left behind. How often has a flower or a crystal autumn sky Brought golden recollections of happy days gone by. Yes, memory has a magic way of keeping loved ones near, Ever so...
Many people in the Jewish community know Bethanne Weiss as an accomplished physical fitness guru and author of the book "Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank," which garnered her the nickname the Asset Queen. Now she is moving her assets from the bank to take on the role of executive producer of the short film "Resemblance," which is in production in Oviedo and directed by writer, producer Kevin O'Neill. Last March, Heritage wrote about the upcoming movie, which is about Dachua...
(JTA)-Out of all of the unrealistic scenes in "The Red Sea Diving Resort," the most absurd one might be when Ben Kingsley, playing a supposedly gritty Mossad agent, shows up in the desert wearing a suit and a jaunty ascot around his neck. "The Red Sea Diving Resort"-about how a crew of Israeli spies smuggled thousands of Ethiopian Jewish refugees out of Sudan while running a beachfront hotel-could have been a good movie. But at a time when Israeli commando thrillers are the new fad ("7 Days in E...
(JNS)-A new memoir written by Bob Dylan's best friend gives readers a glimpse into parts of the music icon's Jewish side that have previously fallen under the radar. In "Dylan & Me: 50 Years of Adventures" (written with musician Kinky Friedman), Louie Kemp, who met Dylan at summer camp in 1953 and also produced his "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour, details his friendship with the singer from the time that they grew up in middle-class Jewish families in northern Minnesota, the Jewish Journal...
BUDAPEST (JTA)-When journalists ask Agnes Keleti about her health, she gently smiles and slowly extends her right hand in apparent gratitude for the question. Keleti yanks anyone who is foolish enough to grasp her hand with enough force to throw them off their balance. Then she replies: "I'm fine, thanks. Yourself?" Such agility, defiance and humor are traits that helped Keleti, 98, survive the Holocaust in hiding and become Hungary's most successful living athlete. She has no fewer than 10...
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,...
Back in 1959, Stephen Tyng Mather High School was built in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Ill. The student population, at that time, was 95 percent Jewish. Some of the Mather alumni women would get together for a luncheon reunion three or four times a year. This year, they had a surprise guest—Risa Posner Dombrosky, wife of Gil Dombrosky, a Heritage employee. Risa was amazed to see friends and classmates she hasn’t seen since graduation. The three-hour lunch was filled with so...
Isabelle (Buddye) Laub does volunteer work at Cascade Heights running their little store. She is always busy crocheting gifts for family and friends. Often people forget that the senior residents at assisted-living facilities had exciting lives in their earlier years. They each have a story to tell. Here is Buddye’s story. Buddye was born in Newark, New Jersey, but spent most of her life in Baltimore and Orlando. Her father was an engineer. Her mother passed when Buddye was only seven years old, and she “raised herself.” Her mother called her B...
"Getting old is not for Sissies"... (Betty Davis quote) Despite what you may have seen on the streets, the following combinations DO NOT go together: A nose ring and bifocals. Spiked hair and bald spots. A pierced tongue and dentures. Miniskirts and support hose. Ankle bracelets and corn pads. Speedos and cellulite. A belly button ring and a gail bladder surgery scar. Unbuttoned disco shirt and a heart monitor. Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge. Bikinis and liver spots. Short shorts and...
By Edwin Black Jerusalem Post editor Yaakov Katz probably had no way of knowing that this would be a perfect time to release his briskly-selling “Shadow Strike—Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power” (St. Martin’s Press). Or did he? The world’s attention is once again and inevitably riveted to the nuclear threat from Iran, generating kaleidoscopic theories about a potential military strike to disable Tehran’s program. So, Katz’s case study of the run-up and run-down to the Jewish state’s clandestine destruction of Sy...
This article originally appeared on Kveller. Rain Pryor Vane may be the daughter of the controversial late comedian Richard Pryor, but she has never lived in her father's shadow. A singer, actress, author and comedian, Rain carved a space of her own in the entertainment industry. But last week, the Jewish mom announced that she was dipping her toes into another pool: politics. On July 16-her 50th birthday-Rain shared with her Facebook followers that she officially registered to run for the...
Do you remember the “most interesting man in the world” beer commercials? The creators of that ad got it all wrong because the most interesting man, at least in Central Florida, is Dick Weiner, the recipient of this year’s Heritage Human Service Award. A stately man, Weiner is unhurried, with a dignified appearance. In his humble opinion, he doesn’t think he deserves this award. “I’ve done so little over the last few years,” he told Heritage, then he rattled off names of others he thought were...
A True American Hero... A wonderful talented man who served his country honorably, has passed away. Elliott Golub served as concertmaster of Chicago's Music of the Baroque since its inception in 1972 through 2006. He was formerly concertmaster of the Robert Shaw Chorale and Seventh Army Orchestra and with the Contemporary Chamber Players at the University of Chicago, with whom he participated in many premieres and recordings. He has performed in the nation's capital at the National Gallery,...
On Friday, July 19, the residents of Cascade Heights participated in a wonderful tradition that has been ongoing for several years now, baking with the Jewish Pavilion. This year Ben Breslauer, a local pastry chef who used to own Ben’s Bakery in Seminole County, was kind enough to help out and show us how to make his famous Almond Horns. A couple residents of Cascade Heights along with several local volunteers and some members of the Jewish Pavilion came together to create Breslauer’s special treat. Breslauer brought along most of the ing...
Cheese lovers who haven't tried halloumi, meet your new obsession. Halloumi is a semi-hard cheese originating in Cyprus. Made from sheep's milk, the briny yet mild cheese is popular in Greece and the Middle East, and increasingly in America, too. In Israel, you can find halloumi on practically every cafe menu. Its real magic lies in its high melting point: Halloumi can be grilled or fried without falling apart or melting into a pile of hot (delicious) cheese. Instead, it takes on beautiful grill...
As a former theater kid, "Glee" was my favorite show in my adolescent years and-admittedly-I still listen to its covers of classics and newer pop songs to this day. So as someone who now binge-watches Netflix to my heart's content, I was very happy to see that "Glee" is now available on that platform about a decade after its very first episode aired. I loved watching the characters in New Directions, McKinley High School's show choir, develop because I could see so many similarities between...
(JNS)—JWed will celebrate its 3,300th marriage by offering one Jewish couple two free tickets to Israel. The online dating website will host a contest from July 23 to Aug. 16, asking engaged or married couples who met through the online dating site (or when the site was formerly called Frumster) to submit their stories and pictures for a chance to win two free tickets to Israel. “We are excited to bring the JWed family together to celebrate this milestone,” said CEO Ben Rabizadeh. “At a time of exciting growth for our company, we think it is a...
When my 7-year-old son and I traveled to Budapest in 2002, we arrived at my friend Katalin's flat at 11 a.m. It was already over 90 degrees F. and there was no air conditioning. We could barely make it up the five flights after some 30 hours of travel, but of course we were hungry. Katalin, the daughter of Holocaust survivors who returned to Budapest after World War II, had anticipated what our condition would be and prepared something I had never had before-a refreshing cold cherry soup,...
MONTREAL (JTA)-As long as there have been Jews, there have been two unwavering constants: anti-Semitism and Jewish jokes about anti-Semitism. Like the one told about the assassination of Czar Alexander of Russia in 1881, when a government official approaches a rabbi and growls, "I assume you know who was behind it." The rabbi replies, "I have no idea, but I'm sure the government will blame the Jews and the chimney sweeps." Confused, the official asks, "Why the chimney sweeps?" "Why the Jews?"...
In the middle of June, Heritage received an email from a French man named Jean-Frederic Voltz. The email stated that the writer had found a helmet that belonged to Private First Class George Braunstein. He explained that the soldier had been wounded on Nov. 26, 1944, in "Lalaye 15 Km near St Die in France." He even knew Braunstein's laundry number, which was in the helmet, and said Braunstein was a member of the 103rd US-409 Regiment-Compagnie [sic]. "Have you more information of this soldat...
