Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2301 - 2325 of 4419
(The Nosher via JTA)-I had never been much of a rugelach baker until this recipe. While I gravitated toward challah and babka, I always found store-bought rugelach to be a bit bland and disappointing. But to my great delight, rugelach is supremely easy to make. Most recipes rely on a 1-to-1 ratio of butter and cream cheese in the dough for flavor and flakiness. I stick with that classic method (don't mess with perfection!), but also add a bit of sour cream for an extra tender texture. The dough... Full story
A wonderful lady... We lost a lovely lady, a former first lady of the United States just recently. She was admired and loved by most, including me. The wife of a president and the mother of a president and governor, she was a force in her family. May she rest in peace. She will be missed. Wow! Talk about posh!... I recently visited a new facility in Winter Park, took the tour with a group of others and had a lovely lunch. The name of the place is Allegro, which refers to upbeat musical tempo.... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Kreplach seem like the kind of dish only your bubbe would make. Especially from scratch. And I always felt intimidated to even try it. You have to make the dough, make the filling and shape it just right. (Turns out, actually you don't.) But last year I was lucky enough to spend time with a real bubbe and cookbook author (and also my friend), Ronnie Fein, who shared with me her tried-and-true method and recipe. Turns out it's easier than I thought: The kreplach don't need... Full story
How do Israelis celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day? Like many Israeli holidays, there's a lot of singing, dancing, and eating. Family and friends gather to reminisce of both victory and statehood. Yet, Israel Independence Day takes place right after Yom Hazikaron-the Memorial Day for fallen Israel Defense Forces soldiers. Placing the two holidays so close together is a reminder that Israeli independence has come at the very highest cost-the lives of sacrificed soldiers. So what... Full story
WEST PALM BEACH (JTA)-Sitting on a couch near his locker at the Houston Astros' spring training facility here in mid-March, Alex Bregman is reflecting about an encounter his father had at the World Series last fall. It was in Los Angeles, between innings of the opening game. Sam Bregman was headed for a Dodger Stadium concession stand to grab a nosh wearing his Astros jersey with the No. 2 and his surname stitched on the back-a facsimile of his son's uniform. The young Bregman, a third baseman,... Full story
MONTREAL (JTA)-Just inside the gate of the Shaar Hashomayim synagogue off Boulevard du Mont Royal, a gravestone bears an unusual Star of David, the sharp angles of its two opposing triangles-one reaching heavenward, the other aimed at the earth-softened into the shape of hearts. A dozen red roses scattered on the ground are signs of recent visitors, and an overflowing mound of stones on top, in keeping with the Jewish custom, is evidence of many more. The footstone is engraved in Hebrew with... Full story
(JNS)-Members of the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli civilians are jointly commemorating the decisive battles of the 1948 War of Independence ahead of national celebrations of Israel's 70th year of Independence. "When you study the War of Independence, which is fascinating, in an in-depth manner, you see that the IDF was born in this war," Education Officer Lt.-Col. Shuli Ben Moha, who is running the commemoration tours, told JNS. "In this war, the IDF built itself up. Its values were born in... Full story
"Canada, Oh Canada"... That's how the song starts. I have a special feeling for Canada as my mom, Sally, was born in Montreal, Canada. Her parents, (my maternal grandparents) fled to Canada from the Ukraine before the turn of the last century with my Uncle Jack and my Aunt Betty. Jack and Betty made it to the States when they were grown and my mom came with her father (her mom was deceased) when she was a young girl. The rest is history! Speaking of Canada... I read this in a recent copy of the... Full story
One aspect of a Jewish home is decorating with Judaica including a mezuzah and holiday decor. Many Jewish homes may have various kiddish cups, Chanukiah and wall art tastefully displayed throughout the home. There is no difference for senior living communities welcoming families and seniors of all cultures and religious backgrounds. A warm and welcoming entrance was displayed at Serenades at Longwood for Passover. Touches like this make families and visitors feel acknowledged at holiday time.... Full story
Seeing trees blossom and grow fruit in the Land of Israel as I leave my house every late winter and early spring morning makes me realize another way in which I am grateful to be able to live and raise my family here. When we built our house, it was important not only to plant trees, which Jews have done for more than 100 years, and where Israel has become the only country in the world to enter the 21st century with more trees than it had at the beginning of the 20th century, but also to realize... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)-1993 was a dramatic year in the memorialization of the Holocaust. In April, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened its doors; 45 million visitors later it is a fixture adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., not only telling the story of the Holocaust but demonstrating the ongoing significance of this Jewish event-this European event-to the American people, to Western civilization and to the world. In November of that year, Steven Spielberg, widely... Full story
(JTA)-From his birthplace in Boston to New York, Berlin, South Africa, China and Israel, Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), the larger-than-life conductor, pianist, composer, educator and bon vivant, is being celebrated in a two-year bonanza of concerts, stage productions and programs marking the centennial of his birth. The American-born son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Bernstein's influence spanned the musical world, from classical music to Broadway. Thousands of events are featured as a part... Full story
WESTERBORK, Netherlands (JTA)-On a foggy Sunday, cheerful cabaret music pierces the silence that hangs over this former concentration camp, one of the largest facilities of its kind in Nazi-occupied Western Europe. Blasting from the recorder of an Israeli visitor last month, the music draws disapproving looks and remarks from several locals touring the grounds in respectful silence. They find the sound of music inappropriate at a place whose name in the Netherlands is synonymous with wholesale... Full story
Leon Uris (Embassy of Israel in Washington via JNS)-JNS is proud to partner with the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., to celebrate 70 of the greatest American contributors to the U.S.-Israel relationship in the 70 days leading up to the State of Israel's 70th anniversary. An American author of historical fiction, Leon Uris was known for his commitment to historical accuracy and extensive research. The people of Israel can be especially grateful that this literary giant brought the early... Full story
A trove of rare bronze coins, the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, has been discovered in a cave near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. During the digs at the Ophel excavation site, led by Hebrew University archaeologist Eilat Mazar, dozens of coins as well as broken pottery vessels, jars and cooking pots were found dating back to the Great Revolt period (66-70 CE). It is believed that these 1.5cm bronze coins were left behind by residents of Jerusalem who hid in... Full story
Spence-Chapin is currently seeking a loving family for baby Emma. Emma is an adorable, two-month-old baby girl with light brown hair and blue eyes who was recently diagnosed with Down syndrome. Emma’s parents are looking for a loving, Jewish home. At birth, Emma weighed six pounds, eleven ounces. She has no reported medical complications and was in the well-baby nursery after birth. Since then, Emma has been eating, sleeping and gaining weight consistently. She recently had her first smiles! If you think you could be an adoptive family for Emma... Full story
(JNS)-While it is well known that Birthright trips provide American participants with a transformative, often life-changing experience, it is perhaps less known that the young Israelis who accompany the participants on the trip often have similarly transformative experiences. Young Israelis Ayelet,* a 23-year-old computer scientist, and Racheli, a 22-year-old speech therapist, accompanied a Mayanot Birthright trip from March 12-19 with the goal of traveling the country with contemporaries eager... Full story
Stephen Hertz, who managed the Tel Aviv Lightning in the Israel Baseball League after playing for the Houston Colt .45s and coaching nearly three decades at Miami-Dade Community College, is one of 644 retirees who do not receive Major League Baseball pensions because of a change in the vesting requirements that occurred over the 1980 Memorial Day Weekend. The union was offered the opportunity to give its members the following deal: one game day of service credit to buy into the league’s umbrella health insurance plan, and 43 game days of servic... Full story
A reflective thought... What ever happened to "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free"? (Just saying.) I received a letter... The letter I received was sent from DAVID HARRIS, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). I pass it along to you in part: "The Jewish stories handed down through our three-thousand-year-old tradition recount instances of persecution and hatred, but also examples of resilience and survival. Now, let me ask you to consider a current s... Full story
SAN FRANCISCO (J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA)-My Dear Land, It is almost your birthday. At 70, you are not a young country anymore. Some will consider me a stepdaughter because I left you, deciding to move an ocean away. I left behind me the battles, the traffic, the heat and the politics to become a citizen of the world. Whenever I am asked where I am from, I hesitate a minute before I answer, then I carefully monitor the interlocutor's response. Some have no idea where you... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)-When Alice (Gerstel) Weit last saw Simon Gronowski, she was 13 and he was 10 and, by Alice's recollection, "the most adorable boy ever." When they reunited this week, 76 years later, "I opened the door and there he was, a frail, little old man," she said. At the threshold of Alice's apartment here, the old friends embraced, and they wept. "They weren't talking; they were speaking with their eyes," said Simon's grandson Romain De Mys, 24, who witnessed the April 10 reunion. Two... Full story
(JTA)-"GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II" begins as many Holocaust documentaries do, with a history of the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany mixed with what is now standard archival footage of Brownshirts and Kristallnacht. Throw in interviews with some Jewish celebrities-in this case, Carl Reiner and his friend Mel Brooks wearing his old Army jacket-and it has all the workings of a typical PBS documentary. But the film, which premiered April 11, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Da... Full story
(JTA)-Lightning struck Zach Braff in 2001. The up-and-coming Jewish actor, who had appeared in a few films-perhaps most notably a small role in Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Mystery"-landed the lead role of John "J.D." Dorian in the hospital-based sitcom "Scrubs." Along the way to starring in 175 episodes of the show, which became one of the most beloved comedies of the 2000s, Braff wrote and directed "Garden State," released in 2004. The indie dramedy film, which also starred 23-year-old... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—A new study will provide free testing for three mutations that substantially increase the risk for developing breast, ovarian and prostate cancer among people with Eastern European Jewish ancestry. The BRCA Founder Outreach Study (BFOR), which was launched last week, will test 4,000 men and women in four U.S. cities—New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston—for mutations in the BRCA gene that are more common among those with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Those who test positive for one of the mutations will receive genet... Full story
My heart is broken... Everyone in Central Florida probably remembers the Pulse Nightclub shooting tragedy where so many precious lives were lost. My friend Eddie Sotomayor Jr. was the first to be shot that fate-filled day more than a year ago. (Seems like yesterday to me.) The NOOR SALMAN trial ended recently and she was found not guilty by the jury. (Life goes on... but not for my friend, Eddie.) Another tragic life lost... (Actually, six million lives lost.) I recently watched a rerun of the... Full story
