Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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ARLINGTON, Va. (JTA)-Jews don't serve in the military. Jews shouldn't serve in the military. Forget about being Jewish-the mission comes first. Like a lot of other Jewish dilemmas, what's old for Jews who serve in the US military is new again, and the organization established in 1896 to dismantle myths and anxieties about Jews in uniform is still confronting them. Jewish War Veterans, a group that advocates for Jews in the military and for the military in the Jewish community, set aside a... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Guava, or guayaba in Spanish, is native to tropical areas such as Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Because of its proximity and availability, the fruit is a part of many Latino cuisines. Guavas have a strong tropical fragrance and floral taste notes similar to papaya and grape. They can be prepared a variety of ways (think smoothies, cocktails, glazed over grilled meats, and even fish), but is especially wonderful mixed with cheese, such as queso... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)-With the Academy Awards on the horizon, there is no shortage of high-quality films to see in theaters and on the small screen. Getting a jump on the festivities, here are five of the best Jewish-themed ones to watch this awards season, from Oscar contenders to short gems. "Foxtrot" Directed by Samuel Maoz and starring Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler, "Foxtrot" is a wrenching film about an array of dark topics: parental grief after the death of a soldier son, the joys and... Full story
Wow! Go figure... I recently watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in South Korea. I've seen many Olympic ceremonies in my long life, but this one was by far, the best! It was perfect in every way and I was especially thrilled to see team USA and, of course, team Korea, made up of both North and South Koreans marching into the stadium together and learning that they will be competing as one. I must mention that a weird thing happened as I was watching... one of my deceased husband's... Full story
By Gabe Friedman (JTA)-If one thing jumps out about the nominations for the 90th annual Academy Awards, it's the lack of big Jewish headlines to be plucked from them. "The Shape of Water," Guillermo del Toro's latest fantasy-tinted film, about an amphibian creature housed in a government laboratory, led the pack with 13 nominations. Nevertheless, here are the Jewish nominations and storylines from another year of great cinema: "Call Me By Your Name" gets four nominations. "Call Me By Your Name"... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Upside down cakes are one of my favorite types of cakes to make, mostly because they are an easy way to impress. In an upside down cake, the fruit is layered on the bottom of the pan along with sugar, and a simple, fluffy cake batter is poured on top. Once it's baked, the cake is inverted, and what was once the bottom of the cake becomes a gorgeously syrupy, fruity top. What could be simpler? American upside down cakes are traditionally made with pineapple and cherries, but... Full story
NEW YORK—It’s a bitterly cold winter morning in Brooklyn, but Brenda, a 101-year-old woman in a Jewish hospice facility suffering from severe short-term memory loss, has a special group of visitors show up in her warm room. Joelle Missry, a creative arts therapy intern, arrives with her guitar slung over her back and with her licensed music therapy supervisor by her side. She sits beside Brenda’s bed. For the next 20 minutes, Missry holds Brenda’s hand and sings a combination of old Yiddish songs with help from her team and Brenda’s home heal... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)-Could one drug effectively treat incurable inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis as well as neurodegenerative maladies such as Alzheimer's disease? Yes, says Prof. David Naor, speaking with ISRAEL21c at the Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology in Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem. All these diseases, he explains, are associated with pathological amyloid proteins that could be... Full story
Israeli native Alon Day was recognized by The Algemeiner newspaper as among "The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life, 2017." The accolade caps an incredible year for Day, which included being named "Israel's Athlete of the Year"; debuting as a driver for BK Racing against the world's top stock car drivers in NASCAR's highest level, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; and earning the title champion of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Day shares the Top 100 list with luminaries that... Full story
(JTA)-L'Oréal made history last week when it became the first major cosmetics firm to feature a Muslim woman wearing a head covering in a mainstream international ad campaign for hair products. The signing of Amena Khan, a British blogger on beauty, as the newest face of L'Oréal Paris generated a lot of positive publicity for the French firm, with CNN lauding the company for "breaking barriers" and "becoming more diverse" in an article that also flattered Khan for "empowering women." But the r... Full story
Just after Passover last year, Fellowship Church in Winter Springs began fundraising for its annual work trip to Israel. Since 2006, members of the congregation have spent a week or more each year working on a nature park in Samaria while staying in the homes of Israeli families. Working and living together for a week at a time each year has served to bring down some of the traditional barriers between Christians and Jews and, because of those barriers, has not been without its challenges. As... Full story
Very Disturbing... I recently received a letter from ALAN KORNMAN about (I repeat) a very disturbing happening at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. I pass it along: “The Young Democrats of Orange County and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) were having a rally at Lake Eola on Dec 8, 2017 concerning the moving of our embassy to Jerusalem. My friend and I went to attend and film the rally. The volume of anti-Semitism filmed is troubling—but once you get past that fact, I was most disturbed by the 100+ people who did nothing. It was in... Full story
A promising, prize-winning electronic device designed to save water has been conceived, designed, programmed and produced in Israel. A search for the inventors' boardroom and laboratory leads not to a hi-tech start-up, but to a classroom in Boys Town Jerusalem where the champion team of eight 7th and 8th graders conceptualized and created the prototype from scratch. The apparatus, which clinched First Prize in the Jerusalem Regional FLL-Israel Robotics Competition, could now qualify for a... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Eva Lavi's earliest memories are of the Holocaust. She remembers how her mother made her hide outside in below-zero weather, clutching a standing pipe, as Nazis searched her home in Poland. She remembers her father telling her to swallow a spoonful of cyanide-better than death at the hands of the Nazis-only to have her mother object at the last minute. She remembers seeing her twin cousins shot to death as they ran up a hill at a labor camp. Lavi was 2 years old when Nazi Germany... Full story
CHICAGO (JTA)-Sam Rosen, a 10-year-old Minecraft player, builds virtual castles at his computer and protects himself from monsters. His mother, Carrie, a high school math teacher, knows the game teaches tech skills and engineering-valuable skills he can build on in school. So when JCC Chicago announced plans to roll out a tech day camp for the first time this summer, Carrie signed up Sam, understanding that he would learn programming or, as she calls it, "the back end of games." The new... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Let's face it: There's just something wonderfully soothing about seeing a steaming bowl of matzah ball soup with its pillowy-plump dumplings swimming in a bath of golden broth. This healing vegetarian matzah ball soup delivers all the "ah" of its traditional cousin with precisely the right amount of goodness (and good-for-you-ness) thanks to a clever use of shiitake mushrooms, tomato paste and a pot full of seasonal vegetables. Whether you add our healthy matzah ball soup... Full story
Not "fake news"... Recently, I watched the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" (for the third time) on television. This time was particularly strange as I felt that I was in Russia and Ukraine while watching. It just happens that my ancestry comes from Russia and Ukraine. (Could it be a sign?) New Director-General... "World Jewish Congress (WJC) CEO AND Executive Vice President ROBERT SINGER congratulated former French Culture Minister, AUDREY AZOULAY on her recent appointment as Director-General of the... Full story
As I settled into my chair at the Shalom Club table at Solivita Club Expo, I put my pocketbook on the empty chair from the Bellisimo Hair Salon which was next us. A few minutes later, a young Hispanic man asked me to move it so he could sit down. “Hope you don’t mind,” he said. “No problem!” I said, “it’s your chair.” And I put the bag on the floor. “It would be a “shanda” to put that nice bag on the floor!” he exclaimed. I took a closer look at the speaker. He certainly looked Hispanic, not someone who is familiar with the Jewish word for sha... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-It shouldn't have been complicated. Shimon Abta, an expert Israeli cannabis agronomist, was sent by his employer to consult with American companies in states where medical marijuana is legal. He was living in Las Vegas and met an American Jewish woman on JDate. They married last year and together started becoming more religious. Both in their 30s, they are eager to start a family. But on Jan. 8, U.S. immigration officials told Abta to withdraw his application for permanent... Full story
WHIPPANY, N.J. (New Jersey Jewish News via JTA)-If Bea Slater had ever been a shrinking violet, her sudden celebrity might be uncomfortable. At 90, the great-grandmother has her image plastered on billboards and bus shelters up and down Manhattan and in Brooklyn. There's even one on the roof above Junior's, the famous cheesecake place. Along with three other women nearly as old as she, she has become the face of JDate, the Jewish matchmaking site. They're not poster girls for senior dating.... Full story
NEW YORK-On Feb. 4 millions of people will gather around the world to watch the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots play in Super Bowl LII. One of America's favorite annual events is the Halftime Show and this year is no exception. As Justin Timberlake takes the stage in Minnesota, the Nachum Segal Network (NSN) will be kicking off its fifth annual "Kosher Halftime Show." The Kosher Halftime Show will give Jewish music fans and their families around the world a wholesome Jewish... Full story
How upsetting... I read this not too long ago in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and pass it along to you: "As reported recently by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, two kippah-wearing brothers were allegedly forced to drive off a main road near Paris, France, by another vehicle carrying several men yelling "Dirty Jews, you're going to die." Once stopped, the brothers were surrounded by the men and others who emerged from a nearby hookah café. Both were beaten ruthlessly, while their... Full story
On Jan. 31, Jews will celebrate Tu B'Shevat, the day in which it is believed "trees come of age." For those of us who live in Central Florida, there is no more fitting a place to honor the Jewish "Earth Day" than at Bok Tower Gardens. The 60-acre sanctuary in nearby Lake Wales was the gift of Edward Bok. This son of impoverished Dutch immigrants became a highly successful publisher, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a respected humanitarian and an advocate of world peace and the environment.... Full story
(JTA)-When Maxim Shrayer traveled to Moscow for a five-day visit at the end of October 2016, his itinerary included a trip to the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. Shrayer, who emigrated from Russia to the U.S. with his refusenik activist parents 30 years ago, is an acclaimed scholar of Jewish-Russian literature and culture as well as an award-winning writer on the Jewish-Russian emigre experience. He took a cab to the museum, where he delivered a literary paper at the Moscow International... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Sherman the overweight hedgehog, who was put on a diet at a zoo in Israel, has lost about one-tenth of his body weight. Sherman weighed 3.5 pounds, double the average weight of a normal hedgehog, when he was taken in by the Ramat Gan Safari outside of Tel Aviv in November. The Safari announced Wednesday that Sherman has lost 0.33 pounds. Sherman is one of 10 hedgehogs that were found waddling through the streets in Israel. They had eaten so much, mostly cat food left on the... Full story
