Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2426 - 2450 of 4419
BOSTON (JTA)-Emily Katz and Liora Hyman arrived early enough to snag front row seats for a concert with some of their favorite performers. But this show wasn't at one of Boston's storied nightclubs. Rather, it was the first-ever music lab at last week's biennial convention of the Union for Reform Judaism, where 6,000 delegates gathered at the Hynes Convention Center for the movement's largest ever gathering. When popular Jewish singer-songwriter Peri Smilow led off the set with her new song, "On... Full story
Whoever saves one life... I just watched the movie "Schindler's List" on television. I had seen it in the movies many years ago. I must admit, I was even more touched and disturbed than the first time. For those of you who don't know about Oskar Schindler, (although I can't imagine that any Jew wouldn't have that knowledge), Oskar Schindler (28 April 1908 - 9 Oct. 1974) was a German industrialist and a member of the Nazi Party, who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-On Thursday, The New York Times announced that its publisher, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., 66, is stepping down at the end of the year and will be succeeded by his son, 37-year-old Arthur Gregg (A.G.) Sulzberger. The familial exchange of power wasn't unexpected. The younger Sulzberger is the sixth member of the Ochs Sulzberger clan to serve as publisher of the prominent New York newspaper. He is a fifth-generation descendant of Adolph S. Ochs, who bought the newspaper in 1896 as it... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-I recently stumbled upon a Yemenite Jewish cookbook from the early '60s called "Yemenite & Sabra Cookery," by Naomi and Shimon Tzabar. It's the type of cookbook I especially love to discover; the kind that covers a rare topic and is unusually designed. This one has beautiful wood-block print images scattered throughout. The recipes are more like sketches of how to make something rather than being clear directives. The first page of the book features a recipe for zhug, a clas... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-It's lunch break during a one-day conference on "Israeli Cuisine as a Reflection of Israeli Society"-so naturally I'm eating lunch. Everything on my white plastic plate can be considered Israeli food. There is a burek (which originally heralds from Spain, by way of Turkey), a chopped cucumber and tomato salad (Israeli or Palestinian, take your pick) and a quinoa salad (from Ecuador? Peru? Or maybe it's Mediterranean). Small triangles of pita surround the centerpiece of my... Full story
There is an organization that provides last dollar, interest-free loans for higher education to Jewish students in need. The Jewish Educational Loan Fund has been helping the Jewish community since 1889 when the doors of the Hebrew Orphans’ Home first opened in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the last 120-plus years, the organization has transformed twice: first, in 1931, when it began providing adoption and foster care services under the name Jewish Children’s Services and then, in 1961, began granting interest-free loans for college and formally cha... Full story
On Dec. 23, Larry and I traveled 400 miles to spend time with our friends, Chris and Bernie Grossman, in their new home in Tallahassee. And on Dec. 25, the Shapiros and Grossmans upheld a tradition as steeped in Jewish culinary ritual as eating brisket on Rosh Hashanah, potato latkes on Chanukah, and matzo ball soup on Passover. We ate Chinese food on Christmas Day. Growing up in a small town in Upstate New York, my family didn't eat Chinese food on Christmas Day, or most other days of the... Full story
The following is a recipe from the Inbal Jerusalem Hotel's executive chef, Chef Nir Elkayam. The Inbal's Orange Vegetable Soup is one of the many soups offered during the hotel's annual Soup Festival taking place through the winter in Jerusalem. The Inbal's Orange Vegetable Soup Ingredients (Yields 8 servings) 2 large onions 4 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups of pumpkin cut into cubes 2 large sweet potatoes cut into cubes 3 large carrots cut into cubes Black pepper 3 fresh thyme... Full story
Israel ahead in research... Once again, when it comes to science, medicine... everything, I am proud to say, Israel seems to be leading the pack. I read the following in Impact, the magazine of the American Associates of Ben Gurion University of the Negev. I pass it along to you: In the United States today, one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism, a disorder symptomized by social interaction problems, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Autism is currently the most prevalent... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Nazis came for Rose Holm's family in the afternoon. By the evening, the 16-year-old was lying among corpses in the underground bunker where she and her family had been hiding. "I was between those dead ones, and I didn't know if I'm alive or I'm dead," Holm, now 92, recalled. Among those shot and killed were Holm's parents, brother and one of her sisters, as well as some 85 other Jews hiding in the bunker outside Parczew, a town in the eastern part of Poland. Only one family... Full story
SECAUCUS, N.J. (JTA)-"Caution: Meat and dairy sampling on show floor," read a sign at the entrance to Meadowlands Exposition Center. That may seem like an unusual warning outside a convention center, but to the crowd attending the food expo there on Tuesday, it made sense: Kosherfest is the world's largest kosher food trade show, where the vast majority of those attending follow the Jewish prohibition against mixing meat and dairy. More than 4,000 food industry professionals gathered for the... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-I recently fell in love with honey squash, a new variety of hearty winter squash bred specifically to be concentrated in flavor and adorable in appearance. OK, maybe it wasn't specifically grown to be adorable, but the result nevertheless is the same. I found honey squash at several New York- and New Jersey-area farms and farmers markets, and I know that Whole Foods has also been selling them. But even if you cannot find this super sweet squash, you can substitute regular... Full story
Larry and I have many "pets" in our home. A butterfly rests outside our front door, and two larger ones fly on our lanai wall. A two-foot bear clutching his "Bear Feet Only" sign greets visitors on the front porch. Pedro the Parrot hangs on a curtain rod. And various bulldogs-stuffed, ceramic, and metal, are stationed around the house in honor of the nickname my boss gave me when I moved from the classroom to an administrative office. However, I would have to say my favorite animals in our... Full story
BOSTON (JTA)-Move over, potato latkes. Make room for dosas. The savory fried Indian lentil and rice pancakes take center stage in "Queen of the Dosas," a gem of a new Chanukah book by the award-winning children's writer Pamela Ehrenberg. It's among eight new Chanukah books for kids-one for each night of the holiday-sure to kindle the flames of imagination in young readers. The bounty of this season's books travel the globe, from city life to wooded forests, with engaging-and many humorous-storie... Full story
Israel does it again... When it comes to science and technology, Israel is leading the field! I read this recently in the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along: "As highlighted in NoCamels, (the leading news website covering the startup nation, with a focus on Israel innovation in technology, science, design, medicine and cyber) more than 23 million people worldwide suffer from diastolic heart failure, a condition in which the heart fails to pump sufficient oxygenated blood to meet the... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-When Chris Doeblin agreed to buy 100 copies of a children's book to help an author friend, he didn't expect to become enmeshed in a controversy over international relations and free speech. But that's what happened after Doeblin, the co-owner of Book Culture, a chain of independent bookstores in New York City, purchased and held a reading of "P is for Palestine," which came out last month. Written by Golbarg Bashi, an Iranian-born author who has held Persian-language readings of... Full story
TEL AVIV (JTA)-The sufganiyah is the plump, shining star of Chanukah in Israel. During the holiday season, the famed jelly doughnut poses in the windows of cafés and bakeries across the country. It sparkles with oil and sugar, and shows just enough filling to keep fans interested. Every year, top chefs compete to give the sufganiyah an edgy new twist, whether its cheesecake filling, mascarpone topping or a chocolate-filled squeeze tube accessory. Israeli TV channels, newspapers and social... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-The Japanese word okonomiyaki is derived from two words: okonomi "how you like it" and yaki "grill." Okonomiyaki is a customizable Japanese savory vegetable pancake. Like a latke, it gets cooked in oil in a fritter formation. Unlike a latke, it's usually made into a large plate-sized pancake comprising mainly cabbage. Food historians have linked the rise in popularity of okonomiyaki in Japan to World War II, when rice was more scarce and this recipe offered a filling meal... Full story
Chanukah is known as the Festival of Lights. On each night we light one more candle to remember the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks and the rededication of the Second Temple. But there are more ways to create light than using Chanukah menorah candles. JNS.org offers a list of eight gifts, one for each night of the holiday, that are guaranteed to light up your friend or loved-one's Chanukah. Night 1: Lantern Lanterns can make wonderful gifts. Consider buying a unique, decorative lantern... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-It is the "the witching hour," around 4:30 p.m., when darkness descends swiftly on the streets of New York, and exhausted children and their parents tend to quarrel. But my son Joel, now 12, is full of good cheer. He keeps a steady bounce in his step. He smiles into the wind. "The black sky at this early hour," Joel explains, his tall frame swaying in sync with his springing step, "means that the Chanukah lights will be coming soon." For a parent, it is a sweet moment like so... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)—Salad fixins? Check. Cookies? Check. Menorah, candles and dreidels? Check, check, check. My husband, kids and I were headed to family dinner at the home of a dear friend. She and her husband are not Jewish, but my friend is a history teacher who loves learning about and sharing multicultural traditions. Since she had never lit a menorah before, she asked me to bring ours—I was more than happy to oblige. For good measure, I also brought some dreidels and, because our kids ate all our gelt the first night of Chanukah, some red... Full story
(JTA)-Within the Jewish musical canon are several songs that seem to have always existed-tunes we all know and pass down from one generation to the next. One example is the Hanukkah favorite "I Have a Little Dreidel"-chances are most everyone reading this can sing the chorus, at least. Another example, from a more elevated sphere of Jewish practice, is "Shalom Aleichem"-it isn't hard to imagine Jewish families around the world simultaneously welcoming Shabbat with the familiar strains of this... Full story
(MyJewishLearning via JTA)-Do you have friends or family members who are new to the tribe? Maybe they recently converted, married a Jew or became newly interested in their Jewish roots? Or maybe you're the newbie and are wondering what to put on your wish list. Whatever the particulars, MyJewishLearning has you covered, with Chanukah gift ideas designed to please the Jewish newbies in your life. Cookbooks Amelia Saltsman's "The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen" ($20.23), Leah Koenig's "Modern Jewish... Full story
(I'm still upset about the Nazi march in Charlottesville some time ago. To think that our country's Commander in Chief said some of them were good people, makes me beyond angry!) And speaking of Nazis... I read this in the current issue of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and pass it along to you. I know it is upsetting but we MUST be aware or another Holocaust could happen!: "A small neo-Nazi group that bills itself as 'the Hitlers you've been waiting for' surreptitiously put up... Full story
An "enchanting festival of light-hearted glee and meaningful warmth" (Los Angeles Times) arrives in celebration at the end of Chanukah when the musical comedy, "The MeshugaNutcracker!," debuts in movie theaters nationwide on Tuesday, Dec.19, putting a unique spin on the classic Nutcracker ballet. "The MeshugaNutcracker!" will be shown at the Altamonte Mall 18, 433 W. Altamonte Dr.; Winter Park Village 20, 510 N. Orlando Ave.; and Waterford Lakes 20, 541 N. Alafaya Trail for only one 7 p.m.... Full story
