Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2501 - 2525 of 4419
The strict dedication it takes to become an Olympic-caliber athlete is astounding: years of practice and discipline, rising with the sun each day and putting in grueling effort. But athletes are human beings as well as national heroes, and they also like to have a little fun from time to time. Professional Israeli swimmer Guy Barnea, 30, an Israeli record-holder and 2008 Olympian, is out to do just that. And he wants to take you along for the ride. It all started with a nude swimming photo... Full story
BUCHAREST, Romania (JTA)-When the roof of the Jewish State Theater collapsed during a 2014 snowstorm, its director reluctantly knew it was finally time to abandon the century-old building in this capital city. Maia Morgenstern did not take the decision lightly. Following years of neglect by authorities, the Bucharest Jewish community had fought for decades to keep the storied theater afloat. The Jewish State Theater had been a major cultural institution for Central European Jews prior to the... Full story
I am emotional... Before I even start this column, I must mention the Monday, Sept. 25th, showing of the tape, Broadway from 1893 to 1927, a JCC 39ers program presented by SHELDON BROOK. Although I am living in Central Florida for more than 53 years, New York City will always be "home" to me, but, of course the last time I was there was with my dear departed spouse, Irv. Just seeing Times Square created much emotion. That was followed by the stories of legends Irving Berlin, Fanny Brice, Jerome... Full story
The following are excerpts from the U.S. Congressional Record of 1922 that demonstrates the powerful sense of the members of Congress in favor of reestablishing a Jewish national home in Palestine: “Palestine of today [1922], the land we now know as Palestine, was peopled by the Jews from the dawn of history until the Roman era. It is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. They were driven from it by force by the relentless Roman military machine and for centuries prevented from returning. “At different periods various alien people suc... Full story
TEL AVIV (JTA)-In the summer of 1947, when the British turned away the SS Exodus from the shores of Palestine, the world was watching. Before the eyes of the international media, British troops violently forced the ship's passengers, most of them Holocaust survivors, onto ships back to Europe. The resulting reports helped turn public opinion in favor of the Zionist movement and against the pro-Arab British policy of limiting Jewish immigration to Palestine. But much else was happening in the... Full story
ISRAEL21c—That’s one of the findings of groundbreaking experiments performed at Israel’s Benjamin Triwaks Bee Research Center at Hebrew University’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot. The center also has discovered that, like humans, bees consuming an unhealthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids develop cognitive deficiencies. They cannot simply choose pollen from flowers high in omega-3 because increasing urbanization has decimated many kinds of wildflowers. The resulting nutritional imbalance is a major reason why hon... Full story
(JTA)-When Dr. Avi Rivkind landed in Las Vegas three years ago to lecture as a trauma care expert, he saw something that troubled him. The airport, McCarran International, felt too open, almost exposed. He felt no less comfortable on the city's Strip while watching crowds flow from hotels to casinos to shops to the street-with little security in sight. "I felt there was a lack of presence, from the ease of getting around there, from the casinos, from how easy it is to enter all the malls," he... Full story
(JTA)-After 70 years of studying the Holocaust, historians still don't know the exact circumstances of the tragic fate that befell two of the best-known victims of the Holocaust era: Anne Frank and Raoul Wallenberg. Frank, the teenager whose journal of her days in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam has sensitized millions to the suffering of 6 million victims, died in 1945 in Bergen-Belsen after the Nazis caught her. But nobody knows who, if anyone, betrayed her and her family to the Nazis.... Full story
This sukkah, created by Andy "Eliyahu" Alpern, has a panoramic view of the Western Wall. It's a way "of sharing Eretz yisrael with people all over the world who can't be here," he told JTA.... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-When it comes to Sukkot, the weeklong festival in which Jews live and eat in temporary huts known as sukkahs, no place does it better than Jerusalem. City schools and plenty of workplaces close, and a festive spirit permeates the air. Many Jews around the world make a tradition of visiting Jerusalem to celebrate the holiday, which is also known as the Feast of Booths. Can't make it to the Holy City? Fear not. Your sukkah can now transport you and your loved ones here. Well, sort... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)-I know something about most Jewish holidays. I can tell you that Chanukah is about miracles, Passover is about slavery and freedom, and Shavuot is about cheesecake. (I have no idea why, but when it comes to matters of cheesecake, it is not mine to question.) The one holiday that has baffled me for years is Shemini Atzeret. I can't remember the first time I became aware of it, and to be honest, I didn't care much about it until last year when my older daughter started attending... Full story
A salute to the righteous... "They risked their lives to save Jews"... according to The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, "Now they need our help." This is just one example of a righteous family: "Presov, Slovakia, Fall 1941, Elena Maradikova lived with her brother and parents in Presov. Elana's father, Ondrej, worked as a detective for the Presov police. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, two young Jewish men, Martin Weil and Jan Kohl, had rented a room from the Maradik family. When the war... Full story
What could be the reason behind a 'slumber party' with guests ranging from ages 77 to 19? Hurricane Irma, of course. When Hurricane Irma came storming through, she created 'strange bedfellows' all over town, with the mixed generations offering shelter, comfort, and whatever was needed from one another. In our family's case, my 22-year-old daughter's one bedroom apartment became the most valuable real estate in town. As my eldest only lost power for a brief time, she opened her air-conditioned an... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Larissa Raphael was sick of eating knishes that packed in plenty of potatoes but no punch. "I was like, 'why does the knish need to be bland?'" she said. "I want it to taste really good." As the former pastry chef of a late lamented restaurant that earned a Michelin star, she decided to take matters into her own hands. In February, Raphael, 47, launched her one-woman knish business, Riss' Knishes. Raphael started cooking up the idea last year when an acquaintance suggested she... Full story
I received this letter... "As the Jewish year 5777 comes to an end, we must dig deep to find optimism for world Jewry in the coming year," is how it began. It was from RONALD S. LAUDER, President, World Jewish Congress. I think it is important and thought provoking enough to pass it along to you (in part): "Thanks to you (meaning all of us), despite having another difficult and tumultuous year, the Jewish people moved forward with unity, strength and great resolve. As troubling as this past year... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-By the time Sukkot arrives, and we are three weeks into nonstop Jewish holiday mode, some people might be a little tired of cooking. I don't blame these people one bit. But Sukkot probably is my favorite holiday of the season to cook for-I love sitting outdoors in the brisk autumn air, enjoying harvest-inspired dishes with friends and family. This dish is (pretty) easy, totally unique and delish. The husband, who is by far my harshest critic, was in love with this recipe... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-One day many years ago, during the High Holidays yet, I called my mother early in the morning to yell at her about kugel. Really. In my family kugel meant skinny noodles mixed with eggs, schmaltz, salt and fried onions. I'd heard of the sweet kind from friends who rhapsodized about the ones their grandmas made. But I'd never tasted any of those because my mother told me they were horrible. Years later, when I finally did, it was a watershed culinary moment for me. I was at... Full story
PARIS (JTA)-In a bid to preserve interest in the Holocaust by future generations, the Basel-based Anne Frank Foundation unveiled the first authorized comic book based on the teenager's famous diary written in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. The 148-page adaptation, which was published Sept. 18 in France and in some 40 languages worldwide, was presented to journalists in the French capital Sept. 7 by the graphic diary's illustrator, David Polonsky from Israel, and its writer, the Israeli... Full story
ISRAEL21c-Aquarius Engines, the Israeli company that's working on a revolutionary alternative to the combustion engine for cars, is packaging the same technology into an exceptionally lightweight and efficient portable generator. It wasn't ready in time to help some 6.5 million Floridians left in the dark by Hurricane Irma, or the Caribbean islands now being hit by Hurricane Maria, but if all goes smoothly the Aquarius generator could be on hardware store shelves ahead of the next wave of... Full story
(JTA)-There are almost as many reality cop shows on television as there are Real Housewives. "Cops" is the granddaddy of them all, in its 30th season, plus there's "Night Watch" and "Live PD," to name just a few. The newest is "Street Justice: The Bronx," which premiered Sept. 19 on the Discovery Channel. The series' trailer features a heavily tattooed, muscular older gentleman, head shaven, wearing a 41st Precinct T-shirt. As dramatic music pulsates in the background, he describes how... Full story
It’s not hard finding Brandeis University alumni in the Jewish world. They’re probably in your neighborhood, your office—maybe even your home. But there’s also plenty of Brandeis DNA in places you might least expect it, from Hollywood to the boardroom. Here are some celebrities you might not know spent their formative years at the Jewish-founded nonsectarian university outside of Boston. A Graceful star Debra Messing had high hopes for her acting career when she arrived as an undergraduate at Brandeis. Having starred in numerous plays at her... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—This Jewish year was not a quiet one, to say the least. From the tumultuous first eight months of Donald Trump’s presidency, to a wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centers, to a neo-Nazi protest in Charlottesville that turned violent, to the twin weather catastrophes of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Jews, like so many others, found it hard to take their eyes off the news. As the year 5777 comes to a close, JTA looks back at some of the moments that had the most significance for Jews, sorted below by date. Bob Dylan is... Full story
(JTA)—For nearly 50 years, my father had a best friend named Al. They grew up in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn, and after returning from the service in World War II, they each married and moved to the same Long Island town and opened related businesses. They were closer than brothers. In fact, when my brother and I were growing up, our parents’ wills named Al and his wife, rather than any relatives, as the people who would become our guardians should that become necessary. Even after my parents moved to Nevada, the two couples remained clo... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Picture services for the High Holidays: A roomful of congregants sitting with heavy books in their laps listening to a rabbi sermonize or a cantor chant is what likely comes to mind. Baking pizza? Embracing a chicken under a tree? Not so much. But those are some of the things that Jewish clergy, educators and activists want Jews to do during their holiest days of the year. Aside from attending synagogue or dipping apples in honey, the extensive body of High Holidays traditions... Full story
GIVAT YOAV, Golan Heights (JTA)-Shimon Keinan has a business to run. He doesn't have time to teach you how to blow the shofar. But if you come all the way to his Kol Shofar factory here, Keinan is going to make sure you walk away with the horn that's right for you. "What should I do?" he explained to JTA. "If someone is going to blow one of my shofars on Rosh Hashanah, I have to make sure he doesn't fail." Even now, in the busy weeks ahead of the Jewish New Year, Keinan spends much of his day... Full story
