Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2651 - 2675 of 4386
Oy vay department!... I watched an entire four hours of Nazi stories on television the other day. So much of it reminded me of Twitler... oops, I meant Hitler. Anti-Semitism all over again?... I received a letter from Rabbi MARVIN HIER, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and pass it along in part: "When I delivered an invocation at the presidential inauguration, I hoped to do my share to help begin to unite a divided country. Afterwards, people of all origins, faiths and... Full story
In the Czech language, Poslední prání translates to last wish. Seventy-five years ago today, in Nazi-occupied Bohemia my Jewish grandfather Arnošt Holzer sat down at his desk in Prague and wrote his Poslední prání in a letter to my father (the date was April 21, 1942). By then, my young physician Dad, Oswald “Valdik” Holzer had fled his native land in 1939 and become a stateless refugee in China. By 1942, he’d made his way to America. Four months before the message was written, the US declared war on Germany, barring father and son from letter... Full story
"The Crime of Complicity: The Bystander in the Holocaust," by Amos N. Guiora Consider this dilemma: You are a bystander and witness to a crime. Should your intervention in an attempt to prevent that crime be a legal obligation? Or is moral responsibility enough? On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Week, law professor and author Amos. N. Guiora addresses these profoundly important and timely questions in his new book, "The Crime of Complicity: The Bystander in the Holocaust," published earlier... Full story
"The Six-Day War" by Tammar Stein In 1967, Israel teetered between existence and annihilation. By winning the Six Day War, it averted annihilation ... and began the modern dilemma of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This summer (June 5-11) marks the war's 50th anniversary. "The Six-Day Hero" is a fast-paced, riveting novel by Tammar Stein that looks at the history of the war through the eyes of the people living through it. It is the first English book for younger read... Full story
My second cousin Jessica was 2 years old when her parents, Brenda and John, had a second child, Richard. Sadly, the day Richard was born was also the day Richard died. It wasn’t long after that Jessica’s father left her mother. He was pretty much never heard from again. Her father wasn’t very responsible in the first place, so it is unknown if he left because of his baby boy’s death or just because he was who he was. Jessica was heartbroken that her father had left, and she spent a good part of her life thinking it was her fault. Jessica remain... Full story
CHICAGO-Every Friday morning for a month, rebbetzin Ariel Pardo has been meeting with three female Jewish students at Brandeis University for deep conversations that wind their way from Jewish ritual to intimacy. "Ari is always so open and she makes us feel so comfortable," said Mollie Goldfarb, 19, a first-year student. "She gives off that warm, inviting presence everyone can be around. It's never just her teaching us, but us learning and discussing together." Pardo and her husband, Rabbi... Full story
There are times when a very bad situation actually turns out to provide a "golden opportunity" to bring about change. Such is the case with Peter Gold, who started a nonprofit foundation called Strong City, a 501(c)(3) that supports organizations that empower underserved youth. It was only 16 months ago that Gold-who's parents live in Longwood -was fighting for his life after being shot by a man who was abducting a woman. Just recently, that horrific shooting was brought to the American peoples'... Full story
After reading the article about Zev Halikman, the young 22-year-old who made the USA Maccabi water polo team (see the April 7 issue of Heritage), Rochelle Willner of Temple Shalom Aleichem in Kissimmee was on the phone to Heritage. "I thought you'd like to know that there are two other people from here going to the World Maccabiah Games this summer," she said. Those two people are Marilyn Glaser, president of Temple Shalom Aleichem, and Kissimmee resident, Lazar Lowinger, a member of the USA... Full story
(JTA)-Actor Hank Azaria is known for his portrayal of an array of characters-most notably voicing Moe, Chief Wiggum and Apu on "The Simpsons." While he may be best known for his work on the long-running animated classic, Azaria, of course, has had a successful career in TV and film, with roles as varied as journalist Michael Kelly in "Shattered Glass" to the title role in Showtime's "Huff" to voicing the villain Gargamel in "The Smurfs" movie. His friends call him "the freakish mimic." And... Full story
PARIS (JTA)-In a dark alley in a poor suburb of this city, five men with violence on their minds closed in fast on 17-year-old Netanel Azoulay and his older brother, Yaakov. "Dirty Jews, you're going to die!" one man yelled. The driving dispute quickly transformed into something physical, with one of the assailants wielding a saw. Azoulay-who, along with his brother, wears a kippah-nearly lost his finger and had his shoulder dislocated before passers-by broke up the brawl. The Feb. 21 incident... Full story
A sign of the times we live in... I received the following in a letter from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) written by JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO and national director, and I pass it along to you: "After 69 bomb threats were received by Jewish Community Centers in at least 27 states in late January, followed by the desecration of a 120-year-old Jewish cemetery in Missouri last month, ADL issued a security advisory to Jewish institutions nationwide. 'If you receive a threat, take it seriously, '... Full story
(JTA)—From Anne Frank’s diary to Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” books about the Holocaust remain some of the most powerful and well-known pieces of literature published in the past century. Books have the power to educate about the Shoah’s unimaginable horrors and bring to life the stories of its victims, as well as unearth hidden details about wartime crimes. Ahead of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, JTA reached out to Jewish studies scholars across the country seeking their recommendations on recently published books dealing with the Holocaust.... Full story
(JTA)-Until recently, the Ruderman Family Foundation helped pioneer an issue within the Jewish community-key word "within." While donating locally to Jewish causes from its base in Boston, it also fostered disability inclusion among Jewish and Israeli institutions. It ran a Jewish Special Needs Funding Conference and offered grants and prizes to Jewish institutions that made themselves more accessible to those with disabilities. But look for the word "Jewish" on the "inclusion" page of the... Full story
For Molly Horwitz, it's not the anti-Semitism itself that stings the most. The feeling that some Stanford University Jewish leaders abandoned her in her fight against discrimination is what still brings tears to her eyes. As Horwitz and a fellow Stanford alum see it, those Jewish leaders were borderline hostile toward mainstream pro-Israel students while fostering warmer relations with the campus arm of J Street, the self-described "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobby. If true, the former students'... Full story
(JTA)—Looking through the barbed wire of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 14-year-old Nanette Konig could barely recognize her friend and classmate from Amsterdam, Anne Frank. Both girls had been caught by the Nazis in the Dutch capital and were sent to starve to death in a place Konig describes today as “hell on Earth.” Both were emaciated when they saw each other again in different sections of the same German camp in 1944. “She looked like a walking skeleton, just like me,” Konig, one of the few living friends of the teenage diarist,... Full story
By Rebecca Spence LOS ANGELES (JTA)-"We're triggering the next sexual revolution," said Mathew Gerson, seated comfortably on the floor of his adobe-style home in Southern California. Gerson, 42, is the creator of Foria Pleasure, a women's "sensual enhancement" oil derived from the cannabis plant. Nicknamed "weed lube," the spray oil won't get you stoned-but what it can do, according to its proponents, is turn a run-of-the-mill orgasm into a full-body climax. Since launching his company in 2014,... Full story
There's a war going on in the United States. It isn't a battle with weapons that harm the physical body. It's a war of ideology versus truth and logic. And the battlefields are on college campuses. Americans for Peace and Tolerance, founded by Charles Jacobs and Avi Goldwasser, produced a shocking documentary titled "Hate Spaces: The Politics of Intolerance on Campus" that takes the viewer into the heart of the aggressive methods of "combat" used to viciously attack Jewish and pro-Israel... Full story
Helen Benton was the younger sister of my maternal grandmother, Rose Rothenberg. My great-aunt Helen was an outgoing person in a family of reserved people. She was always very kind to my family and me. I have fond memories of times spent as a child with "Aunt Helen" and "Uncle Aaron." My sister, Barbara Silverman, and I have been working on our family genealogy for over a decade. A few years ago, my mother mentioned that at one time she had found naturalization papers for Aunt Helen. Everyone... Full story
Not a kiddie movie... I'm referring to "The Zookeeper's Wife." No, it is definitely not a film comedy for children as it may sound. Rather it is the true story of a person who helped Jews escape from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. She hid them from the Nazis in her basement and played certain songs on the piano... one for hiding... one denoting safety, etc. These signals saved precious lives. Be sure to see this film! Upstate New York shocking news... Being a native New Yorker, I found... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Breakfast can be hard during Passover-no oatmeal, no toast and certainly no pancakes. (No, the boxed kind do not count.) I like making eggs or matzah brei or even shakshuka. But I am always looking for something a little different to serve as a satisfying breakfast or portable lunch. This veggie "kugel" crust is all those things: great for vegetarian lunch, it's healthful, packed with tons of veggies and it's a super satisfying breakfast. I use spinach in the filling, but... Full story
By Curt Schleier (JTA)-Harry Borden is Britain's Annie Leibovitz. Sort of. The American-born, UK.-raised portrait photographer, 52, admits there "are some parallels" in their careers, though "obviously, I'm nowhere near as successful," he told JTA. Still, Borden is England's go-to photographer when a publication wants a celebrity portrait. Elton John, Paul McCartney, Ewan McGregor and, perhaps most famously, Margaret Thatcher, have been among his subjects. His work has appeared on the covers of... Full story
Beets are a hot food trend, and many experts are singing their praises. This nutritional powerhouse is now available from Gefen, pre-peeled, vacuum-packed and ready to sweeten your Passover table or any occasion. Gefen beets have no preservatives, additives, artificial colors, or flavors. They are also non-soy, non-dairy, and certified kosher for Passover and year-round (OU-P). They are a great source of vitamin C, iron, fiber, and many essential minerals. They’re also very low in calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Gefen’s vac... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)-My grandmother was a super shopper even before the advent of supermarkets and coupons. In those days, each food group had its own store, so that every neighborhood had a butcher shop, fish market, dairy, deli and grocery Shopping with Grandma was an all-day experience. Time stood still as she filled her cart with the biggest, the fattest, the freshest, the juiciest of foods. Her culinary talents were legendary; the local shopkeepers greeted her by name and brought out their fin... Full story
(JTA)-I love serving light foods that are naturally kosher for Passover. With so much matzah, vegetable and fish dishes are often a welcome addition in my home. In this holiday menu, my Coconut Carrot Soup is a creamy soup at its finest. The combination of carrots, ginger and coconut is so warming and really delicious. Not a ginger fan? It's easy enough to leave it out. And what could be better than a recipe that doesn't require excellent knife skills? Since the soup ingredients are blended,... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Gluten-free matzah might sound like a bad joke—after all, regular unleavened bread tastes pretty cardboard-like already. But for Jews with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that can damage one’s intestinal lining, or gluten intolerance, which involves icky reactions to that pesky protein found in wheat, finding the right matzah is not an easy task. (Matzah in its normal form is made of wheat.) Thankfully, as the gluten-free diet has rocketed into mainstream food culture, there are now options for every kind of glute... Full story
