Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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NEW YORK (JTA)—Shavuot is the “Rodney Dangerfield of Jewish holidays,” says Rabbi Shira Stutman of Washington, D.C.’s Sixth and I synagogue. Meaning: It gets no respect. Considered by Jewish tradition to be on par with the fall and spring festivals of Sukkot and Passover, Shavuot is sometimes ignored because it is six days shorter—the holiday celebrating the biblical giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai is one day in Israel and two outside of it. Shavuot, which this year starts on the evening of May 30, also lacks iconic, family-ce... Full story
NEW YORK & JERUSALEM—Birthright Israel, the world’s largest provider of free cultural experience trips, today announces that a record 33,000 participants will arrive in Israel this summer. The program currently has a waiting list due to overwhelming demand and the organization will surpass the 600,000 participant mark this summer. “We are proud to have drastically increased the number of Jewish young adults visiting Israel every year—from a mere 1,500 prior to the founding of Birthright Israel,” Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said. “We remain... Full story
Dani Shipley, granddaughter of Jim and Rachel Shipley and daughter of Tom and Pam Corey Shipley, went on the March of the Living. The following is her diary of her first week in Poland. April 24, 2017: Day 2-March of the Living No words. Today was a day like no other. Eleven-thousand strong, from all over the world. There's nothing like walking from a concentration camp (Auschwitz) to a death camp (Birkenau). Walking with Japanese flags on both our sides from their delegation, next to the... Full story
Israelis celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification May 23-24. Leading up to the holy city's semi-centennial milestone, here are 50 facts highlighting the rich tapestry of Israel's capital: Reunification 1. Jerusalem Day is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. 2. During the Jordanian occupation of Jerusalem, Jews were not allowed to access their holy sites, including the Western Wall. History 3. Jerusalem has been... Full story
How great are those who invented the Internet and Facebook! I was born in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia) and lived there until moving to the U.S. in 1990. Before World War II, the family home was in the small town Zapadnaia Dvina where my grandfather, Josef Gessel (born 1898), lived with his wife and two sons: Isaak (my father, born 1926) and his brother, Michael (born 1928). The town is located in the middle between the Latvian border and the big city Tver. During World War II,... Full story
How often do you "give" to another person without expecting anything in return? And, how do you feel when you give freely and with an open heart? When you give... You receive! It's quite simple. Whether you give monetarily, physically or emotionally, you are feeling the "good vibrations" of your actions. Try your best to give something to everyone you meet as you go about your day. It could be a smile, a compliment, food, money, or some simple gesture or loving act of kindness. The Jewish... Full story
Here we go again... The following are two sayings sent to me by the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). As disturbing as they are, we have to be aware of the hate: "Wherever you see an Israeli, slit their throat." This was said by Sultan Abu Alainin, Palestinian Authority Central Committee, top adviser to PA head Mahmoud Abbas. If "filthy" Jews and Christians "don't convert to Islam, their life and property are halal (free for the taking) for the Muslims." This was said by American Imam... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Mac and cheese is one of those comfort food dishes that is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. So when my co-workers suggested I try a mac and cheese made with Israeli couscous instead of traditionally larger pasta like elbows or shells or cavatappi, I happily accepted the challenge and decided to combine a more American-style pasta dish with some Israeli flavors, like cottage cheese and feta. This baked dish is cheesy and familiar enough to feed the kids, but just... Full story
It is customary to eat dairy food on Shavuot (May 30-June 1, 2017) for a number of reasons. One reason is that Shavuot is linked to the Exodus from Egypt into the Promised Land, and it is written “From the misery of Egypt to a country flowing with milk and honey...” (Exodus 3:8-17). For those on gluten free diets, the traditional baked dairy foods often served for the Shavuot holiday can present a challenge. Pereg Natural Foods offers this unexpected and delicious gluten free brownie cheesecake dessert, that the entire family—and guests—will en... Full story
Described as one of the most significant archaeological finds in modern Israel, the Magdala Stone, unearthed in 2009 near the shores of the Sea of Galilee, has been unveiled to the public for first time as part of a joint exhibition on the history of the menorah May 15-July 23 between the Vatican Museums and the Jewish Museum of Rome. "This is a dream that finally comes to fulfillment," Father Juan Solana, general director of the Magdala Center, whose work focuses on the stone dubbed a "crossroa... Full story
On Memorial Day, we honor the soldiers and service members who have given their lives for our nation. Social Security respects the heroism and courage of our military service members, and we remember those who have given their lives in defense of freedom. Part of how we honor service members is the way we provide Social Security benefits. The unexpected loss of a family member is a difficult experience for anyone. Social Security helps by providing benefits to protect service members’ dependents. Widows, widowers, and their dependent c... Full story
(JTA)-The first thing Carl Reiner does every morning is pick up the paper and read the obituary section to check if he's named there. "If I'm not, I'll have my breakfast"-or so he says in the charming and appropriately titled HBO documentary "If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast." Then the 95-year-old actor, writer and director, the creator of the "Dick Van Dyke Show"-"my greatest achievement," he tells JTA-goes to his computer to work on his latest project, a book. In fact, that's what he w... Full story
TEL AVIV (JTA)-Israeli startups are revving their engines ahead of the country's largest-ever "smart transportation" event. Over 200 local companies working in transportation technology will be at the EcoMotion Conference on Thursday at the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa. The plan is to give auto industry giants a look under the hood of "Startup Nation." "Companies from around the world want to see what's happening in Israel," said Lior Zeno-Zamasky, the executive director of EcoMotion, a... Full story
(JTA)-Only one religious group in the U.S. has a federally proclaimed month celebrating their history: the Jews. In 2006, President George W. Bush officially declared May as Jewish American Heritage Month. Yet Jewish American Heritage Month, or JAHM, hardly seems a priority-not in the government, not in the media, not even within the Jewish community. There is not a single paid employee working to organize the commemoration, and neither the federal government nor any Jewish organizations or foun... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-David Rubinger's iconic photograph of three paratroopers at the Western Wall is the defining image of the 1967 Six-Day War. The men in the photo-Dr. Yitzhak Yifat, Tzion Karasenti and Chaim Oshri-have proudly served as symbols of the historic Israeli victory for the past five decades. But in an interview with JTA, they said the war for them was just as much about loss. "To liberate the Kotel was something amazing," Yifat told JTA, referring to the Western Wall. "But we never... Full story
Former Heritage editor, Mike Etzkin, is a proud uncle. His nephew, Brian Etzkin, is the "winningest" head coach of the men's and women's tennis teams in history at Cleveland State University. Etzkin's work was cut out for him when he came to Cleveland as head coach in 2002. Both the men's and women's teams were, in his words, two "of the worst teams in the country." During his first year he brought the men's team to nine wins-six more than the previous two years combined. And since that beginnin... Full story
Over the course of three days, beginning June 5, more than 182 Israeli soldiers fell along the Jerusalem front fighting against Jordanian forces in what is ingrained in Israel's collective memory as one of the Six-Day War's fiercest and bloodiest battles. Ammunition Hill, a critical part of the struggle for Jerusalem, is today a Jewish National Fund-sponsored national memorial site that honors and tells the story of the heroic soldiers who died in the fight to reunite the capital city in 1967.... Full story
About two years ago, I flew to Israel for the annual conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, held that year in Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem, I toured Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to Holocaust victims. One of the very powerful exhibits honors "The Righteous Among the Nations"-that small minority who at great risk managed to rescue Jewish people during the Holocaust. YadVashem.org identifies the four major kinds of help that were provided by those few:... Full story
I never knew of this true hero... Tuvia Bielski (May 8, 1906-June 12, 1987) was the leader of the Bielski group, Jewish partisans who set up a camp for Jews fleeing the Holocaust during World War II. Their camp was situated in the Naliboki forest, which was part of Poland between World War I and World War II, and which is now in western Belarus. Tuvia was the son of David and Beila Bielski, who had 12 children: 10 boys and two girls. Tuvia was the third eldest. His brothers Asael, Alexander ("Zu... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-On the morning of June 5, 1967, as Arab armies and Israel clashed following weeks of tension, Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg sat anxious amid his congregants at daily prayers-fearful that the Jewish people would face extinction for the second time in 25 years. "One of the people said, 'They're going to wipe out Israel. What's going to be?'" recalled Greenberg, then the spiritual leader of a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. "I said, 'They're not going to wipe out... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-I can't eat borscht that comes from a jar that's been sitting on a supermarket shelf for who knows how long. So sue me. Tell me I'm a snob. I just can't. It's the wrong color, it's too thin and has these shimmering chopped-looking things on the bottom that I suppose are beets but remind me of pocket lint. But I do love borscht, all kinds. Years ago I was surprised when a friend served me a version that wasn't at all like the simple beet soup so familiar to Ashkenazi Jewish... Full story
Kudos go out to Chef Zachary Engel for winning the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year. Engel is the chef de cuisine at Shaya restaurant in New Orleans, and was one of 11 New Orleans chefs to be a James Beard Award finalist this year. And if his name sounds familiar, he is also the son of Rabbi Steven and Beverly Engel of the Congregation of Reform Judaism. This is a prestigious honor, as the James Beard Awards are considered among the highest honors in the American culinary... Full story
There is another local water polo player who will be playing on the Maccabi Water Polo team this summer. Ory Tasman, four-time All-American and Winter Park resident, was selected to the 2017 Maccabi Water Polo team. Tasman, a graduate of Winter Park High School in 2012, holds numerous records at Winter Park High and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including most goals scored in a season (105) and a career (317). He graduate from MIT in 2016 with a degree in computer science and... Full story
A future without cancer?... I received this letter from Tel Aviv University and will share it in part: "Imagine a future without cancer... a world where remedies exist for all breast cancers... where even the most aggressive tumors can be stopped as easily as the common cold. This is not science fiction. This could soon become reality because of research you (all of us) have made possible as an American friend of Tel Aviv University (by our support). One example of how Tel Aviv University... Full story
TEL AVIV (JTA)-They were part of the problem. Now they are spearheading a solution. A Tel Aviv-based startup run by young American Jewish immigrants to Israel, or olim, has taken on the largely fraudulent binary options industry centered in this country that has been estimated to generate as much as $10 billion a year. Owned and staffed in part by former binary options employees, Wealth Recovery International has used its insider knowledge to its advantage. "Because I worked in the industry, I... Full story
