Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2701 - 2725 of 4419
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
Maitland residents King William and Pearl Halikman are beaming with joy. Their grandson, Zev Halikman, made the USA Maccabi Water Polo Team and will compete in the 20th World Maccabi Games in Israel this coming July. "In life some of us will be lucky enough to find a passion that consumes us with infinite pleasure. I was lucky enough to find that six years ago when I began playing water polo," said 22-year-old Zev, who is a graduate of Lake Howell High School and is now a sophmore at Florida Atl... Full story
So much matzah! What to do with it all? Myrna Ossin has answers to your every need to have the perfect Passover in her newly released book, "What to Do with Your Leftover Matzah, The Fifth Question." Included with the 60 recipes that can be served year round, Ossin has a timeline and a "to do" list for preparation of meals, starting a few weeks ahead. Getting down to the details, Ossin lists every serving utensil and serving item needed, menu plans with vegan, vegetarian and Shabbat options... Full story
The following list was presented by Marilyn Schwartz at an Orlando Chapter of Hadassah meeting last year. The information so delighted and fascinated the members that passing it along to all became a priority. 1. Coca-Cola makes a special batch of Kosher Coke for Passover. While Coke is generally a kosher product, the dietary laws tighten during the Passover holiday making high-fructose corn syrup a no-no for observant Jews (it really should be a no-no for everybody all the time, but that’s neither here nor there). In response, Coca-Cola p... Full story
More about BDS... I read this in a current issue of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and wanted to share it with you: "The World Jewish Congress criticized a recent decision by the city council of Trondheim, the third largest city in Norway, to back a boycott of Israeli goods from West Bank settlements. In a letter to Norwegian Foreign Minister BORGE BRENDE, WJC CEO ROBERT SINGER stated the resolution was based on 'double standards' and added: 'To Jews around the world, due to what... Full story
Through the Boca Raton Library system's community outreach programs, Sheri Siegel, a teacher at the Katz Hillel Day School in Boca Raton, invited children's librarian Karyn Dombrosky to come and give Dr. Seuss presentations to students at the day school. Karyn, the daughter of Gil and Risa Dombrosky of Fern Park, gave four 30-minute presentations-complete with a Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat costume provided by the day school-to 165 kindergarteners through third graders, telling the stories of "The... Full story
By Myrna Ossin Every Passover I found myself trying to persuade my family to eat the traditional gefilte fish appetizer before the meal. I decided that I would try a refreshing change and make something that they would prefer to eat. These fish cakes were simple to make and were versatile, being able to be served hot, directly from the frying pan or warm oven, set out at room temperature before everyone sat at the table or as a cold dish served on a small plate on a lettuce leaf surrounded by... Full story
"Meeting Moses," the first in a new series of children's picture books, is releasing just in time to delight children ages 5-8 for Passover. Author Robert Chasin and illustrator Matt Roussel are excited to team up for the Meeting Bible Heroes series, which introduces kids to important Bible characters from the Torah in an entertaining manner. "I cannot think of anything more rewarding than inspiring children to look within, and to develop their own special relationship with God. My intention... Full story
(JTA)-The 30-day period between Purim and Passover is often fraught, especially for Jews-especially if, against all sound advice, they insist on hosting a Passover seder. To ease the challenging process of planning and preparing the festive meal, we offer this handy Passover countdown checklist: 30 days out (the day after Purim): Begin going over your invite list for the seder. Parents, siblings and their kids, check. Widowed Aunt Fay? Of course. But Cousin Eric? A nice guy, but how did he... Full story
The secret truth is that for many people, the reading of the Haggadah can be a boring and tiresome experience. A typical response is to either skip pages or to buy a "shortened" Haggadah, which deletes material so as to make the Seder less "painfully long." In contrast, the Dry Bones Passover Haggadah takes a completely opposite approach to solving the problem. It expands the Haggadah with colorful and funny cartoons framing every one of its 104 pages. The resulting Dry Bones Passover Seder... Full story
Repair the World supplements wise, wicked, simple, quiet sons at this year’s seder A special Passover supplement to spur challenging and meaningful conversations on racial justice is now available from Repair the World—the Jewish Service leader—and the Jewish Multiracial Network. Tweaking the tradition of four sons asking loaded questions and receiving answers in kind, “The Four People” are each on their own racial justice journey and ask questions reflecting their multiple perspectives, various backgrounds, different races, and different... Full story
A new Haggadah that builds on the Exodus and teaches the Israel connection A new Passover Haggadah is being distributed by StandWithUs, an international Israel education organization, that emphasizes not only the themes of slavery and freedom but also underscores Jews' 3,000-year-long connection to their ancestral homeland, Israel. The Haggadah, "From Ancient Egypt to Modern Israel," is the brainchild of StandWithUs co-founder and COO, Jerry Rothstein. "According to a Pew research survey, 70... Full story
Jewish National Fund and Media Watch International brought former Miss Israel Titi Aynaw to the U.S. for a speaking tour on college campuses in Florida, New England, and Upstate New York. Aynaw, a top Israeli model, television personality, and advocate for Israel, became the first Israeli-Ethiopian to win the Miss Israel title, opening the door for other models of Ethiopian heritage as well as other ethnic and racial backgrounds. Aynaw spoke to UCF students and community members on Monday, March... Full story
“My Jewish Roots” Workshops, sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Orlando continue in April with the workshop: “Analyze Your DNA Results.” In February of 2015, my husband Mitch decided to search for his birth mother. Adopted as an infant, he had always been very committed to his loving adoptive parents and saw no need to look for his birth family. But, after the death of his adoptive parents, he came to realize that he would like to know about his birth family after all. Since Mitch had been raised in Philadelphia, we contact... Full story
If everyone's lifestyle was like Jules and Elyse Baclar's, doctors and hospitals would soon be out of business. This vibrant young Oviedo couple -Elyse is 69 and Jules is 71-love to spend their time and money exercising. They cross-country ski every winter in the Adirondacks; snow-shoe, ("It's like walking with tennis rackets on your feet," said Elyse); and bicycling on all the trails in Florida. But their passion is running. "We both have been involved in running our whole lives and we believe... Full story
Words of wisdom... I heard this expressed on the television program "Undercover Boss." It referred to someone who was very poor in early life and yet moved on trying to make things better and succeeded: "You can't let tough stuff get in the way of moving forward." (That really got to me so I thought I would share it.) Poland's president in Israel... I read this in the current issue of the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along in part: "Speaking recently at a forum in Jerusalem, Polish P... Full story
Saving lives takes more than a 'stroke' of luck... While National Stroke Awareness month takes place in May, for my family it takes place all year-round... My mother's stroke was diagnosed by her manicurist (which was later confirmed by the ER), just about two years ago to this day. We are forever grateful that Olga noticed the changes in my mom, and reached out for emergency help. While I am not suggesting that you leave your neurologist for a consultation (or a mani-pedi) with your nail... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Veteran actor Shane Baker has performed in three productions of "God of Vengeance," Sholem Asch's Yiddish classic about a brothel-owning family and their daughter's lesbian relationship. Currently playing to sold-out audiences at New York's Theatre at St. Clement's Church, the play-which was first staged in 1906-still resonates today as a treatise on morality, religion and sexuality. When Baker brusquely growls, in Yiddish, to his wife, Sarah (played with charm and poise by... Full story
