Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3101 - 3125 of 4427
Congregation Ohev Shalom celebrated its annual gala on Feb. 21. Over 300 people gathered to honor Cantor Allan S. Robuck for his 25 years of service to COS and the Orlando Jewish community. Following a fun silent auction, attendees were treated to a concert by Cantor Jacob Mendelson. For his final number, Cantor Mendelson was joined by opera singer Cantor Fredda Mendelson, who is also his wife, and by the honoree himself. After the performance, a delicious New York deli-style dinner was served... Full story
Hundreds of Orlando college students, faculty, staff and community members will gather together for a celebration of Jewish unity at the fourth annual Mega Shabbat on the UCF campus. The traditional Shabbat Dinner will be held in the Pegasus Ballroom in the Student Union on April 1, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with appetizers. Women will light the Shabbat candles at 7:15 p.m., and the Shabbat dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Shabbat 1000 is a project developed by the Chabad on Campus National... Full story
CHICAGO (JUF News via JTA)-Like so many other Jewish little girls on Purim, both my big sister and I would dress up for our annual Purim carnival as Queen Esther. The morning of the carnival, my mom would array us in regal dresses, bright red lipstick and a homemade crown or sparkly tiara bought for this very occasion-and only this occasion-so as to raise grounded daughters the rest of the year. And in households down the street, the Jewish boys I knew would dress as the male hero of Purim:... Full story
A well-deserved honor... I read this in the current issue of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and pass it along to you in part: "The World Jewish Congress recently honored former U.S. Secretary of State GEORGE P. SHULTZ with its prestigious Theodor Herzl Award. WJC President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER and former Secretary of State HENRY A. KISSINGER, himself a past Herzl Award recipient, presented the award to Shultz at a gala event at New York's Waldorf Astoria. Upon accepting the... Full story
In her recently published memoir "My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes" (Berkley Books, September 2015), New York Times wellness blogger and nutritionist Dawn Lerman shares her food journey and that of her father, a copywriter from the "Mad Men" era of advertising at the Leo Burnett and McCann Erickson firms. Dawn spent her early childhood in Chicago constantly hungry as her ad man father pursued endless fad diets from Atkins to Pritikin, and insisted that Dawn and her mo... Full story
(JTA)-A few years ago, Rachel Bloom was best known as the creator of laugh-out-loud YouTube videos like "You Can Touch My Boobies" and "Historically Accurate Disney Princess Song." Now she is a Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award winner for her portrayal of Rebecca Bunch on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," a musical comedy series she co-created with Aline Brosh McKenna, screenwriter of "The Devil Wears Prada" and "27 Dresses." The show-about a successful but miserable New York lawyer who decides to... Full story
(Jewniverse via JTA)-"Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall," Bob Dylan sang in his 1964 anthem "The Times They Are a-Changin'." Dylan was excoriating Washington decision-makers for dragging their heels on passing the Civil Rights Act. But his lyrics have since become de rigueur for judges explaining legal decisions, much the way rabbis cite the Oral Torah, aka the Mishnah and Gemara, to justify their positions. The late Justice... Full story
SALT LAKE CITY (JTA)-When Robb Abrams first moved to this mountain city from the New York area six years ago, he loved the idea of living in an outdoorsman's paradise. But there was one thing in particular he found very troubling: He couldn't find a decent bagel anywhere. What began as a casual hunt quickly turned into an obsession-and, eventually, a profession. A technology executive by training, Abrams had limited experience in the kitchen. Until his wife's career at Goldman Sachs precipitated... Full story
Groggers, candy, and music. A story that involves royalty, a beauty pageant, and the antagonist getting hung on a tree. And let's not forget the costumes. Purim is a joyful holiday that children of all ages can enjoy and appreciate. My children start thinking about their next year's Purim costumes before I can even rid the house of the chametz (leavened products) from the traditional "mishloach manot" Purim gift baskets in order to prepare for Passover cleaning. Throughout the course of the... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-My love of Italian cuisine was honed at a very early age-there was no lack of Italian restaurants, pizzerias and bakeries. If I had to pick my favorite Italian pastry, it would be no contest-I am #teamcannoli all the way. Something about the sweet, creamy filling, rich chocolate chips and crunchy shell has always been the trifecta of what a dessert should be. So why not put that delicious filling into an iconic Jewish pastry-hamantaschen? As it turns out, this is a pretty... Full story
Okay, Congress recently did something great... The headline of the current World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest reads like this: "U.S. House of Representatives Unanimously Passes Resolutions on Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Incitement." Sounds promising, right? I'll pass it along to you in its entirety: "The first bipartisan resolution directed at condemning anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement in the Palestinian Authority was sponsored by Rep. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R-Fla.), chairwoman of the... Full story
Twenty-five families from the Greater Orlando Jewish community gathered on the morning of Feb. 28 for Community Helper Day at Orlando Fire Station Number 1, 78 West Central Blvd. The event was organized and sponsored by Shalom Families/PJ Library, a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. Families started the day with a mitzvah, bringing non-perishable food for Jewish Family Services' Pearlman Food Pantry. JFGO also gave bagels to the firefighters, who led a hands-on tour of the... Full story
For at least four decades, black-Jewish relations have soured and whatever platitudes may be uttered by recognized leaders of both groups, the rank and file among both groups often hold aggressive and condescending views of each other. Few remember or care to celebrate the heyday of the close, cordial and fraternal relations in the 1940s that differed from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s when Liberal Jewish activists were often in the forefront, sometimes to the chagrin of many young... Full story
SALT LAKE CITY (JTA)-It's Friday afternoon at the McGillis School in Salt Lake City, and students from the third through fifth grades are gathered for the weekly Shabbat celebration. They read and discuss a passage about humility by former British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Then a blonde girl with braided hair prepares to light the candles. A hush falls over the room as the flames are kindled, and the students recite the practiced benediction in unison: "As we bless this source of light, the... Full story
TEL AVIV (JTA)-Orli Malassa doesn't remember ever feeling anything but Israeli. To her parents, who came to Israel from Ethiopia in 1983 when she was 5 years old, Malassa's accent-free Hebrew, fluent use of Israeli slang and effortless assimilation into the Jewish state has felt nothing short of a miracle. "To this day, they are just amazed," Malassa says of her parents' attitude toward life in Israel. "It's a prophecy coming true for them, and they are just so grateful." An estimated 120,000... Full story
By Christine DeSouza In August 2014, The Heritage ran a story about Kara Finkelstein, who, at the age of 10, published her first book. The story was about a young girl named Bella who explored a magical forest and found two horses named Crystal and Rebel. Titled "The Forest: A Magical Adventure of Crystal and Rebel," the story is full of excitement and suspense as Bella plans a way to save her friends. In the Amazon review, Finkelstein's book is compared to J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series.... Full story
Hooray for Italy... Sure, you think that lead-in refers to the fabulous food, the handsome people, the beautiful countryside... well it all applies but I'm really referring to the article I read recently in the February edition of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. I will pass it along to you: "By a large majority, the Italian Chamber of Deputies has adapted legislation that criminalizes the denial of the Shoah. The vote followed a three-hour debate among representatives of different... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Every Jewish home has a sweet and sour meatballs recipe. For some of us it's scribbled down on a soiled napkin. For others it's in our favorite kosher cookbook. And probably for most of us, it's not written down anywhere but instead trapped in our grandmas' heads. That was the case for me until a couple of years ago, when my mom and I launched a mission to make a family cookbook. For hours we trailed my grandma around the kitchen with measuring cups, paper, a pen and lots of... Full story
(JTA)-When Evgeny Afineevsky began filming his Oscar-nominated documentary about Ukraine's revolution, he thought he was in for a fun project full of song and dance, oddly enough. Afineevsky, a 43-year-old Russian-born director who served in the Israeli army, says his first days in Kiev in 2013 were "one big festival," with people singing and playing musical instruments in Maidan, the square that was the birthplace of the upheaval. Yet as the fighting intensified in the winter of 2013-14,... Full story
BALTIMORE (JTA)-My teenage years were pretty Jewy. Back in high school, I happily attended Jewish day school, spent summers at a Jewish camp, went on a group Israel trip and took part in a few youth group events. So it was a strange feeling I experienced over President's Day weekend when I found myself looking back and suddenly feeling Jewishly deprived. Sounds corny. But that was my gut reaction standing among 2,500 spirited teens from around the world at the energized opening ceremonies of... Full story
By Ben Sales TEL AVIV (JTA)-After a missile strike during the 1973 Yom Kippur War left Omer Zur's father paralyzed from the chest down, his dad vowed to continue life as normal. But there was one Israeli pastime he couldn't enjoy: hiking. "He'd say, 'I'll go in the car and meet you on the other side,'" said Zur, a certified Israeli tour guide. "I said, 'Why can't he do this with us?'" In 2008, Zur decided that he and his wheelchair-user father would complete a 300-mile trek in southern Turkey.... Full story
HULA VALLEY, Israel (JTA)-Thousands of cranes sit in pairs in a field here, their outlines approaching the horizon. Then, all at once, they take flight, a cloud of black-and-white feathers filling the sky. Shai Agmon isn't interested in most of these. All he cares about is one pair near the front, slightly shorter than the rest. Most of the birds are common cranes, but these two are demoiselle cranes-a rare find in these parts. "They can't sleep in the desert and can't stop in southern Israel,"... Full story
AMSTERDAM (JTA)-Two months before they were deported from the Netherlands to Auschwitz, Louis Barzelay and Flora Snatager invited a few guests to their wedding in Amsterdam. Instead of the yellow star he was legally required to wear, Louis wore a white flower on his lapel as he posed with Flora in a doorway for their wedding photo. Flora is smiling faintly and looking slightly to the side while Louis stares straight at the camera, his lips pursed. It was May 31, 1942. For more than 70 years,... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-With the sudden passing last weekend of Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court is now split 4-4 between liberals and conservatives, throwing into doubt how the court will rule on a raft of cases-including several watched by Jewish organizations. Scalia, who was 79, is being mourned by Orthodox Jewish groups, which embraced his robust originalist doctrine, as well as Jewish church-state separation advocates, who railed at some of his decisions but admired his sharp wit and ded... Full story
After years of writing this column... How amazing! About 37 years of writing this column and I am only 45 years old! (Oh shut up!) So sorry I missed last week but recently becoming a widow and then hurting my back on top of that, proved to be too much for me to handle. But the column has returned! Here's to another 37 years! (Oy vay.) I like this Pope... I read in the current World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest the following, found it enlightening and pass it along to you: "Pope Francis welcomed... Full story
