Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3232 - 3256 of 4526
For the first time in The Heritage’s history, Gloria Yousha is taking a one-week, much needed break from her column, “Scene Around.” She will be back for the Feb. 26 issue.... Full story
KFAR CHABAD, Israel (JTA)-In an otherwise deserted field at the center of this rural Israeli village, a Brooklyn brownstone presents an incongruous sight. If it looks like it would fit perfectly in Crown Heights, that's because it already does. The three-story apartment house topped by three gables is a brick-for-brick reconstruction of 770 Eastern Parkway, the storied headquarters of the late Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and his Chabad-Lubavitch movement. The address is... Full story
By Leora Eisenberg (Kveller via JTA)—I looked at myself in the mirror and I liked the way I looked—no easy feat for a 17-year-old girl. My long skirt dangled around my ankles, and my turtleneck sweater coiled itself around my arms and neck. The provocation and sexual charge that are so often present in teenage clothing were gone. And I was glad. I thought back to the time my friends told me that I dress “too modestly.” I wondered: What would they have said had I responded, “You dress too sexually”? Tears stung my eyes and anger choked my w... Full story
Jonathan Nizar Elkhoury wants minority populations in Israel to speak up about what life is really like in the Jewish state. He wants the world to know that Israel is a safe haven for persecuted Middle East minorities. For Elkhoury, this isn't just loose talk. He is gay, Christian, and a Lebanese refugee. Elkhoury was 9 years old when his family fled war-torn Lebanon for Israel. His father was a soldier in the South Lebanon Army (SLA), which was established in 1982 and was supported by Israel in... Full story
(Jewniverse via JTA)-There's been a surge of interest in entomophagy, the human consumption of insects. Eighty percent of the world's population already does it. Even in Israel, a recent locust swarm got foodies salivating, even though it's unclear whether-or more precisely, which-locusts are kosher. Americans have been eating insects for decades, and one of its chief proponents was a German-Jewish textile manufacturer. Max Ries set up a cheese import business from the back of his station wagon... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Cake pops are such a fun, bite-sized way to serve dessert-particularly for special occasions. And I love this unique twist on the decadent combination of chocolate and halva. For those that might be a little wary of a halva, fear not: You can add as little (or as much) halva as you like. One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can make it with boxed cake mix! That's right-a trained pastry chef is encouraging you to cheat on this one. I have made this recipe with... Full story
The "Seeking Kin" column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA)-As a librarian, Oren Kaplan researches obscure facts and utilizes databases to track down information. So when the Haifa resident read a recent "Seeking Kin" column about someone in his city, Menahem Orenstein, who hoped to locate a long-lost childhood buddy, Kaplan decided to put his experience to work. Within a week, Kaplan had located Orenstein's old friend, David Bak, living in Stockton, California, about... Full story
Central Florida Hillel students posed with Mosab Hassan Yousef (fifth from left), author of 'Son of Hamas' and a former Shin Bet informant, at AIPAC's annual Orlando event, attended by 300 Jews and Christians. Shown here are UCF students (l-r), Adam Ifargan, Tamara Zishuk, Desia Bacon, Jessica Garmizo, (Yousef), Nichole Kostiuk, Rebekah Schachner, Talia Mor and Ben Suster.... Full story
The annual conference of Chabad representatives ended Monday with a resounding affirmation of the preeminent place of the woman in Jewish life and community. Some 3,000 women from 87 countries attended the International Conference of Shluchos (female emissaries) at Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters in Brooklyn. Among the thousands of women, five Orlando women participated in the five-day conference; Devorah Leah Dubov, co-director of Chabad of Greater Orlando; Chani Konikov, co-director of Chabad... Full story
With the average volunteer model aged 40 years plus, the Jewish Pavilion's "Spring into Fashion" held at Bloomingdales' in Orlando on Feb. 5 showcased beauty and fashions for all ages. More than 100 women gathered at the eighth annual Jewish Pavilion Fashion Show for a morning of friendship, food, fashion and fun. A handful of Pavilion volunteers, ranging from college students to retirees, graciously served as runway models as event commentator, Rachel Jensen, shared the latest seasonal fashion... Full story
Oy vay, here we go again?... I am really getting concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism. It is upsetting to say the least, but not talking about it, keeping quiet about it, is definitely the WRONG thing to do. So I am passing on to you the following article in part from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Digest: "The Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a unanimous resolution regarding 'the safety and security of Jewish communities in Europe.' This follows... Full story
BERLIN (JTA) - Set amid a 1944 prisoner uprising at Auschwitz, "Son of Saul" stood out as a long shot when its producers first applied for funding from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The film's director, Laszlo Nemes, had no experience with feature films; its lead actor hadn't been on a film set in 15 years; and its script included long, silent and out-of-focus shots. But the Claims Conference, which negotiates restitution for Nazi victims, ultimately decided to help... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)-My first transgression was a cheesesteak. I was 6 years old, maybe younger, staring down the gateway to deviance. If my dinner plate were the back page of Highlights for Children, I had the answer in the bag. What was wrong with the picture? A gross violation of church and state. The flagrant commingling, no-outright canoodling-of two items that had no business being together: milk and meat. At home, we observed the laws of kashrut: two sets of silverware, two sets of... Full story
By Cnaan Liphshiz KAZAN, Russia (JTA)-When the six members of the Simcha klezmer band hauled their instruments into a dilapidated rehearsal space, no one suspected they were about to hijack a government building in this large, clean city some 450 miles east of Moscow. But that's exactly what happened in 1995 when this popular ensemble-founded in 1989 by Jewish musicians during the Soviet Union's twilight years-entered the Teacher's House, a government-controlled building that had once been a syn... Full story
The story of the modern exodus of "Beta Israel" the Jews of Ethiopia during Operations Moses and Solomon, which together airlifted some 22,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, is well known. Less well known is the dramatic exodus of over 48,000 Jews from Yemen. Almost unknown is the role played by Alaska Airlines. No one knows for certain when the first Jews came to Yemen. Local legend has them being sent as traders by King Solomon. In any event, Jews have lived in Yemen for many centuries. In that... Full story
Dr. Richard Signer, who played a leading role in establishing not one but two of Central Florida's leading children's hospitals, is retiring this week after a 40-year career at Florida Hospital. Dr. Signer arrived in Central Florida in 1976, at which time he was only the second pediatric surgeon in the region. He went on to found Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in 1989, followed by Florida Hospital for Children in 2000. "I want to acknowledge the tremendous kindness and generosity those... Full story
"Freedom is not Free"... How well we know that statement! I, myself, have used it many, many times. But where does it come from? I recently found out when I received the following poem from The American Legion, which was submitted by John M. McCormick. The poem was written by KELLY STRONG while he was still in high school in Homestead, Florida. It was inspired by his father, a career Marine. Kelly Strong later became a commander in the U.S. Coast Guard. Here is the entire poem: "I watched the... Full story
Kinneret Council on Aging welcomed Susan Bernstein of Temple Israel to lead a Tu B' Shevat seder on Thursday, Jan. 21, in the dining room at Kinneret Apartments. Allita Dunn (shown in photo) and 20 other residents participated in the seder that featured fruits and grains and red and white grape juice for wine. "This was the first time our residents experienced a Tu B'Shevat seder," said Leslie Collin, executive administrator of the Kinneret Council on Aging. "We hope to make it an annual event... Full story
Synagogues should not be a place to go just on holidays or special occasions. Today’s challenge is to make synagogues relevant and meaningful so that they are viewed as spiritual and educational centers designed to encourage community engagement year-round. In an effort to find ways to better engage South Florida’s Jewish Community, The Orloff Central Agency for Jewish Education (Orloff CAJE) and the Institute of Jewish Knowledge and Learning (IJKL) will be showcasing innovative practices that have brought a new energy to the 21st century syn... Full story
Justice finally served... I read this in the current issue of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Digest and pass it along to you: "A judge in Kansas has followed a jury's recommendation and sentenced the avowed anti-Semitic and white supremacist FRAZIER GLENN MILLER Jr. to death for the fatal shooting of three people at two Jewish sites in April 2014. Miller was convicted of killing Reat Underwood, 14, and his grandfather, William Corporon, 69, outside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Alejandro Beutel bowed his yarmulke-covered head and pressed his hands and forehead into the 2,000-year-old stones of the Western Wall. After slipping a note into one of the cracks, Beutel whispered a prayer and cried. It's a scene that unfolds daily at the sacred site in the Old City here-except that Beutel is a convert to Islam, the son of a Jewish father and Christian mother. He was one of 11 Muslim activists who visited Israel this month as part of the Muslim Leadership... Full story
In an ongoing effort to assist patients, and particularly young patients overcome the emotional challenges associated with hospitalization, the Lincoln David Abraham Paediatric Educational Institute at Shaare Zedek released a book titled “Preparation for Surgery.” The full color book is specifically designed for children to help familiarize themselves through bright pictures and explanations of the process involved in undergoing surgery at the hospital. The 40-page publication uses a story-book form to chart the course of a young girl who und... Full story
"The Double Life of Laurence Oliphant," by Bart Casey This book is the improbable tale of a Victorian young man who abandoned a glittering career as an author, war correspondent, diplomat and Member of Parliament to embark on a quest to understand the true meaning of life by finding God and the angels in heaven. He believed he succeeded in that mission, together with his beautiful young wife, British heiress Alice le Strange, first by pledging his fortune and subservience to a hypnotic prophet f... Full story
LINDSBORG, Kan. (JTA)-Thousands of birds strutted around like rambunctious kids at recess-six varieties of turkey and nearly 40 breeds of chicken, duck and geese. As soon as a stranger stepped into their dominion, a dozen of the largest toms surrounded the visitor. "They're just making sure you're not here to take over the flock," fourth-generation farmer Frank Reese Jr. explained. Out on the open Kansas prairie, about 80 miles north of Wichita, Reese's Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch has become an... Full story
(Jewniverse via JTA)—Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday (on De. 12, 2015) has brought on a flurry of centennial celebrations, books, exhibits and Sultan of Swoon-inspired concerts. Jack Daniel’s even issued a Sinatra Century blend and Uber offered a fleet of vintage cars so people in New York City could ride in Sinatra style. One detail that maybe wasn’t exactly planned for the festivities was the reveal last week that Sinatra’s body was hidden after his death – in a Jewish funeral home. Sinatra died on May 14, 1998, of a heart attack in Los Ange... Full story
