Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3338 - 3362 of 4556
Want to change the Jewish community or even the world? Inspire a Jewish mother. No offense meant toward men. However, if a woman who has young children is inspired, she inspires her family. If enough families are inspired, a community can be inspired; and if enough communities become inspired, it can change the world. This is the belief of eight Jewish women who started the Jewish Women's Renaissance Program (JWRP) in 2008. How are Jewish women inspired? One proven way is to take them on a... Full story
Back in the 60s, American band Sly and the Family Stone got everyone on their feet with their hit song "Stand!" ("You've been sitting much too long"). Today Bethanne Weiss, aka the Asset Queen, is singing that same tune in her new book, "Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank!," encouraging her "peops" to stand more and sit (on their assets) less. She says in the book, that it hit her like a "one-pound brick of butta," that those who move more than they sit have less kvetches, ailments... Full story
The "Seeking Kin" column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA)-When Brazil native Fabio Rosenfeld brought up launching a search for his grandfather's sister who had survived the Holocaust, I opened my "National Geographic Atlas of the World" to locate her hometown of Reghin. A week later, the surname and the area struck me as familiar, so back to the atlas I went. There was Reghin, in the Transylvania region of Romania and Hungary, near Cluj-Napoca, a town central to a... Full story
NEW YORK (Kveller via JTA)—Growing up, ours was the only house on the block with a menorah glowing in the window. This should have put me onto the fast track to Christmas envy, but it didn’t. I respected Christmas, but was never jealous of those who celebrated. In fact, watching my neighbors actually gave me a deeper appreciation for the simpler joys of Chanukah. Here’s why: Early-bird shopping Celebrating Chanukah means I usually have an earlier gift-buying deadline to meet than my counterparts. I have to get myself in gear way before Chris... Full story
Anti-Semitism is alive and well and HERE!... I received mail from Hillel International President and CEO ERIC D. FINGERHUT, and in the wake of the anti-Semitic flyers posted around the campus of our own University of Central Florida, I thought I should pass it along in part: "As Thanksgiving break has come and after it, the mad rush toward final exams for 400,000 Jewish college students across the United States, there is something I must urgently convey about life on today's campuses. Is it... Full story
(JTA)-I first tasted latkes for brunch at a trendy eatery on the Lower East Side about six years ago. Since then, I've seen them across the country on brunch menus everywhere from diners to Michelin Star restaurants. Latkes-or potato pancakes, as they're known to non-Jews-are comfort food that provide the perfect base to any number of savory toppings, but especially a runny egg or salty, fatty smoked salmon. After all, a latke is very similar to hash browns, a quintessential breakfast food.... Full story
WASHINGTON (Washington Jewish Week via JTA)-With the Boy Scouts of America's ban on gay employees lifted this summer, it's a good time to be pitching scouting to the liberal American Jewish streams. So says Bruce Chudacoff, the chair of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting. A representative of the Boy Scouts and longtime advocate for Jewish scouts, he set up shop at the Reform and Conservative biennial conferences last month. From his booth decorated with posters touting the benefits of sco... Full story
When Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, Portugal's authoritarian ruler since 1932, finally was unable to rule effectively and his regime subsequently deposed by a military coup in 1974 (The Carnation Revolution), there was universal agreement that he left Portugal the poorest and most backward nation in Western Europe. Reporters on the scene in Lisbon reported signs of jubilation equaling V-E Day in London or Paris. How is it possible then that when a Portuguese television program ran a survey in... Full story
SECAUCUS, N.J. (JTA)-Welch's is coming to seder this year. For decades, America's kosher grape juice market has been dominated by Kedem, whose sweet libations come in concord, blush, white, peach, diet and a variety of sparkling flavors. But with U.S. sales flat when it comes to non-kosher grape juice, Welch's, America's largest grape juice company, is muscling its way into the kosher market. Starting in January, Welch's will begin selling 100 percent grape juice certified by the Orthodox Union... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-They were called "so-called" refugees, told they were alien to American culture and warned against as potential enemies of the United States. This heated anti-refugee rhetoric in America was directed against Jews trying to flee Europe, not Mexicans or Syrians. Back in the 1930s and '40s, the fear was of Nazi and Communist infiltrators sneaking in along with the refugees rather than the Islamic militants or Mexican criminals that some fear today. Here's a snapshot of what... Full story
AMSTERDAM (JTA)-They warn you that parenting means doing a bunch of stuff you never imagined yourself doing. I had always assumed this applied to saying to children things like, "You watch your tone of voice, young lady" or, "Let's not eat things we find in our underwear." But in my case, the moment came before my son was even born, when I found myself begging a Belgian kosher slaughterer, or shochet, to come to the Netherlands and circumcise him. In my native Israel or the United States,... Full story
(JTA)—The menorah bong is having a moment. By now, you may have seen the year-old YouTube video of a bearded guy in a blazer lighting all eight bowls of the Grav Menorah—a cross between a glass bong and a traditional hanukiah—and taking one massive toke. But the religiously inspired cannabis consumption device, which retails for, yes, $699 at 420Science.com, was not originally intended for sale. In fact, David Daily, the 35-year-old glass blower and businessman behind Grav Labs—the scientific glass company he founded a decade ago in Austin,... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—The so-called “Kate Middleton effect”—by which anything the Duchess of Cambridge wears becomes an instant best-seller—seems to know no bounds. She has graced the covers of countless magazines; entire blogs are devoted to what she wears. And, as it happens, the duchess is the perfect style icon for observant Jewish women. “She’s modest, demure and modern,” says Adi Heyman, founder of the fashion blog Fabologie. So it’s perhaps no surprise that one of Middleton’s signature style pieces—the fascinator—has caught on as a head cov... Full story
(JTA)-Writer and director Jill Soloway grew up in what she calls a "somewhat normalish, upper middle class Jewish household" in Chicago. Her mom was a public relations consultant (she worked for Mayor Jane Byrne) and her dad a psychiatrist. But she always sensed that "something was a little off," she tells JTA in a telephone interview. "Not much more than that. Just a little bit different. Nothing I could easily identify." What that "little bit" was became clear about five years ago, when her... Full story
ISRAEL21c-Israel features in 11 categories in the Condé Nast Traveler's 28th annual Readers' Choice Awards. Jerusalem, El Al, and select Eilat, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv hotels were chosen as among the world's best in their different travel groupings. Jerusalem was named as one of the Best Cities in the World. "Long a place of religious pilgrimage for Christians, Jews and Muslims, Jerusalem is now drawing a different sort of pilgrim: the global traveler. In addition to its significant sacred and... Full story
Have you ever heard of JDC?... I hadn't until now, actually not until I received this info in the mail last week. JDC stands for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Their main headquarters is located at 711 Third Avenue, New York City. JDC is the world's leading Jewish humanitarian organization. For nearly a century, JDC has been saving lives and giving hope to the neediest Jews in the world. Throughout its long history, JDC has coupled the concern for Jewish lives with an equally... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-There is nothing cuter than my 5-year old daughter coming home from kindergarten with an overly decorated menorah in hand singing "Ner li Ner li, ner li dakik," the Israeli version of "This Little Light of Mine." The song speaks about the little candle, so thin, small and all hers to light. Personalizing the holiday for kids is just good pedagogy. Through song, play and creative arts, early childhood educators get these little Maccabees to embody the holiday and feel they have... Full story
William (Baruch Nissan) Snyder is a vibrant 12-year-old boy. He loves baseball, football, swimming, riding his bike, and playing video games. He laughs heartily, his gigantic sense of humor shining through-with one hand on his special dog, Asha. But like his Hebrew name, William is a blessed miracle. Each day of his last 10-and-a-half years has been a miracle. Father Ron Snyder recalls that when William was around 7 months old, he and wife Lori felt "something didn't seem right" with their first... Full story
Inspired by the lifesaving work of Magen David Adom, Avi the Ambulance brings young readers along on exciting adventures in emergency training and rescue. This picture-book series also helps young children discover the Jewish value of helping others. A new, multi-part illustrated book series introducing young readers to the mitzvot of helping others and saving lives has rolled out in time for the holidays. Developed through a new partnership between American Friends of Magen David (AFMDA) and... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—With Chanukah on the way, it’s easy to hold a party where all guests—disabled and not—feel welcomed, respected and have fun. All it takes is some planning. Here are some tips to ensure you are being inclusive, thoughtful and welcoming to all. 1. Don’t be afraid. People with disabilities have their disabilities 24/7, so they know how to create workarounds that make them feel comfortable. If you know someone has a disability, use a simple strategy: Ask them what they need to be fully included. All too often, people with disa... Full story
Volunteers Bernice and Joe Davids had more fun than a barrel monkeys late last month, as they wrapped adorable plush gifts for Jewish Pavilion seniors earmarked for the coming Chanukah season. While many of us think of plush animals as toys intended for children, an increasing number of studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that stuffed animals can be effective comfort objects for people of all ages, and seniors in particular. A recent AARP article suggested that plush animals offer seniors... Full story
It is a truth universally acknowledged that... we can never get tired of Chanukah latkes and sufganiyot (the holiday's deep-fried jelly doughnuts). But there's no harm in adding some culinary variety to this year's Festival of Lights. Pastry chef Paula Shoyer offers a doughnut recipe with a twist as well as two alternative recipes that are great for Chanukah and will satisfy any sweet tooth. All of the recipes are courtesy of Shoyer's "The Holiday Kosher Baker" (Sterling Epicure, November... Full story
If made properly, fresh doughnuts are never greasy and have a soft bread-like interior. To make healthier doughnuts, bake the doughnuts in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 20 minutes instead of frying. If the oil is the proper temperature, frying seals the outside layer of the doughnut and prevents the oil from seeping in. If the temperature of the oil is too low, it cannot form an exterior seal, resulting in greasy doughnuts that have absorbed too much oil. If the oil is too hot, the outside will burn before the inside is fully cooked and your doughnu... Full story
SHORT HILLS, N.J. (JTA)-"Show your support for the people of Paris by temporarily updating your profile picture with this new template we created," read the Facebook-sponsored text promoted not 24 hours after last week's terror attacks in Paris. The social media giant invited users to overlay their profile picture with the blue, white and red colors of the French flag. Within hours, my Facebook feed became awash in those colors, as well-meaning friends painted their virtual faces in solidarity... Full story
By Caleb R. Newton Nov. 9, 2015, was the 77th Anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass, known in German as Kristallnacht. Seventy-seven years ago, the Nazis and their comrades stormed through the streets of Germany and German-occupied lands, killing nearly 100 Jews and terrorizing hundreds of thousands more. In humanitarian response, encouraged by groups like the British Committee for the Jews of Germany, the British government allowed the transport of thousands of endangered, mostly Jewish, chi... Full story
