Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Before I start this column... I want to express my deepest sympathy to the loved ones of those who were murdered in the recent Paris massacre. My prayers are also for the people who were seriously wounded. How cruel. How sad. How sick. The brilliance of Israeli universities... I'm sure that most of you already know about the great strides being made in Israeli universities, many involving medical solutions. For instance, here are some of the accomplishments of Ben-Gurion University of the...
(The Nosher via JTA)—Thanksgiving was a sacred holiday in my family growing up. There were a series of rituals, smells, sounds and foods we knew we could expect each and every year without fail. The Macy’s Day Parade on TV in the background. Pillsbury biscuits with lots of butter. Stuffed mushrooms. Glazed sweet potatoes. And at least one person lighting themselves on fire by accident. One of the foods that always made an appearance occurred after Thanksgiving itself: leftover turkey noodle soup that my dad would make with the remaining tur...
The Seeking Kin column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA)-For the Wenders, a family friend's glimpse of their relative Chaim was a case of so close, yet so far. It was in the mid-1930s, when the friend, Israel Yudelson, was visiting prestate Israel. At a Tel Aviv library, he spotted a familiar face. "You look like the Wenders I know back in Atlanta," Yudelson is said to have told the man. "I'm Chaim Wender," he responded. Yudelson did not write down the man's address or...
With the publication of a new edition of the Hebrew Bible under his belt, Rabbi Naphtali (Tuly) Weisz is set to manifest his vision for honoring and nurturing evangelical Christian support for Jews and the Jewish homeland. It wasn't so long ago that Christians weren't always viewed as a Jew's best friend. But that's not how things are playing out today, says Weisz, the former pulpit rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation in Columbus, Ohio. Ordained by the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at...
(Kveller via JTA)—When I moved to Israel 11 years ago, I knew many things about my life would change. I knew I’d have to learn a new language, a new culture and give up lots of things about my old way of life. But a girl’s got to be honest with herself—there are some things in life you can give up on and some things you’d never dream of letting go. For me, a traditional Thanksgiving is one of those things I’m keeping, especially here in the Holy Land. One thing you have to know about celebrating Thanksgiving in Israel is that while this may be...
No cracks, bams or dots about it. And no jokers here! Running into a wall... or wall game... was never so much fun! For nearly two years, a group of Orlando women have been playing mahjong and saving their "wall" winnings. For those that are not familiar, a "wall" game basically is a winner-less game. The group, composed of Es Cohen, Dolores Indek, Judy Kahan, Lila Tinkoff and Linda Wallerstein made a decision that each player would contribute a quarter each time there was a wall game, with the...
By Pamela Ruben "Today's A Taste in the Park and multi-generational festival more than lived up to its name, and exceeded all our expectations by bringing every generation to the table on behalf of the elder community," stated Jewish Pavilion Executive Director Nancy Ludin. More than 400 participants of all ages stepped up to the plate, munching happily on samplings from dozens of restaurants while visiting with friends and neighbors of all ages at the Pavilion-sponsored tasting event. The...
Memories of World War II... (I hate to admit it but I have such memories also, even though I'm NOT that old!!!!) In a recent issue of Reminisce Magazine, a lady named MARLENE B. BROWN wrote this article. It struck a chord with me and I send it along to you: "How well I remember the last days of the war; I grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and my neighbor Frank and I shredded old newspapers and filled bushel baskets in anticipation of the war's end. On the day victory was announced, Frank took the...
Nov. 10, 2015, was the 46th anniversary of the launch of the children's television program "Sesame Street" back in 1969. The Jewish Community's Dr. Lewis Bernstein worked on both the original American version and the Israeli-Palestinian versions of the show for many years. On Nov. 4, the Jewish Federation of Pinellas and Pasco Counties, Florida, hosted Bernstein as guest speaker for their 2016 Campaign Launch Party, "The Art of Giving," held at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg,...
CHICAGO (JUF News via JTA)-Norman Lear describes a lot of encounters in life as the "foolishness of the human condition"-and he's examined that foolishness for nine decades and counting on television and off. Real life-even the pain and sadness-has the foolish baked right in, according to Lear. "There is humor everywhere," he said. "Standing with a group of people watching a casket go into the ground and [you see] the chief mourner scratching his [tuchas]. There is humor there. Where there is...
NEW YORK (JTA)—Some 3,000 Jews gathered in Washington Nov. 8-10 for the annual General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. If you’re a little fuzzy on what Jewish federations are and what they do, you’re not alone. Here’s a primer. What’s a Jewish federation? Jewish federations are centralized charities run by local Jewish communities around the United States. In each community, the federation raises money from local sources and then funds a variety of local, national and international needs—everything from elder housing for...
ORLANDO (JTA)-Growing up in a traditional Jewish household, Joan Cubell didn't really know much about Reform Judaism. But after obtaining ordination a few years ago from a little-known rabbinical institute in suburban New York, Cubell decided to make her home in the Reform movement. First she got a job as the leader of the Reform Temple Beth Shira in Boca Raton, Florida, and more recently she launched her own start-up congregation in Boca, Beit Kulam, Hebrew for House of Everyone. "Reform's the...
The "Seeking Kin" column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA)-Norm Sherry didn't go ashore in 1952 when the ship that was transporting his U.S. Army infantry division stopped in England, his mother's country of birth. Once in West Germany, Sherry led his division's baseball team to the championship of American military units there. Now 84, Sherry would go on to become a major league catcher, manager and coach. He's still never visited England. Sherry mentioned his...
ORLANDO (JTA)-Last week was a big one for Daryl Messinger. A resident of Palo Alto, California, and an active board member of several organizations, Messinger was installed as chair of the Union for Reform Judaism, becoming the first woman to hold that post. And she chanted Torah for the first time-in front of 5,000 worshippers at Shabbat morning services. Following the movement's biennial here, Messinger answered a few questions via email. JTA: What are your thoughts on becoming the first woman...
BBYO teens from North Florida Region, the BBYO region serving Jewish teens in Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, Naples and Jacksonville, hosted over 50 members at Regional Kallah, which coincided with BBYO's Global Shabbat, themed A Shabbat to Remember, held Nov. 6-7. Among the participants was Gene Klein, a Holocaust survivor who shared his story of struggle and perseverance, just days before the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht as the teens in attendance embraced the great responsibility of passing...
During the 2014 Oscars, they celebrated the 75th anniversary of the release of the “Wizard of Oz” by having Pink sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” But what few people realized, while listening to that incredible performer singing that unforgettable song, is that the music is deeply embedded in the Jewish experience. It is no accident, for example, that the greatest Christmas songs of all time were written by Jews. For example, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was written by Johnny Marks and “White Christmas” was penned by a Jewish liturgic...
