Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3453 - 3477 of 4548
(JTA)-From Antarctica to Shanghai and farms to cities, this year's crop of High Holidays books for children offers a globe-trotting exploration. Friendship and family are the themes that run through five new titles that entertain and inform young ones and older readers. Turning the pages of a new book is the perfect way to usher in the holidays. Penguin Rosh Hashanah (CreateSpace Independent Publishing; ages 3-6) Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod Celebrating Rosh Hashanah can be tough for a young penguin... Full story
It all started with a little bump on his neck. Now Jason Mendelsohn is on a mission to conquer cancer and spread the word about human papilloma virus (HPV) related cancer. In April 2014, Mendelsohn was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, which turned out to be stage four HPV-related tonsil cancer, which had spread to two lymph nodes in his neck. He had a radical tonsillectomy and neck dissection in which 42 lymph nodes were removed in his neck, followed by seven weeks of chemo, radiation... Full story
Noa Weil, daughter of Aaron and Sharon Weil, went to Israel a year ago to join the Israel Defense Forces. Recently, she was highlighted in the IDF magazine "B'Machaneh." The following article was written by magazine reporter Naama Bialer: Meet Private Noa Weil, 19 years old from Kibbutz Magen, fighter in the Search and Rescue unit of the Home Front Command. She spoke with writer Naama Bialer about her life in the army. About her daily routine: "Under the current security situation, we patrol, ar... Full story
Recently, professional photographer Rinat Halon of Rinat Halon Photography and Communications devoted an afternoon to taking pictures of residents at Brookdale Island Lake assisted living facility. Volunteers and residents dressed up in holiday attire and used different Jewish props to capture the fun spirit that Jewish Pavilion volunteers bring to the residents. Shown here are volunteer Barry Rubenstein (left) and a resident enjoying The Heritage.... Full story
WASHINGTON (Washington Jewish Week via JTA) - When prominent Washington rabbi Barry Freundel was arrested last year for secretly videotaping dozens of women using the mikvah adjacent to his Orthodox synagogue, the sense of sacredness of the ritual of mikvah immersion was shattered for some local Jewish women. Local artist Rena Fruchter recently spearheaded a community project to put the pieces back together: A mural created by female members of Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue to place... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion's Young Women's Friends Group is off to a great start with events planned every other month throughout the year. On Aug. 13, the young women enjoyed painting on canvas at the JCC. Their next event is on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at Rock and Brews where pets are welcome. RSVP to Maya Brownyard at may8380@gmail.com or info@jewishpavilion.org.... Full story
(JTA)-During my four months studying in Italy in the fall of 2007, you could say I had more than my fair share of strange Jewish experiences. Running late for a train one morning in Florence, I decided the best course of action would be to lay tefillin in the janitor's closet at the station, only to have a policeman threaten to arrest me for trespassing. Lost in Rome one Friday afternoon, a Smart car pulled up alongside me, a 17-year-old leaned out the window and, in Hebrew, invited me to jump i... Full story
From the Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes book by Laura Frankel Rubbed Brisket Makes 10 servings Brisket is so traditional—how can you improve upon it? My friend Julia makes brisket rubbed with spices, wrapped in foil, and slowly cooked in the oven. She swears that the spice-infused meat stays plump and juicy and keeps its hearty texture. Inspired by her technique, I decided to adapt her method for the slow cooker. Boy, was she right! The fat melts into the meat and drips off. The bed of vegetables keeps the meat from sitting in the fat, and the f... Full story
Dangerous internet?... I received this warning from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. (With all the mishagas that's happening in my world lately, this I DIDN'T need!) The heading reads "Online Holocaust Denial Spreading Rapidly, LAJC Warns." I pass it along to you: "The Latin American Jewish Congress (LAJC), an affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, has warned that Holocaust denial on the Internet is growing quickly, and they have launched a campaign to combat the dangerous phenomenon.... Full story
Hidden journals that tell buried secrets ‘Even You’ by Marilyn Oser available September 2015 In the wake of the SCOTUS decision on same-sex marriage comes a stunning portrait of a long-term same-sex relationship and how it unravels. Claire Bramany, plump and fiftyish, is not what you’d call impetuous. She’s capable, reliable and steady. Her 23-year partnership with Jessie Friedman has been joyous at its best—and mostly it has been at its best. But when a sudden accident in Brooklyn in 1995 takes Jessie’s life, Claire’s world implodes in c... Full story
(JTA)-As Israeli bicyclist Yoav Bear sped through the end of Stage 2 of the U.S.A. Pro Challenge race at nearly 11,000 feet of elevation in the Colorado Rockies, he thrust his water bottle into the hand of a young spectator clutching an Israeli flag. Bear's gesture made the day, if not the vacation, of the 13-year-old bystander, Ilai Engelhardt, a resident of the northern Israeli town of Avtalion who loves competitive biking. On Tuesday, his American uncle and aunt had brought Ilai to the race,... Full story
CASTELNUOVO BERARDENGA, Italy (JTA)-Up a windy road in the tranquil Tuscan hills, down a gravel path and past acres of grapevines, a visitor will come across a stainless steel door frame secured with a piece of clear packing tape. The Hebrew scrawled on the adhesive reads: "David Solomon." Almost no one may remove this tape, open the door or use the winemaking equipment in an expansive room on the other side. Another door to the same room, sealed with a white plastic strip bearing a K inside a... Full story
Fourteen scouts from Troop 641 attended a weeklong summer camp this July at Camp Daniel Boone in the mountains of North Carolina. They earned over 50 merit badges and several of the newer Scouts received rank advancements, which will be presented to them on Sept. 20 at the Troops Court of Honor ceremony. Boys interested in joining the Boy Scout Troop should attend the Aug. 30th kick-off meeting at the Maitland JCC. Visit troop641orlando.org or contact scoutmaster@troop641orlando.org for further... Full story
(JTA)—Most schools forbid the use of cellphones by students during class, but in the Hasidic Jewish village of Kiryas Joel, New York, it’s the parents who are being required to power down. At the end of July, a notice was sent to families in the haredi Orthodox community about 50 miles northwest of New York City detailing strict parental prohibitions on smartphone use as a prerequisite for their children’s enrollment at the local yeshiva. “Make sure to put your devices in order and send in the filled out rules form for both parents (enclos... Full story
I'm really getting nervous... According to a new report from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest, "Violent anti-Semitism in Europe rose dramatically in 2014." This is very disturbing to me and most of you, I'm guessing. Not only for myself, but for my children and grandchildren and... Here is the report: "A newly released annual report on global anti-Semitism, issued by Tel-Aviv University, found the situation of Jews in Europe more dangerous and precarious than ever before. The report... Full story
(JTA)-Jewish violin virtuoso Roman Totenberg enjoyed a long life, making it to the ripe old age of 101. But that wasn't quite long enough to be reunited with the prized instrument that was stolen from him in 1980. The FBI officially announced Thursday that it had recovered Totenberg's almost 300-year-old Stradivarius, which he purchased in 1943. With just a few hundred of its type in the world, it's now worth millions of dollars, according to The Associated Press. The Polish-born Totenberg, who... Full story
By Suzanne Pollak (Washington Jewish Week via JTA)-Jennifer Weiner wasn't funny during our telephone interview, and she never once asked me about my weight. Could the author of a dozen very popular-pardon the phrase-"chick lit" novels not be the embodiment of the characters in her clearly autobiographical work? Weiner leaped out of the literary gate in 2001 with her first novel, "Good in Bed," about a plus-size woman's right to love and be loved; she has enjoyed a huge following ever since. Her... Full story
DEAUVILLE, France (JTA)-This seaside community situated 125 miles west of Paris boasts windswept beaches, turquoise-water marinas, a grand casino, a race track and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Deauville, spanning 2.2 square miles, also has five kosher restaurants, three main synagogues and more than 20 smaller Jewish congregations. The picturesque Lower Normandy township emerged decades ago as a favorite holiday destination among affluent Paris Jews for its littoral beauty, plentiful... Full story
Orlando magician, Kostya Kimlat, will appear on the Monday, Aug. 17 episode of "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" on the CW at 8 p.m. "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" is a one-hour competition series celebrating magic and featuring the legendary duo Penn & Teller. On each episode, aspiring magicians are invited to perform their best trick to try and fool one of magic's most famous pairs. A resident of Orlando, Kimlat founded See Magic Live, which trains and books magicians for events across the country. His... Full story
By Jacob Kaplan (Jewniverse via JTA)—Jews from Denmark first arrived on the white beaches of what is now St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands—a tiny speck off the coast of Puerto Rico—in the mid-17th century. These were descendants of a Jewish population that had fled Spain for other parts of Europe during the Inquisition. St. Thomas afforded them a certain religious autonomy that wasn’t always available on the mainland. In the ensuing centuries, a Jewish community flourished in the capital city of Charlotte Amalie, which now boasts the St. Thomas... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-It may be America's most iconic kosher brand, famous for its hot dogs that in the words of its unforgettable ad slogan, "answer to a higher authority." So consumers might be confused to find videos on Hebrew National's homepage suggesting they grill up their kosher franks with some bacon or halloumi cheese. Hebrew National's "Simple Summer Skewers" video serves up several unusual kebab combos, including Sweet & Spicy Halloumi (halloumi cheese, Hebrew National franks, pineapple,... Full story
(JTA)-The Los Angeles Dodgers may never achieve the lore of their brethren in Brooklyn, but now at least they've brought a bit of Brooklyn to the West Coast-in the form of hot dogs. Earlier this week, Dodger Stadium opened its first kosher hot dog stand, Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory. The stand, which is open for the season's remaining home games-except for those on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays-is serving up three versions of its titular tube steak: regular and jalapeno, both $9, and sweet... Full story
Simply outrageous... I received this update from the Simon Wiesenthal Center recently... and it literally made me feel sick. Read on: "You may not have heard about the outrageous sermon delivered at Al-Aqsa Mosque just a few weeks ago by Sheik KHALAD AL-MUGHRABI. Now Al-Mughrabi is no ordinary preacher, but a preacher at one of the holiest sites in Islam, just a stones's throw away from the Western Wall. And his sermon was so outrageous, so full of hate, that it should have made the front pages... Full story
For those who try to get in better touch with their Ashkenazi Jewish heritage by studying Yiddish at the college level, there are challenges-but those can be outweighed by the nakhes (pride or pleasure) of rediscovering the nearly lost language. "The most exciting thing about learning Yiddish is that it opens the door to the fascinating world of Yiddish culture that has flourished for over a thousand years and awaits explorers, researchers, translators and educators," Agi Legutko-director of... Full story
(JTA)-The world of reality TV is vast and scary, and I know because I watch way too much of it. But there are surprising gems to be found, and Game Show Network's "Skin Wars" is one of them. Currently in its second season, the reality competition show is modeled after "Project Runway," but instead of fashion-design hopefuls creating a new look for models to don each week, the contestants on "Skin Wars" bring their art directly to the model's naked skin (save for some pasties and nude... Full story
