Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA)-Former Israeli President Shimon Peres may be a big U2 fan, but it seems like Bono is an even bigger Shimon Peres fan. Peres was in Toronto for an economic conference and attended U2's performance at the Air Canada Centre there. During the encore, Bono took advantage of the opportunity to praise Peres-who also served as Israel's prime minister, among other roles -- for his efforts to broker a two-state solution. "There's somebody here who's got one of the hardest jobs on earth," Bono said,... Full story
New research findings... This information comes directly from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest with asides by me in parenthesis. I find it very interesting but not at all surprising: "A recent report released by Pew Research Center and reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency found that Muslims will overtake Christians in the last half of the 21st century as the world's largest religious group in the United States. Muslims will comprise 2.3 percent of the population in 2050, up from 0.9... Full story
(Jewniverse via JTA)-Long before Lady Gaga was pulling down her knickers on London stages, there was a bawdy blonde breaking boundaries named Sophie Tucker. Tucker was born Sonya Kalish in 1887. Her family soon fled czarist Russia and set up a new life in Hartford, Connecticut, where Tucker started out singing for tips at her parents' restaurant. When she tried to make it in the Big Apple, she was told she was too homely. But Tucker zipped up her sequined gown and kept on crooning. "The Outrageo... Full story
(JTA)-Will lightning strike thrice? Who better to ask than Thunder? That would be Thunder Levin, the writer of the campy, over-the-top "Sharknado" movies-the latest of which, "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!," premieres on July 22. For those unfamiliar with the "Sharknado"oeuvre, the films center on a strange weather phenomenon: A hurricane that precipitates a tornado. Together they suck up live, hungry sharks that subsequently rain down on humanity. In a kind of Darwinian miracle, during those few... Full story
(JTA)—The Jewish refugee village of Anatevka, Ukraine, is so new it doesn’t even officially exist yet. Due to open in September, the Anatevka Jewish Refugee Community hadn’t received much attention in the Jewish media until last week, when its developers began raising funds for the $6 million project, designed for Ukrainian Jews displaced by the war ravaging the country’s east. Still, you may be thinking, Anatevka sounds familiar. You’re right: It’s the fictional hometown of Tevye the Dairyman from Joseph Stein’s hugely famous “Fiddler on t... Full story
By Kim Kushner (The Nosher via JTA)-To me, nothing defines Moroccan cooking more than the classical preparation of fish. The vibrant red, yellow and green colors, the spicy aroma, and the delicate textures all come together in this perfect dish. Traditionally, the fish is assembled and marinated in the fridge overnight, but if you are short on time, you can easily go ahead and cook it straightaway. I recommend serving this fish with my crispy rice cakes with saffron crust. This is a wonderful... Full story
He isn't a professional entertainment agent or a motivational speaker; and he isn't an activities director or fundraiser, but he is very good at all these jobs. He is Berny Raff, and he is this year's recipient of the Heritage Human Service Award because all these "jobs" aren't really jobs to him, they are what he does, and has always done to better this community. Berny was nominated by Susan Sparrow, Jewish Pavilion office manager. She has known Berny for 10 years and wishes she could clone a... Full story
Each year approximately 60,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This degenerative brain disorder is second only to Alzheimer's in prevalence. The actor Michael J. Fox brought national attention to this chronic disease in 1998 after being diagnosed with it in 1991. He has since become an advocate for research toward finding a cure and created the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2010. There is no cure yet for Parkinson's and it is not know how people contract it, however... Full story
Acknowledging wonderful people... This comes from the World Jewish Congress digest this month. I pass it along to you in its entirety: "Lord GEORGE WEIDENFELD, the 95 year old statesman, scholar and publisher, recently accepted the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Theodor Herzl Award at a gala dinner at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The award recognizes outstanding individuals who carry forward Herzl's ideals for a safer, more tolerant world for the Jewish people. WJC President Ambassador... Full story
(JTA)-It's been eight months since Jewish freelance journalist Steven Sotloff was beheaded by ISIS. Still shaken by the loss, his hometown of Pinecrest, Florida-an upscale community of some 20,000 people, just south of Miami-continues to find new ways to honor his memory. The tributes to Sotloff range in scale from local tributes to programs global in reach. "Temple Beth Am Day Day School wants you to know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten," fifth-grader Zachary Marcus wrote in a... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-It's officially hot dog season, if ever there was one, and I freely admit: I love hot dogs. I have even found a way to combine a love of hot dogs with a love of challah with my famous challah dogs. What are challah dogs, you might be wondering? Well, it's my answer to the bagel dog or the pretzel dog. And one of the great things about this recipe is you can use any challah recipe you prefer. The key is rolling your challah into roughly 3-ounce pieces and then snaking it... Full story
A disturbing email... I recently heard from a representative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center with some upsetting news. I truly was taken by surprise. I pass it along to you: "The Simon Wiesenthal Center today condemned the UCC vote by the General Synod (national decision-making body) of the United Church of Christ to boycott Israeli companies and to divest from companies doing business with Israel." (What is the UCC, you ask?) Read on: The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse... Full story
Through appreciation of both his comedy and humanitarian work, legendary Jewish entertainer Jerry Lewis is staying relevant at age 89. The only comic to ever be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, Lewis added another award to his trophy case in April, when he received the 2015 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Gordon Smith, NAB's president and CEO, said the organization was "honored to recognize not only [Lewis's] comedic innovation, but also his... Full story
“The Torah is going to the moon.” It sounds like a phrase straight out of a Jewish fairytale or children’s book, but the real-life Torah on the Moon initiative is not as pie in the sky as one might think. French-Israeli entrepreneur Haim Aouizerate is calling on the Jewish people to help fund a project that aims to send a Torah scroll to the moon to celebrate the ancient book’s innumerable contributions to morality, justice, education, culture, and more. The idea was launched about three years ago, when high-tech wiz Aouizerate saw technol... Full story
(JTA)—To anyone who has read a rock-and-roll biography or caught an episode of VH1’s “Behind the Music,” it is a sadly familiar tale: An artist achieves great success only to self destruct. There’s something called the “27 Club,” made up of a surprisingly number of influential musicians who died at that young age. Among them are Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and, as of July 2011: The English songstress Amy Winehouse. Winehouse is the subject of a powerful new documentary, “Amy,” which is both fascinating and painful to watch. She rel... Full story
The Seeking Kin column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA)-Jewelry hung from Rosa Zacharia's ears and neck. Bracelets adorned her wrists and she wore rings on six of her fingers. She and her family were dressed to the nines. Life appeared to be pretty good for Zacharia and her husband, Naftali, and their three girls: Sara, Rahel and Yoheved. This was the image of the Zacharia clan captured at a Tel Aviv photo studio on May 29, 1929. Naftali mailed it to Chicago, to his... Full story
Fiction in a nonfiction setting makes a great thriller "Descent Into Paradise" by P. Sinclair Available Sept. 22 to buy online from retailers including amazon.co.uk and can be ordered at all good bookstores. Thrust into a vortex of violence, a beautiful Mossad assassin, an American special forces operative, and a Palestinian freedom fighter find themselves torn between loyalty and love in this insightful historical thriller, which exposes the origin of the Arab Israeli conflict and the Islamic... Full story
Judaism's harmony with humanity's spirituality "Sketches of a Life" by Enrique (Eitan) Kuperman Available now, directly from the author at EKuperman@aol.com. Copies are also available in Spanish. Written from the heart and experiences of Enrique Kuperman, "Sketches of a Life" weaves together a series of bold and powerful short stories told from a Jewish perspective. Covering family, community, conflict and the refuge of spirituality, Kuperman's work reminds readers of Judaism's innate harmony... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-The scent of hamburgers and beer wafted over the field. The fans were bathed in barbecue smoke. The bleachers were cut out of Jerusalem stone, the field was made of artificial turf. The spectators who had come to greet a tour of Pro Football Hall of Famers sat in plastic armchairs that blocked off the red zones and end zones, with nothing separating them from the game being played at midfield. The players-diminutive by National Football League standards-wore shorts and no... Full story
The city of Jerusalem, with its rich history and beauty is also, unfortunately a magnet for disaffected teens and young adults. They come from all over Israel as well as the rest of the world, looking for excitement, entertainment and of course, other youth. Many Jewish parents from the wide world send their kids to Israel, hoping they will find some sort of life changing Jewish experience. Sometimes it does not work and the young people, at loose ends, often end up on their own in Jerusalem. As we well know, that can result in risky behavior... Full story
You know your getting old when... My spouse and I had the pleasure of seeing the stage play "I Love Lucy" in the Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts recently thanks to our own wonderful DONNA FIEGEL, Public Relations director at True Marketing. It was brought to Orlando courtesy of Fairwinds Broadway Across America. I'm not saying how old I am, you understand (?) but the show was based on the televising of the Lucy show at the Desilu Studios in Hollywood during... Full story
(JTA)-Good deeds can be contagious. Just ask Laura Marks, a British Jew who is widely credited with creating one of her community's most widely celebrated new traditions: an annual Mitzvah Day, now in its 11th consecutive year, in which thousands of British Jews perform charity work in retirement homes, homeless shelters, hospitals and even neglected cemeteries. Inspired by the custom of some American Jewish communities, including in Los Angeles and Detroit, Marks thought the activity not only p... Full story
Depression is laughable. It's a bold statement. But it is one that Jewish author John Shuchart of Leawood, Kan., thinks could positively impact the 14.8 million American adults who suffer from depression. Shuchart, a successful entrepreneur and insurance salesman, retired and put any future career ambitions on hold to focus on a fight that is near to his heart: the stigma and treatment of mental illness. Four years ago, Shuchart himself was in such a deep depression that he nearly attempted... Full story
(JTA)-It wasn't so long ago that gay men were vilified by American society at large. Back in the 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic surfaced, priests railed against them, claiming the disease was God's revenge for sinful lifestyle choices. That, of course, has changed-mostly. While there are still regular examples of anti-gay sentiments (and violence), HIV/AIDS is no longer the scourge it once was. Most Americans now support same-sex marriage and the practice is now legal in most states. If there is... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-I love roasted potatoes for Friday night, but sometimes they can get a bit boring. Of course you can dress up your potatoes with zaatar, mustard or even truffle oil, just to name a few of the hundreds of ways you can make roasted potatoes. But I have been perusing a lot of Middle Eastern cookbooks lately and I got it into my head to make a harissa dipping sauce to go with potatoes. What is harissa? It's a spicy chili paste native to North African cuisine and varies from coun... Full story
