Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3508 - 3532 of 4518
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Michael Douglas hadn't heard of the Genesis Prize when he found out that he'd won it. In fact, the Oscar-winning actor was surprised to discover he was even in the running for an award designed for those who inspire fellow Jews. His father, actor Kirk Douglas, is Jewish. But his mother, actress Diana Dill, is not-Douglas thought that would disqualify him. "I felt that they made a mistake because my mother is not Jewish," Douglas told JTA in an interview Wednesday in Jerusalem.... Full story
After this summer, over 500,000 young Jews from around the world will have participated in Birthright over the past 15 years. Although Birthright successfully increases Jewish identity and pride, only a small percentage of the 43,000 participants each year actually continue to become more connected to Judaism or Israel after the initial excitement of their trip fades. Across the board, providers struggle to sustain alumni engagement in Jewish life post Birthright and according to a 2009 Brandeis University study, follow-up efforts were only... Full story
(JTA)-Bravo's newest sitcom, "Odd Mom Out," which premiered two weeks ago, stars Jill Kargman as Jill Weber, a sassy Jewish woman who marries into a blue-blooded Upper East Side family. The show, which is based on Kargman's 2007 book, "Momzillas," is hitting the airwaves just as another book about wealthy Upper East Side moms, "Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir" by Wednesday Martin, is causing a stir for its depictions of the neighborhood's inimitable social code-and for Martin's alleged... Full story
The creators of SawYouAtSinai, the largest and most trusted Jewish matchmaking company in the world, have just introduced JBolt, the first Jewish Dating app with matchmakers. “We created JBolt to simultaneously bring the human touch to the dating app world, and bring the efficiency of the smartphone to the matchmaking world.” said Marc Goldmann, founder of JBolt. This innovative hybrid of matchmaking and smartphone app caters to the new generation of Jewish singles. JBolt is not a hook up app; its priority is to create long lasting rel... Full story
While water crises are fast becoming a significant part of life around the world, that trend is moving in the opposite direction in Israel. Until recently, Israel experienced a perpetual water shortage that reached extreme proportions, primarily due to drought and over-consumption. But for the past several decades, Jewish National Fund (JNF) has worked to alleviate and mitigate Israel's chronic water shortage through a range of water collection and conservation initiatives. For example, JNF's co... Full story
Sonya Baumstein's three-years-in-the-making goal to row across the Pacific Ocean, began and ended within one week. She arrived in Choshi, Japan, in April, her boat arrived in May, and she had been waiting for the weather conditions to be optimal. On Sunday, June 7, Baumstein made sure her supplies were intact, called her parents, Darrel and Debbie Baumstein of Orlando, and rowed out of the Choshi marina in glassy smooth waters. She hoped to arrive in San Francisco by September. She made it into... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-You got through Mother's Day, Memorial Day weekend and even Shavuot. But folks, it's not quite time to relax: Father's Day is almost here. Another weekend to reserve for family celebrations and another round of gifts to procure. If the special dad or guy in your life loves to be in the kitchen, at the grill or engrossed in a good cookbook, then we've got a couple of great gift ideas to show him how much he is adored. For the meat lover • Facon Beef Bacon from Jack's G... Full story
Too close to home... I am really nervous about all the information I am sent relating to the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. But now, after receiving this month's issue of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest, I am really upset. Anti-Semitism is getting much too close to home. Read on: The Jewish Telegraph Agency recently reported on two separate anti-Semitic incidents... one in which swastikas were spray painted on a Jewish fraternity house at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee,... Full story
ISTANBUL (JTA)-Every time she prepares her newspaper for print, Karen Sarhon has her pick from dozens of submissions she receives daily from writers around the world. A desirable situation for any editor-in-chief, Sarhon says it is nothing short of unbelievable for her monthly, El Amaneser, which is the world's only newspaper in Ladino-a Jewish-Spanish language teetering on the brink of extinction. "In the 1970s, Ladino was truly a dying language, but El Amaneser is among the relatively new... Full story
By Nadav Weil Jews and non-Jews alike recognize the importance of the Holocaust. We acknowledge the horrifying impact on the world, and search for the lessons we must learn in order to make the promise of “never again” a reality. In working with students, the Holocaust Center urges the next generation to think deeply about the community of Survivors, their eyewitness accounts, and their life stories. Through knowing them, we can more fully appreciate the terrible losses caused by bigotry and intolerance. Some students, more than others, tak... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-When Stephen Kaufer, the CEO of TripAdvisor, an $11 billion company that runs America's leading user-generated hotel review website, thinks back to all the places he has visited, one stands out as his favorite. Jerusalem. "Oh my gosh, looking at all of these amazing structures, the history that you could still visually appreciate from thousands of years ago with modern life going on all around it-I just thought it was magical," Kaufer said of his 1989 visit to Israel. "It... Full story
"The Liberation of the Camps: The End of the Holocaust and Its Aftermath," by Dan Stone, Yale University Press, May 2015, 288 pages Dan Stone's "The Liberation of the Camps: The End of the Holocaust and Its Aftermath" is difficult reading, and not just because it meticulously documents what happened in the Displaced Persons camps in the three years after the war ended. The newly published book also reveals painful facts that we did not know-and that we would rather not need to know. We did not... Full story
(JTA)-How do you tell a joke in China about Jews when the only things most Chinese think they know about the Chosen People is that they're smart and good with money? That was Jesse Appell's quandary when he moved to China three years ago from Massachusetts with plans to become a comedian-and, like many stand-ups, to mine his own upbringing for material. "All the bad stereotypes about Jews in the West are considered good in China," Appell told JTA. "Chinese say: 'The Jews control the media and... Full story
It was one year ago in April that RAISE (Recognizing Abilities and Inclusion of Special Employees) was launched with five employees who worked part-time, two days a week for three hours at The Roth Family JCC and JFS Orlando. A third day was spent participating in a group social skills class called "Lunch and Learn," that included the employees (and once a month their families as well). Under the umbrella of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, this program has truly been a group endeavor w... Full story
Why is a Jewish newspaper running an article about a horse winning a race? Because this winning 3-year-old bay colt's owner, Ahmed Zayat, is an Orthodox Jew who studied at and graduated from Yeshiva University. After graduation, Zayat worked for the haredi Orthodox real estate developer Zev Wolfson. His Hebrew name is Ephraim. He and his family live in the Orthodox neighborhood of West Englewood in Teaneck, N.J., attend Congregation Bnai Yeshurun. And give generously to several Jewish causes.... Full story
Such sad news... Our vice president has endured many tragedies in his life and yet he goes on. I'm referring to the loss of his first wife and daughter in an accident and now the crushing loss of his eldest son, Beau, to cancer. Years ago, I had the pleasure of singing with the legendary Jimmy Dorsey orchestra at the University of Delaware at Lewes. Beau may have been a student at that time... not sure... but what I am sure of is that he was a wonderful guy, a war hero, devoted son, husband and... Full story
For the last 20 years, Scouts from Cub Scout Pack and Boy Scout Troop 641 have participated in the Annual Memorial Day Service at Woodlawn Cemetery in Gotha. This year the Scouts marched behind the Orange County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard in the opening ceremony. As the service began, Scouts handed out cold water to the Veterans, families and guests attending the event. During a special part of the service, the Boy and Girl Scouts handed out carnations to the widows of military veterans. For... Full story
(JTA)-Given the long and storied history of the Holocaust film genre, it's unusual for a new movie on the subject to be lauded as innovative. But the new film "Son of Saul," the first by Hungarian director Laszlo Nemes, is being called just that. It also was one of the most widely talked about films at this year's prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where it landed the Grand Prix award for second best film. (The French film "Dheepan" won the top prize, the Palme d'Or.) "Son of Saul" stars... Full story
"We have given the best years of our lives to remember-to remember the tragedy of what happened... Now we are starting to see some light from all of our efforts." Such is the sentiment of Ilana Romano, widow of Israeli weightlifter Yossef Romano, who was murdered by Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists along with 10 other members of the Israeli Olympic team during the summer of 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany. That fateful event became known as the "Munich Massacre." Since then,... Full story
For the 2014-2015 school year, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando introduced a new model of Jewish teen education in Central Florida: the Jewish Teen Education Network (JTEN). With the launch of this innovative program, the Federation successfully expanded the landscape of Jewish teen education, providing students with opportunities to learn about history, current events, culture and values from a Jewish perspective. JTEN began its inaugural year with three goals: give grants to area synagogues and agencies for specialized teen education... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-The hamburger, and definitely the cheeseburger, is arguably the most iconic American food. You would be hard pressed to find a person who doesn't love a good burger. But can the cheeseless kosher burger compare? In New York recently, gourmet kosher burgers have been all the rage. Three upscale kosher burger joints-Amsterdam Burger, Gotham Burger and, most recently Boeuf & Bun -- have opened in the past few years alone to much enthusiasm, and even some decent reviews. Still,... Full story
A potentially ugly row is brewing in the United Kingdom over an academic conference, due to be held at the University of Southampton in April, which carries the title, “International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Responsibility and Exceptionalism.” Given that a sentence construction like that one will leave most people with their eyes glazed over, let’s just cut to the chase here. The real title of this conference is, “Does the State of Israel Have a Legal Right to Exist? No, Of Course it Doesn’t.” Hence the growing volley of c... Full story
Holocaust memory... This is a new life-affirming perspective on Holocaust memory that I read recently in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. I pass it along to you omitting the many contributors to the book, because they were just too numerous to mention here: "Seventy years after the liberation of the Nazi death and concentration camps and the end of World War II, as the numbers of Holocaust survivors are steadily dwindling, their children and grandchildren have increasingly assumed... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Summer is almost here; I can feel it. Every time we get a warmer day, the women of New York City are giddy with sandal wearing and summertime accessories. The flowers are blooming, the farmer's markets have returned and the season of grilling is almost upon us. Growing up, barbecue sauce-slathered chicken was a staple, probably only because covering chicken in a sticky, sweet sauce was a surefire way to get the kids to eat it. But at some point I fell out of love with "BBQ... Full story
By Brian Blum (ISRAEL21c)-Did your cursor just vanish? That's not a glitch but a feature for Israeli fraud-busting startup BioCatch. Have you ever noticed that when you are visiting your bank's website or checking out at an ecommerce site, the cursor inexplicably vanishes and you have to move your mouse to get it back? This "trick" is part of how an award-winning Israeli fraud-busting startup is keeping users safe online. BioCatch calls the missing cursor maneuver and similar techniques it... Full story
