Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS)- As Jewish families prepare to celebrate Chanukah, we remain continually focused on the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Many children-not to mention parents-are making connections between the thousands-year-old story of Jews fighting oppression in their homeland and current events that tell a similar tale. For two months now, our children have been seeking answers and understanding, requiring parents to step into conversations in ways they may not necessarily feel equipped to do. This...
As a caregiver, some people totally devote themselves to caring for another person who no longer functions as he once did. We may move, leave our jobs, give up our independence, and rarely see our family and friends. Our entire life may revolve around comforting and making our loved one feel loved. When a loved one passes, often we grieve and then the process of finding our way back into the world begins anew. How do we pick up the pieces and start to live again? Everyone does it differently and in his or her own time frame. Suggestions: Join...
(JTA) — The star of a blockbuster horror franchise and an Oscar-winning veteran actress saw their careers take a hit this week over their public comments on Jews and Israel in some of the most high-profile examples yet of how the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has impacted Hollywood. Variety reported Tuesday that Melissa Barrera was recently fired from the upcoming seventh installment of the “Scream” series over pro-Palestinian social media posts that the film’s producers implied had crossed the line into antisemitism. The “In The Heights...
The Maccabees were a band of Jewish freedom fighters who freed Judea from the Syrian-Greek occupiers during the Second Temple period. The word Maccabee is an acronym for the Hebrew words that mean “Who is like You among all powers, Gd.” Led by Judah the Maccabee and his four brothers, they trounced the Greek interlopers and restored the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to the service of Gd. Their victory is celebrated during the holiday of Chanukah. The Background More than 2,000 years ago there was...
On Thursday, Dec. 7, Jews around the world will begin celebrating Chanukah. Each night, we will light the candles placed in our Chanukiahs to remember yet another time in our history when Jews faced the possibility of annihilation. In 167 B.C.E. Judah Maccabeus and his brothers led a revolt against Antiochus, the Seleucid king who had tried to eradicate their religion. This Jewish festival commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple Now, 2190 years later, Jews are facing another enemy whose goal...
Take technology breaks: Constantly being connected can leave you frazzled and stressed out. Enjoy the outdoors: Exposure yourself to nature and breathe fresh air. Even ten minutes may reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue. Get active: Release those endorphins with movement, stretches, walks and laughter. Make Time For You: Take a minimum of 10-15 minutes each day to do something just for you. Connect with people you love on a regular basis. Get plenty of sleep: Rest will keep you more focused, less anxious and will boost your immune system. Be...
This recipe was first published on The Nosher. The Japanese word "okonomiyaki" is derived from two words: okonomi (how you like it) and yaki (grill). Okonomiyaki is a customizable Japanese savory vegetable pancake. Like a latke, it gets cooked in oil in a fritter formation. Unlike a latke, it's usually made into a large plate-sized pancake comprising mainly cabbage. Food historians have linked the rise in popularity of okonomiyaki in Japan to World War II, when rice was more scarce and this reci...
The following story and recipe come from the book Traditional Jewish Baking by Carine Goren, and was first published on The Nosher. I was never able to pronounce the name of this pastry correctly. Sfenj actually means "sponge," and these are indeed spongy, springy and full of air bubbles. I learned this recipe from my friend and pastry chef Ruta, and here it is, with a few minor adjustments. In my family, sfenj are consumed in three different ways: mom likes them plain; most of the family...
This essay was first published on Kveller Jewish kids and Christmas: For some parents, this combination can seem like a proverbial minefield of challenges presented to us each winter. The secular world, it seems, becomes infinitely less so as Christmas decorations, commercials and episodes of beloved kids shows proliferate. For interfaith families like mine, which celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas, this time can be especially fraught. My own 3-year-old Jewish daughter, for instance, is obses...
Without proper legal planning, caring for aging loved ones is often emotionally and financially distressing for everyone involved. Families struggle at the last minute to find information, guidance and assistance to handle the complex health care, financial and legal needs. By planning ahead and obtaining the right legal documents, families can help their aging relatives gain security, take advantage of public benefits, and preserve their assets. Estate plans are needed. They can help families avoid probate, which occurs when an individual...
Yesterday I was speaking to a friend on the phone in the USA. She asked me about my children, about the situation here, about any updates. Then she tried to change the subject. She actually started talking about something else. I don’t remember what she said. I could not focus. None of us can really think about anything else. For us, there is nothing else. Just this situation. This war. Our kidnapped citizens. Our dead friends. Our soldiers fighting. Each day another announcement of fallen soldiers, listed by age and name, rank, division, u...
(JTA) — They went to Washington, D.C., to support Israel and left the rally with a deepened sense of the Jewish community in the United States. So said teenagers who were among the estimated 290,000 Israel supporters who gathered on the National Mall on Tuesday — one of the largest gatherings of Jews in U.S. history. JTA’s Teen Journalism Fellows were at the March for Israel to report on their peers’ experiences throughout the day; many heard from teens that they would be returning home inspired by the number of people, the range of Judaism...
In today's crazy world, it is hard to find things for which to be thankful. So I have been trying to find gratitude in the small things: a FaceTime with my children and grandchildren; a good cup of coffee with a piece of warm challah; a special moment with Larry. Recently, I reached back 54 years to remember an evening that still holds a special place in my heart. In 1969, my brother Jay, who was going for his master's at Cornell University, invited me out for the weekend. Jay arranged for me...
Known to many as "Jerusalem Jones," "Sherlock," or "Hercule," as well as many other characters, Professor Kenneth Hanson, who teaches Judaic Studies at UCF, believes that students don't retain enough by simply reading or hearing lectures. For this reason, he has worn many faces to make history more interesting and appealing to his audiences. In fact, he still uses these characters and others to teach Jewish history to various groups. Most recently he "performed" a history teaching on the Dead Se...
In 2019, local resident Bob Herpe published his first suspense novel, "Gravnick." It is a story of the intertwining of two families - one Jewish, one Mafioso. Now, three years later, as promised, Herpe has completed the sequel, "The Other Side of Crisis." Herpe is a late comer to writing novels. He wrote "Gravnick" in his late 80s and is now in his 90s - and he is not slowing down. He already has the opening for his third book. "The Other Side of Crisis" picks up where "Gravnick" left off in...
(JNS) — Despite reports of Jews being fearful to display their faith outwardly amid rising antisemitism globally, so many Jews are reconnecting with their faith that supplies are short, according to the largest Jewish network, Chabad-Lubavitch. “There’s a global shortage of tefillin and mezuzahs,” Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesman for Chabad, told JNS. “We’re seeing an immense amount of people wanting to connect, wanting to double down and leaning into their Jewish identity and practice,” Seligson said. “People wanting to start putting on tefi...
Alzheimer’s disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, and millions of Americans are affected by the disease. It’s important to distinguish the facts from the myths about Alzheimer’s, especially when it comes to finding information online. 1. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are the same thing People often use the terms Alzheimer’s disease and dementia interchangeably, but there is a difference. Dementia refers to impaired memory, thinking, reasoning, and behavior, and Alzheimer’s is just one type of dementia. The terms are l...
BOSTON (JTA) - Jason Greenberg remembers the lavish breakfast spreads Carmela Dan would serve when he and his family visited his cousin at Kibbutz Nir Oz. He relished the shakshuka, salads and bread she prepared to welcome her American family. "She was a great cook," Greenberg, a lawyer in Boston, recalled of those regular visits he has made for more than 30 years. Dan was beloved at Nir Oz, a tight-knit community on the southern border with Gaza that she helped found in 1955. What especially...
(JTA) — I am a non-religious, 20-year-old Jewish student in New York City. I have not been to Israel since I was 9. I was raised in what you might call a “naturally occurring Jewish community”: Riverdale, in the Bronx. I attended Modern Orthodox schools through high school. Once I graduated, I left for Binghamton University, which boasts a massive Jewish community. It wasn’t until I transferred this fall to Hunter College, part of the City University of New York, that I left the Jewish bubble. The last month has been the worst of my life. T...
Scams After a major storm or hurricane you may get a door-to-door sales person telling you that your roof is damaged and their company can repair it after you settle a claim with your insurance company. Someone may even go on top of your roof and break a few shingles and then try to pass it off as storm damage. Another insurance fraud scenario might be when a contractor disappears. Someone may offer to remove your fallen tree but needs to rent a particular piece of equipment in order to remove it and he may ask you to pay half of the fee...
The rise in hate crimes in the U.S. related to the Israel-Hamas war is deplorable. Jews in this country are asking themselves difficult questions—should they wear a star of David or take down their mezuzah? Still others are asking if it is safe to identify themselves in public. A 6-year-old Muslim boy was killed in Chicago, and a prominent Jewish lay leader in Detroit was stabbed to death outside her home. In our own state, synagogue congregants were faced with shouts of “kill the Jews.” This is unacceptable and we must not tolerate these...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Younger voters are less likely to back Israel, support among Democrats for Israel’s conduct has declined and Americans overall are wary of being drawn into a Middle East war. Those are three takeaways from a series of polls on Israel, the Palestinians and the war in Gaza that have been published in the more than three weeks since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. In that attack, Hamas terrorists killed 1,400, wounded thousands, took more than 200 captives and sparked a war in which Israel’s stated goal is to depose the terro...
On a train to Auschwitz, 15-year-old Eva made a promise to her brother, Heinz Geiringer. If he did not survive the camps, Eva promised to retrieve the paintings and poetry Heinz hid under the floorboards of his attic hiding place. Heinz Geiringer's story sits in the shadow of the better-known "Diary of a Young Girl." After the war, Eva became the posthumous stepsister of Anne Frank when her mother married Anne's father. While the world knows Anne's story, this film introduces Heinz, his...
(JTA) - In 1941 Sarajevo, a Muslim woman hid her Jewish friend from fascist roundups. Half a century later, that same Muslim woman was trapped in the besieged capital during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War - and her Jewish friend made sure she got out. These real events inspired "Sevap/Mitzvah," a short film directed by Sabina Vajrača that won the 2023 Humanitas Prize, among other awards, and has qualified to be considered for the 2024 Oscar for best live action short. The film has been shown across...
(JTA) - Israel's Ministry of National Security is urging parents to report any pro-Palestinian harassment their children experience on the video game platform Roblox. As Israel's war with Hamas is set to enter its fourth week, rallies and protests in support of both Israelis and Palestinians have been held everywhere from the White House to college campuses to the streets of Europe. Roblox is different because it has more than 65 million daily active users - around 45 percent of whom are 12...
