Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Recently, the Heritage received a phone call from the mother of a young woman attending the University of South Florida. She was alarmed at what her daughter was telling her about the bullying tactics of the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). The mother is a member of the Congregation of Reform Judaism and gave the Heritage her daughter’s email address to learn what exactly was happening on campus. The daughter, who did not want her name to be mentioned, (and therefore the Heritage also did not want to give the m... Full story
Unity in Paris, France... I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with my spouse in Paris a few years ago, although a single glass of diet coke at a Paris sidewalk café cost us $9 American. (Oy vay.) It might be higher today. I recently received this story from the World Jewish Congress digest (WJC) and I pass it along to you: “World Jewish Congress CEO ROBERT SINGER and other WJC leaders joined with heads of state from some 40 nations, leaders of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), European Jewish Congress and marc... Full story
On Sunday, Feb. 22, ESP entertainer and mentalist, Mark Stone, wowed the crowd at the Jewish Pavilion Gala with a jaw-dropping demonstration of mental gymnastics. Stone entertained the packed ballroom with a mind-boggling numeric demonstration, dividing the number "46" six ways from Sunday on a Sudoku-like grid in less than a minute's time. Then, the event co-honoree shared some additional numbers of note with the 264 Gala attendees gathered at Lake Mary's Westin Hotel. "Here are some numbers... Full story
For a February Shabbat Lunch, sponsored by The Jewish Pavilion at Brookdale-Dr. Phillips volunteers-Jennifer Jacobson, Samantha Jacobson and Kimberly Shader-assisted Jewish Pavilion program director Gloria Green in providing a short Shabbat service and lunch featuring chicken matzo ball soup for the attendees. Shader took a break from her job as an artistic director to lend a hand. Jennifer, Green's daughter, is senior program coordinator for the Rosen JCC. Her daughter, Samantha, is a high... Full story
HAVANA (JTA)-On the freshly painted, salmon-colored walls of Alberto and Rebeca Meshulam's apartment, two portraits of the late Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, frame the entranceway leading to a wide, airy vestibule. Miniatures of the same portrait sit atop a glass-covered countertop near an image of the Meshulams' son, Moises, taken at the Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva in Buenos Aires that he attended for a decade. Despite the iconography, and their kosher kitchen, the Meshulams are n... Full story
ISRAEL21c-Twice a year, before the Passover festival and the Jewish New Year in the fall, employees at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem get out their dustpans, brushes and brooms for a truly unique kind of clean up. The employees carefully remove hundreds of thousands of handwritten notes placed between the ancient stones by worshippers all over the world. Millions of people visit the Western Wall-one of Judaism's holiest sites-every year and many leave a written prayer or request... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)-Who is the Haman in your life? The person, like the bad guy in the Megillah Esther that we read on Purim, schemes to bring you down. When we get to the place in the Megillah where Haman is forced to lead Mordechai though the streets of Shushan, saying, "This is what is done for the man whom the king desires to honor," might we insert ourselves-like a video game-into an updated version of the story? Imagining that a seriously negative person in our life is pushing our car down... Full story
Israel and world affairs... Once again, Israel is "right there" when needed, helping with crisis after crisis, as well as medical breakthroughs. This article comes directly from the World Jewish Congress Digest (WJC) and I pass it along to you: "Just as it did after crises in Haiti, Ghana and the Philippines, Israel is stepping up to fight the spread of the African Ebola epidemic that has infected more than 7,000 people. In addition to sending more than a million shekels worth of medical... Full story
All year long, Brown's Deli in Maitland offers freshly baked apricot and raspberry hamentashen, but now is the time for a Purim plethora of varieties. The traditional three-pointed hat-of-Hamen-shaped cookie in not-so-traditional flavors like reverse chocolate peanut butter, s'mores, almond coconut delight, cherry pie, and cinnamon apple, to name a few. Of course, there will be poppy seed and prune for delicious nostalgia. The bakery at Brown's serves a wide variety of Kosher Parve desserts.... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Hamantaschen talk is always about the filling: prune, poppy, apricot and strawberry, just to name a few favorites. I love being creative with the fillings, but this year I wanted to change up things with a flavored dough rather than just a fun filling. And what better ingredient to include than chocolate. Once you have made your chocolate dough, you can still be creative with the fillings, although I recommend two combinations below: triple chocolate, which is filled with nutella... Full story
He didn't have to be helpful. He didn't know me or anything about me, only that I had an idea for a novel about the last living survivor of the Holocaust, and wanted to speak to him. He was intrigued, so he agreed to sit down with me after his lecture at the University of Western Ontario in London. Make that London, Ontario, a Canadian city of 350,000 people 120 miles west of Toronto. Sir Martin Gilbert, who just passed away at the age of 78, was one of the world's eminent historians and quite... Full story
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Israeli and U.S. dignitaries gathered at the Israeli Embassy on Thursday, Feb. 5, as Bridges for Peace, a Christian outreach of unconditional friendship to Israel and the Jewish community, presented its second ambulance to Heart to Heart and the people of Israel on behalf of Christians across America. On hand for ceremonies were Reuven Azar, Israeli Embassy deputy head of Mission; Rev. Rebecca Brimmer, Bridges for Peace International president and CEO; and Dr. Jim Solberg, Bri... Full story
Never in the 23 years of Natan Glassman's volunteering at an Israel Defense Forces army base has he seen anything like the outpouring of love and respect garnered by American veteran Brian Mast. "Brian was a celebrity here, and everyone wanted to be with him, from the old ladies who volunteer at the base to the generals," says Glassman. "He's a hero but as we saw, a very humble one." The "hero" Glassman describes is a 34-year-old Christian, a full-time Harvard University student, and a father... Full story
Global Warming? Are you kidding? It's still snowing!... I've had people actually say things like this to me when I mention the threat of global warming. I received a letter from the president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, KEN KIMMELI. I decided to pass it along (in part) to you with an aside in parenthesis at the end by me: "Audacious... irresponsible... flat-out dangerous... However you describe it, there's no avoiding the relentless flood of misinformation polluting our public... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-I have always had a love of affair with the city of New Orleans. I have traveled there nearly 10 times since my early 20s for work a few times, but more often to visit our growing number of dear friends who live there. I love the warmth of the city, the vibrant culture and history, the music, and of course, the food. While I enjoyed many delicious eats over my travels to the city, the first time I tasted a King Cake was three years ago, just a few months before our daughter... Full story
(JTA)-"You know, it's a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob, what is the matter with them?" That was President Richard Nixon speaking to his top aide, H.R. "Bob" Haldeman, during a recorded White House meeting back in 1971. Fast forward some four decades, a new nonprofit group based in Portland, Ore., is hoping to prove Nixon right. Le'Or, founded about a year ago with seed funding from Dr.... Full story
(JTA)-Israel's biggest literary prize, the Sapir Prize, has the drama and mystery of a lottery. The identity of the judges remains secret until shortly before the ceremony, when they meet for an early dinner to decide the fate of the five nominees short-listed for best novel. Meanwhile in a separate room the short-listed novelists and their families, dressed in their finest and sipping wine, wait for the ceremony, broadcast a few hours later on Israel's Channel 2, to begin. The Sapir also has... Full story
By Shannon Sarna NEW YORK (JTA)-Just over a year ago, Israeli friends Josh Sharon, Solomon Taraboulsi and Gabriel Israel moved to New York to pursue professional dreams: Sharon and Taraboulsi to prove themselves in real estate, and Gabriel to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Instead, the twenty-somethings may have found something even better: serving up shakshuka, a Middle Eastern egg-and-tomatoes dish, on the streets of Manhattan. The three childhood friends from... Full story
PARK CITY, Utah (JTA)-The Sarah Silverman that the world knows and loves is a loudmouthed, foulmouthed, ribald comedian who tramples on the boundaries of social decency with sharp purpose and uproarious glee. The Sarah Silverman who stars in the domestic drama "I Smile Back," which premiered at Sundance, is stripped of both bravado and joy. In the movie, which marks Silverman's first starring dramatic role, she plays Laney, a deeply depressed housewife who veers into self-destructive behavior.... Full story
Kindergarteners through third graders of Congregation Ohev Shalom have a blast celebrating Tu B’Shevat dipping fruit into chocolate at Machaneh Ohev Lite on Feb. 1.... Full story
In this shemitah year, when the land in Israel is to lie fallow (no planting, watering, harvesting), Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Israel came up with a creative idea for planting trees, which is the tradition for Tu B'Shevat. The hospital is decorated with balloon trees.... Full story
Kudos to Switzerland... I recently read an article in the World Jewish Congress Digest that, frankly, made me happy. My spouse and I visited Switzerland a few years ago. We loved the people, the scenery, the food, etc., but that's not what I refer to as making me happy... although I loved the trip. Rather, I'm referring to this article about a Swiss Museum's refusal to accept art that was looted by Nazis. I pass it on to you: "Calling art stolen from Jewish collectors or taken from German state... Full story
Congregation Ohev Shalom eighth-grade Shabbaton features "USY University," Jan. 23-25, where the theme was making the transition from middle school to high school with a Jewish lens. Discussions included healthy ways to cope with stress, "ask the experts" question and answers with the USY board about high school, anti-Semitism. On Shabbat afternoon participants learned about the different positions in USY through fun and interactive games and activities. The COS USY board and COS youth staff... Full story
Recently, the Orlando Sentinel chose Harriett Lake as the recipient of the 2014 Central Floridian of the Year for her generous financial support of many organizations within Central Florida. Since 2003, Lake has given about $1.5 million annually to many causes, from Kinneret, JFS Orlando and the Holocaust Center to MD Anderson Cancer Center and Florida Hospital's boutiques for breast cancer survivors to the multiple performing arts groups, including the Southern Ballet Theatre, Madcow Theatre,... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando announced that applications for the 2015 Coleman Israel Travel Scholarship are now available. The Ronald Coleman Israel Scholarship Fund was made possible by a generous endowment established by the Coleman family to encourage Jewish teens in the Greater Orlando area to participate in educational experiences in Israel. It is open to all Jewish teens who are permanent residents of Central Florida, and are in ninth through 12th grade. Gap year programs are... Full story
