Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Not as famous as director Steven Spielberg is his sister Nancy, the filmmaker. Lesser known than the Israelis who fought for their country's independence were the American pilots who secretly joined that fight. Ahead of Israel's 67th Independence Day, the new documentary "Above and Beyond" is fusing those two unsung elements. AIPAC is bringing this film to Orlando on May 11, 7 p.m. at the Orlando Science Center. In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of... Full story
(JTA)—It’s no secret that non-Jews are into Jewish names. Sarah Palin named her dog Hadassah. Gwyneth Paltrow (that perennially “almost” Jewish actress) and Chris Martin named their son Moses. In recent years, the name Cohen has become a popular first name amongst non-Jews. So it might not come as a surprise to some that Jill Duggar, one of the 19 kids from “19 Kids and Counting” fame, and her husband Derick Dillard have named their first child Israel David. “Love this sweet baby Israel!” the Duggar family exclaimed on its official Facebook pag... Full story
(JTA)-When mainstream French media report about Jewish schools, it's usually not good news. Sometimes, the reports are about controversies surrounding public funding of such institutions in a country with a strong separation between religion and state. More often, the news is in the context of security around Jewish schools, which are under heavy protection by police and the army from Islamist fanatics like Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four Jews at a kosher supermarket on Jan. 9; apparently a... Full story
On Friday night, for the seventh year in a row, President and Mrs. Obama hosted the annual White House seder. The seder provides an opportunity for the First Family to join in retelling the story of the Israelites' arduous journey through the desert from slavery in Egypt to liberation in the Promised Land. In recounting the story, they joined their guests in performing the seder rituals and followed the Haggadah's command that we see ourselves as though we personally were liberated from Egypt.... Full story
The Seeking Kin column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. TEL AVIV (JTA)-A few blocks from Sylvia Selvas' home here near the Mediterranean Sea is the apartment where she last saw her friend Sarah Haim. That was 59 years ago, when Haim stopped by to tell Selvas that she was moving to the United States. Selvas recently welcomed a visitor to her second-floor residence on Yirmiyahu Street in the hope of finding her friend. Two weeks after the interview, "Seeking Kin" learned that... Full story
Okay, you talked me into it... I'm running for president! Is it any more ridiculous than Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Donald Trump? (Never mind. I'm not going to write about politics.) What I will write about is the concern I have with growing anti-Semitism, not only in the Middle East and certain European countries like Belgium or Austria. Read about our "allies." These facts come from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. I pass them along: "According to a recent poll commissioned by... Full story
May 11, 2014 was a special Mother's Day for Ann Gobey of Altamonte Springs. The resident of Life Care Center celebrated the national holiday and her 99th birthday all on the same day. This year Mother's Day will fall one day short of Gobey's birthday, so her 100th birthday will have a special day of its own. On Saturday, March 29, Gobey's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and members of the Jewish Pavilion gathered together for an early celebration of the momentous occasion. Though... Full story
BOULDER, Colorado (JTA)-Omer Mei-Dan has jumped off more cliffs than he can count-not to mention helicopters, skyscrapers and bridges. Just don't call him a skydiver. An orthopedic surgeon and extreme sports athlete, Mei-Dan, 42, is a BASE jumper-one of an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 worldwide who jump from the fixed platforms for which the sport is named: buildings, antennas, spans and earth. Skydiving is a cakewalk by comparison. Because BASE jumpers leap from much lower altitudes, they often... Full story
MIAMI (JTA)-For Joel Mael, the Shabbat-observing vice chairman of the Miami Marlins, the team's free spending in the offseason was wise from a financial perspective. Signing Giancarlo Stanton, 25, to a record 13-year, $325 million contract and fellow outfielder Christian Yelich, 23, to a seven-year, nearly $50 million deal were parts of a plan to retain the club's budding talent and vault the club into playoff contention while saving money down the line. But this was the Marlins, who had a... Full story
Jorma Kaukonen, who played guitar in classic rock bands Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, has just released "Ain't In No Hurry," his first solo album since 2009. While Kaukonen's guitar skills are legendary, few people know that he bought his first electric guitar by cashing Israel Bonds he received from his Jewish grandmother. On the eve of Jefferson Airplane's 50th anniversary, the 74-year-old Kaukonen, who lives in Athens, Ohio, with his wife, a Jew-by-choice, talked to JTA about his Jewish... Full story
(JTA)—On April 1, Naomi Firestone-Teeter became executive director of the Jewish Book Council, which promotes the reading, writing, publishing and distribution of English-language Jewish books. Firestone-Teeter, whose predecessor Carolyn Hessel has been called “the Jewish Oprah” for her success at promoting books, has been working her way up in the organization since graduating from Emory University in 2006, serving most recently as its associate director. JTA recently caught up by email with the 31-year-old exec. The interview has been conde...
On Feb. 18, Sally Salamy (in blue top), celebrated her 103rd birthday with her husband, Maurice, (who turned 92 on April 4 and is standing to the right of Sally) and many younger friends shown here (l-r) Gayle and Steven Stein, Karen Bogart and Viviane Flax. Sally and Maurice also celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary on April 1. The couple joined Congregation Ohev Shalom in 1963 and in 2012, they renewed their vows at the synagogue, when Sally was a mere 100. Up until six months ago, Sally... Full story
Jewish National Fund's Women for Israel (WFI) hosted a Wines of Israel Tasting on Tuesday, March 24 at a private home in Longwood. Over 35 women enjoyed an evening that featured wines from vineyards in the Negev desert, Galilee, and the Golan Heights. Along with the wine tasting, guests also learned about the regions the vineyards are located in as well as JNF's work in those areas including the booming city of Be'er Sheva and JNF's Go North initiative, which aims to attract new residents to... Full story
On the evening of Wednesday, April 15—the 27th of Nisan—candles will be lit around the world to honor the memory of the millions of Jews who perished during the Holocaust. On Yom HaShoah, we also remember the courage and defiance Jews showed during the war. That defiance could have taken the form of physical confrontation but often it was seen as psychological resistance—such as the use of humor against their Nazi oppressors. Today, how Jews used humor during the Shoah. Does this topic unsettle you? John Morreall is not surprised if it does.... Full story
Holocaust remembrance... Acknowledging that officially, Thursday, April 16th is Holocaust Remembrance Day, this story in the current World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest caught my eye. I pass it on to you and add my personal comment in parenthesis at the end: "WJC President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER, speaking on Jan. 27 next to the gate and railroad tracks that marked the last journey for more than a million people murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, sounded a warning that the rise in anti-Semitism... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA) – In 20 years, there will be more Muslims in North America than Jews, according to a new Pew Research Center report. The report, which was released Thursday, also found that more American Jews are leaving Judaism than non-Jews are joining the Jewish people. According to "The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050," Muslims will overtake Christians in the last quarter of the 21st century as the globe's largest religious group. In the United States, Musl... Full story
By Julie Wiener A few weeks after Ben & Jerry's founders indicated that marijuana-infused ice cream may one day join its product line, the company's kosher-for-Passover charoset flavor has been generating buzz. In case your memories of last year's seder are blurred by too many cups of wine, charoset is the fruit-and-nut puree that symbolizes the mortar Hebrew slaves used when making bricks to construct Egyptian cities. In making its charoset flavor, which, sadly, is distributed only in Israel,... Full story
By Hillel Kuttler The Seeking Kin column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA)-As sage burned on a tin tray atop the green-carpeted floor of his living room, Arieh O'Sullivan stuck a pin in a voodoo doll. Meanwhile, friends played a guitar, Jew's harp and harmonica. Others chanted. O'Sullivan then grasped a shrunken monkey head and recited biblical verses, an ancient Assyrian text and an Irish-Catholic poem – all praying for his new home to be protected. The laugh-inducing... Full story
After having a presence in the southwest Orlando area for 15 years, and even though the building is not complete, Chabad of South Orlando, including the Chai Preschool Orlando and Orlando Jewish Day School, has officially moved into its beautiful new 11,000-square-foot facility-The Center of Jewish Life, located at 7347 Sand Lake Road in Orlando. They expect the new building to be completed by Rosh Hashanah. On a tour of the facility, Rabbi Yosef Konikov explained their operations. They have Sha... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-With the clock winding down on a recent game here, Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt was still barking out instructions to his players despite enjoying a late 40-point lead over the Washington Wizards. Things didn't come quite as easy early this season for the rookie NBA coach and his team, which had great expectations with the return of four-time MVP LeBron James via free agency from the Miami Heat. Cleveland stumbled to a 19-20 record, leading some pundits to question... Full story
Brody Criz wants to be like Jim Carrey when he grows up. He wants to be known for "being funny." So when it came time to send out his bar mitzvah invitations, this creative young man, a seventh grader at Caruso Middle School in Deerfield, Illinois, went all out with a video produced by Xpress Video Productions and put it on YouTube. Becoming a "Billboard Top 5 Mitzvah Invitation" it has gotten more than 1,970,136 views in just three weeks. In the video, Criz parodied five popular songs,... Full story
Thanks to the generosity of Melvin and Zelda Siskind, visitors to the Holocaust Center enjoy a major improvement in how well they can hear a presentation in the back exhibit room. A new high-quality sound system, complete with sound enhancement for visitors with hearing impairments, has been installed and is now in use. At Melvin's suggestion, he and Zelda decided that upon their passing, they wanted to donate funds to various Jewish charities-the Holocaust Center being one of their primary... Full story
Am I "green" with envy? No way! But, if you are a "senior citizen" you should read this story sent to me by a reader: "Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags are not good for the environment. The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days." The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)—Each year, the thought of Passover makes me want to run away. It’s a labor-intensive, heavy-on-the-sighing holiday, especially in Israel. The traditions and message are nourishing, but for me they get lost in the pre-holiday hype, in the burden of preparation, and in the myriad prohibitions that turn us back into disgruntled slaves. If the 10 biblical plagues paved the way for the Israelites liberation, the 10 modern plagues of Passover have me reaching for my passport and looking for a simpler way to celebrate freedom. 1.... Full story
PHILADELPHIA (JTA)-The Reform movement's rabbinic association unveiled its new High Holidays prayer book-one that continues the movement's trend toward inclusive liturgy-at the group's 126th annual convention. Mishkan HaNefesh, the Reform's first High Holidays prayer book, or machzor, since 1978, was a major focus of the Central Conference American Rabbis conference that concluded here Wednesday. The prayer book features the voices of female writers and language more reflective of the LGBT... Full story
