Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3701 - 3725 of 4470
EL AL Israel Airlines and JetBlue Airways signed a codeshare agreement, providing travelers to Israel with expanded options and easier connections. Travelers living in 38 cities in the U.S. can now experience convenient connections to their EL AL nonstop flight to/from Israel. Luggage is automatically transferred between the JetBlue and EL AL flights, Matmid frequent flyer points are earned on the JetBlue domestic flights and passengers need only purchase one ticket through one transaction for... Full story
When young independent music enthusiasts descended on the antiquated Jewish resort of Kutsher's for an international indie rock concert series in 2008, it was "kind of like 'Cocoon' meets 'The Shining,'" Barry Hogan recalls in the forthcoming documentary film "Welcome to Kutsher's: The Last Catskills Resort." The comment by Hogan, founder of the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival organization, exemplifies the widening generational gap that ultimately forced Kutsher's to close in December 2013... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-Mementos of Jacob Goldstein slide across the 3-foot-by-4-foot horizontal screen like cards being dealt at a casino: his photograph, his name, an Operation Urgent Fury headline denoting the 1983 military campaign in Grenada, Goldstein's explanatory text summarizing his role during the invasion. Even more striking than the photograph showing the uniformed rabbi wrapping tefillin on the Grenada beach with his rifle resting atop a mound of sandbags is his recollection of going from... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-There were bagel breakfasts, a Friday night kiddush in English and Hebrew, and plenty of talk about how to keep the grandkids Jewish. In some ways, the inaugural conference last weekend of the Israeli American Council was much like other Jewish gatherings, except the Jews were Israelis and a lot of what makes Jewish America what it is remains alien to them-for instance, bagels, bilingual blessings and fears of assimilation. "We need to know each other better," said the IAC's... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)— Each year on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, we recall the opening salvo of the violent assault on Jews that foreshadowed the Holocaust and ask ourselves what should have been done at that moment. In thinking about Kristallnacht, we should also consider the outpouring of violence against Jewish communities in Europe this summer and draw the right lessons for today. It is rightly said that the Holocaust began not with gas chambers but with words. The significance of Kristallnacht in the history of the Holocaust is the passage f... Full story
As a volunteer for The Jewish Pavilion, I am familiar with their slogan "Imagine what it would be like to lose your health, your spouse and your home. No one wants to grow old alone!" Last week, along with Gloria Green, a program director of The Jewish Pavilion, I had the pleasure of meeting 88-year-old, Phillip Schwartz. He is as sharp as a tack and regaled us with vivid recollections of his life. His wife, Adelle, died in 2007 and he still misses her. Schwartz was born in Montreal, Canada. He... Full story
In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the signing into law of the Civil Rights Act, The Heritage has been running a series of articles about members of the Orlando Jewish community who helped bring about racial changes in Central Florida. This is the fourth of a series. Florence Gluckman, better known as Flossie Gluckman, was a lot like her brother, Jerry Bornstein, when it came to justice, fairness, and respecting human beings simply because they are human beings. "Making a difference was in... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—There was the convert who was barred from a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the Jamaican convert whose boyfriend’s rabbi offered him a coveted synagogue honor if only he’d dump her, the grandmother who told her granddaughter she’d be going to hell because she became a Jew. The road to conversion can be long and difficult for many prospective converts to Orthodox Judaism, filled with uncertainties and fear about gaining final rabbinic approval. Yet even once they emerge from the mikveh as newly minted American Jews, many find the cha... Full story
Among the things that Jewish women value most about the mikveh (ritual bath) experience is the feeling of seclusion, sanctity, and safety. "But the need to feel respected and comfortable is the most important," says Chaya Sett, who since making aliyah from Brooklyn has been a self-described "regular" in the mikvehs of Jerusalem's Old City. "It has to be a very safe place in your life because it's also when you are at your most vulnerable." Sett speaks for many mikveh-going women in the wake of... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-As the last generation of Holocaust survivors ages and dies, efforts to capture their final, untold stories have abounded. But in her new book "Paper Love: Searching for the Girl My Grandfather Left Behind," Sarah Wildman has turned instead to the future, asking what it means bear witness in a world without Holocaust survivors. "Paper Love" chronicles the author's long and labyrinthine search for the fate of the woman whose black-and-white photos she finds amid her late... Full story
Of all places, Germany?... With the remembrance of the Holocaust, the thought of anti-Semitism is never far from my thoughts. I know about its revival in many parts of Europe... but in Germany? I read this in the latest edition of the World Jewry Digest (WJC). I know the thought of anti-Semitism is upsetting but its better to know and be aware. Read on: "WJC President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER was joined by German Chancellor ANGELA MERKEL, President JOACHIM GAUCK and other German leaders at a... Full story
For Emily Kessler, a Holocaust survivor, the prospect of performing at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall is less worrying than figuring out what to wear for the occasion. "I came to the conclusion," she said, in an interview at her apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side, "that what is the difference between playing in front of three people instead of 300?" At 97, Kessler is short and slightly hunched. Along with old photographs and birthday cards, prescription pill bottles are scattered... Full story
Filled with expressive, hand-lettered sentiments and charming original illustrations, "When You Lose Someone You Love" features excerpts of observations and feelings originally contained in Longwood artist/author Joanne Fink's personal grief journals. Started as a way of dealing with her own deep loss when she lost her husband of 29 years, Andy Trattner, unexpectedly in 2011, the book offers the gift of comfort to those grieving without sugar-coating the challenges of losing a loved one. "At... Full story
By Julie Wiener NEW YORK (JTA)-When your mother is the world's most famous advice columnist, you wouldn't think you'd have to learn any lesson the hard way. But Margo Howard-daughter of the late Ann Landers and the niece of Landers' twin sister Dear Abby (nee Esther and Pauline Friedman)-had to marry four times before she finally felt she'd gotten it right. In her new book, "Eat, Drink and Remarry: Confessions of a Serial Wife," the 74-year-old Howard, a Jewish former journalist and Slate's form... Full story
An unexpected meeting... I recently spoke and performed at a JCC 39er's meeting in Maitland with my talented accompanists, bassist, MOE LOWE and pianist, MICHAEL KRAMER. (I've had the pleasure of performing cabaret with Michael and his equally talented son, bassist, BEN KRAMER, in New York City a while back). After the presentation, a gentleman approached me with a bit of information about a book he had just written. His name is ABRAHAM GOLD, and he is a Holocaust survivor. (Right away I was... Full story
PRAGUE (JTA) - A 105-year-old man known as the "British Oskar Schindler" - having saved hundreds of Jewish children from the Nazis - received the Czech Republic's highest honor on Oct. 28. Sir Nicholas Winton was flown on a Czech military plane to Prague, where Czech President Miloš Zeman awarded him the Order of the White Lion. Seven of the 669 children he rescued were present at Tuesday's ceremony, which coincided with the Czechoslovak Independence Day. "I want to thank you all for this tremen... Full story
Given that half of the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust came from Poland, many descendants of Polish Jews may be surprised to learn about the current hospitable environment for the Jewish population of their ancestors' country. Poland experiences far less anti-Semitism than the typical European country and is home to a burgeoning-albeit relatively small-Jewish community (estimates suggest 10,000-20,000, but no definitive figures are available). At the same time, young non-Jewish Poles ar... Full story
Last August, the Heritage reported about the sixth surviving member of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives program, better known as the Monuments Men, Rouben Sami, who lives in Winter Park. The same day the article ran in the paper, Aug. 15, Sami turned 93. His family hoped he would live to see the day when his name would be officially added to the list of recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal-Congress' highest civilian honor in recognition of distinguished achievements and... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)-With a borscht-curdling geshrei, Halloween this year falls on Shabbat. On a Friday night, trick-or-treaters, even Jewish ones, will be knocking. Should we open the door? Or should we be spooked about joining the celebration? After reading that on Oct. 31, Urban Adama, a Jewish-oriented educational farm and community center in Berkeley, Calif., would be holding a "Challahween Kabbalat Shabbat"-chanting and meditation plus a potluck dinner and Halloween dessert candy bar-I... Full story
In conjunction with the JCRC's Grits and Bagels Brunch, over the next few weeks, The Heritage is running a series of articles about local Jewish community members who made an impact on the Civil Rights movement. This is the third in the series. Local developer and philanthropist Hy Lake may have been the first real estate developer to sell a home to an African-American family back in the 1970s, "At that time, it was an unthinkable and actually, impossible thing to do, said Harriett, as she told... Full story
The 16th annual Central Florida Jewish Film Festival is a cinematic celebration of Jewish life, culture, and history. Six films will be shown during the weekend of Nov. 15-17. All will be shown at the Enzian, 1300 South Orlando Ave., Maitland, with the exception of the first film, "Kidon," which will be shown at the Orlando Science Center, 777 E Princeton St, Orlando. This program is part of Enzian's cultural festival circuit and is co-presented with the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orland... Full story
This is indeed a small world... The following is a poem titled “I’m Free.” The author is unknown to us: “Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free, I’m following the path God laid for me, I took his hand when I heard his call, I turned my back and left it all, I could not stay another day, to laugh, to love, to work or play, Tasks left undone must stay that way, I found the peace I sought today, If my parting has left a void, then fill it with remembered joys, A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss, Oh yes, these things I too will miss, Be not burden... Full story
"Each year, the Jewish Pavilion's A Walk in the Park, reminds us of the promise each generation has made to honor, respect and look out for our senior community," said Norma Ball, event co-chair. On Sunday, Oct. 26, hundreds of participants of all ages, ranging from babies to bubbies, made good on this promise by taking part in the Pavilion's annual A Walk in the Park, benefitting seniors in long-term care facilities in Greater Orlando. At just 10 weeks old, Jack Broffman was the event's... Full story
While the Pavilion has been breaking bread with seniors in long-term care since 1998, there is much more to the organization beyond the challah. Executive Director Nancy Ludin noted, "Lunch and Learn serves as a great example of how the Pavilion enhances the lives of seniors all year round, and not just during the holidays. Program Director Cathy Swerdlow, an experienced instructor in both Judaica and history, leads a bi-monthly discussion at Oakmonte Village in Lake Mary that promotes healthy... Full story
The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah presents A Book and Author, featuring author Stuart Omans on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 11:30 a.m. at Congregation Ohev Shalom. Omans will captivate and delight attendees with tales from his recently published book "Ol' Man on a Mountain." A buffet lunch will be served. Omans is professor emeritus and former chairman of English at The University of Central Florida. He is the founding artistic director of the nationally acclaimed Orlando Shakespeare Theater, created in pa... Full story
