Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Recently, I viewed the compelling documentary "The Internet's Own Son," about the life and untimely death of Internet activist, Aaron Swartz, and it hit home in a couple of unexpected ways. Not only was Swartz raised in a Jewish family in my hometown of Highland Park, Illinois, but coincidentally, we both grew up in the same house, 15 years apart. Aaron's parents, Susan and Robert Swartz, currently reside in the house I consider my own childhood home from 1970-1986. According to Zillow, the... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Jon Stewart's directorial film debut, "Rosewater," is set to premiere at film festivals in the United States and Canada this September. So the Hollywood Reporter took the opportunity to grab some golden quotes (and glam shots) of the iconic "Daily Show" comedian about filming in the Middle East-and his own take on the region's politics. "Rosewater" tells a story that Stewart was drawn to because of his own real-life involvement: The film is adapted from the memoir of Maziar... Full story
Tired of Holocaust deniers... I read this recently in the World Jewish Congress Digest (WJC) and I found it to be very upsetting. (As I age, I seem to find everything upsetting... especially when I look in the mirror!) As the Jewish New Year is almost upon us, I feel this takes on even more meaning. I pass it along to you: "During a major national address for Persian New Year, Iran's Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, took another opportunity to deny that the Holocaust ever took place and... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)-As the Ice Bucket Challenge raises millions for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an Israeli treatment to ease symptoms and slow the progression of ALS and other incurable neuromuscular diseases is going into Phase 2 clinical trials in three major US medical centers. Petah Tikva-based BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics' NurOwn platform is based on a technique developed by Profs. Daniel Offen and Eldad Melamed at Tel Aviv University for growing and enhancing stem cells... Full story
Rabbi Rudolph Adler, retired spiritual leader of Congregation Ohev Shalom, receives regular visits from Kimberly Shader with her pet therapy dog, Shomer, at his Sutton Homes long-term care facility in Dr. Phillips. Shomer actually means "guardian" in Hebrew. These visits are all the more meaningful because Shader was bat mitzvah'd by the rabbi-she fondly recalls his helping her with her bat mitzvah speech. When the picture was taken, the rabbi asked, "Can you tell which one is me?" Shader... Full story
Many of the concepts espoused in the Torah and Jewish tradition seem quintessentially modern, yet go back thousands of years. Here’s a roundup of some ideas that we take for granted today that are an integral part of ancient Jewish wisdom. 1. Monotheism Judaism introduced the powerful notion that one God created and rules the universe. This was a profound break with the idolatrous models that came before, in which an angry or capricious god was seen to govern events at random, and had to be appeased—often in horrible ways, like child sac... Full story
I often disagree with Mr. Miller... I'm referring to comedian, DENNIS MILLER, who has a show called Dennis Miller Live on HBO. Although he is not Jewish, he recently had the following (on this we agree) to say (in part) about the Middle East situation: "A brief overview of the situation is always valuable, so as a service to all Americans who still don't get it, I now offer you the story of the Middle East in just a few paragraphs, which is all you really need. The Palestinians want their own... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA) – The music that packs the Skirball Cultural Center's stately courtyard – Yiddish tango – is a musical hybrid twice over. On the tango side, it is a blend of African-born rhythms and a potpourri of European music styles. On the Yiddish side, it combines mournful liturgical melodies with folk songs. Tango, too, is famous for its sensual dance, while Yiddish music is rooted in the festive freylekhs of traditional wedding bands. In combination, the two prove irresistible, as th... Full story
The "Seeking Kin" column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. BALTIMORE (JTA) – Howard Schoenfeld and his teenage daughter Zahava set out for a stroll along a Long Island Beach in New York on a recent Sunday morning. Zahava likes to collect shells, so after parking at Oak Beach, a popular spot for vintage-car enthusiasts, they walked along the inlet. Eyes cast downward, they stumbled upon an unlikely find - a gravestone. It read: Our beloved daughter Hannah Schnur Died Nov. 3... Full story
(JTA) - At the Freedom Summer anniversary conference in Jackson, Miss., the activists who registered black voters and taught in Freedom Schools under the threat of violence 50 years ago stood up to introduce themselves. It took three hours to hear what they did in the Magnolia State back in 1964 and have gone on to do in the half-century since. "Almost everyone had a social justice connection," said Heather Booth, who went to Mississippi as a college freshman from New York before moving on to a... Full story
After hearing of the apparent suicide of Robin Williams, I remembered laughing harder, and deeper than I ever had at a comedian when I first saw him perform at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles in 1977. During his set at the Sunset Boulevard club—where newcomer, Jay Leno, also performed that evening--there were no tedious joke set-ups, or tired shtickiness to his approach to stand-up, just a flinging out of a blend of Shakespearian references, observations, plays on words and thoughts that Williams had spun together in the mad juicer that was h... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-When it comes to Hasidic characters in movies, film consultant Elli Meyer believes that the real deal trumps a random actor in costume. But that approach isn't without its challenges. Meyer, a New York-based Lubavitcher Hasid, recounted one occasion when he was hired to cast extras for a film but refused upon learning that shooting would take place on Yom Kippur. "Who told you to hire Jews?" one of the producers said, according to Meyer, though ultimately the shooting was... Full story
Shades of ISIS... How hard it is to comprehend... fighting an enemy that prefers death to life. What can you do to threaten them? They feel that death means getting together with 72 virgins, etc. (Well, we could threaten that for every terrorist that hits the dust, we kill his mother-in-law as well. Or we make the terrorists believe there are not 72 virgins, rather one 72-year-old virgin... or we can tell them that upon death, they will be united with 72 nuns holding rifles. This is all sick... Full story
MONTICELLO, N.Y. (JTA)-The moment I kicked in the door of the abandoned house in the heart of the Catskills, I felt like I was in an episode of "The Twilight Zone: Borscht Belt edition." In some corners it appeared as if the residents were just out for the afternoon. Pictures and tchotchkes adorned the walls. A mezuzah with the parchment still inside was affixed to a doorpost. A working upright piano sat in one corner. Ironing boards were open. Mattresses lay on beds; in one room the beds were s... Full story
Oviedo resident and member of Congregation Ohev Shalom Elana Goldstein was all excited when she found out last May that she would be going to Israel through the Taglit-Birthright program. She'd wanted to go ever since her dad, David, told her about the trip when she was a little girl. "He went to Israel when he was 18 and lived on a kibbutz for 6 months," she told Heritage. Taglit-Birthright, partially funded by the Israeli government, provides free 10-day trips to Israel for any Jewish adult be... Full story
From the time she was very young, Kara Finkelstein, 10, liked to write stories. Her teachers at the Roth JCC Early Childhood Learning Center-where she attended the 3s, 4s and pre-k classes-taught their students to be creative. After graduating from pre-k in 2009, Kara started first grade at John Evans Elementary School in Oviedo. In fourth grade, her teacher, Stephanie Anderson, who was named 2014 Elementary School Rookie Teacher of the Year for Seminole County, also taught her students to be... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-In Larry David's fake real-life world on the HBO sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm," he is tapped by Mel Brooks to take over the Zero Mostel-Nathan Lane role of Max Bialystock in the megahit Broadway adaptation of "The Producers." Just as Max and accountant Leo Bloom set out to make money by producing a surefire bomb, Brooks picks Larry with the (secret) goal of killing the Tony Award-winning musical and getting his life back. But in an art-imitates-art twist, Larry (like "Springtime... Full story
While mensch is the ideal term to describe Joan Pohl, you could also use words like baleboste, Maven or forsher. Pohl has been teaching a monthly Yiddish class for the Jewish Pavilion for several years. The class meets monthly at Chambrel in Longwood. While some of the participants are Chambrel residents, many others come from the general community. They grew up in a household where Yiddish was spoken by parents or grandparents. Many students understand the language but do not speak it fluently. Pohl is a speech therapist with dramatic flair... Full story
ELIEZER "ELIE" WIESEL, is a Romanian born Jewish American professor and political activist. He is the author of 57 books, including "Night," a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps. A Nobel Peace Laureate, Wiesel has accused the militant Palestinian movement Hamas of child sacrifice for its practice of launching rockets against Israel from within heavily populated parts of Gaza during the recent conflict. In a full page, paid... Full story
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA)-When Lacey Schwartz celebrated her bat mitzvah more than two decades ago in her hometown of Woodstock, N.Y., a synagogue-goer turned to her and said, "It's so nice to have an Ethiopian Jew in our midst." Never mind that Schwartz, a striking 37-year-old with long black curls and a megawatt smile, is about as American as they come. Raised by two Ashkenazi Jewish parents in a largely white, upstate New York town, Schwartz's complexion-darker than that of her relatives-had long... Full story
The Heritage Florida Jewish News is pleased to announce the recipient of this year's Human Service Award is Loren London. Words to describe London include creator, hard worker, organizer, enthusiastic, determined, thoughtful and loving. Those are just a few of the words that paint a picture of this lovely woman whose heart is deeply committed to her family and her community. As Cantor Alan Robuck of Congregation Ohev Shalom puts it, "Some people are thinkers and creators. Some people are great a... Full story
This August, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando is recognizing outstanding leaders who have made an impact in Jewish Orlando this past year. The awards presentation will be made on Aug. 24 at the JFGO Annual Meeting. Awards are given out in recognition of fantastic individuals who devote their time to make our community a better place. This year's Jerome J. Bornstein Senior Leadership Award will be awarded to Tess Wise. The Jerome J. Bornstein Senior Leadership Award was established in... Full story
In July, young Jews gathered at Airheads Trampoline Arena for Sunday Funday. Our Jewish Orlando hosted the event followed by dinner with a group of active 20- and 30-somethings. Sunday Funday brings together members of OJO for fun activities in the Orlando area. Powered by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, OJO has been successful in bringing Orlando's next generation together for connection and conversation. Want to learn more? Visit www.facebook.com/ourjewishorlando for information on... Full story
"Israel is Jewish"... Is that what's behind the anti-Israel world view? The following comes from DENNIS PRAGER. (I have NOT checked out all he said yet, but present it word for word as he said it.) Quoting Dennis Prager: "Let's drop the names 'Hamas' and 'Israel' and make a list of the characteristics of two imaginary warring entities. We'll call them Entity A and Entity B. Entity A: Declares that its raison d'etre is to annihilate Entity B. Sends missiles to explode in the most populated parts... Full story
Why has education been so important to the Jewish people? Author Maristella Botticini says a unique religious norm enacted within Judaism two millennia ago made male literacy universal among Jews many centuries earlier than it was universal for the rest of the world’s population. “Wherever and whenever Jews lived among a population of mostly unschooled people, they had a comparative advantage,” Botticini tells JNS.org. “They could read and write contracts, business letters, and account books using a common [Hebrew] alphabet while learnin... Full story
