Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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On Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer and the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, the Jewish community is aflame with celebration. People frolic around bonfires in traditional festivities, marking the day with joy. According to Rabbi BenZion Friedman, director of the Torah Learning Center of Greater Kansas City, the tradition of lighting bonfires on Lag B'Omer started with the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on the 18th of Iyar. Known as the Rashbi, on the day of his... Full story
TEL AVIV—Despite an addiction to taking pictures everywhere they go, cellphone junkies have not been able to ditch their stand-alone cameras quite yet. Smartphones still don’t possess the sharp zoom capabilities of digital still cameras, so the resulting pictures can be messy and out-of-focus. That won’t be the case for long, however. Prof. David Mendlovic of Tel Aviv University’s School of Electrical Engineering and his former doctoral student Dr. Gal Shabtay, who together established the startup Corephotonics, have now successfully bridged... Full story
"We know we are going to be bamboozled," a despondent Stephen Wise, the foremost American Jewish leader of his time, confided to a friend before boarding a ship bound for England in early 1939. The British had invited Wise and other Zionist leaders from the United States and Palestine to take part in a "peace conference" with Arab leaders. Wise expected the worst, and he was right. The conference in London's majestic St. James Palace would set the stage for the imposition-75 years ago this... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-As a seventh-grader at the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, Jordan Elist spent many hours fulfilling his community service requirement by volunteering at local food banks. The issue of food insecurity became "very dear to my heart," he said. "Being hungry is something that anyone can relate to." So when the food banks ran low on donations, Elist came up with a plan to help. He launched the nonprofit Save a Bottle, Save a Life, which raises money to purchase food by... Full story
Children from the Meitin Religious School at Temple Israel together with members of the Temple Israel congregation were proud to participate in Steven Kluger's bar mitzvah project: Feeding Children Everywhere. More than 4,300 meals were packed by the Temple Israel group for hungry children around the world and right here at home. Feeding Children Everywhere is a social charity that empowers and mobilizes people to assemble thousands of healthful meals for children lacking food. "My purpose was... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-Most fans of the usually dismal Washington Wizards would be thrilled to be taking in the team's rare playoff run from a luxury suite. But Steve Buckhantz is used to watching the games courtside, with a microphone. Buckhantz, 58, a member of the local Jewish community center's Sports Hall of Fame, has served as the Wizards' television broadcaster for 17 years and endured plenty of putrid basketball. This year's squad, however, is making some noise, with the team reaching the... Full story
On Sunday evening, May 4, about 200 people gathered at the Roth JCC in Maitland for a solemn ceremony to honor those who gave their lives defending Israel. Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Remembrance Day, was first officially established in 1963 to honor those who fought for Israel's independence. Today, it honors fallen soldiers as well as civilian victims of terrorism. Its very existence is a painful annual reminder of the price the Jewish people pay to freely live in their own land. The Roth JCC... Full story
recently joined a grief support group offered by the Jewish Pavilion in conjunction with VITAS Innovative Hospice Care and held at Chambrel at Island Lake, a Brookdale Senior Living community. While my beloved mother passed away 18 years ago, my dear father died only last September. But with the recent loss of my father, I now felt like a heartbroken orphan. Swept up in my grief, I decided to seek help. My admiration for Nancy Ludin, executive director of the Jewish Pavilion, and this... Full story
PRAGUE—When the applause faded, the 32 young actors remained on stage in silence. Some of them hugged. They looked at each other, their faces filled with amazement and disbelief—the circle was complete. The Philadelphia-based troupe had brought the words of Terezín’s children back to where they came from. They had just given the first performance of “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” at the former concentration camp where the characters they portrayed had been held captive during the Holocaust. “This is where the kids that we are commemoratin... Full story
Movies bring back torturous memories... While trolling for a station on TV, I stumbled upon an old movie, "Cast A Giant Shadow," that I had seen before, based on the true story of Colonel Mickey Marcus. David Daniel (Mickey) Marcus was a U.S. Army Colonel who assisted Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and who became Israel's first modern general (Aluf). He was killed by friendly fire, when he was mistaken for an enemy infiltrator while returning to his position in Israel one night. He... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA) — Who knew? It turns out that mohels not only have one of the most peculiar professions in the Jewish world, but they’re funny, eccentric and self-promotional in odd ways, too. Circumcision activists pro and con can debate the efficacy of circumcision for everything from health benefits to sexual pleasure to religious mores, but I decided to go a different route with a quest to find America’s Top Mohels. How did I choose the eight featured here? I did not inspect thousands of instances of their workmanship. I did not rate them... Full story
(JTA)-Longtime fans of the Chicago Cubs know there are a few mainstays they can expect when they visit Wrigley Field: ivy on the outfield walls, a strict no-wave policy rigorously enforced by fans and, most days, disappointing play by the hometown team. But there's one little-known quirk at Wrigley that appears to be fading away as the ballpark, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last week, enters its second century: the numerous Orthodox Jewish vendors who sell food and drinks in the... Full story
By Suzanne Kurtz Sloan WASHINGTON (JTA)-When he was 3 years old, Daniel Rosenthal's Uncle Joe taught him how to make a quarter disappear and reappear from behind his ear. Eager to learn more, he begged his uncle to teach him other tricks as well. "The sense of amazement and mystery," said Rosenthal, now 17. "I fell in love with magic; it's so amazing." By the time he was 5, he was performing professionally at parties, "and I was teaching my uncle tricks." At 8, Rosenthal began volunteering and p... Full story
For one day in the spring, the humble falafel is all but forgotten as Israelis fire up their grills for some serious meat-eating. In that way, Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), which falls on the fifth day of the Hebrew-calendar month Iyar, is not all that different from its American counterpart, the Fourth of July. On this holiday, marking Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's announcement of Israel's independence at the stroke of midnight on May 14, 1948, you'll find musical and... Full story
Some 22,000 Israeli soldiers have died since the establishment of the Jewish state, including 40 soldiers between March 2013 and March 2014, according to the Israel Defense Forces. "We in Israel are fighting-and dying-on behalf of every Jew in the world... We are maintaining a safe haven for every Jew to escape to. Jews in the Diaspora live safer lives and hold their heads higher because Israel and its army exists," said Chantal Belzberg, executive vice chairman of OneFamily, an organization... Full story
Good news for a change... Lately I have been writing about anti-Semitism sprouting up here and around the world. Finally, thanks to the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Digest, there is something positive to report... especially for us Floridians: "BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE," the heading of the report reads, followed by an explanation. "No, not the award-winning children's novel but rather the southern supermarket giant. In the affluent South Florida suburb of Boca Raton, you will now find a huge... Full story
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (JTA)-Four years ago, I applied to re-obtain German citizenship on behalf of my son and myself. Neither of us was born in Germany. I was born in sunny California and my son on Long Island. But I had learned that under the German Constitution, "Former German citizens who between Jan. 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945 were deprived of their citizenship on political, racial or religious ground and their descendants shall on application have their citizenship restored." I called my father... Full story
The “Seeking Kin” column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. BALTIMORE (JTA)—The contemporary multi-building complex that is the ALYN Woldenberg Family Hospital in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood had its roots nearly a century ago with a modest goal: treating children with orthopedic problems. It was the brainchild of Dr. Henry Keller, an orthopedic surgeon from New York who visited prestate Israel in 1918 to learn of the country’s health care situation. A decade later he returned to conduct research on children... Full story
Boy Scouts from Troop 641 in Maitland volunteered their time April 12 to support the cyclists in the MS150 Bike Ride. Scouts and their leaders cheered on the hundreds of riders as they came across the finish line at the Caribe Royal Hotel. Team 641 had four cyclists participating in the fundraiser for multiple sclerosis: Eagle Scout and Assistant Scoutmaster Alex Couchman, Assistant Scoutmasters Dick Couchman, Ed Calish and Mike Pastor. Team 641 has participated in the MS150 for several years... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-May 1 will mark the 50th anniversary of the first Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) demonstration on behalf of Soviet Jews. The man who inspired the demonstration and became the father of the movement, Jacob (Yaakov) Birnbaum, died April 9 at the age of 87. Birnbaum founded the SSSJ and, together with others including Glenn Richter, developed the first national grassroots Soviet Jewry organization. But Birnbaum's legacy was much greater than any organizational affiliation.... Full story
Temple Israel of Brevard is proud to announce that Rabbi Patricia Ernest Hickman will receive her honorary doctorate of Sacred Music from the HUC-JIR on Thursday, May 8 in New York City. Rabbi Hickman is one of the distinguished communal and civic leaders and alumni that will be awarded with honorary degrees and prizes in recognition of their service to Reform congregations and North American Jewry, and in honor of their humanitarian work. The HUC-JIR is the nation's first institution of higher... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-A key component that unifies a people or nation is a common language. The Jewish people are no exception; the Hebrew language is an essential element of what constitutes the Jewish nation. Hebrew often is the only common language in the room – the lingua franca – when Jews from different parts of the globe get together (native English-speaking Jews aside, for the most part). Conversely, the lack of a unifying language creates a great gulf between people. It leads to mis... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-Sitting through an eighth-grade assembly as a police officer spoke of the dangers of bullying, Jacob Gardenswartz thought there had to be a better way to teach these important lessons. "I got the idea to really make it incredible so kids would stay engaged and wouldn't tune out," said Gardenswartz, now a senior at the Francis Parker School in San Diego. He set out to recruit other young actors, mostly from his friends, and formed Theater of Peace: The Beyond Bullying... Full story
With matzah, charoset, Haggadot and parsley in tow, the students and teachers arrived with enthusiasm and Chag Pesach Sameach on their minds. It is no surprise they were bringing three inter-generational Passover seders to seniors living in assisted living facilities from Lake Mary to Longwood to Maitland. Dozens of seniors joined with students in grades 5-7 from Congregation Ohev Shalom religious school to welcome Pesach and enjoy a Model Seder. The Jewish Pavilion thanks all the many... Full story
Anti-Semitism is alive and well... Sad to acknowledge, but we must keep our eyes open to such hate and we must always remember the slogan, "Never Again." FRAZIER GLENN CROSS (also known as Glenn Miller), doesn't want us to remember it, believe me. He's the hater that shot and killed three innocent people, thinking they were Jewish, on the eve of Passover. While doing the dirty deed, he shouted anti-Semitic slogans, including "Heil Hitler!" The three unfortunate souls he murdered happened not to... Full story
