Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3901 - 3925 of 4470
In the Exodus story, Moses decides to rescue his people after he hears God speak to him through the burning bush. But when New York City-based artist Jan Aronson imagined the famous episode in which Moses must decide which path to take in life, she didn't see a magic fire, but rather the broiling sun rising and shining on the desert brush. In that moment of meditation, Moses heard the voice within himself that told him to go confront Pharaoh. That is just one of the inspirations behind the... Full story
This article originally ran in The Jewish Press Feb. 28, 2014. Rabbi Pinny Marozov, director of Chabad of Coney Island, wanted to do a mitzvah. So when he found out there was a Jewish man living on his own on the Upper West Side of Manhattan-a Jewish man who was about to turn 111 years old-he decided to pay a visit. The problem was that Alexander Imich, who has been officially verified as the oldest man in America, second oldest in the world (he was even congratulated by the New York State... Full story
(JPRwire)Roseanne Barr invoked Jewish values to change lives at an innovative, enlightened, and provocative Purim retreat at Isabella Freedman. In the last decade of the 20th century, Roseanne Barr brought the issues and concerns of working class America to life through her groundbreaking sitcom "Roseanne." This past weekend, it was Roseanne Barr once again bringing concepts to life, this time in such a powerful and profound way that it literally changed the lives of some of those in the room... Full story
It may be time to retire the old joke about one of the slimmest books in the library being Jewish Sports Heroes-thanks to a new set of baseball cards designed for the fans who have made trading facts and figures about the sport's ever-expanding Stars of David a league of their own. Previous editions of Jewish Major Leaguer Baseball Cards proved to be such a hit that they precipitated the launch of the series' seventh edition (Jewishmajorleaguers.org), which has just arrived with an expanded... Full story
There is always a lot happening in Israel, especially in the universities and the medical field—and Israel shares everything they learn with the world. It is part of the Jewish heritage—tikun olam—to repair the world. Recently, Congregation Ohev Shalom, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, the Jewish Community Center, Hillel and the Zionistas hosted a four-hour seminar on the many technological, medical, life-saving developments, and restoration projects happening in Israel. After attending the afternoon of ‘good news,’ each person who was... Full story
BALTIMORE (JTA)-Sara Tivoli Cohen has thought occasionally over the years about the junior high and high school in Greece that she attended, not realizing she had yet to receive her diploma from the Umberto No. 1 Italian School in Salonika. Now the 84-year-old Toronto resident is checking the mail awaiting its arrival. Suri Greenberg, the daughter of the late Toronto couple who had adopted Cohen's orphaned sister Esther, found Sara Tivoli on a list of 157 Jewish students who had never been award... Full story
Mila Kunis expecting HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-The production of beautiful Jewish babies has officially begun! Ukrainian-Jewish actress Mila Kunis of "That '70s Show" fame and her fiance Ashton Kutcher are expecting their first child, according to E! Online. Kunis, 30, has been dating the 36-year-old "Two and a Half Men" star for about two years. They announced their engagement less than a month ago, and since then she has been spotted around town with a big diamond ring and a small baby bump. In... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Ritz has a new bacon-flavored cracker hitting shelves with kosher certification. The signature O.U.-Dairy symbol appears on the box of the Nabisco nosh. "There was much discussion over the decision about this product," acknowledged Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO of the Orthodox Union Kashrut Department. "The reality is there's nothing close to bacon in this product. There are artificial bacon flavorings that give the 'bacon flavor.' "Nobody's going to think this is actual bacon," he... Full story
I'm not surprised... Actually, I'm never surprised by the brilliance of Israeli scientists, professors, doctors, inventers of every sort. So when I read the following in the World Jewish Congress Digest, I repeat, I wasn't surprised: "A Technion professor has devised a superglue to seal surgical incisions without the need for stitches or staples. Prof. HAVAZELET BIANCO-PELED has patented Seal-V glue, a biologically acceptable glue that mechanically seals areas of surgery. Working on wet... Full story
On March 8, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando hosted its largest annual fundraiser, the J Ball, which benefits the organization's programs, services, and Marvin Friedman Scholarship Fund, which all center around the organization's mission of building community, strengthening family life, and promoting Jewish values. The night was a record-setting fundraising success, thanks to honoree Bruce Gould, co-chairwomen Rhonda Forest, Es Cohen, and Lynn Minkow, and the J Ball committee. The... Full story
BALTIMORE (JTA)-Shortly after assembling the players trying out for the American squad he'd be coaching at the 2009 Maccabiah Games, Bruce Pearl brought them to Sabbath evening services at the Heska Amuna Synagogue in Knoxville, Tenn. The passionate and gregarious Pearl, a veteran of reading the haftarah at Yom Kippur, led the services. Now he's bringing that spirit, enthusiasm and knack for leadership back into coaching. The plan is for Pearl to guide the Auburn University basketball team for... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—It is no secret that when Israel’s government announced this past September that we would be returning to the table to negotiate with the Palestinians, I was not optimistic about the prospects of this latest round of talks. I knew that as much as we desire peace and normalcy for this region, our Palestinian counterparts have never tired in making demands without any corresponding willingness to offer concessions and prove themselves as real negotiating partners. While many Israelis viewed these talks as a harmless diversion to... Full story
Just a couple weeks ago, I had the fortunate opportunity to experience nearly 2,000 Jewish teens from around the world come together in Dallas, Texas, at BBYO International Convention (IC) 2014. Just as the teen participants were, I was "welcomed home" with hundreds of staff, volunteers, advisors, community partners, supporters, and alumni. I was motivated and inspired to see teens leading 20+ varieties of Shabbat services that they created, learning sessions on Saturday afternoon, and teen lead... Full story
This article was reprinted with permission from Lake Mary Life Magazine. When a loved one dies, sorrow can overcome us while our hearts long for one more moment together. Yet, through our time of grief, we must contend with resolving the legal and financial aspects of our loved one’s estate. Where does one begin? Locating your loved one’s estate plan documents, such as a last will and testament and trust, will begin the process. These documents direct the passing of property to the beneficiaries who will inherit the property. Other imp... Full story
Rabbi Shana Goldstein Mackler, daughter of Sammy Goldstein and Bill Yahner, will be honored at Shabbat evening services at The Temple, Congregation Ohabai Shalom, in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, March 28. The congregation will be celebrating her tenth year with the synagogue. Sammy Goldstein is the executive director of Beth Shalom Memorial Chapel here in Orlando. Rabbi Mackler was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, in May 2004. She has been a rabbi at... Full story
Two world-renowned performers, Michael Ochs and Alaa Ali, integrated their Pursuit of Harmony experience into a beautiful Friday night Shabbat service filled with their music and their story. Almost 200 people attended the service, held by Temple Shir Shalom at the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo. Those in attendance welcomed Shabbat with a new twist on a traditional melody. Ali and Ochs, joined by Beth Schafer and the TSS choir, led a stirring rendition of "Hinei Ma Tov" in the round wi... Full story
Elise Hoffeld Schilowitz of Maitland remembers pop icon, Paul Simon, from her sixth grade classroom at P.S. 164 in Kew Gardens Hills, New York, where he also was a fellow congregant at the Jewish Center. Schilowitz dug up an old class photo, and noted, "Paul Simon is still easy to pick out from our class picture. Though I haven't seen him in 50 years, he hasn't seemed to change all that much." Fortunately for Simon's voluminous fans, his crowd-pleasing vocals and iconic harmonies haven't... Full story
The words of Martin Niemoller... "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out... because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out...because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out... because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me... and there was no one left to speak for me." (I remembered these famous words as I was preparing to write this column. I feel they are most appropriate, especially... Full story
The children at Temple Israel celebrated Purim this year with a carnival and a lot of revelry. There were activities for every age group from tots to teens. In addition to a Purim Spiel, crafts, games and food, there were costumes galore and lots of fun. More photos can be seen on Temple Israel's Facebook page and on website, www.tiflorida.org. For information about Temple Israel, please call 407-647-3055.... Full story
Dunham on Woody Allen HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-Comedian Marc Maron is incredibly skilled at getting famous people to move past surface PR stuff and engage in organic, in-depth conversations. His "funny, brainy romp" with Lena Dunham on Monday's edition of his WTF podcast is a perfect example of this. The creator and star of "Girls" chatted with Maron about being raised in the art world, feminism, Oberlin College (her alma mater) and criticism of "Girls." But let's get to the important stuff. Here,... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Almost exactly 55 years after Barbie made her debut at the American International Toy Fair, a more realistically proportioned alternative to the iconic fashion doll has become a crowd-funding sensation, raising more than $400,000 in a week and a half to begin production. The Lammily doll, which has joints that bend, an athletic physique and a motto of "Average is Beautiful," is being described by some fans as the anti-Barbie. But Lammily's creator, 25-year-old Pittsburgh artist... Full story
At Temple Israel, tots are a vital part of programming. A program titled Tot Shabbat was begun a year ago and has been held monthly each Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to noon. This year, having started with Purim, programming for the major Jewish holidays will be offered. The entire community of tots is invited to participate in these programs (tots should be accompanied by an adult) and there is no charge. Please call the TI office (407-647-3055) to find out which program (Shabbat or holiday) will... Full story
Community service can range from something as little as picking up trash to assisting children with special needs. It can be done with one friend or many, with help or on your own. It can start as something small and expand into something large. This year’s Orlando J-Serve (Jewish day of international service) theme, The Ripple Effect, focuses on simple tasks done by individuals becoming part of a whole team. One good deed ripples across our vast community ocean, impacting others mentally, physically, and emotionally. Through this “Ripple Eff... Full story
First came the Cronut. Now, there's the Cragel. On Jan. 13, the New York City blog Gothamist broke the news that the Bagel Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was baking up a bagel-croissant hybrid no doubt inspired by the wild success of Manhattan bakery Dominique Ansel's cronut, a pastry cream-filled, croissant-like flaky pastry. The latter became a bonafide phenomenon: hours-long lines formed outside the bakery, and pastry chef Ansel even trademarked the term-check out the little "TM" in a... Full story
