Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3912 - 3936 of 4518
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
On March 21, Congregation Sinai of Clermont had a special Shabbat service to honor Matthew Cohen, who, along with his late wife Bea, have been Congregation Sinai’s largest benefactors. Cohen has generously contributed the synagogue’s two Torahs, the Ner Talmud and monies to help the congregation refresh their current sanctuary, as well as his donation of many prayer books. The Beatrice Cohen Memorial Fund was set up to help with Congregation Sinai’s children’s education. Cohen and his wife Claire are moving back to Philadelphia and the members... Full story
BERKELEY, Calif. (JTA)-Plucking a violin on an empty stage, an animated scene of Manhattan skyscrapers scrolling behind her pregnant body, the musician, poet and Torah scholar Alicia Jo Rabins begins to sing what sounds like a mystical incantation of sorts. "Bring me your empty jar, I will fill it," she intones. "Where it comes from, I can't tell you, no one knows." Inspired by the biblical story of the prophet Elisha, Rabins, 37, is musing in the broadest possible terms about the crimes of... Full story
The "Seeking Kin" column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. BALTIMORE (JTA)-Nancy Glickman was a teenager when she heard the story about her father at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin: Marty Glickman and another Jewish sprinter, Sam Stoller, were replaced as members of the 400-meter relay team for the U.S. squad on the morning of the event. Asking her father about the slight one night, he pulled out his uniform from the bottom drawer of a large dresser to display it. Right... Full story
BALTIMORE (JTA)-Maccabi Tel Aviv reportedly is heading back to the United States this fall for its first exhibition games against NBA teams in five years – but greater developments appear to be in the works for the iconic franchise and Israeli basketball. For one, how about NBA squads making the trans-Atlantic flight to play regular-season games in Israel, and an Israeli club flying the other way to play in North America? First, the exhibitions, which have yet to be confirmed: Tel Aviv will m... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-The United States is the only industrialized country in the world not to mandate paid maternity leave, and only 11 percent of private-sector American employees have access to it. But a growing list of Jewish nonprofits are now offering or expanding paid maternity leave, the result of a push by Advancing Women Professionals, a communal advocacy group. Persuading scores of Jewish organizations to add paid benefits during a recession was no easy feat. Leaders of many organizations... Full story
Carl Sagan fans old and new have been gazing at their televisions in awe as host Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson’s resurrection of the science epic “Cosmos” takes them on a journey from the Big Bang, to microscopic one-celled organisms, to the ascent of man, to beyond the stars and planets. The return of “Cosmos”—which launched in March and runs for 13 episodes on the Fox network, ending June 2—provides an opportune time to remember Sagan, the show’s Jewish creator. An American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author, Sagan was born to Refo... Full story
Ancient Hebrew scrolls were on display at the Jewish Heritage Festival held in Daytona Beach on April 6. These scrolls were created as early as the 16th century and were compiled from countries all over the world including Poland, Iraq, Morocco and Russia. This collection was brought here and shared by the Christian Heritage Foundation from Cleburne, Texas. For more photos of the Jewish Heritage Festival see page 8.... Full story
On a balmy Sunday afternoon, hundreds of folks made their way to the Jewish Heritage Festival, held at the News-Journal Center in Daytona Beach. There were children’s activites, Noah’s Landing petting zoo, Masada rock climbing wall, matzoh making, an IDF obstacle course and camel rides. There was Klezmer, Israeli and swing music, as well as an array of Judaic artwork and exhibits. Two of the most significant items on display were the ancient Torah scroll that was hand written on deerskin by three scribes in the 15th century, and the array of...
While all of my friends were spending their last spring breaks of college on cruises or going to the beach, I chose a different path. Through the Jewish National Fund, I signed up for Alternative Spring Break, which is a week-long trip to Israel where college students from around the country engage in community service projects in various parts of Israel. I was excited to be placed in a group working in Northern Israel since I didn't get a lot of time there in high school. From day one, I was... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion caters to the Jewish community's most vulnerable population-the frail and the elderly. Passover photos from 2013 bring to mind many friends no longer here to enjoy the Passover with their families. The Passover meal with the Jewish pavilion was truly their "last supper" or the last Jewish holiday they were able to celebrate at the dinner table.... Full story
Haggadah means “the telling,” and since a story is only as good as the person telling it, the one you pick can spell the difference between an engaging seder or one where grandpa falls asllep in the matzah-ball soup. The authors of the best-selling 30-minute seder Haggadah, “The Haggadah that Blends Brevity with Tradition,” are bringing a new look to the Passover seder table this season with the release of the 60-minute seder, “Complete Family Haggadah.” This book, with its gloss, hi-style magazine format, stands above the ret by delivering... Full story
BOCA RATON, Fla. (JTA)-Stroll past the kosher section of most large supermarkets in America and you could be forgiven for thinking that Jewish diets consist mainly of jarred gefilte fish, unsalted matzahs and Tam-Tam crackers. Not so at the Winn-Dixie supermarket in this affluent South Florida suburb. There's a kosher bakery with fresh pizza and dairy and pareve desserts; a meat and deli counter with hot foods like chicken wings, potato kugel and meatballs; a refrigerated case with cold salads;... Full story
I never cease to be amazed... Last column I spoke about Israel and all its breakthroughs in medicine. Well... here is another. I recently received a letter from Rabbi ANDREW SKLARZ of Greenwich Reform Synagogue, Greenwich, Conn. Besides being a rabbi, he is a social worker, and trained psychotherapist. He has served as a pastoral counselor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NYC. He wrote in part: "It was 2001... just hours before I would step onto the Bima to conduct the Erev Rosh... Full story
