Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 4026 - 4050 of 4463
BERLIKUM, Netherlands (JTA)-In a windswept parking lot near the North Sea shore, Klaas Zijlstra stands motionless as he admires his latest creation. It's the first time he is testing the 36-foot menorah he has spent weeks designing and building in the shape of a Star of David in his metal workshop in the northern tip of the Netherlands. Despite strong winds, the menorah holds, thanks in no small part to its 6-ton base. This isn't just any mega-menorah. For one thing, it may be the largest in... Full story
By Pamela Ruben Our daily lives are filled with stress; we are faced with stressors in the workplace, stressors on our commute as we make our way home, and family stressors as we walk through the front door. On Sunday, Oct. 19, Chabad of North Orlando presented Dr. Gill Heart who delivered a seminar on taking control of these stressors that impact our daily lives. Dr. Heart, who holds a PhD in biomedical engineering, honed his skills in stress management on the job as a special operative of the... Full story
By Hillel Kuttler BALTIMORE (JTA)-Arie Glazer smiled and his large eyes lit up as his iPad displayed photographs and comments on the Facebook page of Shenkar Elementary School's Class of 1977. The Baltimore businessman was just back from a visit to his native Israel to attend the class reunion of Shenkar, now in its 69th year of operation on Ahad Ha'Am Street in Holon, a town just south of Tel Aviv. Glazer very nearly could have flown home without a plane, such was his high from the Oct. 9... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion partners with senior living facilities to bring Jewish culture and tradition to the residents. This past Chanukah, several facilities hosted some very elegant affairs. Thanks to the Jewish Pavilion, holiday parties get better every year. Shown here are three of the beautiful Chanukah parties that were held. (Top) Lori Okeon, executive director of Atria at Lake Forest in Sanford, posing with two lovely ladies; (middle) Jewish Pavilion program director Emily Newman is shown at... Full story
Hoffman-Sandler comedy HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-Adam Sandler is a Jewish comic actor with a serious streak. Dustin Hoffman is a serious Jewish actor who can be pretty freakin' funny. Put them both together and what do you get? "The Cobbler," a comedy starring Sandler and, according to The Wrap, now Hoffman, too. No word on Hoffman's role, but Sandler will play a shoe repairman who has powers that allow him to step into the lives of the people whose footwear he repairs. Steve Buscemi also just... Full story
Trust but verify?... You know I'm referring to the "compromise" recently reached by our Secretary of State JOHN KERRY, our European allies and "trustworthy" Iran, Six months will tell. (Pray!) I recently received in the mail a little booklet containing pocket facts about Israel. On the page with the heading "Israel's Security Threats" was written the following: "Iranian leaders call for Israel to be 'wiped off the map' and are racing to build nuclear weapons. Iranian-supported proxies, Hamas... Full story
After suffering a tough personal loss early in life, there has always been a serious side to the comedy of famed Jewish entertainer Billy Crystal. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Crystal's father, prompting him to perform the autobiographical one-man show "700 Sundays" for another run on Broadway. The show, which first ran in 2004 and earned Crystal a Tony Award in 2005, runs through Jan. 5, 2014, at New York City's Imperial Theatre. In "700 Sundays," Crystal plays numerous... Full story
(JTA)-His hearing isn't what it used to be, but Georges Loinger still remembers Adolf Hitler's voice emanating from the radio at his Strasbourg home. Growing up in the heavily Germanic Alsace region of eastern France, Loinger and his family tuned in regularly to broadcasts of Hitler's speeches. They heard his "electrifying voice" and the plans he had in store for the Jews of Europe. So when the Nazis' anti-Jewish propaganda turned to deadly violence on Kristallnacht, the pogrom unleashed on the... Full story
It’s easy to imagine that if the ancient Israelites had been familiar with the cocoa bean, G-d might have promised them a land flowing with milk and chocolate. He didn’t, but such a land does exist. In the English city of Birmingham, a 90-minute train ride from London, Cadbury—the company that popularized modern British milk chocolate—welcomes half a million visitors a year who come to pay homage to Cadbury World. And if you are kosher observant and accustomed to foodie travel attractions where you can look but can’t taste, you should re... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-To an outsider, the battles might seem to be over trifles-in some cases, just a few feet. Where may a non-Jewish parent stand in the synagogue during his child's bar mitzvah? Can a non-Jew open the holy ark? Should non-Jewish synagogue members have voting rights? Such questions have been pushed to the fore by the growing percentage of Conservative homes that include non-Jewish family members-more than one-quarter of them, according to the recent Pew Research Center survey. For... Full story
ASHLAND, Ore. (JTA)- It's a crisp fall day in southern Oregon and Josh Shupack, 32, is gently whispering in a chicken's ear. "We're going to return your soul to heaven, your blood to the earth," he says, petting the bird's bright red comb. "And nourish our bodies with your flesh." This is what Shupack tells every chicken before he cuts its esophagus and trachea with a razor-sharp blade and holds it by the feet as it bleeds out into the dirt below. Its body quivers and shakes for a minute, black... Full story
Being an ambassador was not part of his career plans, but U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Robert Mandell-known to many Central Floridians as Bobby Mandell- loves his job. In a way, one could say that Mandell has reinvented himself, as so many have done in their later years. He grew up in his father's (Lester Mandell) business, starting out as a laborer at Greater Construction Co. and eventually became its CEO. He earned a law degree from the University of Florida, bought his father's Greater... Full story
Baron Cohen’s ‘deadly’ prank HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (6NoBacon)—Sacha Baron Cohen killed when he took the stage at the BAFTA Los Angeles Jaguar Britannia Awards Saturday night. Literally, he killed. An elderly woman. At least that’s what everyone there thought for a minute. The Jewish comic actor was being presented the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy by Grace Cullington, an 87-year-old in a wheelchair billed as Charlie Chaplin’s oldest living co-star. Cullington bestowed upon Baron Cohen a cane she said belonged to Chaplin.... Full story
HARTFORD, Conn. (JTA)—My wife stared at me as if I were from another planet. “What do you mean you don’t know if you can come to my cousin’s wedding?” she demanded indignantly. She hadn’t seen her relatives in years and was looking forward to a weekend getaway with her husband of 28 years without our grown children. “Well, it’s on a Saturday afternoon, before Shabbat is over. It’s during the three weeks of mourning before Tisha b’Av, not to mention during my year of saying Kaddish,” I replied, knowing none of these reasons would resonat... Full story
Probably just coincidence... I've been telling myself "coincidence" for more than 25 years. It was about that length of time back when I was visiting at the home of my cousin who is like me, a professional vocalist. He is also (not like me) a superb pianist and composer of musicals. My cousin surrounds himself with show business artifacts, including books. Thumbing through one of his books about George Gershwin that particular day, I shrieked when I thought I saw a photograph of myself as a... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-The biblical David used a slingshot to kill Goliath, thus earning the attention of King Saul. Today, Jewish organizations are trying to use Slingshot, an annual guide of the 50 "most innovative organizations and projects," to capture the attention of donors. The ninth installment of the guide was released Thursday. Launched in 2005 by a group of donors in their 20s and 30s, the guide evaluates North American Jewish organizations based on "their innovative approach, the impact... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-When Susan Katz Miller's Episcopalian mother and Jewish father married in the 1960s, they did exactly what most religious leaders advised intermarried couples to do: They chose one religion and stuck to it. Katz Miller's mother put her religious tradition aside, learning to make matzah balls and shepherding her four children through bar and bat mitzvah lessons. But when Katz Miller married her Episcopalian husband, she didn't want to choose. Instead, she and her husband raised... Full story
The American Hebrew Academy Honor Society is accepting nominations for eighth- and ninth-grade students who have shown excellence in academics, character, leadership and community service. The society’s goal is to acknowledge bright, hard-working, well-rounded students who are nominated by school personnel, rabbis, Jewish community professionals, camp directors, counselors, coaches, and/or friends for membership in to the American Hebrew Academy Honor Society. All Honor Society students will be able to compete for five (5) $20,000 annual m... Full story
BERLIN (JTA)-It's 4 a.m. at the famous Kater Holzig club and hundreds of beautiful young people are going crazy on the dance floor to the sound of heavy electronic beats. To the casual clubber, it's just another ordinary night out in Europe's hottest city. But this gathering is far from ordinary. Many of those dancing are immigrants from two countries whose ongoing tensions could explode in the world's face at any given moment. Welcome to the first Iranian-Israeli techno party organized by the... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-For most of the seven years Tova Kinderlehrer lived with her young family in Pittsburgh, she wished she were somewhere else. Her son wasn't doing well in school, her husband's construction career had stalled and Kinderlehrer, though part of a "massive" urban community, felt isolated. She dreamed of escape. In 2011, Kinderlehrer and her husband, Micah Simmons, bought a 38-acre property in Conneautville, Pa., they named Farm Schmarm. Along with their three children, they care for 16... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-We were sharing a pastrami sandwich and pickles at the Los Angeles landmark Canter's Deli. I was 24. She was nearly 50 years older, with a piercing voice as loud as her flaming red wig. Her name was Eva Rubenstein Grant, and she was a little-known nightclub manager the morning of Nov. 24, 1963, when her brother left the apartment they shared in Dallas and blasted his way into infamy by fatally shooting Lee Harvey Oswald. It was history's first live televised murder. Eva worked... Full story
Markus Zusak's acclaimed novel, "The Book Thief," could neither compare with nor replace the first-person reality of "The Diary of Anne Frank." The success of the 2006 book does demonstrate, though, that younger generations will identify with and embrace a contemporary, accessible introduction to the Holocaust. The moving film adaptation of "The Book Thief," opening Friday, Nov. 15 and appropriate for adolescents, tilts slightly more toward a coming-of-age story than a Holocaust film. There's no... Full story
BOSTON (JTA)-A gift-giving, angst-ridden purple gorilla is among the characters who help enliven the Chanukah celebrations in eight new holiday books for children, families and young adults. One, "With a Mighty Hand," is not about Chanukah but will be a treasured gift to add to a family's bookshelves. Tilda Balsley, the author of many children's books, including four Jewish-themed "Sesame Street" titles about Grover, Big Bird and friends, brings two new offerings, "Eight is Great" and "ABC... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-The phenomenon this year of Chanukah and Thanksgiving coinciding could mean even larger family gatherings than usual. So here are some tips: Plan the menus well ahead of the special celebration, and pick recipes that are easy to follow and make them well in advance. This way, cooks can enjoy their company. Have a few appetizers available as guests arrive and dinner isn't ready. One of my favorites is hummus, which I like to serve with cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers and toasted... Full story
When his son asked for The Elf on the Shelf-the famed Christmas toy that is said to keep an eye on children and report back to Santa Claus regarding their behavior-entrepreneur Neal Hoffman said he felt an admitted pang of "elf envy" and saw the need to offer something more appropriate. "I said to myself that I wished there was a toy and book that was an alternative, that was rooted in Jewish traditions," Hoffman told JNS.org. Hoffman, at the time an employee of the Hasbro toy and game company,... Full story
