Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 4126 - 4150 of 4463
Another High Holidays season is upon us, which means Sukkot is right around the corner. In no time you’ll be ordering your annual bouquet of palm fronds, citrons, myrtle, and willows—the famous Four Species. Given the state of the economy these days, it’s painful to buy anything that you can only use once. Why not stretch the value of your lulav and etrog this year with a little creative repurposing post-festival? When they can be shaken and blessed no more, try one or all of these sugge... Full story
Sukkot is the early Thanksgiving, that perfect season when we might still have access to late tomatoes and zucchini, but the winter squash is coming in as well, heralding the impending chillier autumn. While Sukkot is not associated with specific foods or dishes in the same way as Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah or Passover are, vegetarian (or, at least, vegetable-based) dishes can still be enjoyed in the humble, makeshift setting of a sukkah, embracing this holiday as a celebration of the garden and... Full story
Can you imagine?... Just picture this: Instead of the gassing of innocent Syrian people including children, Congress (especially members of the House of Representatives) had to vote on whether or not to save Jews from the Holocaust. Can you imagine how that vote would go? (I’m just saying.) And on the subject of the Holocaust... This article caught my eye. It’s from the current issue of The World Jewish Congress Digest under the title “WJC President to Marchers: ‘Hitler Did Not Win.’”:... Full story
According to one of the foremost experts on American Judaism, Dr. Jonathan Sarna, the biblical holiday did not exactly guide the Puritans’ thinking during colonial times, but they were generally influenced by the idea of thanking God for their bounty. “The Puritans did not believe in fixed holidays,” Sarna, the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and chief historian of the Philadelphia-based National Museum of American Jewish History, told... Full story
The 40th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War occurs this year. The war was launched in 1973 in a surprise attack by Syria and Egypt on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Even though the signs of an imminent attack were noted by the Israeli intelligence, the Israeli government decided to ignore them for political and strategic reasons. Consequently, the country’s borders were very sparsely defended, creating a dangerous void on the front. The invading armies outnumbered the Israelis at a ratio of 100 to one in manpower and 10 to one in a... Full story
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur it is said, the Judge of the universe sprinkles the earth with a merciful mist—like the manna He showered on the starving Israelites. It softens the human heart. Prepares it for repentance and forgiveness like spring rain brings summer flowers. Perennially, every Rosh Hashanah since the dawn of creation, Able forgives Cain, Esau forgives Jacob, Rabbi Akiva forgives his Roman torturers. And Herman Stern forgives his wife, Marilyn, although their healing process has been going on for a mere four years. The S... Full story
Aharon Greenberg holds his four-day-old daughter and talks about how blessed he is, but he is equally aware that not everyone is so fortunate. “The system is not designed to help people work their way out of poverty,” says Greenberg. He is one of the founders of Helping Hands Food Ko-op in Miami Beach, an organization that connects families in need to reduced-cost or free kosher food and to free diapers. This year, Yom Kippur falls at the end of national Diaper Need Awareness Week (Sept. 8-14). Helping Hands is one of nearly 200 diaper ban... Full story
Holocaust memoirs and eyewitness testimony record how Jews living under Nazi rule repeatedly took extraordinary risks to mark Yom Kippur in some way. Despite the grave dangers involved, and even though Jewish law permits eating or performing labor on the Day of Atonement in order to save one’s life, many Jews endured unimaginable suffering in order to commemorate the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. In his diary, Rabbi Shimon Huberband described his experiences in the Polish town of Piotrkow in the aftermath of the September 1939 German i... Full story
How outrageous... This is once again a reminder that I write far in advance of publication... so if the subjects I address are way in the past, or resolved, or whatever, they were timely when I commented on them: Hannah Montana is dead! Where is Miley’s daddy, BILLY RAY CYRUS? Shouldn’t he be outraged by her MTV performance? Another “outrage” is the horrible fire in Yosemite National Park that, at the time of this writing, is still out of control. I performed at the Beautiful Tenaya Lodge in Yos... Full story
The American Jewish Story Through Cinema, by Eric A. Goldman. As the title suggests, this book explores American Jewish history by examining movies as reflections of the experiences encountered by American Jews. Author Goldman is a teacher in the field of film studies, lecturing at Queens College, Yeshiva University, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. After an over-view introduction, Goldman devotes six chapters to looking indepth at nine films, beginning with the first talking picture, “The Jazz Singer,” starring Al Jolson, in which the str... Full story
Drake undercut by stylist NEW YORK (6NoBacon Staff)—Drake’s smooth look doesn’t come cheap—especially if you’re the one dressing him. According to papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the Canadian rapper owes former stylist Michael Raphael more than $70,000 in fees and expenses, the New York Daily News reports. Last summer Drake hired Raphael, the owner of a high-end Manhattan boutique he frequented, to help him with his “brand direction.” Translation: He hired Raphael to pick out his clothi... Full story
BALTIMORE (JTA)— When Henry Leventon, his wife and three daughters attended their first Sabbath service at Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park and Eagle Rock in 1976, the gabbai at the Los Angeles synagogue immediately approached. “Just what we need: a young man and his family!” the sexton greeted them enthusiastically. Leventon, considering himself hardly youthful at age 49, saw the aging worshipers and understood the intent. The synagogue in northeast L.A. was fading. The migration from the s... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA— David Harris-Gershon, author of the forthcoming memoir “What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?,” is frank about the contradictions in his personality. An admitted “natural introvert,” Harris-Gershon describes himself as “surprisingly good” at public speaking. “I love being in front of an audience,” said Harris-Gershon, 39, who works as a Judaic studies teacher in Pittsburgh, “but it drains me.” Nonetheless, Harris-Gershon maintains a very publ... Full story
We are very proud to say that Orlando has not forgotten our frail and infirmed. We bring joy and tradition to all we visit! Imagine what it would be like to lose your health, your spouse, your friends and your home. No one wants to grow old alone! The Jewish Pavilion is a life-line for the elderly in long-term care. The Jewish Pavilion is not a building, it’s a promise to our elderly that they will not be forgotten by the community. We are an outreach organization that functions like a Jewish n... Full story
Forty years ago, on Rosh Hashanah, Jewish families across the country and around the world gathered around their dinner tables, dipping apples into honey, to usher in the new year of 5734. Here in Orlando, the families sitting down for conversation around the holiday table had another reason to celebrate—the Jewish community had just completed its first successful summer camp season at the JCC. It’s incredible to reflect upon how far we’ve come in 40 years. What started out in Maitland as a tin... Full story
“There, but for the grace of God...” My late mom’s family fled the pogroms from the Ukraine to Canada where my mom was born in Montreal. My dad’s family came from Poland to New York City where he was born in Brooklyn. Each family unit (not including my great aunts, uncles, first, second and third cousins, unfortunately) got out of hell before the devil, Adolph Hitler, was even born. I was spared only because of the location of my birth here in the U.S., as were many of you. The world must ne... Full story
I’m so proud to be the executive director of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida. By using the history and lessons of the Holocaust as the foundation for all of our programs, we are helping our Central Florida community better understand the meaning of prejudice and racism, of discrimination and anti-Semitism, of terror and violence, and of indifference and insensitivity. Just since last September we have touched more than 20,000 students, teachers and museum v... Full story
Celebrating our 35th year, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando is proud to serve the Central Florida community and positively affect the lives of thousands of individuals and families. Providing professional guidance in a caring and confidential environment, JFS’ unique ability to help those in need is demonstrated throughout a full range of programs and services. Our cultural and religious tenets, shared from one generation to the next, affirm our obligation to feed the hungry, guide those who need support and strengthen lives to meet th... Full story
Shalom Friends, On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, we want to express our best wishes to you and your family for a sweet New Year 5774. According to Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world, and this is where our calendar begins. On this day, we are expected to conceive a plan, engage in a vision of the future, have ambition and desire to take an active part in the shaping of our future. And as we do on any birthday, we make wishes for the coming year.... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—On Yom Kippur, when we beat our chests during the confession, maybe we should be knocking instead on our heads. After all, isn’t that where all the trouble starts? On this most physically demanding of Jewish days, Jewish tradition has us beat the heart side of our chests, as if to say this is the source of our falling short. During the Viddui—the confessional portion of the service composed of the Ashamnu and Al Chait—some of us tap, some of us rap, some of us pound really... Full story
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israel’s religious services minister, Naftali Bennett, has unveiled a temporary platform for non-Orthodox prayer at Robinson’s Arch, the archaeological site adjacent to the Western Wall plaza used by egalitarian groups. The platform, which will include Torah scrolls, prayer books and prayer shawls and be open at all hours, does not reach the Western Wall itself. A ramp leads from the 4,800-square-foot platform to a smaller area adjacent to the wall. Bennett’s office described the new platform “as an interim but primary place of... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—A deep spiritual life is hard to find. While opportunities abound for spiritual connections (yoga, meditation, retreats and the like), for most of us it doesn’t come easy. The noise, unfinished to-do lists and the distractions of everyday life interfere with quieting our minds, letting go of our egos for a moment and connecting to something far greater than ourselves. On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we notice just how difficult it is to connect spiritually. As we log in hou... Full story
Back when I was growing up, the modern State of Israel was the center of the Jewish universe. It was at the core of being Jewish, tucked inside the greater American-Jewish identity. There were no contradictions. Jews were solid U.S. citizens, equally proud of their American heritage. But the brutal sting of the Holocaust which had hit home more often than not, made the establishment and continuity of the Jewish state a prerequisite of daily life. Having just spent a semester sabbatical in the United States, I unfortunately have witnessed a... Full story
NEWARK, NJ—The Manischewitz Company, leader and innovator in Kosher foods, announces the beta version debut of their free Kosher Recipe App now available for download on all Apple and Android devices. The Manischewitz Recipe & Holiday Guide app makes its debut just in time for the fall Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 5 and Yom Kippur on Sept.14 Notable chefs, cookbook authors, and everyday home cooks submitted hundreds of recipes for the app which spans many occasions including Passover, Chanukah, Thanksgiving, Shabbat, Shavuot and m... Full story
September Scott Richman appointed president of the Roth Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando. Or Hadash announced new board-Dara Blonde, president; Eric Sandigo, vice president of marketing and Natalie Lauber, vice president of outreach. Bunny Rosen is honored by the Jewish Pavilion. Jewish Academy begins search for new head of school. Congregation Bet Chaim welcomes Cantor Karen Braunstein as its new spiritual leader. October Congregation Beth Am honors Jim Riola and Joanne Weiss with... Full story
