Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
NEW YORK (JTA)—Nearly 30 years ago, when my first cookbook was published, I wrote that kosher cooking wasn’t just about traditional recipes like gefilte fish and chopped liver, that you could make gourmet meals and international dishes using kosher ingredients. Since then, many new kosher ingredients have become readily available, making all kinds of fusion cuisine even easier to prepare. Some of these ingredients include vinegars, oils, mustards, Panko bread crumbs and a larger selection of che...
NEW YORK (JTA)—In 5773, the religious wars just would not go away. In Israel, elections that extended Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister delivered big wins to two anti-Orthodox-establishment upstarts, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett. For the first time in nearly two decades, Israel’s coalition government included no haredi Orthodox parties. The Israel Defense Forces took concrete steps toward ending the draft exemption for haredi men. Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services agreed...
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. Most synagogues require tickets for admission, and their cost varies from congregation to congregation. Some may open one or more of their holiday services to the community. For tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Candlelighting At least two candles should be lit, representing the dual commandments to remember and to...
NEW YORK (JTA)—From wars and elections to scandals and triumphs, JTA takes a look back at the highlights of the Jewish year 5773. September 2012 Islamists throw a homemade grenade into a Jewish supermarket near Paris, injuring one. The incident is part of a major increase in attacks on Jews in France in 2012. October 2012 William Herskowitz, a member of an internship program in Israel for American Jews, shoots dead a hotel employee in the Israeli resort city of Eilat and then kills himself f...
BOSTON (JTA)—Shofars, apples and honey, make room for pomegranates, couscous and pumpkins. The new crop of children’s books for the High Holidays opens a world beyond the beloved traditional symbols of the New Year (Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Sept. 4). From ancient times to today, the savory, engaging reads presented here will take families from the kitchen to the bedroom to the sukkah. Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook Tales Retold by Jane Yolen; recipes by Heidi E.Y. Ste...
As the final minutes of Rosh Hashanah ticked away, 13-year-old Leo Goldberger was hiding, along with his parents and three brothers, in the thick brush along the shore of Dragor, a small fishing village south of Copenhagen. The year was 1943, and the Goldbergers, like thousands of other Danish Jews, were desperately trying to escape an imminent Nazi roundup. “Finally, after what seemed like an excruciatingly long wait, we saw our signal offshore,” Goldberger later recalled. His family “strode straight into the ocean and waded through three...
(JTA)—Max Wallack was 6 years old when his beloved great-grandmother Gertrude came to live with him and his family in Natick, Mass. For four years he helped his parents take care of her and saw firsthand the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on her. But Wallack also noticed that when she and other Alzheimer’s patients would do simple jigsaw puzzles, their mood would lighten. The observation would change him forever. “Patients were so often depressed and agitated, but after they would do a puzzle,...
HAIFA—Jay Ruderman has observed for years that when American Jewish leaders visit Israel or when Israeli leaders visit the United States, the conversation is “always about Israel” and how the Jewish state relates to Iran, Syria, the Palestinians, and others. “What’s happening in the American Jewish community?” and how those events impact future support for Israel never seem to enter the conversation, according to Ruderman, who worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in...
