Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 4227 - 4251 of 4548
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
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
(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,... Full story
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... Full story
Among the various events in Holocaust history marking their 70th anniversary this year—including the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, the Nazis’ failed assault on Stalingrad, and a Washington, DC march by 400 rabbis who urged President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to rescue Europe’s Jews—what stands out for author Jud Newborn is the White Rose episode. In February, July, and October 1943, the Nazis executed the six members of the White Rose non-Jewish resistance group, which distributed leaflets opposing Hitler. The founding historian of New York’s... Full story
By Abigail Klein Leichman You may not have heard of corneal edema, but this painful eye condition caused by accumulation of fluids is not uncommon as a result of eye surgery, trauma or aging. The edema (swelling) causes the cornea to lose its transparency, affecting vision and leading to irreversible scarring of the cornea. Until Israeli startup EyeYon Medical invented its patented therapeutic contact lens, Hyper CL, there was no effective way to relieve symptoms of the condition—which can be cured only with a donor cornea from a deceased p... Full story
We grew up in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y. surrounded by Orthodox Jews, but we were never part of that community. We were all Jews but somehow it seemed that we each lived in our own little world. When Rabbi Yanky Majesky asked us to join him and his wife, Chanshy, to the National Jewish Retreat we did not know what to expect. We have just returned from the Retreat in the Washington, DC area, and it was five of the most wonderful days. We were warmly welcomed into the Chabad community, and were made to feel very much part of it.... Full story
In 1933, a beautiful, young Austrian woman took off her clothes for a movie director. She ran through the woods, naked. She swam in a lake, naked. Pushing well beyond the social norms of the period. The most popular movie in 1933 was King Kong. But everyone in Hollywood was talking about that scandalous movie with the gorgeous, young Austrian woman. Louis B. Mayer, of the giant studio MGM, said she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The film was banned practically everywhere, which of... Full story
This is very interesting... This comes directly from the World Jewish Congress Digest. It is something that has been bothering many of us: “The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, RICHARD FALK, is notorious for outrageous comments. In his latest verbal spew, he said that the Boston Marathon bombings were directly attributable to America’s policy on Israel. “World Jewish Congress President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER called Falk’s comments linking... Full story
The invitation came for the bar mitzvah, and we gladly said yes we would be delighted to attend. My great-nephew, Elijah Schulman, became a bar mitzvah. All bar mitzvahs are special, with families getting together, picking up from where they left off the last time there was a family occasion. What made this bar mitzvah worth writing about? It was held in Selma, Ala., where there had been only four bar mitzvahs in the last 40 years. No relatives live in Selma, so why Selma? Elijah’s great-great-g... Full story
Lea Michele’s farewell to Finn NEW YORK (6nobacon.com)—Lea Michele took the stage at Sunday night’s Teen Choice Awards in her first televised appearance since boyfriend Cory Monteith’s death in July. The Jewish “Glee” actress used her time up there to dedicate her Choice TV Actress-Comedy award to Monteith. “I want to dedicate this award to Cory,” she said, choked up. “He was very special to me, and also to the world, and we were very lucky to witness his incredible talent, his handsome smil... Full story
BALTIMORE (JTA)—As a girl in Seattle, Anne Bush evinced little interest in the Holocaust, even though her father, Harry, was a survivor whose mother, sister and brother-in-law had been murdered. But as a mother in Baltimore, by then known as Chana Staiman, she gradually was drawn to the period, spurred in part by her elder son, Ari, who as a boy read incessantly on the Holocaust—to the extent, Staiman said, that she considered “taking him to see someone” for counseling. By then, Harry Bush ha... Full story
