Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Just in time for the High Holidays, Eden Grove and The Mesaper Theatre announced the New York premiere of “Out of The Apple Orchard,” an off-Broadway production based on award-winning author Yvonne David’s book “Out of the Apple Orchard,” the first book in the four-part children’s book Apple Tree Series. It was adapted for the stage by Ellen W. Kaplan and directed by Nicole Raphael of The Mesaper Theatre. “Out of The Apple Orchard” was first performed at the Orlando Repertory Theatre in 2016...
As with every year, the Jewish High Holy Days provide the perfect opportunity to look back and commit to a better future for ourselves and our world. We at Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando are very grateful for all those who have joined with us over the years to help all those in need in our community, not just during the holidays but EVERY day through our FAMILY of services. With the increased capacity of the Pearlman Food Pantry, we distributed record levels of food not seen in our...
On Rosh Hashanah we stand at the crossroads of time, looking back with gratitude and forward with hope. It's a time for self-reflection and self-renewal. A reminder that we have the power to evolve, to rise above our circumstances, and to continually strive to be better versions of ourselves. We're encouraged to seek understanding in the face of differences, and to sow seeds of kindness and compassion. The shofar, a musical instrument made from a ram's horn, is blown not once, not twice, but...
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and anticipation. This particular time of year allows us to come together as a community to reflect, renew, and rejoice in the blessings that surround us. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of a new year, a time for self-examination and introspection. It is a chance for us to pause and contemplate the journeys we have taken, the challenges we have overcome, and the aspirations that continue to guide us. Let us use this...
At the Jewish Pavilion, we want Jewish seniors living in elder-care facilities to know they have not been forgotten by the Jewish community! We want the aged to remain connected to our community and our heritage. Together with our volunteers, we bring a friendly face, Shabbat programs, holiday celebrations, and one-on-one visits to Jewish seniors in 50 facilities in the greater Orlando area. While our volunteers are amazing, it is our staff that coordinate all of the Shabbat and holiday celebrations. Holiday supplies like round raisin...
(JNS) — Did you know that the name of Israel’s national airline, El Al, comes from the Bible? Like so much in Israel, its source is in our ancient texts. The prophet Hosea says, “They call them el al” or “to the One Above.” In Hebrew el means “to” and al means “above.” So El Al means “to the above,” definitely a great name for an airline. Last week’s Torah reading began with the words ki tetzei lamilchama al oyvecha, “When you will go out to war against your enemies.” The usual word used for “against” would be neged, but here the Torah uses th...
Why running is an ideal way for me to get into spiritual – and physical – shape. Hard to believe, but I used to get up at 5 a.m. to go for a 20-minute run, a long enough workout for me to become totally drenched in sweat and delude myself into thinking I’m Rocky Balboa on the streets of Philadelphia. I don’t remember the last time I went for a jog (I think it was around four months ago one Saturday night after psyching myself up all Shabbat. Thank God I didn’t have a coronary, even though there was a voice screaming in my head, “Stop rig...
Heart attacks are a leading killer of men and women. Each year, more than 1 million people in the United States have a heart attack, and half of them die. A heart attack happens when the flow of oxygen-rich blood in the coronary arteries suddenly becomes blocked, and a section of heart muscle can’t get enough oxygen. The blockage is usually caused when a plaque (fatty deposit) ruptures. A heart attack is an emergency — call 911 immediately Signs of a heart attack: • Crushing chest pain or pressure and/or discomfort or pain elsewhere in the u...
(JNS) — Gal Gadot’s cinematic super powers couldn’t protect the Amazon warrior from an army of 10 fiery supervillains (spicy wings). The Israeli actress was a guest on the show “Hot Ones,” during which host Sean Evans interviews guests while they eat 10 increasingly spicy chicken wings. The show is part of the YouTube channel First We Feast, which has nearly 13 millions subscribers. “It comes in waves,” Gadot, known for playing Wonder Woman, says at one point, just a few spicy wings in. “So easy. Too easy,” she said. Evans said he would rem...
By David Isaac (JNS) - Conservatives have long warned against George Soros, the Hungarian-born billionaire famous for pouring money into left-wing causes, but Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of "The Soros Agenda," was one of the first to speak out about what she describes as the subversive threat Soros poses to America and the West. Ehrenfeld first became aware of Soros's plans in the 1990s due to her research on drug addiction and drug trafficking (Soros's first foray into American public policy was d...
(JTA) - It's safe to say that few people watch more baseball than Rob Friedman. During the MLB season - which features 30 teams playing 162 games each from April through October - Friedman spends countless hours every day watching as much of the sport as he can from the comfort of a four-screen media center he set up in his home outside Atlanta. His particular area of expertise is pitching - a complex, crucial and, he believes, underappreciated aspect of the game. His dissection of individual...
NARSAQ, Greenland (JTA) - This picturesque village on the southwestern coast of Greenland where famed Viking Erik the Red first arrived more than 1,000 years ago is about as off-the-beaten-path as one can get. Sheep outnumber the town's population 20-1 and the only way to reach an airport is via helicopter or ship. Yet for Paul Cohen, an American Jew who has lived here with his wife Monika for 22 years, Narsaq's remoteness is more than offset by its stunning landscapes, clean air and laidback...
(JNS) - Rabbi Mendel Kaplan still remembers the day in 2016 after morning prayers when congregants were talking about a woman, whose video of herself laughing while wearing a Chewbacca mask had gone viral on YouTube. Kaplan, 52, the religious leader of the 25-year-old Chabad Flamingo in Thornhill, a suburban district in southern Ontario, Canada, figured that it was ridiculous for a clip of someone wearing a "Star Wars" accessory to garner so much attention. "If people can watch narishkeit like...
Caring for an individual with memory problems can be difficult and stressful. What is mild cognitive impairment? Usually this signifies change in cognition (memory and the ability to understand one’s world), essentially the way a person thinks. Cognition includes memory and the ability to understand one’s world. Symptoms of MCI: • Depression • Difficulty forming short-term memories • Difficulty communicating complete thoughts • Easily distracted • Forgetfulness • Inability to concentrate • Mental fog, confusion Diagnosing MCI Most people see a...
(JTA) - Soon after Netflix dropped the first official trailer for its upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic "Maestro" on Tuesday, one aspect of the film footage sparked a flurry of conversation online - and it wasn't the preeminent Jewish conductor's music, or star Bradley Cooper's acting. Instead, the prosthetic nose supposedly used by the Oscar-nominated Cooper, who is not Jewish - and co-wrote, directed and stars as Bernstein in the film - infuriated many Jews who argued that the appendage plays...
(JNS) — One student has been told she doesn’t get to talk because she’s white and therefore couldn’t have been oppressed. Another found colleagues to go “ghost white,” fearing for safety on campus in the face of anti-Israel activism when he chose to move forward with hosting an event with a former Israel Defense Forces soldier. The stories that pro-Israel college students shared with JNS earlier this week at the Israel on Campus Coalition National Leadership Summit about their experiences on campus ranged from being threatened and silenced to m...
(JNS) - One student has been told she doesn't get to talk because she's white and therefore couldn't have been oppressed. Another found colleagues to go "ghost white," fearing for safety on campus in the face of anti-Israel activism when he chose to move forward with hosting an event with a former Israel Defense Forces soldier. The stories that pro-Israel college students shared with JNS earlier this week at the Israel on Campus Coalition National Leadership Summit about their experiences on...
(JNS) - A planeload of 215 immigrants from the U.S. and Canada landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday, sparking emotional family reunions and even dancing in one of the terminals. "I don't think I've ever been happier in my whole life than I am today. It's been a big dream that I've had for many years," said Carol Ginzburg, 77. "I have a bunch of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are living in Israel. So I want to be here. "Frankly, I'm ready to be in Israel and be done...
By Etgar Lefkovits (JNS) - A mudbrick passageway dating back nearly four millennia has been uncovered in northern Israel's Jezreel valley, archaeologists revealed on Thursday. The completely intact 3,800-year-old monumental passageway, which was discovered at Tel Shimron, is the first of its kind to be found in the southern Levant and provides a key missing link in the history of the arch in the region, said excavation co-director Daniel M. Master. Tel Shimron, an immense ruin that dominates...
(JTA) - Super Bowl champion Leonard Fournette paid a surprise visit to a Jewish overnight camp for children with cancer, blood disorders and other chronic illnesses. Fournette, who won a Super Bowl in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ran football drills, signed autographs and danced with campers during his visit on Sunday to Camp Simcha in Glen Sprey, New York. He arrived in a helicopter and revealed himself from under a fake tiger head to a room of cheering campers. Camp Simcha and a sister...
Being outdoors is good for everyone. Nature may also help protect against the risk of developing certain neurodegenerative disorders. In a study of millions of seniors who spent time in "green spaces" such as parks or yards, those who lived in an area "with more green space" had lower rates of hospitalization for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias such as vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia." Experts believe that being in nature reduces our stress. We have long k...
(JTA) — Amar’e Stoudemire hasn’t donned a Phoenix Suns jersey since 2010, but soon, no Suns player will wear his No. 32 ever again. The Suns announced Wednesday that Stoudemire, along with his teammate Shawn Marion, would be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor during the 2023-2024 NBA season. According to the team’s press release, this represents “the franchise’s highest honor bestowed to individuals who have made an enduring impact on the organization, community and Suns fans.” Stoudemire, who formally converted to Judaism in 2020, played...
(JTA) - When David Corenswet was announced as the next DC Comics Superman last month, Jewish movie and comic fans rejoiced: He will be the first Jewish actor to portray the hero in a blockbuster. But one Jewish community in New Orleans has been particularly excited. "The Corenswet family is well known and loved" in New Orleans, said Daniel Sherman, rabbi of the city's historic Temple Sinai synagogue. "I have also heard a few groups talking about having some screening events to support David and...
(JNS) - It's popular to refer to contemporary issues as Orwellian, and one must wonder whether George Orwell would see echoes of his dystopian vision of 1984 in 2023. I'm not sure how many people are aware that Orwell also wrote about antisemitism in Britain, and that his observations on the subject also resonate today. Writing in 1945, Orwell said he was speaking based on his own experience. He reported that antisemitism was increasing and had been "greatly exacerbated" by the war. He did not...
(JTA) - We grew up in South Carolina in the late 1960s and '70s, one of us from the capital city, Columbia, and the other from the small town of Summerton. The foods served on our respective tables were a blend of Southern and Jewish, menus long ago established by our immigrant grandmothers and the African-American women who cooked for their families. Kashrut was observed in our grandmothers' kitchens, and Southern recipes recrafted for a kosher table mingled quite comfortably with the stuffed...
