Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA) — When my wife and I were planning our wedding, we thought it might be cool to hire a klezmer band. This was during the first wave of the klezmer revival, when groups like The Klezmatics and The Klezmer Conservatory Band were rediscovering the genre of Jewish wedding music popular for centuries in Yiddish-speaking Eastern Europe. Of course we also wanted to dance to rock ‘n’ roll and needed musicians who could handle Sinatra for our parents’ benefit, so we went with a more typical wedding band. Modernity won out over tradition. Or did...
Shavuot is a two-day holiday, beginning at sundown following the 5th of Sivan and lasting until nightfall of the 7th of Sivan (May 25-27, 2023). In Israel it is a one-day holiday, ending at nightfall of the 6th of Sivan. Shavuot combines two major religious observances. First is the grain harvest of the early summer. Second is the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai seven weeks after the exodus from Egypt. The first determines the ritual for the holiday, which was one of the three pilgrimage...
As a new member with the North Orlando Chabad in Florida with Rabbi Yanky Majesky and his wife Chanshy, I was elated to be invited to attend Shabbat in the Heights that takes place in Crown Heights, New York City, New York for the Hakhel: Year of Gathering. I had no idea what to expect. I have never been to New York City or in a fully Jewish environment. With the months of Shabbos, Women's Studies and JLI courses at Rabbi Majesky's Chabad you would think that it would prepare you for this experi...
(JNS) — Among all the tales of heroism and death during the Holocaust, how many of us are aware of the rescue of nearly 50,000 Jews by the citizens of Bulgaria? In 1943, despite the planned and already commenced deportation of Bulgarian Jews to the Nazi death camps, thousands were released from the trains bound for Auschwitz and allowed to go home. The newly released “Acts of Resistance” by Dominic Carrillo is a fictionalized account of the actions of Bulgarian citizens that succeeded in stopp...
If a book were a candy store and I was a kid, "Every Generation's Story: 75 Years of American Christian Engagement with Israel" would be my kid in a candy store scenario. As I read page after page, I couldn't help but be inspired and drawn into one author's story after another, wanting more and more. As an Orthodox Jew called to build bridges between Jews and Christians, I am blessed by many, many deep friendships with Christians who love and support Israel unconditionally. Biblically. Even...
Caregiver burn out is real and can be very harmful. How can you take care of a loved one if you are exhausted or not feeling well. Consider options such as support groups, adult day care and hiring a part-time companion. There are many free resources for caregivers. The Jewish Pavilion has the Orlando Senior Help Desk; a free information and referral service 407-678-9363. AARP recommends the following: Create the Good, createthegood.org CaregiverAction Network, 855-227-3640, caregiveraction.org Family Caregiver Alliance, 800-445-8106,...
Standing in front of the Bielefeld, Germany, railroad station in June 2018, Harry Lowenstein traced his fingers over the all-too-familiar names etched into the Holocaust memorial: His father, David. His mother, Bernhardine. His sister, Klaere. Aunts and uncles and cousins. Friends and neighbors. During the Nazis' reign of terror, his family and hundreds of Jews from surrounding areas had stood on the station's platform before being herded onto railroad cars for the thousand-mile journey to ghett...
Bernie Marcus grew up dirt poor. Now he's giving away his fortune. Bernie Marcus is passionate about giving all his money away. The Home Depot founder is a signatory of "The Giving Pledge," a group of billionaire philanthropists who have committed to giving the majority of their money away to charity, during their lifetime or posthumously. Bernie has established a foundation which works tirelessly to support various causes. After he dies, he wants it dissolved and all his money to be given away...
(JNS) — Many see the creation of the modern-day State of Israel as part of a historical narrative, in which Israeli independence was a reaction to the Holocaust. “The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people—the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe—was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz-Israel the Jewish State,” the provisional government of Israel declared on May 14, 1948. But when JNS interviewed nearly 30 veterans of the 1948 War of Independe...
(JTA) – "Oppenheimer," the hotly-anticipated Christopher Nolan biopic about the Jewish nuclear physicist who developed the atomic bomb, will include another familiar Jewish face when it opens this summer: Albert Einstein. A new trailer for the drama, released last week, includes a brief glimpse of the scientist's unmistakeable visage, as rendered by the Oscar-nominated Scottish character actor Tom Conti. Underscoring the gravity of the bomb's development, this Einstein has foregone his usual c...
(JNS) — One of many United Nations bodies dedicated to the Palestinians announced last weekend an upcoming U.N. commemoration of “Nakba Day,” the supposed “catastrophe” that marked the birth of the State of Israel in 1948. Palestinian and their supporters mark this annually on May 15, one day after Israel announced its independence on May 14, 1948. The day purportedly memorializes the displacement of Palestinian Arabs. During the course of fighting beginning in November 1947, when U.N. member states voted to partition the land, and lasting u...
Good morning from the Judean mountains. I slept well last night but when I woke up I realized that just 30-40 miles from my home, for hundreds of thousands of Israelis it was a horrible night. Again. Palestinian Arab terrorists in Gaza fired over 60 rockets at Israeli communities, trying to kill, maim, and terrorize as many Israelis as possible. Despite the Iron Dome that typically shoots down 90 percent of all incoming rockets aimed at Israeli communities, some broke through and there have...
You never forget your first chicken-cilantro dog garnished with Caesar salad. The first time I ordered one was in autumn 2003, at Jeff’s Gourmet Sausage Factory, a small, glass-front eatery on a stretch of West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles known for its yeshivas, mezuzah shops and plethora of kosher markets and bakeries. Opened by owner Jeff Rohatiner in 1999, Jeff’s (referred to colloquially as such) is something of a legend in L.A. On any given weekday you can find an eclectic mix of cus...
Most seniors take multiple medications prescribed by many doctors. This is one reason why caregivers need to be aware of the potential for drug interactions. Interactions occur when medications don’t work in tandem with one another. The drugs meant to help you can work adversely to affect your loved one’s health. Prescription and over the counter medications should also be considered when looking at drug interactions. Herbal remedies and food interactions can be a source of concern as well. Medication-Medication Interactions: Drug interactions...
(JTA) - Shows about the Holocaust and a notorious American antisemitic incident picked up several Tony Award nominations Tuesday morning, as Broadway's biggest honors made room for a sizable Jewish presence. Most notably, a revival of the 1998 musical "Parade," starring Ben Platt as the early-20th-century Jewish lynching victim Leo Frank, scored six nominations, including best revival of a musical and a best actor nod for Platt. Jewish lead actress Micaela Diamond also scored a nomination for...
An egg cream was my father's kitchen claim to fame. He assembled them with great flourish - Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup, cold milk from a glass bottle, and a long, hard shpritz of seltzer, followed by a vigorous stir. Even today, when I drink or think of it, it takes me back to my family's Brooklyn roots, and him. To my surprise, I have discovered that I am not alone in my nostalgic connection to this fancy-named but pedestrian drink. According to Pete Freeman, co-owner, cofounder and chief...
If there is one Jewish song known by Jews and non-Jews alike, it is undoubtedly Hava Nagila, which is Hebrew for "let us rejoice." From its obscure origins in early 20th-century Palestine, the song has gone on to become a perennial favorite at weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and Jewish and non-Jewish cultural events around the world. With its short lyrics and simple yet distinctive melody, Hava Nagila has been recorded hundreds of times by musicians ranging from Neil Diamond, the Barry Sisters,...
Jews built the comic book industry from the ground up, and the influence of Jewish writers, artists, and editors continues to be felt to this day. But how did Jews come to have such a disproportionate influence on an industry most famous for lantern-jawed demigods clad in colorful tights? First Comic Books The story begins in 1933. During that year, the world experienced seismic changes in politics and pop culture. An unemployed Jewish novelty salesman named Maxwell Charles "M.C." Gaines (née...
(JTA) - The Jewish author of best-selling children's book series "A Series of Unfortunate Events" has been tapped to write a horror film based on the legend of the Golem of Prague. Daniel Handler, known by his pen name "Lemony Snicket," will write the movie for independent Jewish production company Leviathan Productions, from veteran film producer Ben Cosgrove and Josh Foer, a freelance journalist, the co-founder of the adventure travel brand Atlas Obscura and co-founder of Sefaria, the...
(JNS) - An unusual duo made the two-mile-plus walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau last week during the annual March of the Living in Poland: Robert Kraft, Jewish billionaire New England Patriots owner and philanthropist who launched a campaign last month opposing antisemitism, and Meek Mill, a prominent rapper. "It's important for me to learn humanity's history," said Mill. "It's also important for me to support Robert, all my Jewish friends, everyone that always supported me," he added. Mill...
Most people think they know what Hospice is, but they have many misconceptions. The foremost is that a person on Hospice care is about to die. When my mother received a terminal diagnosis, she went on Hospice care the next day. She lived for more than three months. Many people live more than a year on Hospice care. The second misconception is that Hospice is a place. Hospice is not a place. Hospice care can be provided wherever you reside — in your home or in independent assisted or skilled nursing. Some hospitals have a Hospice wing. There a...
(JTA) — A new drama on Netflix centered on a haredi Orthodox family that runs a business in Antwerp’s famed diamond district hit the platform on Friday and is drawing comparisons to the hit Israeli series “Shtisel.” “Rough Diamonds,” a joint production from Israel’s Keshet International and Belgium’s De Mensen, follows the Wolfson family as it navigates internal tension and business struggles in the wake of a death in the family. The protagonist, who left the haredi world 15 years earlier, returns to Antwerp to look into his relative’s deat...
(JTA via J. The Jewish News of Northern California) - When the Sacramento Kings face the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs, they will be led by their Lithuanian-American - and soon-to-be-Jewish - center, Domantas Sabonis. The 26-year-old All-Star is in the process of converting to Judaism, according to his Jewish wife, Shashana Sabonis (née Rosen). "We really haven't talked about it [publicly]," she said in an interview this week. "He loves [Judaism] and really wants...
(JTA) - Ben Stiller offered his own High Holiday alternative to Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song" as his fellow Jewish comedian accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. During an awards ceremony that took place on March 19 and aired on CNN, Stiller asked from the stage at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts how Sandler's novelty song, first heard on "Saturday Night Live" in 1994, became a seasonal standard. "It's really just a list of rhyming celebrity names, and yet...
(JTA) — A matchmaker who says she has successfully paired 200 Jewish couples is the star of “Jewish Matchmaking,” a Netflix series that started streaming May 3. Netflix announced the series, a spinoff of its wildly successful “Indian Matchmaking” show, nearly a year ago. Now, new details that the streaming giant released on Thursday reveal that it will take place in both the United States and Israel and will feature people from a variety of Jewish backgrounds. Their guide will be Aleeza Ben Shalom, an Orthodox Jewish dating coach with a decade...
