Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Over 130 years after he stood trial for espionage, Jewish Captain Alfred Dreyfus made headlines last month when French President Emmanuel Macron declared July 12 the date the country would remember him and the antisemitism that led to his imprisonment. This presidential declaration follows on the unanimous vote of France’s National Assembly that agreed to raise his rank to brigadier general. These long overdue acts should also spur Americans to reflect on what happens when Jews become the b...
(JNS) - When I was growing up in Long Island quite a few decades ago, a common bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah gift was a certificate stating that a tree had been planted in the boy's or girl's honor. It was often accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek card, saying, "Mazel tov! Your day to water your tree is Monday." In Israel today, it's now possible to visit "your" tree as part of a new project called "My Tree in Israel" (www.mytree.co.il), which aims to connect both Jews and non-Jews abroad by...
LENOX, Massachusetts - The new Chabad of the Berkshires here is just down the road from Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and just off the main street (called "Main Street") where Ethan Frome, the title character in Edith Wharton's 1911 novella, took an ill-fated sled ride with his wife's cousin. "We're in the Times Square of the Berkshires!" says Rabbi Levi Volovik as he leads a tour of the gleaming, $12 million building, which opened in July. He goes on to list...
Caregiving is a demanding role, often requiring juggling multiple responsibilities, like ensuring that loved ones are transported to critical medical appointments or social engagements. For caregivers of seniors, transportation can become a significant challenge, particularly when the person they care for is unable to drive. Fortunately, ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft have stepped in to make this task easier, offering solutions designed to alleviate some of the stresses caregivers face. These services now allow caregivers to arrange...
Ingredients 2 cups heavy whipping cream 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp. instant expresso coffee or other flavor like strawberry jam or chocolate syrup 1 T. hot water 1 tsp. vanilla Extra chocolate chips and or nuts (optional) Directions In a small dish, dissolve expresso in hot water. Mix it into condensed milk with vanilla. Whip cream 2-3 minutes to stiff peaks. Fold condensed milk into whipping cream trying not to deflate mixture. Add optional chocolate chips and or nuts. Pour into 9x4” bread pan lined with plastic wrap, p...
(JNS) - A 5,500-year old workshop for the production of stone blades has been unearthed in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday. Evidence of an advanced industry was found, including long flint blades and the stone cores from which the blades were made, according to the IAA statement. The findings were uncovered in a large IAA salvage excavation at the Naẖal Qomem site (also known as Gat-Govrin, Zeita), funded by the Israel Lands A...
“We are honored to announce a transformational $1 MILLION gift from local philanthropist Andy Pargh, a true champion of arts, culture, and community.” So begins an email from the Rosen JCC. “In recognition of his incredible generosity and lasting legacy, our beloved Rosen Event Center will now be known as the Pargh Event Center.” Exciting details are reported in the Heritage (page 1, July 25, 2025). When I finished reflecting on the wonderful gesture by Mr. Pargh, I thought about how good deeds give honor to our names and, also about honorin...
(JNS) — Three leading Jewish organizations — AISH, CoronaCrush and Partners in Torah — will join forces on Aug. 12 with more than 30 Jewish partners across the globe to host what is expected to be the largest virtual Jewish speed dating event yet seen. Timed just after Tu B’Av, the Jewish holiday of love (marked this year from sunset on Aug. 8 until nightfall on Aug. 9), the event is slated to bring together more than 6,500 Jewish singles from around the world for one night of guided connection, with two time zone options—Israel and U.S. East...
(JNS) — Tu B’Av, the Jewish Day of Love, is celebrated on the 15th day of Av, which this year starts after sundown on Aug. 8 and lasts through the evening of Aug. 9. Shrouded in mystery, this romantic holiday, which is primarily celebrated in Israel, has roots that go back to the time of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Young women dressed in white used to dance in vineyards to signal the beginning of grape harvest season, and single men looking to find prospective wives would join them. Aleeza Ben Shalom, an Israel-based dating coach and sta...
By JNS Staff (JNS) — A rare First Temple-era seal impression (bulla) bearing a Hebrew inscription was unearthed two weeks ago by the Temple Mount Sifting Project, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday. A bulla is an inscribed clay, soft metal, or wax token used in commercial and legal documentation. Based on the shape of the letters, the bulla is dated from the second half of the 7th century BCE to the beginning of the 6th century BCE. The fully preserved clay seal was found by archeologist Mordech...
(JNS) - When I was younger, I often struggled with understanding the purpose of the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av. Why, thousands of years later, do we still fast and mourn the destruction of Judaism's two temples? Why do we continue to commemorate a way of life so remarkably different from the Judaism we practice today? It wasn't that I couldn't appreciate the profound loss and anguish that the Israelites experienced when they were exiled from their lands in 70 C.E. But since then, we had...
By In 1965, I stood with a tour group at the Wailing Wall — then part of East Jerusalem and under Jordanian control. That control began under Article VIII of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, where Jordan explicitly guaranteed Israeli Jews free access to the Wailing Wall, along with other religious sites. Historian Martin Gilbert has noted that promise was never honored: “During the 19 years of Jordanian rule in East Jerusalem, no Israelis were allowed to visit this site which was most holy to the...
Kinneret Living, Orlando, FL — At 92, Ethel (Ester) Goodmark still radiates warmth, wit, and wisdom from her apartment at Kinneret, where she’s lived for the past five years. Raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Ethel’s life has been deeply shaped by her Jewish upbringing, a 70-year marriage, a fulfilling career, and a devotion to family. “I was raised conservative,” Ethel recalled, “because my mother came from an Orthodox family and my father from a Reform one. Middle of the road was the best pl...
Long before stand-up went mainstream, the backroads of the Catskills echoed with the rhythms of Jewish laughter. The Borscht Belt wasn't just a vacation spot - it was a refuge, a proving ground for comedy legends, and a cultural sanctuary for families turned away elsewhere. Today, thanks to the vision and dedication of Marisa Scheinbeld and her associates, that legacy is being brought back to life. Scheinbeld's Borscht Belt Historical Markers Project is transforming forgotten resort towns into...
Round foods are eaten around this holiday when one is not fasting. Lentil soup is one of these foods. Lentil soup is easy to make and keeps in the refrigerator 3-5 days. It also freezes well. 2 tsp. olive oil 1 onion, chopped in small pieces 2 garlic cloves, minced (An easy way to remove skins is rub cloves back and forth in a rubber bottle opener.) 1 large carrot chopped (1 1/4 cups chopped) 2 celery stalks, chopped (1 1/4 cups) 2 cups dried lentils, any color except black French lentils 6 cups vegetable or chicken soup 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2...
In the 80s there was a hit song by Sheila E., that went: She wants to lead the glamorous life She don’t need a man’s touch She wants to lead the glamorous life But without love, it ain’t much The song describes the lady wearing a mink fur coat and driving a Mercedes Benz car. It is about materialism. Materialism = glamour. That is what the message was in 1980s America. That was society’s message. The movies, the music, the television shows, that is what we saw and that was our aim, our goal. I had no idea what a sham it was. None of us did. He...
I’m reading a new novel by an Israeli author that has nothing to do with the war in Gaza, or any current crisis for that matter. I can’t tell if I feel relieved or guilty. With a world in turmoil, how much permission can I give myself to tune out — if tuning out is even possible? Iddo Gefen’s “Mrs. Lilienblum’s Cloud Factory” is set in a village on the lip of a crater deep in the Negev Desert — far from the bright lights of Tel Aviv and even Beersheba. When the family matriarch invents a machi...
(JTA) — An amateur film critic named Evan gave the new “Superman” movie five out of five stars. Writing on the Letterboxd platform, they praised the film’s “unique visual identity” and called director and screenwriter James Gunn “the best comic director.” And they added, “Very anti-Israel which is awesome to see from a major studio blockbuster.” When Evan’s capsule review was shared by at least one user on X, it garnered more than 11 million views and 36,000 likes. Evan isn’t the only one to...
October 2024 The opening concert is set for late November. The days have turned into weeks, weeks into months. A year has passed since the October war started. Should we go? Is it necessary to leave the house at night? The Home Front Command is clear: “If driving on the street when the siren is heard, leave the car, lie in the street next to it. Wait 10 minutes for falling debris to clear.” When you’re well into your 80s, lying in the street next to your car is not an option. On a good day, I may be able to lie down. Getting up is anoth...
A uniquely American Passover tradition could become a thing of the past, after President Donald Trump announced that he had successfully pressed Coca-Cola to change the formulation of its signature drink in the United States. “I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, on Wednesday. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just b...
JERUSALEM - When the Tel Aviv light rail opened in the summer of 2023, it shaved travel time from the city's southern neighborhoods to the haredi Orthodox city of Bnei Brak to just 20 minutes. For some, the new route increased access to a burgeoning Thursday-night tradition: sitting down for steaming bowls of cholent, the slow-cooked Ashkenazi Shabbat stew. "For me, having a bowl of cholent on Thursday night adds a little bit of Shabbat's holiness into the end of the week, and deepens my...
After his beloved and extremely Jewish sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ended after 12 seasons last year, many fans undoubtedly had the same thought: Would this be the last of Larry David on TV? The notorious curmudgeon's answer: Absolutely not. On Thursday, David announced that he will be partnering with Barack and Michelle Obama's production company to create a six-episode sketch comedy series about American history. The 78-year-old David will star in, co-write and executive produce the new...
(JNS) — Four rare, 1,900-year-old rare bronze discs decorated with lion heads that were uncovered in southern Israel in the last decade offer evidence of Roman-period burial culture and belief in the afterlife, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday. The ornate discs, which were found in a grave during a 2018 excavation at Khirbat Ibreika in the Sharon region, were probably intended to be used to help carry a coffin, the state-run archaeological body said. “Tracing the lion as...
Vehicles are being attacked and not just Teslas. The culprits have damaged cars and trucks of all makes and models. Residents are unsettled by the honking and the shrieking. If they manage to get a night’s sleep their day starts off badly when they are faced with the need to make repairs to their homes. Damages are in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars! The perpetrators tear screen enclosures, wreck gardens, and defecate on the sidewalk. They freely march down the middle of the street a...
(JTA) - When David Corenswet was announced as the next DC Comics Superman, Jewish movie and comic fans rejoiced: He is 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 are thrilled...
