Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Do you have the feeling that someone you know or care about isn’t behaving as they normally would? Perhaps they seem a bit off, unsettled, or solitary? Try to engage them in conversation. But remember that before you can look out for others, you need to look out for yourself. And that’s OK. If you’re not in the right mindset or you don’t think you’re the right person to have the conversation, try to think of someone else in their support network who could talk to them. And if you need help star...
September 2021 Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation started the year off with a new student rabbi, Rabbi David Chapman. Before he became a rabbi, he had a successful year in the theatre. His first Broadway show was “The Addams Family” musical with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. Jewish Family Services of Orlando formed a partnership with Central Florida Hillel. A JFS mental health therapist became available for open hours in Hillel’s Wellness Lounge, which was funded by a grant from the Jewis...
(JNS) - The Israel Antiquities Authority has successfully repatriated a rare First Temple-period document from the United States, the IAA announced on Wednesday. The papyrus document is written in ancient Hebrew script and is believed to have been found in a cave in the Judean Desert, according to the IAA. The item consists of four torn lines that begin with the words, "To Ishmael send," suggesting the fragment is part of a letter containing instructions to the recipient. It therefore likely...
(JNS) — Archaeologists are describing as “extraordinary” the discovery of a collection of ivory plaques from the First Temple period recently unearthed in Jerusalem. They are among only a few ever found and the first to be unearthed in the city. The plaques, approximately 2,700 years old, were discovered during the excavations being conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University at the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David archaeological and tourism site, which is part of the Jerusalem Walls National Park. Decor...
For the second year in a row, RAISE has been named a top-rated program by GreatNonprofits, the leading platform for community-sourced stories about nonprofits. Being named by this organization means that RAISE is really making a difference in the lives of its participants and the community. RAISE is also in partnership with Amazon in Orlando. This is a great opportunity for RAISE alumni, as any raise graduate who would like to work at Amazon will have a guaranteed job....
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, six in 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease will wander. Wandering is best described as a tendency to roam or walk around without a clear destination or purpose. For those with Alzheimer’s disease, the destination or purpose of the walk is often forgotten, causing them to become confused or lost. As a caregiver, you are must be concerned about the safety of someone who wanders. There may be no harm in wandering a contained space, but for someone with dementia who gets lost outside, the risk of injur...
(JTA) - Eugene Ginter was 12 days shy of his sixth birthday when he was liberated from Auschwitz in January 1945. Emaciated and alone, Ginter landed first in a hospital and then in an orphanage in Krakow, the Polish city where he was born. Several months later, miraculously, he was reunited with his mother. Her first order of business was to help him regain weight and health, but he had no interest in food after being deprived of it for so long. So she created a rich sandwich made of things she...
Asking for help can be intimidating, but trying to do it all yourself will put you at a higher risk of stress and other health concerns. Very few of us can navigate this world alone. When you feel overwhelmed, try reaching out to your trusted support system. Even journaling can be a great starting point to prioritize emotions and help recognize when you might need a hand. And when you're ready for guidance through life's turbulent times...we're here for you. JFS Orlando is here to help with our...
(JTA) - For nearly a millennium, 17 Jewish children and adults lost to history at the bottom of a well kept a secret about the genetic markers that distinguish Ashkenazi Jews. In 1190, in Norwich, a riverside city perched near England's eastern coast, crusaders on their way to the Holy Land massacred 17 Jews and threw them down a well. The town was already a locus for antisemitic fervor: In 1144, its people originated the first known blood libel, blaming Jews for the ritual murder of a child....
(JTA) – Riding a wave of tabloid notoriety after winning his highly publicized defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp is planning to direct a biopic about a different troubled figure: the Jewish Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star is partnering with Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino to produce the film, which will be adapted from the 1979 play "Modigliani" by Dennis McIntyre. It will chronicle the life of the artist whose portraits and s...
(JTA) — Bobby Jones headed to bed on Sept. 4, 1972, expecting a grueling practice schedule the next day. After a standout sophomore season at the University of North Carolina, the future NBA Hall of Famer was in Munich as a member of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, which had just advanced to the medal round. Jones didn’t get the night of sleep he was expecting. “We heard gunfire at night and the village had turned into an armed camp by morning,” Jones told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. A little after 4 in the morning on Sept. 5, eight...
By Andrew Lapin (JTA) — One of the first people introduced in Ken Burns’ new documentary series about the Holocaust is Otto, a Jewish man seen in the series’ first episode who tries to secure passage to America for his family but gets stymied by the country’s fierce anti-immigration legislation. It isn’t until the third episode that viewers learn that Otto’s daughter is nicknamed Anne, and the pieces fall into place: He’s the father of Anne Frank, the Holocaust’s most famous victim. Burns calls the delayed detail a “hidden ball trick,” hopi...
(JNS) - A 1,200-year-old luxurious rural estate-the first of its kind in the Negev-was exposed in the archaeological excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the government through the Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouin, prior to the expansion of the Bedouin town of Rahat. A surprise awaited the archaeologists in the estate's courtyard: a unique vaulted complex overlying a three-meter-deep, rock-hewn water cistern. Dating to the Early Isl...
(JTA) — The James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Twitty released a book of recipes and essays that fuses Jewish and African-American culinary histories this week. Twitty, 45, won acclaim for his 2018 book “The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South,” which also drew parallels between African-American and Jewish history. Twitty grew up in Washington, D.C., in a Christian household but around Jewish food, with a mother who regularly made challah; he converted to Judaism in his early 20s and now keeps...
(JNS) — It’s been a scorcher of a summer, so when a friend suggested a trip to the Berkshire Mountains, this Northeasterner was ready for some cooler weather. Not quite a “staycation” (it was about a five-hour drive during less trafficked hours), it was far less expensive than flying right now. The Berkshires in Western Massachusetts is rustic and rural, offering the feeling of really getting away from it all. Little towns and villages are nestled in the mountains, a skier’s attraction come wintertime. In July, verdant greenery and clean air—co...
Are you struggling with "just getting over it"? Whether you were the person who experienced an event or the one who responded to it, the after effect of any traumatic experience can leave you feeling helpless or anxious. It might be trauma. Telltale signs of trauma can be subtle emotional responses or life-threatening, and include flashbacks, avoiding reminders of the event, and anxiety or changes in mood. Although healing from trauma is a gradual process that doesn't happen overnight, you can...
Summer weather can pose special health risks to older adults and people with chronic medical conditions. It is critically important that adults particularly susceptible to hyperthermia and other heat-related illnesses know how to safeguard against problems. Hyperthermia is caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body. Heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after prolonged exposure to the heat), heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are forms of hyperthermia. Older adults are at risk for these conditions, and th...
(JTA) - Jesse Eisenberg's newest film directing project follows two estranged cousins who travel to Poland and learn about their grandmother's Holocaust story. "A Real Pain," which will star Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, will begin shooting in Warsaw in March, Screen reported on Wednesday. After their grandmother dies, according to a description in Screen, Eisenberg and Culkin's characters try to learn about her past, and their journey - which involves joining a Holocaust-themed tour - brings up...
Recently Rabbi Mendy Bronstein of Chabad of Altamonte Springs, Rabbi Sholom Dubov of Chabad of Greater Orlando, Rabbi Konikov and Rabbi Zibell of Chabad of South Orlando, and Rabbi Lipskier of Chabad at UCF traveled to Almaty, Kazakhstan to attend the annual Rabbinic Convention along with other Florida Chabad rabbis. The following is what Rabbi Dovid Vigler of Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens experienced while there. Rabbi Bronstein shared this with his congregation and with the Heritage. I...
Because there is so much at stake spiritually during Rosh Hashanah, we make preparations beginning a full month earlier. At Rosh Chodesh Elul, or the start of the new month of Elul, we begin to stir with anticipation for this day of spiritual renewal. We set out our spiritual provisions by readying our minds for prayer and our hearts for forgiveness and by doing whatever we can to attain God's compassion and mercy when the Day of Judgment arrives. Blowing the Shofar Before Rosh Hashanah The...
There is no substitute for eating a dish in its place of origin, preferably made in a home kitchen by hands that hold the muscle memory of thousands of meals. For me, a close second is stumbling across a recipe, trying it out, and feeling transported to a new place by its flavors. The vastness of the Jewish Diaspora has gifted us with a wealth of interesting types of culinary mergers, and I particularly love exploring the Jewish food of India, where Jewish communities date back thousands of years. There are three distinctive Jewish Indian...
(JNS) - Noor Dahri just published a new book on the Israel Defense Forces. He is a counter-terrorism researcher and a former officer with the London Police. He has studied at Herzliya's International Institute for Counter-Terrorism and has lectured in front of Israeli security experts. Dahri is currently in Israel gathering research for his next book on Israeli security threats, traveling along Israel's often tense borders with Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. Details of his trip, including visits to...
(JTA) - How the subject of his new documentary, "Syndrome K," has largely escaped public attention is a mystery to filmmaker Stephen Edwards. "It's the greatest elevator pitch in Hollywood," he said. "The story of three doctors, one of them Jewish, practicing with a fake identity, that fool the SS with a fake disease that saved Jews from certain deportation." "Syndrome K," which hits digital and video on demand platforms on Tuesday after some Jewish film festival showings, tells that...
The Jewish tradition of leaving stones or pebbles on a grave is an ancient one, and its origins are unclear. It is a custom or tradition, rather than a commandment, and over time many interpretations have been offered for this practice. Common explanations for this custom include: • Warning To Kohanim (Jewish Priests) During the times of the Temple in Jerusalem, Jewish priests (kohanim) became ritually impure if they came within four feet of a corpse. As a result, Jews began marking graves w...
Find time away from the chaos. During the end of summer as the kids get back to school and we shift out of vacation mode, things can seem a bit overwhelming. Let go of what you can and focus on good enough, not perfection, and make time to rest. If you normally spend all weekend doing household chores, try to carve out some quiet time for yourself or spend quality time with friends or family. Focus for an hour or two on yourself to let your mind clear. It's ok not to be perfect. We're here to...
