Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA) - It seemed like the last keg had been tapped for Shmaltz Brewing Company, until a rabbi-in-training stepped in for a Jewish renewal project. The Jewish craft beer label, best known for its He'Brew: The Chosen Beer line of drinks, shut down last year after 25 years when its founder, Jeremy Cowan, said he wanted to focus on his other businesses. But now it's been sold to a new owner: Jesse Epstein, a 26-year-old Reform rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College who first got into home...
As this year comes to a close, it might be time to glance in the rear view mirror. How was your year? Did you have several accomplishments you're proud of, or maybe you made a few mistakes you wish you could fix? Perhaps there was a significant loss or disappointment that still weighs heavy on you. Whether good or bad, looking back can help you learn where you are, know where you still want to go in the future, and gain the resilience we need to move forward and continue to live life to the...
(JNS) — It has been proven that the Birthright program produces lifelong connections between young Jews and Israel. Studies also show that participants are more likely to build Jewish families. But could it produce the next Jewish comedy star? The new Birthright Israel Labs initiative is holding a competition to find Jewish comedy’s next breakout performer. The winner gets a coveted slot at the all-Jewish Chosen Comedy Festival in Miami on Dec. 14, joking it up alongside some of the business’ more well-known comedians and musicians. “I’ve...
(JTA) — Bucking weeks of public pressure from Jewish groups, celebrities and the Brooklyn Nets, Amazon will not stop selling an antisemitic documentary on its service that was promoted by NBA star Kyrie Irving. The company’s CEO Andy Jassy, who is Jewish, said Wednesday that Amazon had no plans to remove or add a disclaimer to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” whose Amazon link Irving ignited a firestorm by tweeting about it earlier this month. Amazon had previously considered whether to add a disclaimer. “As a retailer of content to...
(JNS) - Adam Sandler recounted a funny remark from a celebrity mentioned in his famous "The Chanukah Song" when he spoke to a crowd at the 92nd Street Y (now called 92NY) in Manhattan on Tuesday night. Following a screening of his new film "Hustle," Sandler said he showed his daughters the spot on 56th and Broadway where he stood in front of a diner and had the idea for the tune. "I am so proud of that song, I love it," Sandler said, explaining that he excitedly wrote the song at the NBC...
The First and Second Books of Maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of Judah Maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of Judea from foreign domination. These books include within them the earliest references to the story of Chanukah and the rededication of the Temple, in addition to the famous story of the mother and her seven sons. And yet, these two books are missing from the Hebrew Bible. In order to begin addressing the question of this omission, it is important to...
After iconic roles in television shows like Blossom and The Big Bang Theory, actress Mayim Bialik is now the host of Jeopardy. Here are six incredible things you never knew about her. What do you think has been your greatest kiddush Hashem – a moment you really excelled in representing the Jewish people? That's a funny question. I don't usually identify them myself. I think that typically it should be something other people say or see. I think it's hard to answer for myself without sounding l...
Cognitive performance is not fixed. There are small changes people can make in their daily lives that should sustain higher cognitive functioning in old age. Keep the mind active through work, volunteering, hobbies or playing games. Learning new skills can be a real brain boost. Learning new skills or dance steps can be very beneficial. Using the opposite hand to do a task like brushing your teeth can also be helpful. Engagin in social activities, with family, friends, peers etc., and staying physically active with exercise, or household...
(J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) — The year was 1968. Young people from around the country were descending on San Francisco looking for ways to express themselves, making efforts — sometimes heroic, sometimes tragic — to free themselves from the bonds of American society. At the same time, a group of Jews came together in the city to create something new. “After painfully realizing that the Jewish leaders and especially, in San Francisco, are only interested in lecture...
(JTA) – At one point in John Boyne's new novel "All The Broken Places," a 91-year-old German woman recalls, for the first time, her encounter with a young Jewish boy in the Auschwitz death camp 80 years prior. "I found him in the warehouse one day. Where they kept all the striped pajamas," she said. The woman, Gretel, quickly realized her mistake: that "this was a phrase peculiar to my brother and me." She clarifies that she is referring to "the uniforms. ... You know the ones I mean." Boyne's r...
Latkes are far more popular during Hanukkah than donuts here in the U.S. While you can find latkes in the freezer section of almost every major supermarket, good quality sufganiyot are much harder to come by, and lots of people I know have a fear of using yeast to make doughs like donut dough. But there is an easier way to make sufganiyot, and it comes in a can: biscuit dough. What can these doughy babies not do?! Using canned biscuits, you can either make full-sized sufganiyot, or smaller,...
This story was originally published on The Nosher. There's no question that the most delicious, comforting recipes are the simplest, especially if they come with a bushel of history and soul. My Jewish husband Miki's grandmother (Grandma Esta) made the best brisket I've ever tasted. I know that these might be fighting words, but hear me out. It was complex, sweet and tender - everything that Grandma Esta embodied. I was honored that she passed down her recipe to me, but also surprised that the...
These beet pancakes are also great for using up a variety of other root vegetables. Using a food processor will make quick work of the shredding aspect of the preparation. With a nice browned crust, the latkes are delicious served with applesauce or sour cream and chives, and offer a good alternative to hash browns at breakfast or brunch. Ingredients 1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (about 2 large) 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme 1 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste 2 cups peeled and...
This story was originally published on the Nosher. I know that sufganiyot — jelly donuts — are traditional and beloved for Chanukah. But I feel confident that once you try these easy and incredibly delicious ricotta fritters, you will be converted to these sweet fried treats. And if I’m making a confession, I have actually never loved traditional sufganiyot. Sometimes our family made our own, or bought from local bakeries, but were usually left feeling kind of “meh.” They were always a bit too bread-y and heavy. Around 10 years ago my sister...
Local author Lenore Richman Roland has just finished writing a book of poems for children, titled "Under Granna's Poetry Tree, Birthday Poems for her Grands." Her inspiration for this book has been her children and grandchildren. Since 2003, when her oldest grandchild was born, she has been writing original poems to celebrate each grandchild's birthday from the first to the present. In January 2022, she wrote a poem for her granddaughter, Francesca, to celebrate her 10th birthday. As she always...
What a dichotomy. Life in Israel vs. life in the U.S. Being a Jew has its challenges and rewards in both places...but being an American Jew vs. being an Israeli Jew is vastly different. I was just in the U.S. for about 10 days including Parsha Chaya Sara and I stayed in a modern orthodox community. What was the talk around the Shabbat Table? To us, it's Parshat Chaya Sara which covers Sarah's death and Abraham's purchase of the famous Ma'arah h'Machpelah where she is buried. The parshah also...
Many of the most well-known Chanukah traditions are universal. Whether you're in Argentina or Zimbabwe, Jews will mark the eight-day festival by lighting a menorah, eating fried foods and recounting the victorious story of the Maccabees and the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. But Jews around the world have also developed Chanukah customs that are unique to their local community. For example, while jelly-filled donuts (sufganiyot) are a mainstay among Ashkenazi Jews, Chanukah in southern...
This story was originally published on HeyAlma. Most of the women in the Bible fall into a few distinct categories. There are the wise wives and mothers like Sarah, Rebecca and Yocheved, required to make hard decisions to protect their children. Then there are the tragic romantic damsels, the ready-for-soap-opera players: Rachel, Leah and Bathsheba. Silent sufferers who survive humiliation, poverty and assault with grace - like Tamar, Ruth and Esther - are credited with saving Jewish continuity...
For children, the days leading up to Chanukah are always filled with anticipation. Here is a small children’s bedtime book that teaches little ones about Chanukah during the 10 days before the holiday. “Dreaming of Hanukkah,” by Amy Shoenthal and illustrated by Kate Durkin, tells the story of Chanukah as children count down from 10 to 1 and discover the traditions and customs of the holiday — from Maccabee soldiers to crispy latkes to blessings over the hanukkiah. Amy Shoenthal is a Jewish...
This Scene Around is dedicated to "Yours Truly" Gloria Yousha, who passed away Nov. 18, 2022. Gloria Yousha started working at the Heritage in April 1980. That was 15 years before I became her editor. Her first column on April 4, 1980, began: "How do you spell kvelling? (quevelling? kuvelling?) Whichever way it's spelled, it most certainly applies to proud parents SHARON and GEORGE BERGER, whose son EMERY, age 12,spelled his way correctly all the way to Seminole County Finals of the National Spe...
(JTA) - A crochet museum in Joshua Tree, California, features countless crochet animals that appear in airport ads worldwide. The National Mustard Museum in Wisconsin was founded by a Jewish condiment aficionado. In February 2019, another niche museum opened around 90 miles east of the mustard mecca: the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Milwaukee. Co-founded by Phil Sklar, a Jewish Illinois native, and his friend Brad Novak, the institution is the world's only museum...
The Dictators are back. We're not talking about the nefarious, autocratic ones that rule too many of the world's countries - though they're back, too. But here, in the land of pop culture, we're talking about the New York rock band that childhood friends Andy Shernoff and Ross Friedman started in 1972. In the mid- '70s, when punk hit, the young Dictators became one of the key bands to play the CBGB scene on the Bowery. They didn't exist through most of the 1980s and '90s, and a 2020 return to...
According to the American Geriatrics Society, more than 80 percent of older adults are living with multiple health conditions. With each new health problem, things may become exponentially more complicated! A senior may see multiple doctors. There are many appointments to coordinate, and a confusing array of recommendations to follow. Medication management is quite a challenge. Many seniors take 10 or more medications. This is super complicated, because a drug prescribed for one health problem could worsen another. Friends and loved ones are...
One of the ongoing events at Oakmonte Village, hosted by the Jewish Pavilion, is a Lunch and Learn presentation. There have been a wide variety of topics covered in the past which have included history, holidays, current events and the arts. The sessions are led by Susan Bernstein, Jewish Pavilion senior program rirector. This month, Talli Dippold, CEO of the Orlando Holocaust Museum, was invited to present a talk about her road that led to her present position and a most interesting story...
Share your gratitude with others. We often assume people already know we're grateful, but are you sure? Sometimes it might be helpful for them to hear you say it out loud. Using words that express how thankful you are can make a bigger impact than you think. You could also show your gratitude in a more tangible manner by writing a note or text, or even a simple smile or hug. Research has found that expressing gratitude can strengthen relationships. So the next time someone does something you...
