Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Blintz souffle is synonymous with easy, classic Ashkenazi-Jewish-American comfort food. The ingredient list isn't long, the steps are very simple but the result is pure, creamy indulgence. Plus, this dish calls for frozen blintzes for extra ease. Many American Jewish families serve this for Yom Kippur break fast, but I think its also a great dish for a meal train, brunch or even Passover, as there are several brands that sell kosher-for-Passover frozen blintzes. Ingredients 6 eggs 2 tsp vanilla...
What did you say? Oops, speak louder! ... Deaf since she was 18 months old, MARLEE MATLIN made her acting debut in the romantic drama, “Children of a Lesser God.” She won an Academy Award for best actress for her performance. She is the first deaf performer to win an Oscar! She also had many successful television roles and she also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for her outstanding work. Marlee was born in Illinois. She and her siblings were brought up in a reform Jewish household. Her family roots are the same as mine … Russia and Polan...
(New York Jewish Week) - After she finished her compulsory military service as a singer in an IDF performing arts troupe, Israeli folk singer Bat Ella wasn't sure how she would incorporate music into the rest of her life. That is, until she met Debbie Friedman, the American singer-songwriter who revolutionized Jewish prayer services by translating popular prayers and setting them to unforgettable melodies. "She wrote melodies that are simple, catchy and touch your heart right away," Bat Ella,...
(JTA) — The way author Michael Benson tells it, one day in 1938, New York judge and Jewish communal leader Nathan Perlman sat at a bar and thought, “How come these Nazis get to march down 86th Street, goose-stepping and ‘sieg heiling’ like it’s the Macy’s Parade? Why are they so brazen?” It was because they were not worried about the consequences. Too few people in then-isolationist America really cared about what was being said about the Jews or what was happening to them in Europe, Benso...
For many Jews today, pets are beloved household members who are often considered part of the family. That is despite the commonly held perception that Jewish observance and pet ownership are incompatible. There is no Jewish prohibition against owning pets. And while we know of no studies on Jewish pet ownership, anecdotal evidence suggests that pet ownership is not uncommon among Jews, even in the Orthodox community. Today, some Jews have even created Jewish life cycle rituals and mourning...
They escaped destruction by the Nazis, survived communism, and found their ways to new homes. This is a story of three Torahs that all have their roots in long-gone Czechoslovakian synagogues. Up until World War II, Czechoslovakia had a thriving Jewish population rooted in hundreds of years of interaction with its Christian neighbors. With the rise of Hitler, however, came the rise of antisemitism and The Final Solution. Throughout Europe, synagogues were burned and Jews were deported to...
Feeling burned out at work and need to take a day off for your mental health? Well, that break will deliver few benefits if you spend it in bed binge-watching your favorite shows or "doom-scrolling" online. Such activities are like "eating junk food" - it tastes good in the moment, but it's not good for you long-term. Instead, pepper your day with activities that are restorative but not stressful, such as taking a long walk outdoors or calling a friend or family member if you feel you've been...
Seniors living at home may forgo exercise. They may have limited access to the proper equipment and fitness programs and lack motivation. Senor communities offer a full range of gym equipment. They also offer a wide variety of classes such as chair exercise, yoga, weight lifting, dance etc. Daily on-site opportunities to improve mobility, strength and overall wellness make a world of difference. In a senior community, the support of friends may be a motivator as well. We all know that regular exercise is good for your heart and for weight...
Season four of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" was just as Jewy as the ones that came before it - with bar mitzvah scenes, lots of Yiddishisms, Jewish foods and contemplations about the existence of God. The Amazon Prime show about a Jewish standup comedian played by Rachel Brosnahan has consistently been one of the most Jewish shows on TV, despite the controversy about the fact that its star isn't a Jew. In almost every season, protagonist Midge Maisel visits a very Jewish location. In season two,...
American Jewish food is most typically defined as pastrami sandwiches, chocolate babka, or bagels and lox. But I am here to argue that the greatest American Jewish food may actually be the humble hot dog. No dish better embodies the totality of the American Jewish experience. What’s that you say? You didn’t know that hot dogs were a Jewish food? Well, that’s part of the story, too. Sausages of many varieties have existed since antiquity. The closest relatives of the hot dog are the frank...
From the editor: Last week’s Heritage ran a Scene Around column from May 27, 2016. We do not understand how this happened, and we sincerely apologize to Gloria Yousha and our readers for any confusion about events that were posted in the column. The following is the column that should have appeared. What a surprise!... I’m referring to Frances Rose Shore … okay, you guessed it. “Dinah, is there anyone finer, in the state of Carolina” Dinah Shore, the fabulous singer! I never would have believed that Dinah Shore was Jewish, not in a million year...
MONTREAL (JTA) - In her 96 years on earth, Lilly Toth didn't get much of a formal education. Born in Budapest in 1925, the self-proclaimed spoiled brat often misbehaved and was frequently suspended from school. But instead of attending university in her late teens, the Holocaust survivor was literally running for her life - hiding with neighbors, surviving an attempted execution on the shores of the Danube, then working for the very fascist organization that attempted to take her life. Despite...
JERUSALEM (JTA) — I was on a short visit to Israel last week, and spent time with a friend with whom I have been engaged in a 30-year argument. Elli Wohlgelernter and I met when he was the managing editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and I was a staff reporter. We would argue about the future of Jewish life in the Diaspora, which even then he considered in unstoppable decline. We continued the argument after he moved to Israel not soon after. Over the years we’ve both dug in our heels: I am convinced, even after living for a time in Isr...
(JTA) - "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" has made headlines as one of the Israeli TV industry's most elaborate and expensive productions ever. The series, which follows a family of Spanish Sephardic Jews living in Jerusalem through different decades of the early 20th century, also features Ladino - the centuries-old language sometimes referred to as Judeo-Spanish that combines medieval Spanish, Hebrew, Aramaic, Turkish, Greek, Arabic and other influences. Ladino, spoken by Jewish communities...
Along with Passover and Sukkot, Shavuot is one of the three major Jewish pilgrimage festivals. It falls out precisely 49 days after the second day of Passover, a period of time known as the Omer, and marks the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. Here are nine things you might not know about this springtime holiday. Shavuot is the holiday of Jewish paper-cutting Shavuot is a springtime festival, a period when the earth is coming into full bloom (in the northern hemisphere...
In preparation for God's appearance on Mount Sinai, Moses and the Israelite people "stood at the foot of the mountain" (Exodus 19:17) waiting to see and to hear what transpires. The unusual preposition - be-tachtit ("at the foot of") - is understood in the Midrash to mean that the Jewish people were literally standing under the mountain. That is, at the moment God speaks the Ten Commandments, God also uproots Mount Sinai from the ground and holds it over the people, as if to say, "If you accept...
(JNS) - When Michael Aloni's agent told him about "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem," he was a bit confused. "Since when is there a beauty pageant in Jerusalem?" Aloni recalled asking at the time, at an event last week at Temple Emanu-El's Streicker Center in New York City. He'd just finished filming the third season of "Shtisel" and had shaved off his beard. He said he read the best-selling novel by Sarit Yishai Levi, on which the show is based, in less than two days and cried while reading it....
(JNS) - The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, in association with the National Library of Israel, announces Menachem Kaiser, author of "Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure" as the winner of its 2022 award for nonfiction. Heritage editor, Christine DeSouza, wrote a book review about Kaiser's book in the June 4, 2021 issue of the paper. The story recounts the author's Holocaust-survivor grandfather's battle to reclaim the family's apartment building in Sosnowiec, Poland...
(JNS) - Remnants of an ancient city, mysterious inscriptions, caves and catacombs, gorgeous scenery - all are to be found in Bet She'arim, one of Israel's most impressive UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the rolling hills of the Lower Galilee between Haifa and Nazareth, Bet She'arim makes a great day out for families, nature lovers and history buffs. The site has been recently updated, and a stop at the well-equipped Visitor Center to pick up a free map will orient visitors to the best pe...
(JNS) - David Rudolf is one of the most heralded defense attorneys in America with numerous awards. More importantly, he says, is that he has helped fight for innocent people and tried to make sure that everyone gets a fair trial. "That's a central part of Jewish tradition and heritage to defend people and fight the abuse of power," Rudolf told JNS by phone. The native of Hewlett on Long Island, N.Y., started out as a public defender in New York City, later moving to North Carolina to be the law...
(JNS) — NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen wrapped up a whirlwind tour of Israel this week, taking time to speak with members of the press before heading back to the United States. Allen, a two-time world champion and team USA Olympic gold medalist, was in the country as a guest of America’s Voices in Israel together with the Ted Arison Family Foundation. The America’s Voices in Israel organization has brought many celebrities, influencers and high-profile, opinion-makers to Israel over the years, enabling them to experience the country for themselves...
(JTA) - To a conspiracy theorist, last week seemed to offer evidence that the Rothschild family is plotting to undermine Elon Musk. It started when the Tesla tycoon bashed the Democratic Party and said in a tweet that he would switch to voting Republican. A user named David Rothschild responded, mocking Musk and portraying him as an entitled whiner because Musk comes from a rich white family that benefitted from apartheid in South Africa. Then, Rothschild himself became the target of ridicule...
"What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word 'sex'?" Claire Perelman asks the men and women in their 20s and 30s seated around her, under a tent open on all sides - what's known as the "Zen Zone" at Camp Nai Nai Nai. "And what's the first thing you think of when you hear 'Jewish'?" she prompts after a round-robin of responses that range from the cringeworthy to the giggle-inducing. That was the opening for "Kosher Kink," a 75-minute session called a playshop that Perelman led as...
Scene around correction for online From the editor: The June 3rd issue of Heritage ran a Scene Around column from May 27, 2016. We do not understand how this happened, and we sincerely apologize to Gloria Yousha and our readers for any confusion about events that were posted in the column....
(JTA) – Some of the biggest Jewish names on Broadway weren't shining so bright in this year's Tony nominations. The much-anticipated revival of "Funny Girl," with Beanie Feldstein in the Barbra Streisand role as pioneering Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice, came up almost empty-handed, despite Feldstein's star status and the fact that the book was revised and updated by stage and screen legend Harvey Fierstein. The show received only one nomination in total, for featured actor Jared Grimes, l...
