Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Want to lower your blood pressure? A new study pinpoints exactly what kind of exercise is best for easing blood pressure, and it doesn't involve running on the treadmill or pumping iron at the gym. Instead, the study reveals that static isometric exercises like wall sits (also known as wall squats) and planks, which engage muscles without movement, are best for lowering blood pressure. The new analysis, a systematic review of 270 studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine,...
RYE, New York — This is the time of year when rabbis begin working on their High Holydays sermons, and Howard Goldsmith of Temple Emanu-El of Westchester had an idea for one the other day. Rabbi Goldsmith, who has served 15 years as spiritual leader of the congregation in suburban Westchester County, 25 miles north of New York City, was reading Yascha Mounk’s “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time” (Penguin Press, 2023), about minority groups’ growing assertion of their individual identity within wider society. The book...
Are the trails getting steeper? Or am I getting older? These were my thoughts as Larry and I climbed Shrine Ridge Trail in Summit County in early July. We had been in Colorado for 10 days before we attempted the hike, so I believed I had acclimated my body to the altitude. But we started at 11,000 feet and would peak closer to 12,000. As I huffed and puffed up the trail, I never doubted I would finish. The bulldog in me would never give up. But could I do this next year? In five years? Who knows...
This is my favorite cake to serve for Rosh Hashanah. 1 cup canola oil 1/4 cup water 2 cups sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 4 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 cups flour (Use almond flour for gluten free.) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup pecans, chopped (optional) 1 cup golden raisins (optional) 3 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples (3-4 apples) I use 2 Fiji apples, and incorporate 1 Granny Apple. An apple corer makes this easy. In a food processor mix oil, water, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and baking p...
The sounds of the shofar will be heard very soon. The year 5786 is just around the corner. Millions of Jews will gather in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to offer up prayers. Imagine God having to listen to all those people. What a job! What a divine headache trying to hear all of us and then trying to grant our wishes. No wonder the Greeks invented a pantheon of gods to deal with human beings. Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynoo Adonai Echad. Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord i...
A question by the father in my “adopted” family in Israel caught me off guard several years ago. Over a motzei Shabbat meal in the restaurant of a swanky Jerusalem hotel, at a window-side table, my friend, a U.S.-born baal teshuvah who has served as the rosh kollel of a small haredi yeshiva for several decades, asked me out of the blue, “Do you think you have become more religious?” I also am baal teshuva, for the majority of my 75 years, but I didn’t know how to answer his question. First of all, I’m not comfortable with the description...
(JNS)— At last, the Hebrew month of Elul has arrived, the auspicious start of the High Holidays, when many Jews begin saying the penitential prayers of Selichot. For Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, the holiday began on the second day of Elul (Aug. 26) and continues through the month of Elul; for Ashkenazi Jews, this year it takes place the Saturday night preceding Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 13). Selichot, which means “forgiveness” in Hebrew, is arguably one of the most spiritually and emotionally inspi...
As we gather for the Jewish High Holy Days, we are reminded that this sacred season offers us more than reflection. It is a time to renew our hope, strengthen our resolve, and recommit ourselves to building a brighter future - for our neighbors, our community, and our world. At Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, we are deeply grateful for all who stand with us - not only during the holidays but every day - to uplift those in need through our FAMILY of services. The past few years have...
As we welcome the Jewish New Year, I want to wish you and your loved ones, a year filled with health, joy, and meaningful connections. Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection, gratitude, and a renewed commitment to each other and to our community. In the coming year, the Israeli American Council will continue to stand strong in support of our community of all ages - from young families to our college students, adults fostering connection, strengthening Jewish identity, and fighting antisemitism...
As we welcome Rosh Hashanah and the start of 5786, we enter a season of reflection, renewal, and hope. This is a time to look back with gratitude for the stories we have preserved and shared, and to look forward with determination to continue our work for a more compassionate and just world. At the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida, we are dedicated to honoring the Holocaust's legacy by amplifying the voices of those who lived through it. These stories are not only...
As we welcome the High Holidays, we at Jewish Pavilion Senior Services reflect with gratitude on a year of meaningful connection, growth, and community impact. With heartfelt appreciation, we share the joy and success of our work over the past year. Jewish Pavilion proudly served the cultural and spiritual needs of over 400 Jewish seniors, bringing them joy, tradition, and a continued connection to Jewish life. In addition, hundreds of non-Jewish residents have joined us in embracing the warmth...
As the shofar sounds and we welcome 5786, the S'firot Foundation extends heartfelt wishes for a sweet, healthy, and meaningful New Year to our Jewish community across Central Florida. Our mission is to support Jewish older adults and their caregivers, and in the coming months we will be sharing results from our Older Adults Needs Assessment Survey along with updates on the Foundation's strategic priorities for funding. We invite you to learn more and stay connected at www.sfirotfoundation.org....
As a caregiver, one of the most stressful things you may experience is the hospitalization of your loved one, especially if the hospitalization is in an intensive care unit. Here are some tips to consider when navigating this difficult situation: • Be prepared. Keep a list of your loved one’s medications and allergies handy at all times. Include the name of the medication, the dosage, the number of doses taken daily and the times at which they are taken. Make multiple copies on a copy machine or your computer. That way you can give a copy to...
O mermaid bold, long may you hold the wreath you've won by swimming, And spoil for gents their arguments Regarding Votes for Wimmen! - "To a Lady Swimmer," William F. Kirk 1914. I love to swim. So, it is no surprise that I spent much of the first week of the 2024 Paris Olympics watching the swim competition. I cheered on Team USA as they won 25 medals in the 39 events in the Paris La Défense Arena. As I yelled "Go! Go! Go!" at the screen during the 1500 freestyle, Katie Ledecky's last race, my...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - Ari Varon, president of the Israel Association of Baseball, believes children currently playing locally will represent Israel at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, as he spearheads an ambitious transformation of the sport from its American immigrant roots into a distinctly Israeli athletic culture. Varon entered his role with passionate determination to expand the sport's reach beyond its traditional base among North American immigrants. A Tel Aviv resident, married...
(JNS) - One of Israel's rarest plants - the spear-leaved dogbane - is currently blooming in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens after its extinction from the Negev Desert. The species, which now survives only in isolated areas along the Carmel coast and in the Acre Valley, was once far more widespread, including in En Avdat National Park in the Negev. The plants currently blooming in the Botanical Gardens originate from specimens collected decades ago at En Avdat by Atai Yoffe, director of the...
Serves 4 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, about 2 medium chicken breasts 4 cups combination of Napa cabbage, purple cabbage or romaine lettuce, thinly sliced 1 cup shredded carrots, 1 large carrot (You can substitute a package of prepared cole slaw for the cabbage and carrots.) 1 bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced 1/2 cup green onions, sliced in small rounds 1/2 cup toasted almonds or peanuts 1/2 cup crispy fried chow mein noodles or shredded colorful tortilla chips available in grocery store...
By Gloria Green What kind of 13-year-old memorizes and chants in a foreign language, interprets ancient texts in front of a crowd, and stands poised on a bimah with confidence beyond their years? The answer: One whose brain has been trained — not just in faith, but in focus. In Jewish life, that training often begins long before the Bar or Bat Mitzvah. It’s not just preparation for a single moment; it’s mental infrastructure that lasts a lifetime. Memory, discipline, bilingual agility, moral reasoning, public speaking — this is cognitive cross-...
Color therapy can be beneficial for those with memory loss. Dementia specialists recommend using different colors to provide contrast in spaces and to help distinguish different objects. Read below for some helpful tips about implementing different colors in different situations: PINK can reduce combative behavior, according to some research studies. The “pink effect” may reduce feelings of aggression and anger. BLACK is recommended by some therapists for individuals with Alzheimer’s. If wandering is an issue, some therapists recommend placi...
In recognition of 20 years since the Gaza pullout, JNS is featuring a five-part series of articles reflecting Israel's disengagement, speaking with an array of former Gush Katif residents to find out how they perceive the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Trump plan for the Gaza Strip and the prospect of returning. Many former Gush Katif residents believe that the massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis, would have neve...
I must admit that while reading the first several chapters of “Living Dangerously: My Struggle to Get Rich Without Losing My Soul”(Beverly House Press, June 2025) by Irwin Gabriel Katsof, I didn’t like it or the author at all. I was even sorry that I agreed to review it. But to say it got better is an understatement. In the end, I loved both the book and the author; there is so much to learn from it. So if, like me, you have no patience with people who only seem to care about status and mater...
Loehmann's, the New York City-based discount department store that had a devoted - and deeply Jewish - fan base, is set to make a return later this month. Now under new ownership after closing for good in 2014, Loehmann's will relaunch as a series of pop-up stores, beginning with a warehouse sale at Tanger Outlets at Deer Park on Long Island on Aug. 22, the New York Post reports. Future pop-ups are planned in Florida and New York City. The iconic brand, founded by former department store buyer F...
(JNS) — Israeli and French researchers have discovered in Israel the earliest scientific evidence of interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, Tel Aviv University announced on Wednesday. The skeleton of a five-year-old child who lived 140,000 years ago, that was found in a prehistoric cave on Mount Carmel, features a combination of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens traits, according to the university. Neanderthals vs Homo sapiens While closely related, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens were distinct human species with different physical chara...
(JNS) — A building long thought to be a fourth-century church in the Ibero-Roman city of Castulo may be one of the oldest synagogues discovered on the Iberian Peninsula, National Geographic reported on Monday, citing an archaeological study published last month. Near modern-day Linares, in the province of Jaén, about 160 miles south of Madrid, archaeologists digging in Castulo encountered several ritual objects that they associated with Jewish worship. Some researchers believe that the Synagoga Mayor in Barcelona is the oldest synagogue in Ib...
By Joseph Strauss What exactly is "Slam Frank," the purported hip-hop musical that reimagines the Holocaust's most famous victim as a pansexual Latinx girl today? Is it a real show with real actors and real songs constructing a real story for real audiences? Or is it an elaborate social media prank designed to pillory the left and rage-bait the right? Or could it be both? The show's Instagram account, its primary engine of promotion, has stoked the confusion. Co-creator Andrew Fox posts...
