Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The Bridge Theatre Company recently gave a performance that left the audience silent in the way only truth can silence a room — and then rose to its feet as one. “Anne & Emmett,” performed at the Pargh Event Center at the Rosen JCC, was gripping, flawless, and unrelenting. The audience in the packed auditorium gave a standing ovation at the end, but what mattered just as much was what did not happen that afternoon: no one left. Every seat remained filled as the house lights came up and the cast, director, and board stayed for an extended conve...
Jewish Pavilion Senior Services and the Orlando Senior Help Desk are always exploring innovative, evidence-based approaches that may enhance quality of life for older adults. One emerging wellness modality gaining attention is Red Light Therapy, a non-invasive treatment that supports skin health, pain relief, muscle recovery, hair growth, and potentially even mood and sleep. Red Light Therapy uses low-level red and near-infrared light to stimulate cellular activity, helping the body heal and function more efficiently without discomfort or...
(JNS) - Ashdod resident Tzipora Mark remembers the horrors of the Auschwitz extermination camp with striking clarity. She says she can still physically feel the beatings and abuse she endured there. Her back bears scars, and the vision in her left eye is impaired. "I vividly remember the beatings, the moment the number was tattooed on my arm, and the nights I went to sleep hungry, unsure whether I would wake up in the morning," she told JNS. Amid enduring memories of the persecution of her...
(JNS) — When Masha Merkulova talks about antisemitism, she does so without euphemism or panic. “We know our kids are going to face Jew-hatred,” Merkulova said in an interview at the JNS Jerusalem studio. “The question is not if. It’s when. So why are we not preparing them?” Merkulova is the founder and executive director of Club Z, a North American Zionist youth movement she launched in 2011 to strengthen Jewish identity, peoplehood and connection to Israel among teens—long before they reach college campuses. She flew to Israel from the Unit...
(JNS) - "The pride is so much stronger than the sadness," Talik Gvili said on Monday, speaking with reporters outside the family home in Meitar, southern Israel, hours after her son's body was retrieved from Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday that the remains of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, who was killed and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, was found in Gaza. With the return of Gvili, a 24-year-old Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) office...
Rudolph Ball is the forgotten Jewish athlete from the 1936 Winter Olympics. Ball, better known as Rudi, was the star player, a right-winger, on Germany’s ice hockey team that competed in the Winter Games held in the twin cities of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Alps. He was the only Jewish athlete among 80 men and women who skated and skied for Nazi Germany in the competition that was designed to display the country’s Aryan athletic supremacy. As part of its effort to keep Jews out of many parts of national life, such as the arts and sci...
Aging gracefully is more than just a saying, it’s a lifestyle. For many older adults, skincare becomes a cornerstone of self-care, confidence, and health. Now, a new theory in natural skincare is blooming in popularity, thanks to an unexpected duo: a mysterious blue flower and simple iodized salt. This theory, currently being explored by holistic dermatologists and botanical researchers, suggests that combining the gentle properties of certain blue flowering plants with the mineral power of iodized salt may help improve skin hydration, r...
Is there a Jewish presence in the remote country of Iceland? For most people, the answer will invariably be that they have no idea and then are surprised to learn that the island nation is in fact home to a small but thriving Jewish community. Located just south of the Arctic Circle and known as the "Land of Fire and Ice" due to the presence of large glaciers and some of the world's most active volcanoes, Iceland's capital of Reykjavík is home to 300 Jews in a country of 354,000 people. The...
Part I Jan. 16, marked the anniversary of the day in 1979 when Iran's Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was forced to flee Iran with his family, including his then teenage son and Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi. This year, the date will be marked at the height of protests that have been taking place for over three weeks, the largest and most widespread protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic. Iranians across Iran and expatriates around the world are more hopeful and inspired by these protests than...
Services at Congregation Shalom Aleichem in Kissimmee, Florida, were almost done. Marilyn Glaser, the president, had completed the announcements, and our "rabbi" was about to lead us in Adom Olam. I rose to make an announcement. "I think we need to do a Shehecheyanu blessing in honor of Asher driving himself to services tonight. He's finally old enough to make the trip on his own!" "Great idea," said Glaser. We recited the prayer in honor of living to this moment, and then even sang "Simon Tov,...
When a member of the Jewish community passes from this world, the way they are escorted to their final rest speaks volumes about the values of that community. Recently in Orlando, JOIN Orlando had the privilege and responsibility of facilitating the funeral and burial of Harold Cohen, ensuring he was laid to rest with the dignity and honor every Jew deserves. Mr. Cohen was a quiet presence in the community and, at the time of his passing, had no immediate family living locally. His niece, who shared a close and meaningful relationship with...
When the federal buildings in Washington, D.C., finally empty out and the capital quiets down for the night, Howard Lutnick is often still working. Colleagues in the administration say he routinely puts in 19-hour days, a stamina that belies his being in his mid-60s. Recently, Lutnick remarked publicly on President Trump’s famously short sleep schedule — about four to five hours a night — expressing admiration for the president’s constitution and noting that he himself needs closer to six. But for Lutnick, this relentless pace reflects somethi...
Lighting a candle may feel harmless, after all, how could something called “Vanilla Dream” or “Ocean Breeze” cause harm? But depending on how they’re made, some candles release: • Soot: tiny particles that can settle on your skin and in your lungs • VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds): invisible fumes that may irritate your skin or breathing • Synthetic Fragrances: often derived from chemicals that can trigger sensitivity, allergies, or skin damage over time When burned in small or poorly ventilated rooms, these particles can build up and in...
(JNS) - The wind cuts down from the Mount of Olives as three Jewish men named Cohen hunch their shoulders against the cold and start up the wooden ramp to the Temple Mount, breath clouding in the Jerusalem air. In a scene that could stand in for countless real family journeys, their grandparents' stories trace lines through Poland, Tunisia and Iran, but here the paths merge: walking the worn stone their Israelite forefathers once crossed in white linen, lips shaping the same psalms those...
The whole story of Barbra Streisand and the sturgeon began a few months ago on a Thursday when I was at my regular spot at the fish counter. A very pleasant, attractive woman ordered a pound of Nova and, before Slim, my long sharp slicing knife, and I started our journey through the salmon, she said, "I'm buying this for Barbra Streisand." I was skeptical, so I asked her what her relationship was with Barbra. She told me her name was Christine and that she was Barbra's editor and had edited...
One year — 365 days — to prepare myself mentally for the milestone an identity that does not seem possible. The big eight-zero. Birthday number 80! There is something so different and impactful about that. They do say to be careful what you wish for. And since I aspired to live to 120, I should have understood: On the way to 120 I would become an octogenarian. I never thought about that. Meanwhile, embracing life and its blessings, I revised my longevity prospects. The new goal became 125; tha...
In June 1866, just over a year after the Civil War ended, young Jewish men in Richmond, Virginia, removed their coats and set to work among the graves of their fallen comrades. Some were “frail of limb,” a newspaper noted. They wheeled gravel and turf, filled the graves, and tamped the earth down “in a very substantial manner.” It was the last sad tribute they could offer. The work that day was organized by Jewish women in the city. Their aim was permanence: to enclose the soldiers’ graves, to mark them, and to ensure they would not disappear...
Dr. Lilian Steiner isn't really listening. Yes, she hears the thunderous strains of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" playing from an upstairs neighbor's apartment above her psychiatry practice in a tony arrondissement of Paris. She is committed to recording the sessions on mini-discs for future reference, even if she has to bug her digital native son to buy replacements on Amazon. But when a patient dies from an apparent suicide, without any of the usual warning signs, she knows she's missing...
Steven Eichenblatt enters the Heritage office right on time. He offers his hand and speaks in a soft, relaxed voice as he greets me with a warm, confident smile. I've never met Steven, but many people in Central Florida know him. He appears to be a gregarious, yet humble man - and he is. Ask anyone who knows him. But this outward appearance wasn't always so. As is often said, you can't judge a book by its cover. Does anyone ever really know what goes on inside anyone's head? Or family? Steven...
My name is Marni Mandell, and I’m honored to be stepping into the role of CEO of Shalom Orlando and The Roth Family Jewish Community Center. This role is both professional and deeply personal for me. My family’s roots in the Orlando Jewish community go back generations, and after many years living in Israel, returning to Orlando over the past couple of years has felt like a homecoming. I’m raising my young children here now with my Israeli husband, which makes this work not only about honoring our past, but about shaping a strong, vibra...
(JNS) - When award-winning journalist and author Yardena Schwartz began researching the 1929 massacre of Jews in Hebron, she had no idea she was uncovering what she now calls "ground zero" of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Nor did she imagine that nearly a century later, the patterns she identified would reemerge with devastating clarity on Oct. 7, 2023. Her book, "Ghosts of a Holy War," explores how the murder of 67 Jews in Hebron-once considered one of the safest Jewish communities in Mandatory...
(JNS) — Everyone has heard of the unlikely hero — that person who, despite all odds, comes to the rescue in a seemingly herculean way. It can be the mom who, in a burst of adrenaline, partially lifts a car to save a child stuck underneath; a neighbor who puts out a fire while community members are asleep; or a Good Samaritan who jumps into a body of water to rescue a person flailing about. And then, there’s the likely hero — that person trained to do the right thing as a result of career and hap...
Did you know that your nervous system is naturally wired to connect with others to survive and to feel safe and supported? When you’re near someone who is calm and grounded, your body senses it. This natural process is called co-regulation — when two nervous systems connect and help each other feel more at ease. Here’s how connection helps: • It lowers stress levels • It can slow your heart rate • It brings you back to the present moment more quickly Whether it’s a warm hug, sitting quietly next to a friend, sharing a deep breath, or si...
Editor's note: Heritage's beloved Gloria Yousha, who wrote Scene Around for XX years, passed away on Nov. 18, 2022. Since that time, no one has come forward to take on covering the social scene for the paper. Now that may be changing. Steven Cardonick, who writes the "Give a listen..." column is very interested in writing the column. See what you think and hopefully he will be taking on the challenge! Happy New Year! Our gift to you: The renaissance of Gloria Yousha's Scene Around column. May...
(JNS) - How does one begin to describe Jane Goodall's legacy to the world? Few people in history have saved more individual animals or wildlife species from extinction and restored or protected more environments. In fact, conservation of the environment has been globally defined by her measures and moral compass. Goodall, who died on Oct. 1 at the age of 91, was a U.N. messenger of peace, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a Dame of the British Empire. She touched millions upon millions...
