Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - Three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman, longtime broadcaster Al Michaels-known for his call of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice"-and basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman headline the 2026 class of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. The 20-member class, announced on Wednesday, also includes former NBA player Omri Casspi, Argentine world champion boxer Carolina Duer and Israeli Paralympian Zipora Rubin-Rosenbaum, a 31-time medalist. Founded in 1981 as the successor to the...
It's not often that I hear a lecture which could be appreciated by an audience ages 10 to 100, but this past week I was treated to such an opportunity. And while it may sound strange to call a speech on the Holocaust a treat, hearing from Mrs. Judith Rapp Hara about her parents' miraculous escape from Vienna, Austria, was just that. On Thursday, in honor of the recent commemoration of Yom HaShoah, Meoros Girls High School hosted Mrs. Hara for an educational talk about the antisemitism of World...
In 2025, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awarded $77 million in grants to support the development and expansion of 20 veteran cemeteries across the country. These grants represent an important investment in honoring those who served our nation while ensuring that veterans and their families have increased access to dignified burial options. The funding will allow for the creation of the first state veterans cemeteries in Alaska and the expansion of 19 existing cemeteries located in...
Fried Battered Fish serves 4 This dish, served with Torn Potatoes, will rival any fish and chips recipe. 2 pounds skinless cod, haddock or halibut cut in 8 pieces 3/4 cup cornstarch 3/4 cup flour 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1 cup light Lager beer (Don’t use dark lager. It is too much flavor.) I used Key Lime La Croix carbonated water. 3/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper Mix out all lumps in batter. It will be consistency of heavy cream. Cover batter with plastic. Allow it to rest in refrigerator 20 minutes. Paper towel dry fillets. Salt and pepper both s...
(JNS) - For one lone soldier identified for security reasons as O, the dream began years ago while watching Israel's Independence Day ceremony from abroad, where her diplomat parents were posted. "I always watched the ceremony even when I lived abroad," said O, who now serves in the IDF's Behavioral Sciences Unit. "I would sit with my grandparents. It was their favorite part of the year. I said, I'm going to be there one day, and my grandparents will be in the audience to watch me." This year,...
(JNS) — The National Library of Israel has uncovered a rare handwritten Passover Haggadah published in the 1880s containing a Judeo-Persian poem dedicated to Lady Judith Montefiore (1784-1862), highlighting the far-reaching influence of the Montefiore family across the Jewish world, according to a press release published on Thursday. Discovered within the library’s collections ahead of Passover, the manuscript includes instructions in Judeo-Persian for conducting the Seder and was bound tog...
New divine commands haven’t recently come down from heaven. So perhaps someone can ascend a mountain and return with a few words of wisdom. There are a number of serious situations on this planet that need to be addressed. We know about ongoing big problems: war, terrorism, crime in the streets … and volumes are written about them. But how many of us are aware of the insidious developments among our young people? There are two dangerous trends that are imperative for us to discuss. NEWS from the...
Throughout Jewish history, the genizah and the ghetto, two very different institutions, served as powerful means of preserving Jewish thought and Jewish life. One preserved what was written while the other preserved those who were learning. Let’s look at how both preserved Jewish thinking. The Genizah: A refusal to discard The practice grew out of Jewish law rooted in Deuteronomy and developed in rabbinic tradition, which forbade destroying writings containing the name of G-d. Such materials were set aside in a genizah rather than casually d...
(JNS) — “It’s important that people don’t lose motivation and that they trust the Israel Defense Forces, as we work to create a better future—not just for us, but for generations to come. We cannot lose motivation, whether it relates to antisemitism worldwide or the situation in Israel,” 21-year-old Sgt. I, a combat medic in the IDF’s 769th Brigade, told JNS on Sunday. Sgt. I, originally from Jerusalem, has been serving in northern Israel for the past two years and described the situation there as highly complex. “My role as an active combat m...
One hundred and fourteen years ago, April 15, 1914, the Titanic, the luxury White Star Passenger liner, on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York, struck an iceberg and sank. Of the 2,224 people on board, 1500 died in the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There were not enough lifeboats... Passengers Isidore Straus, the Jewish chairman of New York's Macy's Department store, former congressman, philanthropist, and his wife, Ida, were last seen near the stern of the ship. Sur...
When someone living with dementia loses a spouse, families often face a heartbreaking dilemma: Should they repeatedly tell their loved one that their partner has died, even if the person may forget and ask again later? Professionals experienced in grief counseling and dementia care generally recommend that the person be told the truth at least once. Individuals with dementia or other neurological impairments still have the right to know when someone they love has died. Sharing the news respectfully acknowledges their relationship and their...
(JNS) - Ricky Mason remembers his first introduction to what was then known as the Boy Scouts. His mother told him when he was 7 years old that he would join scouting four years later and become an Eagle Scout. "My mother told me I was gonna do it, and so that was sort of enough for me," Mason told JNS. He's embarking on another scouting adventure 60 years later. Next month, Mason will become chair of Scouting America's national executive board, the first Jew to hold the volunteer post in around...
Portuguese Meatballs Serves 4. These meatballs will freeze well for a quick dinner. 2 large eggs 1 lb. lean ground beef or chicken 1/4 cup panko or matzo meal 1 tsp. lemon zest or 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 T. minced garlic, divided 1 tsp. Kosher salt 2 T. olive oil or avocado oil 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion, fried in 1 T. oil until translucent. 1 T. tomato paste 1 tsp. sweet paprika 3/4 cup dry white wine 1 lb. plum tomatoes, finely chopped or 16 oz. canned tomatoes Dubai Simple Brownies Makes...
Back to our roots! Hello cousins! Maybe not all of you are; but many of us members of the tribe are somehow related. In fact, I must have more than 50 close cousins simply because that is what my mother and father were to each other. That's what motivated me to become the family researcher. I've subscribed to JewishGen and MyHeritage - among other platforms - and have held active membership in local genealogy groups. I have discovered relatives around the globe. Surprises often come along. I've...
On Shabbat March 14th an Iranian missile hit our house...a fragment...a big heavy metal thing shaped like a belt-that-fits-around-a-rocket. It hit our roof after a siren, after the booms we hear in the sky. We heard the warning, then upon the siren went to the hallway downstairs, which is our safest part of the house. Then after the siren ended, we heard the "boom - boom - boom" in the sky like always. Then, one or two minutes later, Jordan went upstairs to his office, Tzachi went to the salon t...
Attending the first-night Seder for Passover this year, a light bulb went off as we read from the Haggadah. There are so many questions! The children’s Haggadah at the second Seder seemed to have even more. It is not just the Four Questions. The Haggadah keeps asking: Why matzah? Why bitter herbs? What does this service mean to you? Why the rush to leave Egypt? It even turns inward and asks something deeper: What does this story mean to me, right now? That was proof enough to me that Jewish children are trained early to ask, probe, compare, and...
On the morning of Wednesday, April 1, what began as an ordinary workday at Jewish Pavilion Senior Services quickly turned into an extraordinary example of community, compassion, and perfect timing. Vanessa Stein, assistant director of Jewish Pavilion Senior Services, was at her desk when she received an unexpected call from Joel Kirschblum, owner of Sababa Market and Catering. He explained that he had prepared more Passover foods than needed - including matzo ball soup, charoset, and gefilte...
In the 1950s, Younes Dardashti, a Jewish man from Tehran's Jewish ghetto, became one of Iran's most celebrated singers. As the country underwent rapid secularization under the Shah, Jewish communities that had long been pushed to the margins found new opportunities. Dardashti's piercing, unmistakable voice filled Iranian airwaves, exclusive concert halls and the Shah's palace, earning him the title "Nightingale of Iran." Years after Younes Dardashti's death, his granddaughter Galeet is still sin...
Hearing loss is often considered a minor inconvenience or a normal part of aging. However, when hearing loss goes untreated for a long period of time, it can lead to a condition known as hearing deprivation. This occurs when the brain receives less sound stimulation over time and gradually loses some of its ability to process speech and other sounds. Hearing is not only about the ears — it is also about the brain. Sound travels from the ear to the brain, where it is interpreted and understood. When someone has hearing loss and does not use h...
After Passover, people wonder what to do with the leftover matzah. Some easy suggestions are to make appetizers using broken pieces of the cracker to serve with slices of cheese, cheese spreads or sauces from avocado and tomato. Adding salt and chopped herbs like oregano, basil, and dill, will add to the flavor. By making a fine powder or breadcrumbs in the food processor, you can thicken sauces and make cakes and cookies, bread chicken and fish and add to meat loaf and meatballs instead of breadcrumbs. Use the large pieces for lasagna,...
Forward Culture reporter "The Pickled City: The Story of New York Pickles"" By Paul van Ravestein and Monique Mulder Chronicle Books, 224 pages, $27 "Pickles are a favorite food in Jewtown," muckraker Jacob Riis, referring to the Lower East Side, wrote in "How the Other Half Lives," his seminal exposé on poverty. "They are filling and keep the children from crying with hunger. Those who have stomachs like ostriches thrive in spite of them and grow strong - plain proof that they are good to...
Mom: Tell me about your day at school. Little girl: We went outside for a fire drizzle! So goes the first report of a new and strange weather phenomenon. And certainly not the first innocent misunderstanding experienced by a child or even by an adult. This was in 1956. Back then, Art Linkletter’s show had a segment called “Kids say the darndest things” in which he interviewed children. Its popularity led to a bestselling book by the same title. Kids often say funny things because they mishe...
(JNS) — A humble childhood, a meteoric rise to power, a fatal love affair, a confrontation with a giant. It’s no surprise that the life of King David, as told in the biblical book of Samuel, has attracted generations of filmmakers, with the second king of Israel played by Gregory Peck and Richard Gere, among others. More recently, the first season of “House of David” drew 22 million viewers in its first two weeks on Amazon Prime last year, with a second season released on March 27. David also features in a new animated musical and a four-pa...
There's an FAQ on the website of the London theater where the Kadimah Yiddish Theatre of Melbourne's production of Yentl is running through April 16. The very first item reads: Is this a stage version of the 1983 musical film starring Barbara Streisand? No - the London production of Yentl is a play. It is a new adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer's 1962 short story, "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy" - just like the Streisand film was at the time. This explanation does more than relieve box office staff...
(JNS) - Every Passover, we ask the same question: Why is this night different from all other nights? This year, for the first time since Oct. 7, the answer is freedom. Real, hard-won and finally ours. Every living hostage is home. Every murdered hostage has been given the dignity of a Jewish burial. After 738 days that felt like lifetimes, the circle has closed. For two-and-a-half years, my heart broke on a rolling basis. Not a dramatic, one-time shattering, but a daily, quiet, relentless...
