Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation has a new student rabbi: Rabbi David Chapman, who will soon be entering his final year at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Chapman’s journey to SOJC has a surprising starting point. Before he became a “professional Jew,” as he puts it, he had a successful career in theatre. “I worked as an assistant director on and off Broadway,” says Rabbi Chapman. “My first Broadway show was The Addams Family musical with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. One of my favorite projects was producing PEW-ish, a night of...
Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando (JFS Orlando) and Central Florida Hillel are proud to announce a new partnership to better meet the needs of UCF students. Hillel is the center for Jewish life on the UCF campus, a home away from home for many students who see the community as their extended family. As such, in the last couple of years, Hillel has seen first-hand a significant increase in students seeking mental health counseling. Although students were referred out to the campus counseling center, Hillel saw a need for more...
Jewish Academy of Orlando has extended recess for all grades back to 45 minutes. In addition to extended recess time, lunch for all grades is 30 minutes, and a mid-morning break of 15 minutes is included in the daily schedule. In recent years, many schools have lessened the amount of time that students spend in free play. In fact, experts find that the decrease may be significantly impacting the social and emotional development of our children. Comparatively speaking, recess only became...
The Maitland Public Library was awarded a $900 grant from the Florida Humanities Council in support of a Florida Talks Speaker Series titled Calling Our Culture. This series will bring three high-quality humanities programs to Maitland in September, including Jews of Florida: Centuries of Stories, with a discussion led by Marcia Jo Zerivitz. These programs will explore our state’s rich heritage, promote civic engagement, and bring the latest academic research to our community. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and s...
(JTA) — Israeli leaders rarely criticize a law passed by an ally government as outright “antisemitic.” But that’s what Foreign Minister Yair Lapid did on Aug. 14 in response to a newly passed law in Poland that indirectly makes it impossible for Jews and others to sue for property stolen from their families in World War II. “Poland today approved — not for the first time — an immoral, antisemitic law,” he said in a statement. Poland, which faces continual criticism throughout the European Union for its restrictive abortion and media policies,...
(JTA) — Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has asked Pope Francis to retract a recent comment about Jewish law that it said might lead Catholic listeners to “derogatory conclusions” about Jews. Rabbi Ratzon Arusi, chair of the Chief Rabbinate’s Commission for Interreligious Affairs, sent a letter to the Vatican expressing concerns about an Aug. 11 lecture there on God giving the Torah to the Jews, Reuters reported Wednesday. The Torah is the name given to the first five books of the Jewish Bible. “God offered them the Torah, the Law, so they could under...
(JTA) — The owners of a Ukrainian cafe housed in a former synagogue said they worked two lightning bolts into the logo to advertise the reenergizing qualities of the coffee there. Instead they waded into a political minefield because they ended up reproducing the symbol of the SS, Nazi Germany’s murderous elite force. On Tuesday, the owners said the whole thing “is a case of a font gone wrong” and apologized to “anyone whose feelings may have been hurt.” It was a trial that was never fully implemented, they said, and will drop the logo. Cafe...
(JTA) - Zebulon Simantov, Afghanistan's last Jew, has not left Kabul, despite the best efforts of some Jewish figures and organizations. One of them was Moshe Margaraten, a haredi Orthodox fixer whose passion is bringing Jews out of danger. Margareten paid Moti Kahana, an Israeli-American businessman who helped extract people from war-torn Syria, to be a middleman and get Simantov out - but Kahana told Margareten what many others had heard: Simantov was not leaving because of his longstanding...
When Israel came to a standstill in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID pandemic, shops, restaurants and offices shut down as part of a nationwide lockdown. But for Israel's hungry, there was no break. On the contrary, the closure of corporate dining facilities, restaurants, hotels and military base cafeterias left them more vulnerable because suddenly there were no excess meals from these institutions to donate. For Leket, Israel's leading food rescue organization, this was an immense...
RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) – Hackers posting death threats, including “I’ll enter synagogues and kill everyone,” broke into the online mourning ceremony for a former Jewish school principal in Rio de Janeiro. “Death to Jews,” “I’ll explode,” “Sieg Heil” and “dirty Jews” were also part of the attack during the shiva session Sunday on Google Meet in honor of Dora Fraifeld, a beloved figure at the pluralistic Eliezer Max School for nearly 40 years. Fraifeld died last week. The hackers also used scenes of Adolf Hitler along with Nazi symbols and slo...
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. For tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Chabad of Altamonte (Orthodox) Masks will be required at all services. Masks will be removed during Kid-dush lunch. RSVPs are required. Rabbi Mendy Bronstein Chabad of Altamonte 195 S Westmonte Drive #1126 Altamonte Springs, Fl 32701 www.jewishaltamonte.com Mon. Sept. 6, Erev...
By Philissa Cramer (JTA) — Jewish communities around the world are reactivating their refugee-support networks as they prepare to help resettle Afghans who have fled the Taliban takeover of their country. In recent weeks, tens of thousands of Afghans have been airlifted from Kabul after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan with the U.S. exit from the country after 20 years. Many will spend time in another country while they wait to be admitted to the United States, but some are already arriving – and needing support as they adapt to a sud...
‘Enthusiasm’ remains uncurbed: Larry David’s 11th season with HBO debuts in October By Ron Kampeas (JTA) — Will there be a Martha’s Vineyard episode, and if there is, who plays Alan Dershowitz? The pandemic-delayed 11th season of Larry David’s signature misanthropic series, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is set to debut on HBO in October, the show announced today via social media. “You’re allowed to be happy, but not in front of me,” the post read Monday, above a production photo of David hoisting up a small dog. HBO announced in June 2020 that it...
For the sixth straight year, on average, students at Jewish Academy of Orlando are performing at least two grade levels ahead of their peers nationwide. The test scores, from April 2021, were taken using the nationally recognized Iowa Test of Basic Skills® (ITBS®) – commonly known as the "Iowa Assessments." The Iowa Assessment is a nationally standardized achievement test for K-12 students, allowing schools to compare their students' scores to national norms in Reading, Language Arts, Ma...
Temple Israel is excited to have Cantor Andrés Levy leading us in High Holiday services in September, as well as Shabbat services and special programs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. On Sunday, September 12 at 1:30 p.m., Cantor Levy will perform a family concert in the Rein Sanctuary. As a world-class cantor originally from Argentina with extensive experience and skills in leading religious services, weddings, and Jewish events in Latin America and the U.S., Cantor Levy has served as Hazzan for High Holidays in congregations throughout...
JFS Orlando is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Heart of Florida United Way. This grant will support JFS Orlando’s FAMILY of services, including their Counseling services, RIDE (Reliable Independent Drivers for the Elderly) Program, Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry, Family Stabilization Program, and Chaplaincy services. In 2020, JFS served an average of 10,000 individuals, provided more than 188,000 meals, and provided more than 4,800 counseling sessions. “This past year has been especially challenging for our cli...
Grief is a noun that means deep sorrow especially caused by someone’s death. Are you coping with the loss of a spouse, parent, child or loved one? Join a free grief support group run by Rabbi Maurice Kaprow who serves on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Pavilion. Be part of an encouraging, supportive network. When you are ready, the Jewish Pavilion can help you with a six-week on-going program to help you cope with grief. Rabbi Kaprow recommends that people wait six months after a death to participate, because the grief is too raw prior t...
(JNS) - Newly installed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi celebrated the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the failure of the United States to leave smoothly after 20 years entrenched in the country, marking the beginning of what's likely to be a more aggressive stance there and on other fronts in the Middle East. American leaders have accused Iran of backing the Taliban in the fight against its military forces in Afghanistan. While a withdrawal was announced by the Biden administration earlier...
Forty-five years ago on Aug. 27, 1976 the lead story in the first issue of the Heritage Central Florida Jewish News was about the land optioned for Kinneret II that the Central Florida Jewish Community Council had secured. The Council accepted a loan for $2,225,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also covered on the front page was that Janet and Ezra Almog, two of the Entebbe hostages, would speak at Congregation Ohev Shalom about their experience being held hostage in the Uganda airport. The paper was 12 pages long,...
(JNS) - The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is responding to the Aug. 14 earthquake that struck southwestern Haiti by providing critically needed medical supplies - surgical instruments, fluids, IV starters, sutures, gloves, masks, face shields and clean linens - to local hospitals treating the wounded. The 7.2-magnitude event and its aftershocks flattened thousands of homes, businesses and other buildings as the resulting death toll reached an estimated 1,300 as of Sunday night....
Photos in Special Issues Section September 2020 The country was still under COVID-19 mandates and Jewish organizations were getting creative in how to continue some programs. One such program was the Jewish Academy of Orlando’s performance of “Alice in Wonderland.” Originally planned for May, then rescheduled for October, became a video production. The video was filmed in the fall and released later in the year. A few members of the Jewish community ran for offices: Lynn Moira Dictor ran for Seminole County Tax Collector, Tracey Kagan ran f...
(JTA) — When the world shut down last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Natan Sharansky figured his experience as a Soviet political prisoner meant he had a thing or two to teach the millions of people who were suddenly confined to their homes. So he recorded a video providing his advice that went viral among the many Jews around the world who have long seen him as a sage figure. Nearly a year and a half later, Sharansky, 73, announced on Facebook that he and his wife, Avital, had contracted the disease. The Israeli couple had both been v...
(JTA) — A woman is suing Bob Dylan for sexually abusing her when she was 12 under a New York law that temporarily lifted limitations on such lawsuits. The woman, identified in court documents as JC, says the Jewish rock star groomed and exploited her in his room at the Chelsea Hotel over six weeks in 1965, USA Today reported on Monday. She says she suffered physical and psychological harm. A lawyer for Dylan vigorously denied the charges, the newspaper reported. The Chelsea Hotel was at the time a hideout for bohemian artists and musicians. D...
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. For tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Chabad of Altamonte (Orthodox) Masks will be required at all services. Masks will be removed during Kid-dush lunch. RSVPs are required. Rabbi Mendy Bronstein Chabad of Altamonte 195 S Westmonte Drive #1126 Altamonte Springs, Fl 32701 www.jewishaltamonte.com Mon. Sept. 6, Erev...
(JNS) — As Israel observes the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, it’s difficult to forget the capitulation of the Iraqi army to ISIS in 2014 or the EUBAM observers who fled as Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, not to mention visions of the United States fleeing Saigon in the spring of 1975 as part of the collapse of the Vietnam War. Noting the coincidental, yet equal number of years separating each of the Middle Eastern incidents in which Islamic fundamentalists defeated their adversaries, Eran Lerman, vice president of the Jer...
