Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Join other Orlando professionals after work on Monday, June 3, at the Citrus Club downtown for Central Florida Connects, a relaxed networking and social event in an opulent setting. Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres and a drink in a fun and friendly atmosphere for a $15 donation, with all proceeds benefitting the Jewish Pavilion. Guests can also participate in a whiskey tasting and a raffle with high-appeal prizes such as Orlando City tickets, concert tickets, hotel stays and great wines. The event is... Full story
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2019 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando on Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. - noon. “For more than 29 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Roz Fuchs. Forme... Full story
The counting of the Omer connects the Liberation from Egyptian slavery at Passover with the acceptance of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, which is celebrated on Shavuot. Modern day commemorations are observed during this period, which include Yom HaShoah (Holocaust memorial), Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial for fallen soldiers), and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day). The Jewish Pavilion ensures that all seniors who reside in our partner facilities continue to have the opportunity to... Full story
Celebrate Shabbat and Memorial Day at Congregation Beth Sholom’s Saturday Morning Service led by Rabbi Karen Allen on May 25 at 10 a.m. The service will include special readings remembering the members of the armed forces who died while serving our country. A light Kiddush lunch will follow the service. The synagogue is located at 315 North 13th St. in Leesburg, with the entrance on Center Street. More information is available on the synagogue website: http://bethsholomflorida.org/ or by calling the synagogue at 352-326-3692... Full story
Last month a Jewish student who attends a charter school was given a reading assignment to prepare ninth graders for the Florida Reading FSA on inference of cultural experiences. Upon reading the excerpts, the student became extremely uncomfortable and fearful. He shared his experience with his parents, Eric and Wendy Nissan of Winter Park. When Wendy read the excerpts, she, too, was shaken by what her son was reading in the classroom. What concerned her was the content in the excerpts that... Full story
(JNS)—The Florida Senate unanimously passed an anti-Semitism bill previously passed unanimously by the Florida House, which adopts the U.S. State Department definition of anti-Semitism and mandates that discrimination against Jewish people be considered similar to acts of racial discrimination in Florida’s public-education institutions. Passed by a vote of 26-0, the bill moves to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law. Jewish and pro-Israel groups applauded the bill’s passage. “We praise them for recognizing the need to... Full story
Jewish Academy of Orlando presents Junie B. Jones-The Musical. This full-scale musical production will be presented one night only on May 23, at 7 p.m. at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in Sanford. This high-energy show is based on Barbara Park's best-selling children's books. It follows the sassy but always endearing Junie B. Jones, played by JAO fifth grader Sophia Scheinberg, as she takes on the trials and tribulations of first grade, from best pal drama to getting her first pair of... Full story
Nurture. That is something we want our children to learn how to do. At Orlando Torah Academy, the first grade is getting a hands-on lesson on how to nurture as well as protect. As part of their science curriculum, the first graders have studied life cycles in nature. Students have learned about life cycles of plants and bean seeds to see firsthand how roots, stems, and leaves develop. They also studied butterfly, fish, and frog life cycles. Their studies culminated with learning about the life... Full story
The month of May contains happy, joyous celebrations coupled with sad reflective memorials. Shortly after commemorating our deliverance from Egyptian bondage during Passover, we remember the 6 million who perished in the Shoah. Yom Hashoah occured on May 2 this year. Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day and Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence Day, followed shortly after on May 8 and 9. On Sunday, May 19, “A Salute to Israel” will take place at The Mayflower of Winter Park, celebrating 71 years of Israeli Independence. This musical and edu... Full story
Late winter and early spring, with the festive and fun holidays of Purim and Passover to celebrate, is a very busy time for Jewish Pavilion program directors, who each plan and lead dozens of programs in just a few weeks. For Cantor Lance Rhodes, the Jewish Pavilion's newest program director, beginning his job just before the Purim holiday was a wonderful way to introduce himself to the residents and staffs of the south Orlando facilities he now serves. Part of what made his March beginning so s... Full story
Last month, The Jewish Pavilion celebrated Passover with residents in elder communities through a variety of both traditional and modern approaches to the seder. The majority were presented with the Jewish Pavilion's own abridged version of the traditional Haggadah. Traditional Passover melodies were sung at many of these seders which often had the bonus of some classic seder dishes such as chopped liver, matzo ball soup, and gefilte fish with horseradish. Yet, some of the more... Full story
The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida has been awarded a $10 million Orange County Tourism Development Tax grant to build a new museum in downtown Orlando. The award was announced Tuesday, April 23 at the meeting of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. “We are thrilled and profoundly grateful to the leaders of Orange County and the Tourist Development Tax Review Board for their vision and support. A new museum will reach hundreds of thousands of visitors to our region who increasingly seek more meaningful a... Full story
The Dead Sea Scrolls are manuscripts that were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves on the shore of the Dead Sea. These caves were located in Jordan until the Six Day War of 1967 when they came into the possession of Israel. Carbon 14 dating and paleography (the study of the scripts) have determined these scrolls to be about 2000 years old. While some of the scrolls were quite long, most of them have only survived as fragments. Below the caves on the plateau is the settlement of Qumran.... Full story
With the large and growing number of seniors living in Lake and Sumpter counties, where the sprawling The Villages development acts as a magnet for retirees, it was only natural that the Orlando Senior Help Desk began receiving more and more calls from those areas. As staff researched and networked to help callers find the answers they sought, it became clear that there is a large and unmet need in that region for the kind of in-depth and compassionate information and referral services that the... Full story
Because her positions on BDS, Israel, and the Jewish people have made Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib a controversial figure among the freshman congressmen and women in the U.S. government, Heritage wanted to take the opportunity to hear and possibly interview her at a recent Emgage Gala, held at the Crown Plaza in Orlando. Emgage is an organization that seeks to “engage, educate and empower Muslim, South Asian and Arab American communities through educational events, voter initiatives, and leadership development for the purpose of creating a c... Full story
The Kinneret Council on Aging, a non-profit agency that provides ongoing programs and services to residents of Kinneret Apartments, held a Passover Seder that was shared with fellow residents, family and friends. Seder was celebrated at Kinneret on the second night of Passover with over 50 participants. Leading the seder were Emily Block, associate director of Jewish Student Life for Hillel at Rollins College and Sharon Weil, director at Kinneret Council on Aging. The communal seder was steeped... Full story
The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center’s Week of Remembrance begins on April 28 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. with the showing of the documentary film “Shanghai Ghetto,” produced and directed by Dana Janklowicz-Mann and Amir Mann. Narrated by Martin Landau, the film chronicles the story of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s and their lives in the Shanghai Ghetto. This film was awarded the Audience Choice Award and the Human Rights Award at the 2002 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. After the movie there will be a “talk... Full story
Congregation Sinai will host an exciting America Sings Folk Concert with music from the 50s, 60s and 70s starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday night, May 18, at 1200 West Broad Street, Groveland, FL 34736. This concert is open to the entire community. Sinai spiritual leaders Joe and Lynn Goldovitz will provide musical entertainment for all ages. The Goldovitz first met as teenagers singing and playing together in a Rock 'n Roll band. Throughout all this time, music has been their life-long passion.... Full story
On Wednesday, May 1, the Men’s Club of Congregation Ohev Shalom will be hosting its annual Holocaust ceremony followed by the Academy Award winning movie, “The Pianist.” The yellow-candle ceremony will be led by Holocaust survivor Abraham Gold. Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” is the biographical drama about Polish Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman’s struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust. The event, which will be held at Congregation Ohev Shalom. is free and open to the public. Light refreshments... Full story
The Israeli-American Council is hosting a traditional Moroccan Mimouna celebration with food, drinks, exhibits of Sephardic customs, music and lots of Chametz tomorrow night, April 27, at 8 p.m.—10:30 p.m. Mimouna is a three-century-old North African Jewish celebration held the day after Passover ends, marking the return to eating chametz (leavened foods), which are forbidden throughout the week of Passover. This event will be held at The Roth Family JCC, 851 North Maitland Ave. The cost is $40 per family; $15 per adult; and $10 for children (... Full story
Like to ride a two-wheeler? Please join the Congregation Ohev Shalom Pedalers for their next Sunday bike ride on the popular Seminole Wekiva trail, Sunday May 5, starting at 8:30 a.m. The Pedalers will meet at the San Sebastian Trailhead off of SR 436 in Altamonte Springs and head north for 13 miles through Seminole County to just south of SR 46 near Sanford. Men, women and teens can all participate in this social, non-competitive bike ride. The ride start and ends at the same location. Pedalers who want a shorter ride, can stop at Panera, 7... Full story
Jewish Academy of Orlando held a Disney-themed Passover model seder for its students, parents and guests. The students told the story of Passover in a traditional way with the four questions, traditional meal, and songs. The Disney-themed costumes, songs, and decorations added to the excitement. Students dressed as their favorite Disney characters including Peter Pan, Mickey, Captain Hook, and the princesses; even the faculty and staff participated. From the Mickey Mouse Club to Pocahontas and... Full story
Remembering is the essence of Passover: Each year on the holiday, we hold seders to retell the stirring story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt and passage from slavery to freedom. Not all of Orlando's Jewish seniors in living facilities are able to attend a family Seder, but many had the opportunity to recall the Passover story, sing its songs and experience the flavors of the festive meal at Jewish Pavilion seders and other Passover programs all over town this month. For Jewish Pavilion staff... Full story
On Sunday, March 31, JFS Orlando hosted A Brunch for Madeline. This was a special event held in honor of the late Madeline Wolly and all of her love and support of JFS over the years. George and Madeline Wolly, long-time supporters and great friends of JFS, worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for the less fortunate in the community. They began their Jewish communal work in 1985 when they both joined the JFS Board of Directors. George served as Board President from 1987 - 1989 and... Full story
More than 100 women enjoyed a morning of food, fashion and fun at the annual Jewish Pavilion Spring into Fashion show at Bloomingdale's department store in The Mall at Millenia on April 9. Volunteer models walked the runway dressed in the latest trends for spring as Bloomingdale's public relations manager Jennifer Bentson offered advice on mixing and matching, accessorizing, and wardrobe must-haves for the season. The morning began with a mimosa brunch, generously sponsored by the event's... Full story
