Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Super Sunday, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando’s annual phone-a-thon in support of the Annual Campaign is April 17. The Federation needs volunteers to help reach out to members of the Jewish community with both calling and non-calling roles. There are three volunteer shifts to choose from: • 9 a.m.—11 a.m. • 11 a.m.—1 p.m. • 1 p.m.—3 p.m. It isn’t necessary to volunteer for a full shift. Even an hour of one’s time is appreciated. Come for awhile or spend the day—it’s your call! To assist, please contact JFGO Campaign Director Mac... Full story
American journalist Liz Wahl was welcomed by the University of Central Florida pro-Israel student group Knights for Israel on the evening of March 28, where she discussed the seriousness of world media's heavy hand in global action on many issues, including in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wahl has experience with this media power, be that power positive or negative, as she gained notoriety for resigning from the often challenged news agency Russia Today in the midst of their... Full story
OCALA—Few Jewish holidays evoke the same warm sentiments as Passover. Memories of family and friends gathered as the four cups of wine are poured, the four questions asked and the Matzah served, all contribute to Passover’s popularity in the Jewish community. Bringing the warmth and tradition of this festival to the Ocala & The Villages Community, the Chabad Jewish Center is inviting all residents to participate in community seders to be held on Friday night, April 22, 7:30 p.m. at the Webber Center—College of Central Florida and a Child... Full story
Congregation Beth Sholom invites the community to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover at a second night Seder on Saturday, April 23. The Seder, led by Rabbi Karen Allen, re-tells the story of the Exodus with the reading of the Haggadah and explains why we eat matzah and bitter herbs and why we dip our vegetables and eat while sitting on a cushion or reclining. The evening continues with a catered and kosher traditional festive meal and, of course, songs. There is a choice of 4 entrees, including Vegan, and chicken fingers for children... Full story
Congregation Beth Israel of Ocala will sponsor a Passover seder on Friday, April 22, at 6 p.m. at the Royal Oaks Golf Club, 11220 SW 69th Circle at Oak Run, in Ocala. The seder will feature a short service followed by a traditional meal of matza ball soup with entrée choices of London broil, honey crusted cod, or chicken with tomatoes and vegetables, sweet potato kugel, sautéed vegetable, sponge cake with strawberries, chocolate covered macaroons and beverages. Price for members is $30; nonmembers, $35. Your check is your reservation. Please m... Full story
On Thursday, March 24, Jewish Academy of Orlando students spent the afternoon participating in Purim activities, which included face-painting, games, dancing and making masks for the holiday. The students also participated in the reading of the Megillah and ate delicious hamantaschen. The teachers put on a little Purim Spiel, which was called "A Frozen Purim." It was really a lot of fun seeing their teachers in princess costumes. The students also participated in the mitzvah of "Mishloach... Full story
WASHINGTON—Today, Hillel International announced the 20 Hillels across North America that will host the first cohort of Springboard Fellows next fall. From urban centers in New York and Los Angeles to smaller towns in Urbana, IL and State College, PA, these Hillels represent a cross section of Jewish life on campus, and the perfect laboratories to train the next generation of Jewish professionals. Approximately 20 fellows, who will come to these campuses next fall, will receive hands-on mentorship, competitive compensation and dynamic p... Full story
OCALA—The Chabad Jewish Center of Ocala and The Villages plans to distribute hand-made Shmurah Matzah this year to help local Jews participate in the upcoming Passover holiday. Passover, celebrated this year from Friday night, April 22, until after nightfall on Saturday, April 30, commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt in 1313 BCE. Directed by G-d to leave Egypt hastily, the people of Israel could not wait for their dough to rise, and thus ate unleavened crackers called matzah. Round, kneaded and shaped by hand, present day ... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando (JFGO) recently inaugurated a new "sisterhood" for women's philanthropy in Central Florida: the Pomegranate Society. The Pomegranate Society recognizes women who give $1,800 to $4,999 to Federation's Annual Campaign. Women who give at that level receive a beautiful silver pin in the shape of a pomegranate. The silver beads in the opening of the pin can be replaced with ruby "seeds" each year the woman increases her gift until she reaches the highest givin... Full story
Got talent, drive and a strong desire to help the IDF? Miriam Crane does! As her bat mitzvah project Crane produced, directed and served as MC for a talent show held on March 6, 2016 at Temple Israel to benefit the Friends of the IDF (FIDF). Crane says she chose to help the FIDF because "a couple of years ago Cathy Swerdlow's daughter came to TI's Meitin Religious School to speak about her time in Israel. Most of her time was spent in the IDF and I found it (her talk) very interesting." Crane... Full story
In February, the women of the Greater Orlando Jewish community enjoyed the spotlight for Choices; now it's the men's turn. The JFGO will present Man Cave 2016, a men's event in support of Federation's Do Good Annual Campaign, on Thursday, April 14, at Corona Cigar Company on South Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando. Man Cave will feature an open bar from 7 to 10 p.m., with a tasting led by special guest Joshua Hatton, president and co-founder of the Jewish Whisky Company, which is dedicated to... Full story
This year come and join Temple Israel’s family to discover the taste of freedom and experience spiritual liberation. Temple Israel will be hosting its annual second night Passover Seder led by Rabbi Joshua Neely on April 23 at 6:30 p.m. To encourage timely reservations we are offering early-bird pricing as follows... Adult Temple Israel members—$36; after April 6, $46 Adult nonmembers—$46; after April 6, $56 Children ages 12 & under are free RSVP online at https://www.tiflorida.org/passover-seder/ or by phone at 407-647-3055. The home-... Full story
JFS Orlando will receive a $2,000 grant from The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando that will enable JFS to deliver more holiday meals this year. With the $2,000 grant they will be able to purchase 166 additional meals. The 2016 holiday meal program will deliver meals to the older, low-income Jewish population. In 2015, JFS served 140 meals to homebound seniors and this grant will allow them to increase their reach.... Full story
Our Jewish Orlando, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's young adult division, held its inaugural "Coffee Talk" on March 22 at Stardust Video & Coffee in Orlando. OJO's Coffee Talk is an informal educational series that gives participants the opportunity to socialize in a relaxed environment while discussing topics important to young Jewish adults. The March 22 event featured guest speaker Cantor Kim Singer of Temple Shir Shalom, who led a conversation about Purim. The next OJO Coffee... Full story
The Jewish holiday Purim began early for seniors at a number of facilities in Southwest Orange County with parties sponsored by The Jewish Pavilion. Featured at each was a Purim skit retelling the story of Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai outwitting the wicked Haman. Jewish Pavilion volunteers, facility staff and residents/patients were enlisted to play various roles in the retelling of the story. The traditional Purim pastry-hamentashan, shaped like Haman's hat-was served at the... Full story
A concert that began just as an idea almost a year ago is finally becoming a reality. On Sunday afternoon, April 10 at 4 p.m., the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC) will bring to Central Florida the world famous "Maccabeats Premier A Cappella" group. "The success of this concert is a direct result of the hard work that our volunteers do every day supporting our synagogue," said Rabbi Hillel Skolnik of SOJC. "And as Jewish a cappella goes," he continued, "the Maccabeats are the best!"... Full story
With parental support, Jewish Academy of Orlando announced March 18 that they are suspending enrollment for middle school and will focus on kindergarten through fifth grade. Board President Jordan Steinberg stated, “We had to make some tough decisions, based upon enrollment numbers, financial considerations, and community responsibility. We owe it to our families to provide the high quality product they have grown accustomed to.” Although there were some families interested in enrollment, Jewish Academy has to stay true to its mission and the... Full story
When a barbershop quartet loses their lead singer to a heart-stopping high "B-Flat" and they are expected to perform at the National Barbershop Convention and annual meeting of the SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc.). What do they do? As they desperately search for a new tenor, the parochial mid-westerners defy convention to welcome Bob as the unlikely replacement. Featuring favorite upbeat tunes, this new play is an... Full story
On April 3, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Riverside Drive in Ormond Beach will be all in a flurry for the fifth biennial Jewish Heritage Festival. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. There will be nationally acclaimed entertainment, kosher and kosher-style food vendors, Israeli and Judaica artists and vendors, activities and inflatables for children, camel rides, a petting zoo, matzoh making and more. Throughout the day, there will also be scheduled speakers who will discuss a variety of topics from Holocaust survivors and... Full story
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando will present local Holocaust author and educator Holly Mandelkern at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, on Tuesday, April 5, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mandelkern, who is also a poet, will talk about researching lives of individuals for her upcoming book, “Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Poetry.” She conducted similar research for “A Portrait in Poetry: Writing From the Testimony of Roman Kent,” which will appear in the spring 2016 issue o... Full story
Zionistas invite the community to a unique opportunity to be informed on the latest behind-the-scene news from Israel. Alan Kornman, contributing editor for Family Security Matters and the regional coordinator of The United West-Uniting Western Civilization for Freedom and Liberty, will brief the attendees about his March 2016 Israel trip. The program will take place on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Eastmonte Civic Center, 830 Magnolia Drive, Altamonte Springs. Kornman, who is a frequent contributor to numerous publications including... Full story
In cooperation with Hospice of the Comforter, JFS Orlando will offer a grief support group for anyone interested on the following Tuesdays: April 5, 12, 19, 26, May 3 and 10. The six sessions, led by JFS Orlando therapist Stacey Greenberg, LCSW, and Hospice of the Comforter’s bereavement manager, Flavia Cipollaro, LMHC, will cover a wide array of topics, including bereavement, loss and Jewish coping skills. The meetings will take place at Congregation Ohev Shalom from 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. COS is located at 613 Concourse Parkway, Maitland. T... Full story
On March 30, Dr. Yudit Greenberg, Cornell endowed professor of religion and director of the Jewish Studies Program at Rollins College, is pleased to invite the community to a stimulating evening of dialogue with a presentation by Dr. Nathan Katz, distinguished professor emeritus, founder-director of the Program in the Study of Spirituality, and director of Jewish Studies/academic director of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. The event will take place in the Galloway Room at 6 p.m. Dr. Katz is... Full story
On Sunday, March 13, honorees and guests of The Jewish Pavilion Gala demonstrated the impact that just one person can make on an entire community. Friends Board President Faye Novick delivered opening remarks and warmly welcomed the more than 200 guests who had gathered at the Orlando Hilton North in Maitland to celebrate the event honorees, and to make a difference in the lives of residents of senior living communities served by the Pavilion. Novick commended the evening's honorees, Sammy... Full story
On Sunday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to noon, Chai Preschool's expansive grassy hills will be home to an array of farm animals, horses, and ponies, as the center hosts its annual Family Fun Day and Open House for preschoolers. Joining the festivities will be Mr. Richard in Concert, along with a host of activities geared specifically for those 5 and under at 7347 W Sand Lake Road. Parents will have the opportunity to tour Chai Preschool's modern, spacious classrooms and to meet the highly qualified... Full story
