Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1754 - 1778 of 3576
Tuesday evening, Aug. 22, the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center hosted a panel discussion on free speech vs. hate speech. The timely dialogue was arranged as a result of the Charlottesville protest/counterprotest. Michael Friedman, president of HMREC, welcomed the more than 500 people in attendance, and stated that we should all treat people with respect even if we disagree. "The way we respond to Charlottesville defines us as a country," he stated. Moderator Scott Maxwell,... Full story
On Aug. 17, the ‘Florida Atlantic University professor and president of the Islamic Society of Boca Raton, Fla., Bassem Alhalabi, agreed to publicly defend the Shariah Islamiyya (Islamic Law) but ran away in shame from the venue minutes before the program’s starting time. The title of the meeting was “Interfaith Cafe: Sharia Law and U.S. Law Nothing To Fear.” Dr. Alhalabi was to defend Islamic law, making the case that non-Muslims have nothing to fear from Shariah. Deep down Dr. Alhalabi knows the facts are not on his side. What Dr. Alhalab... Full story
Attention all Medicare beneficiaries! Marc Auster, an independent Medicare insurance agent, wants all Medicare beneficiaries to know that the annual enrollment period begins Oct. 15. That is when eligible beneficiaries can change their plans for next year if they so choose. That opportunity ends on Dec. 7 after which most people are "locked in" until the next year. With offices in Maitland, Auster represents both Medicare supplements and Medicare Advantage plans (10 separate plans in central... Full story
Debra Rosenfeld, Outside Sales Professional at FASTSIGNS® of Orlando-Central, received the Silver Sales Award at the 2017 FASTSIGNS Outside Sales Summit, recently held in St. Louis, Missouri. The Silver Sales Award recognizes Outside Sales Professionals who achieved sales between $500,000 and $699,999 from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. With more than 660 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers worldwide, only 29 Outside Sales Professionals received this award. During the 2017... Full story
What is JSU? The Jewish Student Union is an after-school club that provides any high school student-regardless of Jewish affiliation-a Jewish experience through programs that strengthen their Jewish identity and connection to Israel. Run by the teenagers, a club can be established in a school simply by being requested (JSU does not barge in and establish itself). Last year, a student at Oviedo High School experienced anti-Semitism at the school. She'd heard about the Jewish Student Union and... Full story
The Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando (JFGO) has announced that Executive Director Olga Yorish will be leaving to pursue other professional opportunities effective Aug. 31, 2017. The Federation will unveil key initiatives of its path forward at its Annual Meeting scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Maitland Jewish Community Campus. Supporters of JFGO's Campus 2020 Debt Retirement Campaign will be honored at the meeting. Yorish joined the Federation in 2013 at an... Full story
The summer is coming to an end and Orlando Hadassah is gearing up for a sensational new season of exciting programs and fund raising events. The first meeting of the new season will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 11:30 a.m. at Congregation Ohev Shalom. Rabbi David Kay will bring his musical stylings to the stage with a one man show, especially created for Hadassah ladies and featuring timeless pop and rock and roll classics. Kay was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA) in 2002, where he also received a Master of Arts... Full story
"Making a difference in the lives of others"-This has been my personal motto for years. That said, I am grateful that my position as a program director at The Jewish Pavilion has afforded me multiple opportunities to facilitate this motto. For me, I feel that there is something quite unique and very special when I connect with the elders. I continue to have the privilege of experiencing some truly powerful and wonderful interactions with the residents at local assisted-living, independent, rehab... Full story
Temple Israel will continue its Shabbat Friday dinners on Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m., in the Roth Social Hall. The theme for September is “Hawaii” and called Shabbat Sh-Aloha. The dinner will be followed by a musical Shabbat service in the sanctuary. The entire community is invited to participate. The menu will include Hawaiian punch, Hawaiian haystacks, pineapple chicken, Hawaiian rolls and pineapple upside down cake. Salads and fruits will also be served. The hosts for this event will be Wayne Bilsky, VP of Membership, and his entire membership com... Full story
The St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society will mark the 452nd anniversary of the founding of oldest European city in the U.S. with a 2-hour walking tour of Jewish St. Augustine, starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8, in the shade of the trees at the southeastern corner of the parking lot at Mission Nombre de Dios, 27 Ocean Avenue, at San Marco Avenue (State Route A1A). The tour will end at First Congregation Sons of Israel, 161 Cordova Street and involves a walk of 1.5 miles. Wear sunscreen and sturdy, comfortable walking shoes and bring... Full story
After a summer hiatus, Jewish Pavilion volunteer Yiddish instructors Joan Pohl and Elliot Davis welcome all to join them for a Nosh of Yiddish. Joan Pohl will be leading Yiddish class at Oakmonte Village, Royal Gardens Circle, Lake Mary (Valencia Building) beginning Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m. and every THIRD Wednesday following. The class is open to the community. Elliot Davis will lead the Yiddish class at Brookdale Island, Lake Islander Circle, Longwood beginning Thursday, Oct. 19, 10:30 a.m. and every THIRD Thursday following. Coffee... Full story
On Aug. 31, JFS Orlando will once again host Coffee Connections. This is a free event (reservations are requested) held at the George Wolly Center, 2100 Lee Road, Winter Park, from 8 a.m.-9 a.m., with coffee and a light breakfast served as attendees tour the new facility and learn the positive impact JFS Orlando is having in the community. To make a reservation, please call 407-644-7593... Full story
At the annual international AEPI conference this year, UCF's Nu Delta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (the International Jewish fraternity) won the honor of being named the top Birthright recruiter in the world. This award acknowledges the Nu Delta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), the International Jewish Fraternity, for recruiting more Birthright participants than any other AEPi chapter in the world. Birthright has partnered with AEPi to incentivise its chapters to recruit as many Birthright... Full story
UCF student Alexa Goldstein (Class of 2019) was chosen to be one of only 17 members of the second cohort of the Hillel International Student Cabinet. "We are so proud of Lexi for being selected for this honor," stated Aaron Weil, executive director and CEO of Central Florida Hillel. "Hillel International only selects 17 students from around the world and this is the first time a student from UCF has been selected for this honor. It is incredibly gratifying to see Lexi's leadership skills being... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando has unveiled the slate of nominees for its 2017-18 Board of Directors and officers. The new board and leadership will be voted on during Federation’s Annual Meeting & Family Fun Day, which kicks off at 11 a.m., Aug. 27, on the Maitland Jewish Community Campus. Sara Stern, the 2017 Heritage Florida Jewish News Human Service Award winner, will also be honored at the meeting. Read more about the event and RSVP at www.jfgo.org/FunDay. The following names will be placed into nomination and voted on during t... Full story
Come together with your friends, significant other, co-workers and family for a memorable JOIN Evening Out on Aug. 28, from 7 p.m.—9 p.m. at the Winter Park Community Center. Enjoy a wide array of delectable desserts, high-end cocktails and various spirits, highlighted by an engaging and thought-provoking talk by world-renowned Rabbi Mordechai Becher titled “Unity, Pleasure and the NY Jets.” The event is open to all men and women (alcohol will only be served to those 21+ with ID). Rabbi Mordechai Becher, originally from Australia, is senio... Full story
It's the same food festival the Rosen JCC has held in the past, however this year there is a healthier spin on it. (A Healthier) Taste of the J will be held Sunday, Aug. 27, from noon to 3 p.m. The food festival will also feature new entertainment and children's activities, including Music by DJ Willie, Games 2 U, a rock-climbing wall, TNBA inflatable basketball games, Tennis with RDU Tennis Academy, and Victory Martial Arts. Health vendors will include Compass Research, Cornerstone Healthcare,... Full story
Did you know that a proposal for a National Negro Memorial Museum was approved by Congress in 1929 but never built? On April 2, 2003, Federal legislation passed a commission to build a museum honoring African-Americans. The National Museum of African-American History and Culture opened in September 2016. See the exhibit at The Holocaust Center on display now through Sept. 8. Museum hours are Monday—Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.... Full story
As a response to the tragic events in Virginia, The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center will host a panel discussion, Protest: Free Speech v. Hate Speech, on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. Moderated by Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, guest panelists will include Mitch Bloomer, HMREC resource teacher at the Holocaust Center; Rachel Allen, coordinator of Valencia College’s Peace and Justice Institute; Professor Terri Day, Barry University’s Law School; and Angela King, a former Skinhead and co-founder of Life After Hate. As... Full story
JFS Orlando was recently awarded $10,000 from the Harper Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. for its Reliable Independent Drivers for the Elderly program. The RIDE program is a transportation assistance program that provides free roundtrip rides to medical appointments or other essential services for low-income seniors and disabled adults in Orlando. “We are so grateful for the long-standing support from the Harper Family Charitable Foundation of our RIDE program,” said JFS Orlando Executive Director Eric Geboff. “The elderly and disabled popul... Full story
Her demeanor is reserved. She speaks softly with dignity and grace. Yet beneath that quiet exterior lays a strength to spearhead many projects that enhanced the Orlando Jewish community. Sara Stern reveals her deep love of Judaism and the Jewish people through her accomplishments within organizations such as Congregation Ohev Shalom, Hadassah, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and the Women's League of Conservative Judaism. Her motivation comes, she stated, from "a deep-seated belief... Full story
When Kacie Zemel relocated from Orlando to North Miami Beach to accept a position as a third-grade teacher at a Jewish day school, she still thought of herself as an active participant in The Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando community-despite living more than 200 miles away. She would teach her children by day, and then continue to make plans for The Roth Family JCC at night. During school breaks, instead of relaxing or recuperating, she would make the journey to Maitland to oversee the JCC's... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando (JFGO) recently awarded more than $50,000 in community collaborative grants to local Jewish organizations and synagogues. The grants are designed to encourage and promote collaboration in the Jewish community and to support programs and services that enrich Jewish life in Orlando. To qualify for a grant, at least two agencies, synagogues or organizations must work together to develop and submit a proposal and implement a program. In addition, the programs or services must be open to the entire Jewish... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion's new Inter-Generational program director, Walter Goldstein, has kicked off the One-on-One Bar/Bat Mitzvah Project with June and Jacob at Brookdale Island Lake. This is the program's second year of connecting seniors with bar or bat mitzvah students. Goldstein has started making the rounds to meet the local rabbis and educational directors to get the word out about the program, made possible in part by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. For more... Full story
The Scouts of Troop 641 showed their support of Eagle Scout candidate Steven Kluger last Sunday at Temple Israel. Steven's Eagle project was to rebuild the synagogue's outside fire pit and add permanent benches for the children. Several Eagle Scouts from the Troop were on hand to help with the project as well as Scout leaders and friends. Steven went through several meetings with leaders to finalize his plans. The project was completed just as the rain began falling. For more information on the... Full story
