Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2268 - 2292 of 3602
Eliezer Sepulveda is a senior student at Hebrew College, in Newton Massachusetts. He is also the leader of Shoresh Education Center in Orlando, which, until four months ago had been Congregation Shomer Ysrael, the first Hispanic Jewish synagogue in Orange County. In April 2015, Heritage reported about the small synagogue of about 30 very committed members. Sepulveda and about 20 members attended the Discover Judaism course, taught by Rabbi Kay at Congregation Ohev Shalom. There were so many students that Rabbi Kay set up a special conversion... Full story
Jewish groups in Orlando responded to the mass shooting attack at the Pulse nightclub with messages of sadness and sympathy, and calls to action. "The Jewish community has been impacted many times by terror attacks, and we stand united in denouncing all violence. We are in close touch with local, federal and state authorities, and we have full faith and confidence in our law enforcement," said a statement released by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. "At this time we have not been... Full story
Temple Israel members are inviting members, friends and, in fact, the entire Jewish community to join them in enjoying a women's soccer game on Sunday, July 10 at 5 p.m. at the Citrus Bowl. The Orlando City team Pride will play against the Boston Breakers. Temple Israel has a special price for the event. Tickets are $25 for Sideline E or $35 for Midfield. Normally, these same tickets run between $43 and $55. Please purchase tickets by June 22 from office@tifloida.org. Bring your children for a... Full story
In May, Pre-K children from Room 11 at The Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando's Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center presented nursing students at Florida Hospital with money they raised to buy crayons and coloring books for children in the pediatric ward. The nursing students are a regular fixture at the JCC, where they visit to get experience with young children. On a recent visit, the nursing students answered questions from the preschoolers about hospitals. The children of Room... Full story
Boy Scouts and adult leaders of Troop 641 participated in the annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Woodlawn Memorial Park. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts from local Troops also marched in the pre-ceremonial parade. During the event, the Scouts passed out red, white and blue flowers to Gold Star parents, widows and widowers of Veterans. Several hundred were on hand to listen to keynote speakers Sergeant Stephen Tovet, Major John M. Williams II and Chief Demings. The event was concluded with the tolling... Full story
First Grade at Orlando Torah Academy has been exploring life science in a hands-on way! For three weeks, the class observed the growth of the embryo inside chicken eggs then watched those eggs hatch into baby chicks! They are currently observing the growth of the hatchlings as they prepare to send them to permanent homes. The project began with some background research on chick development inside the egg. As a class, they researched, via books and the Internet, the way a chick develops inside a... Full story
On the holiday of Shavuot the gift of Torah is celebrated. The Torah, a history and a guide to every step through life, was given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, more than 3300 years ago. Every year, on the holiday of Shavuot, not only acceptance of the gift renewed, the Torah is re-recieved. Join with Congregation Beth Sholom as Rabbi Karen Allen weaves the celebration of Shavuot into the Shabbat evening service on Friday, June 10th at 7 p.m. The synagogue is located at 315 North 13th Street in Leesburg, next to the Melon Patch Theater,... Full story
Cantor Jacqueline Rawiszer has been elected by her colleagues to the position of vice president of Member Relations and External Partnerships of the American Conference Cantors (ACC), the largest professional cantorial organization in the United States, for the 2016-19 term. Cantor Rawiszer proudly serves Congregation of Reform Judaism in Orlando, the largest Reform Jewish congregation in the greater Orlando area. She will be installed at a special ceremony, along with her fellow officers, at th... Full story
On the heels of his return from his trip to Poland to participate in the March of the Living, then on to Israel where he spent two weeks traveling all over the Land, Sam Friedman learned on May 23 that he was promoted to the position of assistant director of Central Florida Hillel. "I am pleased to announce that Sam Friedman is officially our new assistant director!" a please Aaron Weil, CEO of Central Florida Hillel stated. "It feels like just yesterday I was moving to Orlando to start the next... Full story
Heineken flowed on tap, purple was in abundance, and new business connections took root at the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's Jewish Business Network's May 19 meeting, hosted by Orlando City Soccer Club. Gathering at the City Pub in the club's corporate headquarters, participants schmoozed, noshed and had the pleasure of hearing from Brett Weisbrot, Orlando City's Director of Corporate Partnerships, about the soccer club, its new stadium, and the opportunities for businesses to become... Full story
The Clermont Temple L’Chayim M&M Club of Clermont will be hosting a special Night In Napoli! as a fundraiser to celebrate their second anniversary. The entire community is invited to enjoy an evening of Italian cuisine, music and entertainment at Angelo’s Italian Restaurant in Tavares, Florida on Sunday, June 12, starting at 6 p.m. Renowned operatic tenor Enrico Guerrero with accompianist Elizabeta Guerrero and soprano Emilia Rivera from Kriger Entertainment Productions will perform Neopolitan songs, Italian pop music and many Broadway fav... Full story
Kinneret residents learned about Lag B'Omer at the monthly Coffee and Conversation held on Wednesday, May 25, hosted by Cantor Kim Singer of Temple Shir Shalom of Oviedo. The period of the Omer is a reflective period, counting from Passover to Shavuot. But the solemnity takes a break for one day on Lag B'Omer-a holiday of bows and arrows, bonfires, and finding balance. Singer led the group in a lively discussion that was topped off with coffee and homemade s'mores. This event is part of a... Full story
Temple Israel will be celebrating the holiday of Shavuot by hosting an evening of study, known as Tikun Leil Shavuot. This year the congregation will be honoring Ruth Goldhar for her 50-plus years as Orlando educator along with other Jewish Studies teachers from the community. This night of learning will be held at Temple Israel, 50 South Moss Road in Winter Springs on June 11, beginning at 9 p.m. Some of the subjects will include sections from Pirkei Avot, Birkat HaCohanim. Because it is a tradition to eat dairy meals on Shavuot, Temple... Full story
Rabbi Shana Goldstein Mackler, the daughter of Samuel Goldstein of Altamonte Springs, has been named one of the 32 Most Inspiring Rabbis in the U.S. by the Jewish Daily Forward. Mackler is rabbi of Congregation Ohabai Sholom in Nashville, Tenn. She began her service there right after her ordination, and brought with her not only her extensive academic knowledge of Judaism, but also the heart of Judaism. "Her kindness knows no bounds and always, always reminds us of what it means to be a Jew in... Full story
The Jewish Council on Public Affairs (JCPA), which serves as the umbrella organization for the American Jewish community relations field, held its annual conference in Cleveland on May 15-17. In three days of sessions featuring members of Congress, leaders in the Jewish and other faith communities and experts on issues including Israel, civil rights and political polarization, participants got an in-depth opportunity to discuss managing diverse perspectives on Israel, police-community... Full story
Amanda Jacobson, 13-year-old daughter of Jason and Jennifer Jacobson of Ocoee, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on June 18, 2016, at Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC). A competitive gymnast at Orlando Metro Gymnastics (OMG), Amanda, an A student, is schooled mornings in a Learning Coach/Florida Virtual School class at Gifted University in Winter Garden before heading to OMG for 4 to 5 hours of practice each weekday. Amanda hoped to find a mitzvah project that reflected... Full story
Everyone goes through transitions at some point in their lives. Transitions are part of life, whether it be divorce, losing a loved one, empty nesting, retirement, aging or any number of life changing events. Jewish Family Services is offering a Life Transitions Support Group to help people learn coping skills to navigate through life changes. The Life Transitions Support Group meets on Thursday evenings, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m., through June 23, at the Roth Family JCC, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland. For registration or information, call Jeanette... Full story
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando program for June features Tom Hirsch who will be presenting "Genealogy Resources and Techniques to Try Out This Summer" on Tuesday, June 7, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at The Roth Family Jewish Community Center, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland. This is the Society's last meeting before summer break, a perfect time to present some new techniques to enhance enthusiasts' enjoyment and success while researching family histories. There are countless free... Full story
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2016 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando on Aug. 17. “For almost 30 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 Berny Raff. Former recipients have inclu... Full story
The Fourth Annual Pavilion Golf Society (PGS) was marked by friends, fairways, food, family, and the many fans of honoree Carol Feuerman. More than 80 golfers were in full swing at Alaqua Country Club on Sunday, May 15, for a morning round of golf to raise funds for the Jewish Pavilion and The Orlando Senior Help Desk. The Pavilion past president was celebrated by three generations of family members, from her mother, Oakmonte Village resident Shirley Meltzer, to her five adult children and... Full story
Israelis standing beside the graves of Israeli soldiers at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on Memorial Day, May 11, 2016.... Full story
Marcia Jo Zerivitz, founding executive director of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, has demonstrated vision and leadership throughout her life to expand knowledge, enrich collective historic memory and cultivate diversity. Zerivitz has been a Florida community trailblazer for more than half a century, serving national, state and local organizations. She observed that the Jewish community in Florida had a major challenge-its continuity-and decided to focus on collecting and preserving for... Full story
May is Jewish American Heritage Month in the United States, and the Museum of Seminole County History is proud to display the great impact of Jewish contributions to Seminole County History in a special exhibit located in its front parlor. This display, running through May 28, features Moses Levy and several other influential families and their lives in Seminole County. As the western hemisphere neared the second decade of the 19th century, Caribbean Spaniards grew more and more certain that the Spanish Crown would cede its colony of Florida... Full story
On Sunday, May 1, volunteers came together to serve the greater Orlando community and to perform tikun olam, "repair of the world." Mitzvah Day, a first-time, large-scale, community-wide event was coordinated by The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando and engaged hundreds of volunteers in a variety of projects at agencies throughout the city. There were projects for four different age demographics: families with young children, college students, young adults and middle/high... Full story
At the Oviedo High School senior awards ceremony on May 5, Sam Goldstein, 17, was recognized as valedictorian with a 4.76 GPA, and was also named Outstanding Senior Student of the Year and received the Science Senior Award. Goldstein also was the winner of a Lundy award as "Most Likely to Cure Cancer." Goldstein, son of David and Simone Goldstein of Oviedo, was nominated by OHS for the Lombardi Scholarship for the University of Florida, and was one of 22 finalists in the State of Florida for... Full story
