Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The Jewish Academy of Orlando and the JCC were evacuated Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 10 a.m. because of a bomb threat. According to the police, a threatening call was made to the JAO by a man who said he wanted to "hurt as many children as possible." The person at the school who reported the threat told police the man's voice sounded robotic, like he was using a device to disguise his voice. As a result, the entire campus-the school, Early Childhood Learning Center, JCC, gym, and Federation-was...
After nine years of serving the Jewish students and faculty at UCF, as well as at Valencia and Rollins Colleges, Chabad at University of Central Florida will have a permanent home near the UCF campus. Rabbi Chaim and Rivkie Lipskier, who live in Oviedo with their five children aged 8, 7, 6, 3, and 1 month, serve as co-directors of Chabad at UCF. They purchased a two-acre lot on Alafaya Trail, next door to University House. The couple plans to build a nearly 15,000 square-foot new home for the...
On Jan. 20, JFS Orlando was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, a McCormick Foundation Fund, for its Family Stabilization Program during a surprise ceremony held at the Amway Center. The OMYF All-Star team was announced in the spirit of the NBA Draft. In all, 18 nonprofit organizations were recognized and $1 million in donations awarded. The Family Stabilization Program strives to improve a family's overall stability and self-sufficiency through financial education...
Zionistas are pleased to present "To Israel with Love" on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. The program will take place at the Eastmonte Civic Center, 830 Magnolia Drive, Altamonte Springs. There is no admission charge. The evening will start with a presentation by Diana Scimone titled "You didn't just say that, did you? A Christian response to anti-Semitism." This will be followed by Uri Argov who will present "Israel's modern–day contributions to the world: Technology, medicine, agricultures and m...
Congregation Beth Am is collaborating with Stephen Halpin, certified life coach, to offer a 3-part series titled "Tough Conversations." The first program is Sunday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Beth Am, 3899 Sand Lake Road in Longwood. Seven years ago Halpin lost his mother after a long illness. Since then he has watched his father go from never being sick a day in his life to a nursing home. It happened quickly and unexpectedly. Halpin will share his story and the lessons he learned...
It's a highly contested and complicated region, one where the entanglement of history, religion and politics causes most students to shy away from learning more about it. But University of Central Florida freshman Jared Dipsiner isn't daunted by the challenge. He's even taken his interest in the Middle East a step further, making it his responsibility to relay the hard facts to both local and distant communities. "I feel like the Middle East is, in [some] people's minds, a primitive and barbaric...
Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando for its Februrary program at the Family History Center (FHC) in North Orlando, 45 East Par Street. The meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016 from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. The Family History Center is a great place to do genealogical research, because of its access to numerous databases that are essential to your research. The center has volunteers who are available to help you use these tools, and it's free! The volunteers can also help you overcome the...
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, at Ohev Shalom at 11:30 a.m., The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah will present a program that is essential to the wellbeing of every person living in this community. No one should miss this presentation. Your safety may depend on it! In today’s stressful and often frightening environment, you may feel overwhelmed about your personal safety when out in public. Laura Lang, the senior advocate officer of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, will discuss the many dangerous situations you may encounter and how to best protect you...
Sheriff Jerry Demings recently visited with the students of the Orlando Jewish Day School for Hour of Code during National Computer Science Week. "I can't believe an 8-year-old just taught me how to code," said the surprised sheriff....
Choices 2016, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's annual women's philanthropy event, is focused primarily on giving. But some who attend will be receiving, going home with a valuable piece of art, jewelry or other prize from the popular Choices Raffle. Women purchase Choices Raffle tickets for $25 each (or 5 tickets for $100), then get to choose which item(s) they would like to win and deposit their ticket in the appropriate ticket bowl during the event on Feb. 9 at Congregation Ohev Shal...
When the Holocaust Center decided to sponsor a trip centered around European Jewish Heritage July 10-20, they found the ideal travel agent in Oren Lotringer. As the director of Group Operations for Tourico Holidays, America's largest travel wholesaler, he had the right credentials for planning a complex, memorable trip. More important, perhaps, he has a deep personal interest in the history the group will be exploring. Like many of his generation, he learned about the Holocaust through books, an...
The following are the events that will be held at various temples sponsored by the Endowment of the Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler counties. These events are free and open to the public. No Solicitation. Community Shabbat service tonight Everyone is cordially invited to attend the 33rd annual community-wide Shabbat Service to be held at Temple Beth-El, 579 N. Nova Road, Ormond Beach, Fla., 32174 on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. This is the once a year event that most temples will be closed to come together and pray as one....
The Orlando Ballet and Ballet School put on a gem of a performance at the Jewish Pavilion Pearl Luncheon on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The intimate, one-of-a-kind performance was the brainchild of event sponsor, Geanne Share, who has served on the board of both organizations. Share thanked attendees for their support of the Pavilion and noted, "The Orlando Ballet has a fantastic performance for you today. Thank you to Robert Hill, artistic director, Orlando Ballet and Dierdre Miles Burger, director,...
The Festival of Trees,Tu B'Shevat, was celebrated at Brookdale Dr. Phillips-Clare Bridge this week. Jewish Pavilion program pirector for West Orange County, Gloria Green, presented a Tu B'Shevat Seder to the 12 guests who attended. Featured was a seder plate with five different fruits, plus olives, nuts and fig newton pieces. Also, there was a challah representing wheat, and a demonstration plate of peelable fruits, including Clementine oranges, a pomegranate, pear, apple, and lime. After being...
On Friday, Jan. 15, the student's of the Jewish Academy of Orlando, in honor of National Train Your Dog Month, participated in a very special Shabbat. The Elementary School Knesset (student council) sponsored a mitzvah fundraiser. In return for a donation, the students were able to bring in stuffed animals to keep them company in school. Then at Mitzvah Shabbat, Donna Neff with Assist with Daily Living Service Training and Rescue, a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to provide service dog t...
The Jewish Pavilion (JP) recognizes someone with a flair for giving back to the community every year at its annual fashion show. This year the JP is honoring Friends Board member Marci Gaeser at its "Spring into Fashion" show at Bloomingdales in Orlando on Thursday, Feb. 4. Gaeser hit the ground running when she joined the JP Friend's Board in the fall of 2014. Within months of joining, she had agreed to co-chair two of the Pavilion's most impactful fundraisers, its annual gala and fashion...
As the turmoil in the Middle East continues to increase; as states like Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen fall apart in a bloodshed; as millions of people from the Middle East become refugees in western countries; as a global superpower like Russia takes part in the Syrian civil war and as the role of the U.S. in the Middle East politics is minimal, it is ever more confusing to understand who everyone is and what they want. On Thursday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m., Dr. Mordechai Kedar (PhD. Bar-Ilan U.), an...
On Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, Congregation Beth Am in Longwood will host a unique interfaith dialogue—The Jewish Jesus in Text and Context—in collaboration with 10 ministers and leaders of diverse faith communities. Starting at 2 p.m. in the Congregation Beth Am Social Hall, 3899 Sand Lake Road, Longwood Rabbi Rick Sherwin will moderate an extensive Question and Answer session responding to a video presentation by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. Dr. Levine is professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter professor of New Test...
Hate crimes targeting Muslim Americans and mosques across the United States tripled in the month after the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. In light of this sobering development, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando voted to express solidarity with those who repudiate hateful interpretations of Islam. In letters sent to local Islamic leaders this month, the Federation and JCRC stated the following: "We write today to share...
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is hosting its Annual Orlando Event on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at The Alfond Inn, 300 East New England Avenue, Winter Park. The evening will begin with a cocktail and dessert reception at 7 p.m., followed by the main program, titled "Courage & Heroism: Stories from the Middle East," at 7:30 p.m. The program will feature two speakers with incredible stories: Staff Sgt. Robert Bartlett, an Iraq War Veteran, and Mosab Hassan Yousef, a former Shin Bet...
Choices 2016, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's largest women's philanthropy event of the year, is proving to be a hot ticket. Just three days after invitations began arriving in the mailboxes of local women, JFGO had sold more than 100 tickets online for the Feb. 9 event at Congregation Ohev Shalom. Those who responded early were rewarded with a bonus-one free ticket for the Choices Raffle, a $25 value. That promotion ended Jan. 18. "We couldn't be happier with the response so far,"...
The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will present The Jewish Course of Why, the institute's new six-session winter 2016 course that will begin during the week of Feb. 8, 2016. Partnering with JLI is the Jewish National Fund of Orlando. Mention JNF when registering and 10 percent of your tuition will be donated to the Jewish National Fund helping build a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people while nourishing your soul with some Torah study. The course will be offered in 4...
The Jewish Academy of Orlando and the JCC were evacuated Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 10 a.m. because of a bomb threat. According to the police, a threatening call was made to the JAO by a man who said he wanted to "hurt as many children as possible." The person at the school who reported the threat told police the man's voice sounded robotic, like he was using a device to disguise his voice. As a result, the entire campus - the school, Early Childhood Learning Center, JCC, gym, and Federation - was...
Cantor Allan Robuck is the honoree for Congregation Ohev Shalom's annual gala to be held Feb. 21, 2016 at the synagogue. Cantor Robuck's life and career have always centered around music. He started his calling as a music teacher at Wiley Junior High School in University Heights, Ohio, near where he grew up. In 1983, Allan, his wife Robin and baby Michael moved to Orlando and later that year he started work as an entertainer in Lake Buena Vista and later for Disney attractions. Then in 1989, as...
Woman of Choice Barbara Chasnov has spent decades in service to the community. "Every now and then I have an idea..." That's a familiar refrain to friends and colleagues of Chasnov, a volunteer, an educator and a champion of numerous causes that have helped to shape the Greater Orlando Jewish community since she arrived in Central Florida in 1982. Known for her Southern charm, her attention to detail and her amiable disposition, Chasnov is living proof that style and substance are not mutually e...
