Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2856 - 2880 of 3602
Temple Torat Emet, formerly Temple Torah of West Boynton Beach, announced that it will provide Central Florida Hillel with the gift of a Torah as a “permanent loan.” The Torah will be officially moving to the new home for CFH at Northview early this year. The gift marks the first time in known history that Jewish students in Central Florida will have their own Torah. “Due to the recent growth of Central Florida Hillel since opening its new building last year, there has been a dramatic increase in interest among students for access to a Torah... Full story
These will be the sounds being heard at the Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando's 11th Annual "Maj Madness" Mah Jongg Tournament to be held Sunday, Jan.25, 2015. The festivities will begin at 9:15 a.m. with registration and coffee, and the games will begin at 10 a.m. The tournament format will include four rounds following the National Mah Jongg League Official Rules of Play. Open to people of all playing levels, Maj Madness is $35 per person ($25 for JCC members) and includes... Full story
Parenting is quite possibly the most difficult job in the world, yet it’s one for which most receive little or no preparation. Children do not come with instruction manuals, and the awesome responsibility of raising them to be well-adjusted, moral and productive members of society falls squarely on their parents’ shoulders. In order to help parents navigate the stormy waters of child-rearing, beginning Jan. 18, 2015 the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute will present The Art of Parenting, a new six-week winter course which explores parenting pri...
Beginning Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, Congregation of Reform Judaism invites all Jewish ninth through12th graders to participate in a 10-week course titled Facing History & Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior. Taught by director of Education, Sheryl Sacharoff, Ed. D, and Justin Sacharoff, and using resources from the internationally recognized organization Facing History and Ourselves, the class will explore how history is shaped by hatred, indifference, and denial, as well as by caring, compassion, and responsibility. The course will cover the... Full story
The Tri County Chapter of Hadassah (Lake, Marion and Sumter) was founded in 2010 by past-President Sheila Shayne with about 25-30 members, most if not all from The Villages, Florida. Today under the leadership of Sandee Bearison, the Tri County Chapter has grown to 286 members and has a vibrant and enthusiastic group of women. New members are joining continually and the chapter had its election of office bearers for 2015 at the Dec. 18 meeting at Providence Independence of Wildwood. Regional... Full story
Congregation Sinai, Minneola, Fla., will present a free educational seminar titled Celebration of Life - Planning your Legacy on Sunday Feb. 8, 2015 from 2- 4:30 p.m. The entire community is invited to attend. This seminar’s goal is to help people make their final/legacy plans by providing information about options. Pre-need sales of memorial plaques at a reduced price, will also be available, good until Mar. 8, 2015. Anyone buying a memorial plaque will ensure that they or a loved one will be remembered with memorial services said for the n... Full story
Rabbi Joshua Neely of Temple Israel will continue his series, "Conversations with the Rabbi," on Sunday, Jan. 25, 4 p.m., at Brown's New York Deli in Maitland. This month's topic is Jewish Criminals-Shame, Ignore or Defend? "Conversations" is a monthly program that gives community members a chance to meet and talk with Rabbi Neely in an intimate group setting. The uniqueness of this program is that it is always held outside of the synagogue, usually at a restaurant or bookstore (this month at... Full story
Rabbi Karen Allen of Congregation Beth Sholom in Leesburg will lead a Torah Roundtable on Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sumter County Administration Building (with the golden dome) at 7375 Powell Rd. (near Pinellas Plaza and 466A), Wildwood. The roundtable provides a unique opportunity to talk with the rabbi as she leads an informal and interactive discussion focusing on topics of contemporary Jewish interest suggested by the Torah portion that will be read at the Saturday morning service that week. The public is also invited to join the... Full story
Whenever a helper is needed at Shabbat services, Mary Carter Eick (standing), of Griswold Home Heath, is there, ready and available. Eick became involved with the Jewish Pavilion a year ago when she became a sponsor. Since that time she has celebrated many holidays on the Jewish calendar. While she enjoys them all, Eick especially enjoys celebrating Shabbat with her dear friend and Jewish Pavilion volunteer, Helen Tishman (seated). The Jewish Pavilion is grateful to the Griswold Home Health... Full story
Temple L'Chayim, a Reform/Conservative congregation, conducting traditional services in Clermont, Florida, since it was first organized in early 2014, announces the grand opening of their new location within the Clermont City Center as of January 2015. Led by Cantor Isaac Kriger and Rabbi Howard Schwartz, Temple L'Chayim is the only Jewish synagogue with both a rabbi and a cantor in Lake County, Florida. The two clergy provide a very special blend for the spirituality and musical enhancement of... Full story
On Dec. 25, 2014, members of Temple Israel gathered for their second annual mitzvah day. In-house projects were started and finished as well as community projects, and it all ended with dinner prepared by congregant Julia Fineberg. The youth lounge was moved and refurbished. Children made blankets for Project Linus, letters were written to both U.S. soldiers and those serving in the IDF, the children baked brownies and cookies for first responders, and clothes/toiletries were collected for... Full story
On Tuesday evening, Dec. 16, Jewish families from Congregation Sinai and Summit Greens lit candles to celebrate the first night of Chanukah. On hand were Lynn and Joe Goldovitz, spiritual leaders, and the children of the Congregation Sinai Religious School and their families. Also attending were about 150 people from Congregation Sinai and Summit Greens. Music was played, songs were sung, Chanuah gelt was passed out to all the children courtesy of the Shalom Club. The dessert table abounded... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion will host the Pearls of the Pavilion Luncheon at the home of board member Elaine Gamson on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015 at 11 a.m. for members who have made a $500 minimum donation to the Jewish Pavilion Membership Appeal (can be paid throughout the year; membership year is September-August). At this luncheon, the Pearls of the Pavilion (POP) will learn about the eye-popping art-work of multi-media conceptual pop artist Stephen Gamson, who will discuss pieces from his new series... Full story
Jewish Pavilion volunteer Kimberly Newton brought three of her children to visit Philip in an assisted living home in the Orlando area. With no family in this country, having Caleb, Lillie, and Zachariah visit was a gift in itself for Philip. They became instant family as they presented him with Chanukah gifts, including a menorah that could safely be "lit" over the course of the holiday. The Jewish Pavilion is very appreciative of the support and funds received from the Hornik Family... Full story
Most recently, I had the privilege of celebrating a Pavilion Chanukah party with the seniors at the Mayflower Retirement Home in Winter Park, where a cadre of volunteers helped Program Director Judy Procell add warmth to the first night's festivities. Sponsors Sally Kopke, Nancy Bland, and the Gaeser family gifted the residents' plates of latkes along with a dose of Chanukah cheer. Volunteers Ellen Hrabovsky and Lisa Rizgony along with her grandchildren visited with the seniors. Volunteer,... Full story
Plans are well underway for The Kinneret Council on Aging's (KCOA) fourth annual 8 over 80 Honorary Dinner that will be held on Sunday, March 1, 2015. The 8 over 80 event recognizes individuals over the age of 80 who continue to contribute to our community through their volunteer and philanthropy efforts. Avie Abramowitz, 81, moved here from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1951 with his family. His father bought orange groves. After a year at Rollins College, Abramowitz returned to Maryland to get a... Full story
Back for it's fifth season, the 92Y Live series promises to be bigger and better than ever with the added partnership of Congregation of Reform Judaism. CRJ approached the Roth JCC and Congregation Ohev Shalom about participating as a partner in their collaborative programming, and both were happy to welcome CRJ. "We feel so good about our collaboration with our neighbor, the Roth JCC, and welcome our new partner CRJ. Together we are truly making this a community program," stated Lisa Schwartz,... Full story
The Jewish Studies Program at the University of Central Florida will offer 10 courses in the upcoming spring semester, which begins Jan. 12, 2015. The courses to be offered are: Elementary Modern Hebrew I & II, Conversational Israeli Hebrew, American Jewish History, Classic Texts of Judaism, The Book of Job, Wanderings: The Jewish People in Dispersion, Modern Jewish Experience, Literature of the Holocaust, and our newest addition to the Judaic Studies curriculum: Building A Nation-The Challenges to and Accomplishments Of The State of Israel.... Full story
Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) Teens will present its new course, Hollywood Idol, beginning on Jan. 7, 2015. The course will offer Jewish teenagers the tools to make decisions, develop strong ethical opinions, and empower their inner voice to stand up for what they believe. Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad of North Orlando will conduct the six-course sessions at 7 p.m. for six consecutive Wednesdays at the Chamu Jewish Center in Lake Mary. “This course will analyze how the culture of Hollywood subliminally influences our society,” explained Rab... Full story
On Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, the annual holiday get-together was held by the Zionistas at the Garden Gate Spa in New Smyrna Beach, hosted by Karen Sandvick, former owner of the Garden Gate Tearoom in Mount Dora. At this beautiful ocean-front setting, plans for the coming year were discussed. Among activities planned for 2015 is the co-sponsoring of the film "Body and Soul: The State of the Jewish Nation," to be screened on Jan. 29, at Congregation Ohev Shalom. On Sunday, March 15, the Zionistas... Full story
On Friday, Dec. 19, the third day of Chanukah and the last day before the students went on their winter break, over 100 grandparents and special friends joined the students of the Jewish Academy of Orlando for Generation Celebration, an annual event hosted at the school to share their wonderful school with family and friends. The program began with a wonderful catered breakfast, followed by the Jewish Academy of Orlando Chimes Ensemble as well as the WJAO daily newscast. The special guests were... Full story
The youth and teaching staff of Congregation Ohev Shalom held their annual Shabbat retreat Dec. 19 and 20 at the Canterbury Retreat Center in Oviedo, Fla. Shown here are (standing, l-r), Rebecca Geboff, Eric Geboff, Isaac Berger, Judy Shujman, Marla Rosen, Rob Slavkin, Shoshana Vigorito, and Sivan Goldberg; (sitting, l-r), John Goez, Dori Wolgel, Sindi Ackman, Rachel Slavkin, and Michele Davidson Bunce. (Not everyone who attended the retreat is pictured). They also exchanged Chanukah presents... Full story
"Dinner, Daber and Dvar," also known as "DDD," is a new Jewish educational opportunity for all Jewish eighth-12th graders, regardless of synagogue membership. Shown here are Andy Brenner, Robyn Kast and Lily Brenner ordering their meal in Hebrew. "DDD" takes place Monday nights at Ohev Shalom beginning at 5:45 with pizza; 6 p.m. Conversational Hebrew; and 7 p.m. The Amazing History of the Jews, which traces our history from creation to present day. Each week is a different time in history and... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando’s RAISE program (Recognizing Abilities and Inclusion of Special Employees) is accepting online applications until January 7, 2015. New positions open periodically during the year as RAISE employees find jobs in the community at large. Anyone who is interested may apply online at http://orlandojewishfed.org/inclusion-for-adults-with-special-needs or contact 407.645.5933 ext 236.... Full story
The Kibbutz Ohev Enrichment program is open to any Jewish kindergarten to seventh grader regardless of synagogue membership and takes place on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Kibbutzniks focus on taking care of the earth, their bodies, others and Israel. Activities include gardening, healthy cooking, Mitzvah trips, crafts and more. The Kibbutzniks often are spoken to in Hebrew with their circle time called "Ma Chadash?" (what's new?) Snack is included. Transportation from school is available for an... Full story
