Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2979 - 3003 of 3578
On Sept. 12-14, over 60 Orlando teens attended BBYO's All-Florida Convention in Palm Beach Gardens. Themed "Leave Your Mark," the convention brought together nearly 300 teens plus advisors, staff, guest educators and alumni for a historic weekend of local Jewish teen engagement. "I couldn't have imagined a more amazing experience, learning from some of the community's most influential leaders and change agents. Now, back in Orlando, I am more inspired than ever to lead my chapter and give back... Full story
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. Most synagogues require tickets for admission, and their cost varies from congregation to congregation. Some may open one or more of ther holiday services to the community. For tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Celebration Jewish Congregation (Reform) Rabbi Dr. Richard M. Cowin Cantorial soloists Dr. Norton and Jane... Full story
For over 10 years Congregation Sinai, a full-service progressive congregation, which considers itself “a little bit Conservative and a little bit Reform,” has been holding services, social events, adult education classes, Torah study, and youth education classes leading to bar and bat mizvah ceremonies. The Mens Club and Sisterhood are very active arms of the synagogue life. Beside the weekly Torah study every Saturday, they will continue the Adult Educaiton program on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Currently, they are studying the First Book of Samuel... Full story
Rabbi Joshua Neely will be leading services at Temple Israel throughout the High Holidays. The theme of his messages this year is to find your core within Judaism's core. You can live superficially but there is a gnawing doubt and emptiness at the core. Find out how to let Judaism be your core and provide balance and strength for your whole life. Deborah Meitin, long-time Temple Israel member, will serve as the High Holiday cantor during High Holiday services at the synagogue. Debbie's... Full story
President Eric Hoffman is pleased to announce that Susan Bernstein has been hired as Temple Israel's congregational life coordinator. Bernstein brings to Orlando a wellspring of experiences and knowledge. She began her career as a public school music teacher in Stamford, Connecticut, and Valley Stream, New York. Her love for music brought her to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to study ethnomusicology where she taught music at the Conservatory in Ashkelon and produced music programs for the... Full story
The Ritual Committee chairman at Temple Israel, Natan Brener, has announced there will be a hands-on High Holiday workshop for school-aged children and their family members on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Roth Social Hall. Everyone in the greater Orlando community is invited. There will be take-away activities to help bring families together and get ready for the New Year. There is no charge and reservations are not necessary. For directions, please visit www.tiflorida.org. Temple Israel is located at 50 S. Moss Rd., Winter... Full story
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. Most synagogues require tickets for admission, and their cost varies from congregation to congregation. Some may open one or more of ther holiday services to the community. For tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Celebration Jewish Congregation (Reform) Rabbi Dr. Richard M. Cowin Cantorial soloists Dr. Norton and Jane... Full story
In 2013, G-dcast, a San Francisco-based new media studio, launched the eScapegoat app, encouraging users to engage in deeper Jewish learning and to prepare for Yom Kippur by offloading their sins to a virtual goat, in an echo of an ancient repentance ritual. Now, the app is back, and has spawned Mini Goats—local mini-apps that let smaller communities re-enact this ritual virtually for a new, high-tech learning and community connection. “Despite high synagogue attendance on Yom Kippur, literacy of the scapegoat story in Leviticus is very low... Full story
The Friedman Team (Jeff and Barbara) with Fannie Hillman & Associates is pleased to welcome their new team member Sheryl Kashuk. Sheryl joins the team with many years of both sales and interior decorating experience. She will be a very valuable member of the team as they expand their service in the Central Florida area. As a lifelong resident of Central Florida, Sheryl raised three sons, Josh, Brett, and Andrew Ackerman. While raising her children, she became an integral member of Robb & Stucky... Full story
Hillary S. Bressler is one of the nation’s authorities on online marketing and an industry innovator. She is founder and CEO of .Com Marketing (www.commarketing.com), a result-driven digital marketing agency with a track record of proven success. The award-winning .Com Marketing specializes in lead-generating spearch, digital advertising, brand engagement and best-in-class consulting. The compay was acquired in May 2014 by EdgeCore and will operate as a business unit of the Cedar Falls, Iowa-based direct marketing agency. Bressler e... Full story
The students at the Jewish Academy of Orlando begin each morning during the Jewish month of Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah, by blowing the Shofar in anticipation and preparation for the New Year. The students are busy in their classes learning about the High Holidays, how to celebrate and why we celebrate. When the students begin each morning by hearing the sound of the Shofar, they are encouraged to search their souls and think about how they can become better people and new beginnings.... Full story
Imagine an empty patch of concrete being transformed into an action-packed hub of activity, filled with the laughter of over 200 people. That is what transpired on Sunday, Sept. 7, when four local Jewish community organizations-Orlando Torah Academy, Jewish Outreach INitiative (J.O.IN Orlando), Orlando Jewish Experience and Orlando Torah Center-organized a Jewish Family Fun Day. In addition to the bounce houses and cotton candy, popcorn, balloon sculpting and face painting, three grills worked... Full story
On Friday Sept. 5, 10 residents of Life Care Center were treated to an early Rosh Hashanah service led by Program Director Julie Levitt, with volunteer Stephen Wolf accompanying the festivities on the shofar. "Rosh Hashanah brings a new year and a fresh outlook to Life Care Center (LCC) in Altamonte Springs. Recently, the staff at Life Care has gone out of their way to embrace their Jewish residents and to support their culture. Activities Director Angela Gauthier prepared a beautiful dining... Full story
PJ Library Families were treated to story time led by Susan Bernstein, Temple Israel's new congregational life coordinator. The story imparts a great lesson about our responsibility in making the world a better place. The story says: On the birthday of the world, all of God's creatures pass before Him as He asks whether each has been the best giraffe, or bee, or child they could be, helping to make the world a better place. Later in the morning, Rabbi Neely blew the shofar and explained the... Full story
On Sep. 3, over 300 UCF Knights solemnly gathered around the heart of campus to mourn and honor Steven Joel Sotloff-a freelance journalist who was murdered in cold-blood by the extremist group ISIS. The 31-year-old Miami native attended UCF from 2002-2004 and worked as a senior staff writer for The Central Florida Future, UCF's independent newspaper. After making aliyah in 2005, he set out to earn his undergraduate degree at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya. Before he was... Full story
Jewish National Fund (JNF) will host its annual Tree of Life Award Dinner at the Rosen Plaza Hotel, located at 9700 International Drive in Orlando, at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The event will honor local philanthropists Valeria and Jim Shapiro and Orlando Magic Executive Alex Martins with the prestigious Tree of Life Award. The Tree of Life Award is a humanitarian award given in recognition of outstanding community involvement, dedication to the cause of American –Israeli friendship, and d... Full story
Over Shabbat on Sept. 20, the Jewish community of Orlando will be treated to a fantastic opportunity to hear from a wonderful scholar who will be visiting our area. Dr. Walter Herzberg, assistant professor of Bible and Professional and Pastoral Skills at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America will be the guest scholar-in-residence at the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC) on Shabbat morning and will also join a gathering of several local synagogues for Slichot services that... Full story
Casselberry's Congregation Bet Chaim is shaking up the High Holidays this year with a new leadership team designed to engage and inspire members and guests with a combination of traditional and unique. Rabbi Sanford Olshansky, previously of Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff, N.J., is already breathing new life into the 23-year-old congregation, Seminole County's first reform temple. "Rabbi Sandy" is a "second career" rabbi whose passion for Judaism led him to begin his rabbinical studies after... Full story
Joe and Lynn Goldovitz, esteemed and multi-talented spiritual leaders of Congregation Sinai, Minneola, Fla., will blow the shofar, play the harp and conduct the upcoming High Holidays. Congregation Sinai is a full-service, family-oriented synagogue that commemorates all lifecycle events. Jewish people all over the world will usher in the Jewish New Year, 5775, a time of new beginnings and of reflection on one’s life, at sundown Wed. Sept 24. The 10 days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the holiest days of the year. It is the anniversary of t... Full story
A few years ago I had the dubious honor of chairing a Jewish Federation committee that collected unpaid pledges made to the Jewish community. We were mostly successful but sometimes we ran into tough eggs who wouldn’t pay up or return phone calls or letters. One day it dawned on me. The trick was finding the right person to make the call, someone who was so respected and admired that his calls could not be shrugged off. Right off — I knew the right guy for this, Charles Schwartz. One person who had made a sizable pledge had dodged me for wee... Full story
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. Most synagogues require tickets for admission, and their cost varies from congregation to congregation. Some may open one or more of ther holiday services to the community. For tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Celebration Jewish Congregation (Reform) Rabbi Dr. Richard M. Cowin Cantorial soloists Dr. Norton and Jane... Full story
Last month, community rabbi, Arnold Siegel, affixed a mezuzah to the doorpost of the front entrance to Chambrel Island Lake with the assistance of Executive Director Joff Stride. Several residents looked on as Rabbi Siegel explained that "a mezuzah marks the doorpost of Jewish homes, and contains a scroll inscribed in Hebrew with the most famous Jewish prayer. In addition, it serves as a daily reminder of our heritage." Jewish Pavilian Executive Director Nancy Ludin thanked all who coordinated... Full story
Jewish National Fund (JNF)'s Women for Israel (WFI) will host a breakfast at The Alfond Inn in Winter Park on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The event will feature keynote speaker Noa Gefen. Gefen joined the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS) as executive vice-chairman in January 2011. She is the daughter of the late Yehuda Dekel, z"l, a founder of SPIHS and an esteemed leader of the State of Israel who devoted his life to the development of the Negev. Gefen has followed in her... Full story
On Wednesday, Aug. 20, the students from the Jewish Academy of Orlando had the opportunity to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in a big way. Each student brought his or her own bucket and, grade by grade, had the opportunity to pour ice-cold water on Head of School Alan Rusonik. In addition to participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge, the students used the day to learn about the disease and a fundraising opportunity, as education and tzedakah are part of the school's core values. In... Full story
Temple Shir Shalom of Oviedo invites the community to participate in their second in a series of guest musicians joining in Friday Night Shabbat services. Spiritual Leader Beth Schafer and the TSS Board of Trustees are pleased to welcome visiting artist Peri Smilow for another evening of meaningful music, Shabbat-in-Song, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19. A gifted vocalist and guitar player, Smilow is also an extraordinary storyteller, teacher and entertainer. Connecting with people of all... Full story
