Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Jewish Pavilion Senior Services is thrilled to invite Maitland Chamber of Commerce members and friends to a festive pre-Rosh Hashanah Breakfast on Thursday, Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m., at New Hope for Kids, 544 Mayo Ave., Maitland. Whether you’re familiar with the Jewish New Year or this is your first time learning about it, this event is designed to be welcoming, engaging, and deliciously memorable. While Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on September 22, we’re starting the celebration early with a breakfast experience you won’t want to miss. What...
pots of Light: To be a Woman in the Holocaust is a special exhibit at the Center that is running from Sept. 3 through Dec. 19. Produced by Yad Vashem, Spots of Light shares the unique voices of Jewish women in the Holocaust, highlighting their choices, resilience and struggles amid brutality and hardship. Through poignant personal stories, the exhibition illuminates nine aspects of Jewish women’s daily lives during the Holocaust....
The S’firot Foundation proudly announces the appointment of Wayne Green as its inaugural executive director, signaling the launch of its mission and the beginning of its leadership and vision for the future. With a career spanning Melbourne, New York, London, and Israel, Green brings a rare blend of global philanthropic expertise, strategic acumen, and a track record of driving transformative social impact. Green is a seasoned senior executive whose career has traversed the nonprofit, g...
Winter Garden, FL – The WOW Chavurah is growing and thriving! Serving the Orlando southwest area, including Winter Garden, Ocoee, and Windermere. WOW was founded in 2023 by Adam Cohn and Randa Marder. The Chavurah is dedicated to building a welcoming and inclusive Jewish community through informal, lay-led Shabbat and holiday gatherings that feature music, dance, and activities for all ages. WOW offers a variety of groups to engage all members of the community: Keshet – for children aged 4–8...
Heritage Florida Jewish News writers Stan Roberts, Ed Borowsky and Marilyn Shapiro were winners this year in the Florida Press Association’s annual Weekly Newspaper Contest. Marilyn Shapiro took the First-Place award in the Humorous column category for her delightful story “The saga of the Looney Tunes glasses,” July 5, 2024. With her lighthearted wit, Shapiro shared about her “dowry” — you know, “those assets of the wife which she of her own free will entrusts to her husband’s responsibility,...
Eric M. Robbins is Shalom Orlando's new temporary CEO. Robbins has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience and more than $200 million of proven fundraising success for JCCs, Federations, and other Jewish agencies. Robbins took his position on Aug. 11. Robbins comes to Orlando from Atlanta, where he served as president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. He was named a Most Admired CEO by the Atlanta Business Chronicle multiple times and was the 2019 Georgia State...
During the last school year, the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center reached thousands of students and educators. Thousands of students visited the museum on field trips, with many calling the experience “moving,” eye-opening,” and “essential.” The Upstanders program reached over 3,200 middle schoolers, inspiring them to stand up against bullying and injustice in their daily lives. Nearly 250 students participated in the White Rose Essay Contest, digging deep into the stories of women during the Holocaust and sharing their reflectio...
On Sunday, Sept. 14, Temple Israel will present Osteostrong, an interactive in-person program designed to help improve bone strength, balance and overall health in a safe and simple way. Guest speaker Cheree Burgess, a small business owner, will introduce attendees to Osteostrong, a membership-based wellness center that focuses on musculoskeletal strengthening through a program called osteogenic loading. Attendees will learn about the special machines that use gentle, controlled movements to naturally trigger your body to build stronger bones...
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Torah Center, located in Southwest Orlando, filed a federal lawsuit July 31 against Orange County and its Board of County Commissioners after they unfairly denied the synagogue’s application to expand. Early in July, Rabbi Menachem Zev Kramer of OTC addressed the Orange County commissioners asking for special consideration and a waiver of zoning rules to build a 9,300-square-foot expansion plan for its worship center. “This is not just a request about bricks and mortar, this is about space,” Kramer said during the 2...
Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the 2025–26 state budget, which includes over $500,000 in funding for the Jack & Lee Rosen Jewish Community Center in Southwest Orlando. This generous appropriation will help expand senior programs and enhance security measures across the campus. In addition to the state funding, a dollar-for-dollar match from the Harris Rosen Foundation brought the total investment to over $1 million. These funds will support vital capital improvements — from infrastructure upgrades to increased accessibility — ensuring that...
Philanthropist Andy Pargh, known to many as The Gadget Guru, has donated a $1 million gift to the Jack & Lee Rosen JCC's event center. Previously known as the Rosen Event Center, it is now the Pargh Event Center. "This gift is more than generous. It is deeply meaningful. It reflects Mr. Pargh's enduring commitment to Jewish values, his family's legacy of giving and his belief in the power of shared experiences to bring people together," Rosen JCC CEO Ofira Bondorowsky stated in a press release...
The University of Central Florida Hillel has welcomed Rabbi Jordan Gerson as its new executive director. He joined the staff in June, leaving his position as the Silk Foundation campus rabbi – chief experience officer of Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis, where he served approximately 1700 Jewish students for 11 years. Before arriving at UCF, Gerson was selected to the eighth cohort of the Debra S. and Joseph S. Weinberg Accelerate Executive Advancement Program, Hillel's premier e...
Ofira Bondorowsky, CEO of the Rosen JCC, announced that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state budget, which includes a generous appropriation of over half a million dollars for the Jack & Lee Rosen Jewish Community Center. These funds will help expand senior programs and services and enhance security measures across the campus. “When the late Harris Rosen opened the campus in 2009, his vision was clear: to create a welcoming space where individuals of all ages, backgrounds and faiths could come together, grow and thrive. Today that vision is n...
This July the Holocaust Center will continue to offer meaningful programs and experiences, beginning with the Book Clubs discussion of “Jews in the Garden,” by Judy Rakowsky. Held on July 16 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., the group will explore Rakowsky’s family’s Holocaust history after discovering a mass grave in a Polish garden. This memoir traces her quest for justice and truth. The Summer Youth series will continue the Fighting Spirit: Krav Maga and Jewish History with its third session on July 20 from 1 – 2 p.m. Hosted in partnership with Shaan...
Laurence Morrell would like to invite people who have been in the Orlando Jewish community for a long time — 80 years or more — to come together and share their contributions to the Jewish community and what it was like when the Jewish community was coming into being. “I think it would be a nice event and an historical and informational event, something to let newcomers to the area know that some of us just didn’t get “off the train.” A venue and date would be decided if enough interest is shown. If you are interested in this kind of get-toge...
The Holocaust Center presents “A Night at the Catskills Comedy Show” on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m at the Dr. Phillips Center. This show is a nostalgic, retro-themed comedy show that pays tribute to the legendary Jewish resorts of the Catskills that launched the careers of some of America’s greatest comedians. Cocktails and light snacks will be available. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit hmrec.org....
Congregation Ohev Shalom was honored to host the Orlando Symphony Orchestra on June 12 as it launched its Two Concerts, One Community series. "Many of our congregants regularly attend performances at the Dr. Phillips Center, but welcoming the symphony and world-renowned baritone Lawrence Craig into our own sanctuary was beyond special. Seeing and hearing the musicians on our bimah was truly magical," said COS President Debby Gendzier. The sanctuary of Maitland's COS came alive with music,...
Shalom Orlando welcomed Dr. James Larsen as the next director of the Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center. Starting on July 14, Dr. Larsen brings more than three decades of educational experience and knowledge to this role. He will oversee ECLC curriculum, staff, budget, professional development, and family engagement, and he. Dr. Larsen comes to us from Orange County Public Schools where he was a classroom teacher, a school principal, and a district administrator during his 30-year...
We are all following the devastation of war in Israel on TV, social media, and via direct reports from friends and family who are there. We are getting reports of community members who are unable to return to Florida due to the closure of Ben Gurion Airport and the airlines canceling their flights indefinitely. The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, part of the Shalom Orlando Family, is actively monitoring the situation and wants to make you aware of several resources that are being offered to help evacuate American citizens currently in...
Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation has a new full-time rabbi. Rabbi Shai Specht-Sandler will officially begin his tenure at SOJC on July 1, 2025. Rabbi Shai's life experiences span the Jewish world, as well as the globe itself. "I was born in Israel and left at 13," he said, "then spent my formative years in Manchester, England and the United States. I come from a proudly pluralistic and Masorti background, both Sephardi and Ashkenazi, and from a long line of educators and rabbis... [I've]...
On the evening of June 4, Grand Living welcomed over 125 guests for an unforgettable "Grand Happy Hour" - a celebration of community, connection, and generosity. The event offered a vibrant mix of fabulous food, delightful entertainment, and meaningful moments that brought people of all ages together. Whether mingling over savory bites or indulging in something sweet, attendees found plenty to savor. The event also featured live music that set a joyful tone throughout the evening. Laughter,...
This month the Holocaust Center is hosting several programs: The latest exhibition, “Margret Rey & the Making of Curious George,” is running from June 5 through Aug. 22. The exhibit uncovers the story of Margret Rey, a Jewish woman who, with her husband, escaped Nazi-occupied France on handmade bikes, carrying the manuscript for what would become Curious George. Courageous Conversations: Transforming Extremism through Dialogue — Two events: June 17, 2 – 6 p.m. will be a Youth Workshop and Dinner, held at UCF/Valencia Downtown Campus, Dr. Phi...
The RAISE program for adults with special needs is now accepting online applications for RAISE employees as well as opportunities to volunteer as a job coach. RAISE is a 6- to 12-month work and social skills training program for adults with special needs offered through the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. RAISE provides paid employment at our partnering agencies. If you know of someone who may benefit from RAISE or are interested in being a job coach, please apply online at ShalomOrlando.org/raise or call 407-621-4033 for more...
Preorder or purchase and pick up challah, freshly baked by adults with disabilities, on Fridays from 6 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Roth Family JCC or at the front desk. You can also call the front desk (407-621-4036) and speak to Robin Merkel to reserve a challah to pick up on Thursdays from 4 – 10 p.m. or Fridays from 6 a.m. – 5 p.m. You may also preorder specialty challah (chocolate chip, cranberry, chocolate chip/cranberry, raisin and challah rolls) by calling Robin Merkel – same phone number and same times as mentioned above. All pro...
Stan Rubins, Shalom Orlando Board chairman, shared with the “Shalom Orlando community” through email the following: After helping guide Shalom Orlando through an important leadership transition, Executive Director Rachel Greenspan will conclude her time in this role later this year. I’m very proud to say Shalom Orlando is on a path of positive growth and success, and we appreciate all of Rachel’s contributions. We wish her the very best. With the support of our full Board of Directors and a dedicated Search Committee, I’ll be leading a compreh...
