Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israel will hold its annual Independence Day torch-lighting on Mount Herzl, but only with a television and digital audience because of coronavirus regulations. Among the torch-lighters announced by the Culture and Sport Ministry is the one representing Diaspora Jewry, which has become a tradition in recent years. The honor goes to Lori Palatnik, the founding director of Momentum, formerly known as the Jewish Women's Renaissance Project and colloquially called "Birthright for Moms...
Jewish Academy of Orlando will offer daily activities during Passover/spring amidst the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Head of School Alan Rusonik said, "All of us, students, teachers and parents alike, need a break! In just a matter of a few short weeks, our world was turned upside down." He continued, "No matter what or how our families celebrate over the next few days, we wanted to make the best of the situation and connect with family and friends (virtually) and enjoy the holiday and rest." Ea...
The world is going through a pandemic right now and it has changed everyone's life in one way or another. Passover is a time for the family to gather together and celebrate. It is the closeness of family and being together that makes the meaning of the celebration all that more powerful. Here is how three families usually celebrate Passover and what they did differently this year, the challenges they faced and if this experience provided them with any changes they would make permanent? And...
The Kinneret Council on Aging, a nonprofit agency that provides ongoing programs and services to residents of Kinneret Apartments, provided Kosher for Passover meals to limited income Jewish seniors in the community. While it's an annual tradition at Kinneret to hold a communal Seder, stretching back over 50 years, this year it was not permitted due to Covid-19. Instead, Seders were brought directly to our residents and community while they were staying safe at home. Keeping things upbeat and...
Unfortunately, the Jewish Pavilion program directors and volunteers couldn’t celebrate Passover with area senior residents in the many assisted-living facilities this year, but they made sure the seniors are never forgotten. Here is what the Jewish Pavilion good bags catered for the residents looked like....
Special thanks to Nancy Layish for starting the Cookies for Comfort Caravan for the Jewish Pavilion. Layish and others are home-baking cookies for healthcare workers who devote their lives to seniors in elder-care communities. The first delivery took place on April 6.The cookies were delivered along with cards and letters given to the Jewish Pavilion to distribute to seniors at Brookdale Altamonte Springs. The staff expressed their sincere appreciation for the gift....
Even though the volunteers can't visit with our elderly, the Jewish Pavilion made sure that seniors living in area assisted-living facilities had Passover goodies for the Passover week. Here are two senior residents of Savannah Court and Cove in Maitland showing their gifts....
Jewish Academy of Orlando continues to make improvements on remote learning based on parent survey results. The school began remote learning only a day after schools across the state nation were closed for weeks or more. The administration conducted a parent survey to determine areas of success and improvement toward its remote learning offering. Alan Rusonik, head of school stated, "We are grateful to all of our families for their participation in our remote learning survey. We had a...
Nancy Ludin, CEO of the Jewish Pavilion, is deeply concerned about the loneliness the residents of assisted-living facilities are feeling during this time of quarantine because of COVID-19. She suggested to the program directors that they write short notes to the senior citizens to brighten their day. She also shared the card sending idea in the article "What's in a card?" (March 27, 2020 Heritage issue) and encouraged Heritage readers to do the same. The results have been incredible as the...
"What JFS Orlando does is the essence of being Jewish," said Dick Weiner of the agency he strongly supports and firmly believes is one of the most important agencies in the community. "The essence of being Jewish is helping anyone in need-Jew or non-Jew." Through this pandemic, the JFS Orlando staff has been working long hours to meet the needs of this community-no matter who is in need. What was on average 18 to 20 families in need of food has become 68 to 70 families daily coming to JFS...
For the past several months, I have been working on "RecycleJ," a new recycling program for The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando. I was prepared to introduce RecycleJ to the preschool students at the Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center during their Shabbat assembly on Friday morning, March 13. But suddenly, COVID-19 uprooted our lives, and by late Thursday afternoon, the Shabbat assembly was canceled, and then the classrooms were restricted, and then all local...
At the Jewish Pavilion we love our seniors, and we so appreciate all that the staff who work in elder-communities are doing to keep their residents safe and happy. Thanks to a generous donor, the Jewish Pavilion brought free lunches to the entire staff at Brookdale Lake Orienta in Altamonte Springs on Wednesday, April 1st. The Jewish Pavilion will continue to offer lunch semi-weekly to health-care workers. The following schedule has been established thus far: Wednesdays on April 8 - Cascade...
The Roth Family JCC is announcing even more ways to stay connected and CEO Keith Dvorchik is helping the Jewish community stick together via his e-mail newsletters, which Heritage also posts for those who aren’t members of the JCC. As we come to the end of March, COVID-19 remains foremost in our minds. With the passage of the Paycheck Protection Act on March 27, there is a lot to learn and share with our agencies, organizations and synagogues. And as the Federation continues to work on a remote basis for the community, there are many exciting t...
Jill Goldsmith is a home seamstress who learned to sew as a girl and continues to sew items that bring her joy and comfort. She has a small home-based business making one-of-a-kind handbags. When the virus first appeared Goldsmith looked at her fabric stash and realized she could make washable, home-sewn masks for friends and family. (These are not masks a frontline caregiver would use, and Goldsmith said the masks must be washed in hot water first. "I did wash all the fabric before any sewing...
Jewish Academy of Orlando held is first-ever remote model Passover seder with a 1960s-theme for its students, parents and guests using Google Meet. The students told the story of Passover in a traditional way with the four questions, traditional meal (at home), and songs. The 1960s-themed costumes, and songs added to the excitement Students dressed in groovy 1960s gear with tie dye and more; even the faculty and staff participated. From the Beatles to Simon and Garfunkle and Neil Diamond, the...
Applications for the Kobrin Family Scholarship are still available and due by April 30. The Kobrin family created the Kobrin Family Scholarship in 1990 to be awarded to a qualified, full-time student of the Jewish faith from Orange, Osceola or Seminole County who will be attending the University of Central Florida. The scholarship is available in the amount of $2,500 per year for a maximum of four (4) years. The student must maintain a 3.1 GPA (based on a 4.0 scale) each year in order to remain qualified for the scholarship. Visit...
With school and religious school going virtual, this is a wonderful time for children at home to be helping seniors. The Jewish Pavilion has been in touch with the Jewish schools and requested that the children make Passover cards, and "I am thinking of you cards" that the Jewish Pavilion will distribute to seniors. The children are also welcome to make Easter cards, which the Pavilion will help distribute to residents of other faiths. The Jewish Pavilion staff and volunteers are also emailing...
Jewish Academy of Orlando students completed their first week of online learning. Students took part in all of their subjects including math, science, english language arts, PE, art, music and more. They even attended remote community events such as Shabbat and Monday morning minyan. Jewish Academy of Orlando serves central Florida students of all faiths from transitional kindergarten through fifth grade. The school delivers a whole-child education fostering academic excellence and character...
Although JFS Orlando is closed to the public and is currently not accepting food donations to maintain containment during COVID-19, its services are still operational, including the Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry. The staff is doing everything in their power to meet the needs of its neighbors in Central Florida during this critical time. That’s why the 2020 Restock Challenge is STILL on! JFS still challenges you to make your donation stretch further. Are you up to the challenge? During the Restock Challenge (March 1—April 15, 2020), The Wei...
In the March 20 issue of Heritage, the article about Brenda Fisher Wetmore, titled “A hard worker for the Jewish Pavilion,” ran a photo of Miriam Josephs, an equally hard worker for the Pavilion. Shown here is a photo of Brenda Fisher Wetmore. Heritage apologizes for the error....
The smell of matzo ball soup and the sound of chattering voices traveled through the hallways of the UCF Student Union Friday night. Feb. 21, as the UCF community gathered to celebrate Judaism's day of rest, Shabbat. Mega Shabbat was hosted by Chabad at UCF to experience Shabbat and to invite people of all backgrounds to experience the tradition as well. "All of the UCF Jewish community comes together," said Rivkie Lipskier, co-director of Chabad at UCF. "Ninety-nine percent of those who attend...
On March 24, Keith Dvorchik, CEO of The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando, issued a statement to all JCC members that the JCC Board of Directors made the decision to temporarily cease operations, effective the end of business on Friday, March 27. This resulted in the lay off of more than 130 employees. “Our employees have worked hard and stepped up when this pandemic began. We appreciate our staff, their hard work and their commitment to children and families at the JCC; there is no more difficult decision than this,” Dvo...
Jewish Academy of Orlando (JAO) transitioned to remote learning on Wednesday, March 18, missing only one day of school as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. After much faculty preparation and lesson-planning, JAO students will now begin a blended-learning plan. "We are very fortunate to have the dedication of our talented faculty and resources to adapt to these unprecedented times," stated Alan Rusonik, head of school. Blended learning is an approach to education that combines online...
By Ashley Fisak I always opened my birthday card from my grandparents with gusto because I knew it would have a $5 bill inside. I can remember that excitement and now I see it in my own children when they open cards from their grandparents. An unexpected card just out of the blue to say "I'm thinking about you" can put a smile on just about anyone's face. At a time when most of the world is in crisis, there is a side effect to this isolation that all is too common under normal circumstances, let...
DAYTONA BEACH—The 2020 Jewish Heritage Festival scheduled for Sunday, March 29, 2020 at The Casements in Ormond Beach, Florida, has been postponed until April 25, 2021 due to the pubic health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus. “Taking into account recommendations from Governor DeSantis and many public health officials to cancel large gatherings for the foreseeable future, we decided that it was in the best interests of the Festival volunteers, entertainers, participants, vendors and Festival-goers to move the Festival until nex...
