Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1792 - 1816 of 3602
At the annual international AEPI conference this year, UCF's Nu Delta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (the International Jewish fraternity) won the honor of being named the top Birthright recruiter in the world. This award acknowledges the Nu Delta Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), the International Jewish Fraternity, for recruiting more Birthright participants than any other AEPi chapter in the world. Birthright has partnered with AEPi to incentivise its chapters to recruit as many Birthright... Full story
UCF student Alexa Goldstein (Class of 2019) was chosen to be one of only 17 members of the second cohort of the Hillel International Student Cabinet. "We are so proud of Lexi for being selected for this honor," stated Aaron Weil, executive director and CEO of Central Florida Hillel. "Hillel International only selects 17 students from around the world and this is the first time a student from UCF has been selected for this honor. It is incredibly gratifying to see Lexi's leadership skills being... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando has unveiled the slate of nominees for its 2017-18 Board of Directors and officers. The new board and leadership will be voted on during Federation’s Annual Meeting & Family Fun Day, which kicks off at 11 a.m., Aug. 27, on the Maitland Jewish Community Campus. Sara Stern, the 2017 Heritage Florida Jewish News Human Service Award winner, will also be honored at the meeting. Read more about the event and RSVP at www.jfgo.org/FunDay. The following names will be placed into nomination and voted on during t... Full story
Come together with your friends, significant other, co-workers and family for a memorable JOIN Evening Out on Aug. 28, from 7 p.m.—9 p.m. at the Winter Park Community Center. Enjoy a wide array of delectable desserts, high-end cocktails and various spirits, highlighted by an engaging and thought-provoking talk by world-renowned Rabbi Mordechai Becher titled “Unity, Pleasure and the NY Jets.” The event is open to all men and women (alcohol will only be served to those 21+ with ID). Rabbi Mordechai Becher, originally from Australia, is senio... Full story
It's the same food festival the Rosen JCC has held in the past, however this year there is a healthier spin on it. (A Healthier) Taste of the J will be held Sunday, Aug. 27, from noon to 3 p.m. The food festival will also feature new entertainment and children's activities, including Music by DJ Willie, Games 2 U, a rock-climbing wall, TNBA inflatable basketball games, Tennis with RDU Tennis Academy, and Victory Martial Arts. Health vendors will include Compass Research, Cornerstone Healthcare,... Full story
Did you know that a proposal for a National Negro Memorial Museum was approved by Congress in 1929 but never built? On April 2, 2003, Federal legislation passed a commission to build a museum honoring African-Americans. The National Museum of African-American History and Culture opened in September 2016. See the exhibit at The Holocaust Center on display now through Sept. 8. Museum hours are Monday—Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.... Full story
As a response to the tragic events in Virginia, The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center will host a panel discussion, Protest: Free Speech v. Hate Speech, on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. Moderated by Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, guest panelists will include Mitch Bloomer, HMREC resource teacher at the Holocaust Center; Rachel Allen, coordinator of Valencia College’s Peace and Justice Institute; Professor Terri Day, Barry University’s Law School; and Angela King, a former Skinhead and co-founder of Life After Hate. As... Full story
JFS Orlando was recently awarded $10,000 from the Harper Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. for its Reliable Independent Drivers for the Elderly program. The RIDE program is a transportation assistance program that provides free roundtrip rides to medical appointments or other essential services for low-income seniors and disabled adults in Orlando. “We are so grateful for the long-standing support from the Harper Family Charitable Foundation of our RIDE program,” said JFS Orlando Executive Director Eric Geboff. “The elderly and disabled popul... Full story
Her demeanor is reserved. She speaks softly with dignity and grace. Yet beneath that quiet exterior lays a strength to spearhead many projects that enhanced the Orlando Jewish community. Sara Stern reveals her deep love of Judaism and the Jewish people through her accomplishments within organizations such as Congregation Ohev Shalom, Hadassah, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and the Women's League of Conservative Judaism. Her motivation comes, she stated, from "a deep-seated belief... Full story
When Kacie Zemel relocated from Orlando to North Miami Beach to accept a position as a third-grade teacher at a Jewish day school, she still thought of herself as an active participant in The Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando community-despite living more than 200 miles away. She would teach her children by day, and then continue to make plans for The Roth Family JCC at night. During school breaks, instead of relaxing or recuperating, she would make the journey to Maitland to oversee the JCC's... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando (JFGO) recently awarded more than $50,000 in community collaborative grants to local Jewish organizations and synagogues. The grants are designed to encourage and promote collaboration in the Jewish community and to support programs and services that enrich Jewish life in Orlando. To qualify for a grant, at least two agencies, synagogues or organizations must work together to develop and submit a proposal and implement a program. In addition, the programs or services must be open to the entire Jewish... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion's new Inter-Generational program director, Walter Goldstein, has kicked off the One-on-One Bar/Bat Mitzvah Project with June and Jacob at Brookdale Island Lake. This is the program's second year of connecting seniors with bar or bat mitzvah students. Goldstein has started making the rounds to meet the local rabbis and educational directors to get the word out about the program, made possible in part by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. For more... Full story
The Scouts of Troop 641 showed their support of Eagle Scout candidate Steven Kluger last Sunday at Temple Israel. Steven's Eagle project was to rebuild the synagogue's outside fire pit and add permanent benches for the children. Several Eagle Scouts from the Troop were on hand to help with the project as well as Scout leaders and friends. Steven went through several meetings with leaders to finalize his plans. The project was completed just as the rain began falling. For more information on the... Full story
Congregation Beth Am invites the community to its Open House and Back to School Bagel Bash on Sunday, Aug. 20, 9:30 a.m. to noon, where families will have the opportunity to check out CBA’s religious school and meet its new education director, Cantor Nina Fine. Enrolled students will have brunch with their class and teacher while parents can have a nosh and kibitz with other parents of children in their child’s class. Those children not yet registered will also be invited to brunch with their prospective classmates and teacher. Children and... Full story
Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care invites Orlando and Kissimmee-area residents to volunteer to help patients throughout Orange and Osceola counties. Cornerstone Hospice volunteers may help by visiting with a patient at an assisted living facility or a home while a caregiver runs errands. The volunteers may also walk a patient’s dog, honor a fellow veteran or be a greeter at the inpatient hospice unit. All Cornerstone Hospice volunteers must go through training and will be subject to a background check. A training session will be on S... Full story
Registration has begun for the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando’s Aug. 27 Annual Meeting, which this year has a few summer twists. The gathering on the Maitland Jewish Community Campus, billed as the “2017 Annual Meeting & Family Fun Day,” will be part indoor meeting, part outdoor family celebration, culminating in the dedication of 24 new trees that will beautify the Maitland campus for generations to come. Emcees Jeannie Leavitt and Yeosh Bendayan will kick off the official proceedings at 11 a.m. on the 27th. The agenda for the formal mee... Full story
Do you know of an active and passionate senior over 80 who volunteers countless hours and lends their leadership skills to help organizations in our community? Then please consider nominating them for Kinneret’s 8th annual 8 over 80 honorary dinner. The Kinneret Council on Aging will proudly pay tribute to eight individuals over the age of 80 who have made significant contributions to the Jewish and Central Florida community on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. “The 8 over 80 event really resonates with our mission of the Kinneret Council on Aging and... Full story
Upcoming education forum topics and dates at The Holocaust Education and Resource Center include the following: Thursday, Aug. 31, 6 p.m. —The Tuskegee Airmen: Fighting for the Right to Fight The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-Americans to fly in combat positions in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Their heroic service played a significant role in the eventual ending of segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces. Tuesday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m.—“The Wave”: Theories about conformity and the Holocaust “The Wave” was a classroom experiment carried out in a hi... Full story
Congregation Beth Sholom of Leesburg invites the community to a very special warm, joyous, and festive Shabbat service on Friday, Aug. 11th at 7 p.m. This uplifting service of music and song, led by Rabbi and Cantor Karen Allen, who will be playing her keyboard, features world-class violinist Zoriy Zinger. Zinger was a soloist in the Russian Symphony Orchestra before reaching fame in America. Rabbi Allen and Zinger have collaborated in numerous venues, including three concerts at the Melon Patch Theater. The Kabbalat Shabbat takes the form of... Full story
Twice-monthly Shabbat afternoons have recently turned into monthly Shabbat lunches at Brookdale Lake Orienta. Thank you to the wonderful staff at Brookdale for working diligently with the Jewish Pavilion staff and volunteers to recognize changing needs. The 4 p.m. afternoon Shabbats had been a staple event at this community for many years. But recent changes in the Jewish consensus, as well as the late afternoon attendance being less attended, created a restructure of the program. Pictured are... Full story
Temple Israel will be temporarily transformed into a comedy club on Saturday, Aug. 12, as Orlando's famous SAK Comedy Lab entertains the crowd with a personalized, one-hour show sure to make you laugh. Start the night off with dessert, coffee, and schmoozing in the social hall at 8 p.m., followed by a brief but beautiful Havdallah service led by Rabbi Neely in the sanctuary. Stay in the sanctuary after the service, and grab a seat for the comedy show from 9 to 10 p.m., complete with an MC and... Full story
Next week, July 23 to 28, a thousand or more avid Jewish genealogists will gather for the annual International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies conference at the Swan Resort in Orlando. Attendees are in for a special treat. The Thursday night banquet speaker is Harvard Professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, host of the widely popular Public Broadcasting Association television show, "Finding Your Roots." His topic is "Genealogy and Genetics in America." Gates and I both spend our summers... Full story
Savor the last bit of summer at Temple Israel's fourth annual Sha-Ba-BQ on Friday, Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. at 50 South Moss Road in Winter Springs. This special indoor and outdoor celebration features great food, drinks, music, and children's activities, all for free. Grab a bite to eat hot off the grills by the newly renovated fire pit, and then cool off as you dine inside the air-conditioned social hall. Check out the kids' crafts and games inside the classrooms before heading to the sanctuary for... Full story
It's been a long, hot summer so far. But don't let the dog days get you down-there's a chance to cool off. On Friday evening, July 28, at 7:30 p.m., Congregation Ohev Shalom will host Shabbat Sababa, a laid-back Erev Shabbat service with the emphasis on "cool." "Florida in the summer is the perfect time take it easy," says Rabbi David Kay, who will coordinate the service. "We already declared this month 'No-Tie July.' It's hard to relax and focus on the joy of Shabbat when it's 90 degrees and hu... Full story
There were 355 Tuskegee airmen pilots in World War II. Their mission was to escort bombers to their destinations. Only 66 airmen lost their lives, and the group lost the fewest number of bombers to the enemy. As one pilot said, "Our mission was to escort the bombers. Stay with the bombers-protect them with our lives." On Sunday, July 23, at 2 p.m., the Holocaust Center will host a showing of "Red Tails," the film about these extraordinary men who protected fellow soldiers. Back in the late... Full story
