Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The first person cast for the Orlando premiere of "Out of the Apple Orchard"-which opens Dec. 19 at the Orlando Repertory Theatre-was Jeremy Kleckner in the lead role of Adam Bieman, the 12-year-old boy who is hungry and steals apples from an orchard. To author Yvonne David, who was inspired by Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" when she wrote the book, and through various happenings along the book's journey to becoming a play, it seems the ghosts of Christmas' past have continually popped... Full story
Members of the Orlando Jewish community met with Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) at The Roth Family JCC on Monday evening, Nov. 21, to discuss the election, U.S. policy in the Middle East and U.S.-Israel relations. UCF's KnightPac cadre came with excellent, well-researched questions. Flanking Rep. Webster (center) are (l-r) students Spencer Lasday, Rezwan Haq, Hillel CEO Aaron Weil and student Josh Winograd.... Full story
More than 40 Central Florida teens, 16 educators and youth directors, and five Jewish community leaders gathered at Congregation of Reform Judaism on election eve for "Decision 2016: Your Voice, Your Vote, Making a Difference." The program's goal was to help teens discover that their voices matter and they deserve to be heard, even if the students were too young to vote in this year's presidential election. The event, which was open to all local students in grades 8 to 12, was sponsored by the... Full story
The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando is pleased to announce that Robby Etzkin has been promoted to executive director and agreed to a new contract to fulfill that role. Etzkin's promotion comes on the heels of the hiring of Keith Dvorchik, who began on Oct. 5 as The Roth Family JCC's chief executive officer, a new position for the organization. For eight months, Etzkin oversaw the 43-year-old community center while a search committee sought and hired Dvorchik as CEO. "I am... Full story
First it was a book, written by local award-winning author Yvonne David in 2005. It won an honorable mention in the Independent Publisher Book Awards a year after publication, and was then adapted for the stage in the form of a concert reading by award-winning playwright Ellen W. Kaplan and performed in New York City at the Mesaper Theatre. Last March, David brought her concert reading to Orlando, and now David has reached her goal of producing “Out of the Apple Orchard” as a play. “While the commendable Director Kerry Giese and Assis... Full story
The Maitland Jewish Community Campus-home to the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, The Roth Family Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Academy of Orlando and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center-is ensuring the security of the campus by hiring a security director. Rhonda Forest, president of JFGO announced that Andrew Brennan has been selected for the position and will officially start Jan. 3, 2017, but will probably be around campus before then. Brennan brings to the job mor... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion exists because of its vast amount of volunteers. For this reason, every year the Pavilion recognizes all its volunteers and honors two specifically at the annual JP Connections. This year Jane Edelstein and Lois Silverberg are the honorees. Talk about jumping in with both feet-Jane Edelstein wears two hats at the Jewish Pavilion. Three years ago, when she first got involved as a volunteer with the Jewish Pavilion's Friends Board, she became the chairwoman of the fall Sunday... Full story
When author William Goldman was headed off on a business trip, he promised his two young daughters he would write a story for them. "What should it be about?" he asked them. "A princess!" said one. "A bride!" said the other. So, in 1973, Goldman published "The Princess Bride." The first 20 pages had come easily, but then got stuck. Finally, he had the idea of making the novel a "best parts" abridgment of a fictitious older work by the fictitious "S. Morgenstern," a novelist from the equally... Full story
The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah presents its annual Chanukah program on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 11:30 a.m. at Congregation Ohev Shalom. A special Chanukah lunch will be catered-with latkes of course-served up with a helping of festive music. Performing is the musical duo of Joe and Lynn Goldovitz, who will entertain with a unique combination of Chanukah and pop music. Joe and Lynn Goldovitz began performing music together when they met as teenagers. Their distinctive vocal blend is energetic and yet... Full story
Jewish Family Services Orlando invites the community to visit its newly renovated building at an open house on Thursday, Dec. 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Light bites and refreshments will be serviced as the JFS team shares about the new programs the agency has to offer the community—with a special announcement at 6 p.m. JFS Orlando is located at The George Wolly Center, 2100 Lee Road in Winter Park. For more information or to RSVP, contact Mary Lee Walker at marylee.walker@jfsorlando.org or call 407-644-7593, ext. 241.... Full story
The Men’s Club of Congregation Ohev Shalom is doing it again! Two years ago, a large group of their members and friends enjoyed a great evening when they took a “cruise” on the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour and followed that with a delicious dinner at a popular Winter Park restaurant. This event was so well-received that they’re doing it again on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m. The $38 per person fee includes the boat ride and a tasty dinner at Dexter’s that consists of vegetarian and fish options. If you’ve never done the Winter Park Scenic Boat... Full story
Marilyn Cohen Shapiro of Poinciana has announced the publication of "There Goes My Heart," a collection of personal memoirs. The collection of over 40 personal essays captures special moments in a lifetime spent in Upstate New York, Florida, Colorado, and beyond. Her Amazon author page states, "Readers will empathize with these true stories of dating, marriage, raising children, and caring for elderly parents through the author's wit edged with appreciation and love of family and friends." The... Full story
Shopping, eating and conversation are the perfect combination for the Jewish Pavilion's annual membership event, which will take place on Dec. 8th at 11 a.m. at the Hilton in Altamonte Springs. Over 100 women are expected to this luncheon where volunteers will be acknowledged. Participants will receive a gourmet meal. ($25) The event includes a holiday bazaar and the presentation of the Volunteer of the Year awards to Jane Edelstein and Lois Silverberg. Special thanks to Pat Rubenstein who is... Full story
On Friday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, the students of the Jewish Academy of Orlando participated in its bi-monthly Mitzvah Shabbat. For this edition of Mitzvah Shabbat, the students honored our military veterans. Prior to Mitzvah Shabbat, the students and their families collected personal hygiene products for current military personnel. The students collected toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo and lip balm and packaged them for our soldiers. In addition, former Jewish Academy student... Full story
Early this month, late in the afternoon, an intimate gathering was hosted by the Jewish Pavilion at Savannah Court in Oviedo . There, Women of Faith gathered around the simple and beautifully adorned table to usher in and welcome the Sabbath. Prayers were recited over the candles, wine and challah bread. All shared stories of their faith and expressed their gratitude. Upon conclusion... hands touched hands... and all the Women of Faith felt the depth of our connection. The sacred space that was... Full story
Bereishit - Genesis 12:1-3-And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you." This was the inspiration for the Bless Israel Summit held at the... Full story
Debt-retirement campaign has component to benefit local Jewish agencies Second of two parts Launched in March, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's Campus 2020 campaign has raised more than $1 million in pledges and matching funds that will go toward eliminating the $4.5 million in debt carried by the Maitland Jewish Community Campus, which is owned and managed by the Federation. In part one of this two-part series, Campus 2020 campaign Chairman Michael Soll, vice president and immediate... Full story
What do you get when you combine a healthy dose of appreciation, a gourmet luncheon with friends, and a one-of-a-kind holiday shopping bazaar? The answer is the Jewish Pavilion's "JP Connections", honoring dedicated volunteers Jane Edelstein and Lois Silverberg. "Our annual luncheon is our yearly opportunity for us to show our appreciation and to connect with our wonderful volunteers and membership who support the Jewish Pavilion in so many ways, whether spending time with seniors one-on-one,... Full story
"Find DNA Ancestors and Cousins" with genetic genealogist Diahan Southard turned out to be a hot topic with over 60 (plus nine via Internet) attending on Nov. 10 at UCF Hillel. Jointly sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO), the University of Central Florida (UCF) Judaic Studies Department, and the Central Florida Hillel Center for UCF Jewish Life; many members of the Central Florida Genealogical Society (CFGS) also attended. The attendees were nearly evenly spli... Full story
Jewish Academy of Orlando hosted a Scholastic Book fair this past week. The school has participated in this program for many years. Each year, Scholastic Book fair shares a theme; this year's was "Get Hooked on a Good Book." Students and staff participated in many events, including a "Pirates and Princesses" dress up day, which was followed by an evening pirate-themed family event. The school's parent and teacher committee, HUM, Horim U'Morim, assisted in the making the family event and book... Full story
In his first musical theater role, Eric Gutman's only lines were "Woof, woof." He was in the second grade and had been cast as Dorothy's dog Toto in his elementary school's version of "The Wizard of Oz." That's when Gutman realized that he loved to perform. After graduating from Western Michigan University with a degree in musical theater performance, Gutman began pursuing his dream-to perform on Broadway. And then, one day, while working a desk job, Gutman got the call: He would be part of the... Full story
The Holocaust Center's immediate past president, Jeffrey Miller and his husband, Ted Maines, will receive this year's Kenneth F. Murrah, Esq. Award for Outstanding Philanthropist at the Association of Fundraising Professional's annual National Philanthropy Day breakfast, held on Nov. 18, at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes, located at 4012 Central Florida Parkway, Orlando. The breakfast and program begin at 8 a.m. Nominated by the Holocaust Center for their long-standing support, leadership... Full story
The Rosen JCC has named Joel Berger as the executive director effective Nov. 14, 2016. Berger will be responsible for overseeing all operations of the Rosen JCC, including developing and executing strategic plans to grow JCC membership, programs, funding and facilities. Bonnie Rayman, who was the Rosen JCC's first executive director, resigned July 22 to move back to South Florida for a job opportunity and to be close to her family. Assistant Director Eric Lightman took over as interim executive... Full story
At every stage in life people are asking the same questions. What do I want to do for the rest of my life? And how do I get there? Young adults in their 20s are looking for a career that will make them feel fulfilled. Those in their 30s to 50s may be unsatisfied with their current career or think they could do better. Those who are 60 or older are thinking about an encore career-something meaningful to do after they cut back or retire. At some point, people begin to realize that there is more... Full story
The Holocaust Center's "I Remember" series continues with Pierre Haskelson on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. Pierre was born in Paris, France. His family owned a cutlery business producing the silver chemical finish for silverware. In addition to being a businessman, Pierre's father Jacques was also a member of the French army. When Jacque s was ordered to report to southern border to defend against the German invasion, he and his wife made an escape plan. Pierre was five when his mother and... Full story
