Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Last December, the 5,000-member American Studies Associate passed a resolution to boycott Israel’s academic universities. In January, University of Central Florida President John Hitt publicly announced that he opposed the boycott. At that time, Aaron Weil, executive director and CEO of the Central Florida Hillel, praised Hitt for his stand. “It represents a deep understanding of the flawed nature of boycott’s as well as its unsuitability and inappropriateness in the academic sphere,” he stated. Now, accolades are due for the Florida Senate...
On Tuesday, May 6 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m., the Jewish community of Orlando will be bringing our homeland home to the Roth JCC in Maitland. After years of celebrating Israel Independence Day at Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Spring and out in the community, the mega-event is coming home to the Roth JCC's outdoor facilities in Maitland. Roth JCC Assistant Executive Director Robby Etzkin explained that "By eliminating the significant fixed costs associated with Cranes Roost it allows the JCC to not...
ORLANDO (March 24, 2014)-Jewish Family Services Orlando, the Winter Park-based nonprofit, human service agency, is pleased to announce Centerpieces for Tzedakah, a fundraising effort to help those in need while decorating for any celebration. Unlike typical floral arrangements, each centerpiece is styled to resemble a basket, filled with food found in JFS Orlando's Pearlman Food Pantry. The centerpieces can be rented for use at weddings, baby showers, bar/bat mitzvahs, or any special event....
Congregation Beth Shalom of Orange City Congregation Beth Shalom will conduct a Kosher for Passover seder led by Rabbi Winston Weilheimer at 6:30 p.m. April 14, in the in Social Hall at Our Lady of Lakes Catholic Church, 1310 Maximilian St., Deltona. Reservations will be taken through April 6. Anyone interested in attending is asked to call 386-804-8283 for information about prices and reservations. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. Reservations are confirmed upon payment only. Congregation Shalom Aleichem Congregation Shalom Aleichem is having a...
Temple Israel Sisterhood presents An Evening with Mary Glickman, National Jewish Book Award finalist for "One More River," as its second annual author event, which will take place on Wednesday evening, April 2, at 7 p.m. in the newly renovated Roth Social Hall. The cost is $10 per person and includes a dessert reception. Glickman is the author of three books that address the "disconnect" between Southern and Northern attitudes about the South. "I've found that most Northerners view the South as...
The Holocaust Center in Maitland will host guest speaker Joanie Holzer Schirm, author of "Adventurers Against Their Will," at its annual Yom HaShoah program. This annual International Day of Remembrance commemorates the lives of the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust and honors the survivors, liberators, and rescuers who keep their memories alive. Schirm will share the lessons learned from the Holocaust-era letters she inherited from her father, Dr. Oswald A. Holzer. Through her...
The Holocaust Memorial Center in Maitland is honoring Harris Rosen at its annual Dinner of Tribute on Wednesday, April 30. The theme for the event is "What If," with stories, visuals and entertainment that explore how the world would be different if individuals like Rosen had not shown the compassion, courage and generosity it takes to create a better community. Featured entertainment will be Michael Andrew & The Atomic Big Band. Andrew, whose vocal style has delighted audiences in major cities...
Congregation Beth Israel of Ocala invites the community to its annual Passover seder to be held on the second night of Passover, Tuesday, April 15, at Stone Creek Grill in Ocala at 6 p.m. The menu includes gefilte fish, matza ball soup and the choice of three entrees: stuffed chicken breast with apple raisin stuffing, sliced roast beef with mushroom gravy and tilapia with pineapple salsa. All entrees include roasted potatoes and carrots. Sponge cake with strawberries will be served for dessert. The seder will be conducted in English by...
The Jewish Heritage Festival expresses the heart and soul of Jewish Florida. It intertwines the sounds, sights, and spirit of Jewish culture and brings together every facet of the Jewish community-young and old, singles and families, regardless of their religious and cultural background. This year's festival will take place Sunday, April 6, at the News-Journal Center, 221 North Beach Street, Daytona Beach, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Festival-goers will enjoy...
Following the message of Psalm 133, verse 1-"Hineh mah tov u'mah na'im, shevet achim gam yachad" (Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity), Congregation Beth Am in Longwood will host an Interfaith Shabbat Experience on Friday, March 28, at 7:30 pm. Rabbi Rick Sherwin will share the Beth Am bima with local pastors and ministers and their congregants will sit side-by-side with those from the Central Florida Jewish Community who are welcome to attend this unique...
Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) on Tuesday, April 1, for a program featuring widely acclaimed lecturer from Antwerp, Erwin Joos, who will speak about the "Red Star Line, Gateway to the New World from Antwerp (Belgium) to Philadelphia, New York, Boston, & Baltimore 1873-1934." The program will held at Maitland Public Library, 501 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (6:30 p.m. for networking and mavens). It is open and free to the public. Nearly 3...
On March 22, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando will be hosting an Israeli Film Night screening “A Bottle in the Gaza Sea” at the Orlando Science Center. I was able to screen the film in advance and found it quite enjoyable to watch. The movie is centered around two young adults, Tai and Naim. Tai is 17 years old, Naim is 20. She’s Israeli. He’s Palestinian. Tai lives in Jerusalem and Naim lives in Gaza. They were born in a land of scorched earth, where fathers bury their children. They must endure an explosive situation that is not of...
An atmosphere of intrigue and adventure await all who attend the Hadassah meeting on Tuesday, April 1 at 11:30 a.m. at Congregation Ohev Shalom. A trip back in time will take those in attendance into the fascinating world of a family of southern Jews during the Civil War. Certified genealogist and Hadassah life member Gladys Friedman Paulin will bring to life the Levy Family of Charleston, S.C., and their often notorious escapades on the side of the South during the Civil War. Paulin is a past...
On Sunday, April 6, Knights for Israel will host the University of Central Florida's first Declare Your Freedom Israel Festival on campus on Memory Mall. Admission is free, and the festival will begin at noon. DYF is a pro-Israel festival will represent the solidarity between America and Israel, all the while showcasing the common values these two nations share. The event will highlight the pro-Democratic values of Israel and show the beauty of Israel's culture and open society. Knights for...
The Jewish community's own David Bornstein will read from his newly released books, "The Good Word: A Decade of Jewish Thought and Chutzpah" and "Me and E: A Baseball Odyssey," at Congregation Ohev Shalom on Thursday, April 3 at 7 p.m. Bornstein is a cornerstone name in the Central Florida Jewish community. David grew up in a household and among an extended family of well-known leaders and builders of this community. The Jewish Federation's leadership program is named in honor of his father,...
“J Street Challenge” comes to Central Florida following its sold out, world premier screening in South Florida. The film will be shown at Congregation Beth Am, 3899 Sand Lake Road, Longwood, on Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m., and is sponsored by Zionistas. “ Ever since its founding in 2008, J Street, the liberal Jewish advocacy group, has expended a great deal of time and energy trying to convince American Jews that it is a credible and more ethical alternative to traditional pro-Israel organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committe...
The Maitland JCC will be hosting an Israeli Dance Workshop on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30, featuring the talented Dany Benshalom, a well-known dance instructor from Israel. Along with his wife Noga, Dany leads one of the longest-running Israeli dance groups in Israel, which meets near Hadera. He will be teaching some of the latest dances, popular in Israeli and around the world. "We are looking forward to this workshop, since our last weekend workshop took place five years ago. Dany...
The Jewish Pavilion threw its largest Purim party to date on Sunday, March 9, at the Westin in Lake Mary where more than 250 supporters attended their annual gala honoring dedicated sponsors and volunteers Valerie Chestnut and Eve Homburger. "Our Purim celebrations are a favorite at our elder facilities, bringing some sparkle to a darker time of year. The costumes, hamentaschen, and playfulness uplift our seniors, while bringing back memories of past celebrations. Our annual gala and Purim...
The topic of anti-terror activities is particularly of interest to the Tampa Orlando Pinellas Jewish Foundation (TOP), as it launched a unique anti-terror investment policy in close concert with the State of Florida and the work of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) in 2012. Wednesday, March 6, the TOP cosponsored an event with the Jewish Community Relations Council. The evening's speaker was David Ibsen of UANI. A not-for-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group that seeks to prevent Iran from fulf...
Jewish Family Services is continuing its Pantry Restock Challenge through April 30 and now offers a virtual food drive. This approach allows companies and organizations the ability to set up a food drive via the Internet. It’s easy to join individually or as a group. Instead of bringing bags in to the office, or lugging items to JFS, simply go online at www.jfsorlando.org and click on virtual food drive. Customers are then directed to “go shopping” where they can click on the food they want to donate and checkout when they have reached the d...
By When recruiting new volunteers to touch the lives of seniors in our community, reaching out to the synagogues is one avenue I pursue, more specifically the youth. Each program director attempts to contact different synagogues in an effort to reach a wide variety of people who hold different gifts to share with the Jewish elderly. The teens and students of Congregation Ohev Shalom have been involved for years at various senior living communities all over town. Most recently, the USY teens...
Everyone grieves in their own way. Members of the Jewish community have the opportunity to explore bereavement and healing through a Jewish lens thanks to a partnership between The Jewish Pavilion, VITAS Innovative Hospice and Chambrel at Island Lake, an independent and assisted living community in Longwood. All adults are bound to experience the loss of friends and family. A grief support group can lessen the pain. There will be a series of six free workshops with refreshments. The first one...
For the past three weeks my partner Alan Finfer and I have been attending excellently presented, informational classes hosted by the Jewish Federation’s Community Relations Committee. Barbara Weinreich, as a representative of the Federation, introduced the presenter, Dr. Terri Susan Fine, who teaches in the political science department at UCF. The classes were open to the public, informal and often interactive. The three topics were: Class I: Jewish Women in American State Politics. Dr. Fine discussed a project funded by Brandeis University w...
The American Hebrew Academy recently extended invitations to six Jewish Academy of Orlando eighth-graders for admittance into its Honor Society. Now in its fifth year, the American Hebrew Academy Honor Society is an international honor society that acknowledges exceptional students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, leadership and service to their communities. These six academians are Joshua Finkelstein, Jordan Greenberg, Rachael Henig, Sophie Libow, Estrella...
What would happen if more than 600 Jewish college students came together for an enormous gathering? On Feb. 21, Chabad at the University of Central Florida reached this accomplishment when their premier event, "Shabbat 613," took place in the Pegasus Grand Ballroom of the Student Union. Just a year after completing a similar annual affair, "Shabbat 500," Chabad at UCF's Rabbi Chaim Lipskier and his wife, Rivkie Lipskier, wanted to increase their goal of attendees to 613. In this case, each...
