Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(LOS ANGELES) - With Israel's citizens under massive Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist rocket attacks, the Israeli-American Council and other American Jewish groups organized rallies on May 12 across America in solidarity with Israel and its people. As the violence in Israel worsened, the IAC issued an "emergency call to action" to "Stand with Israel" and "stand up against terror." In Orlando, Idit Lotringer, director of IAC Orlando, and Keith Dvorcik, CEO of the Jewish Federation, quickly...
JFS Orlando's Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry began receiving food donations once again from Sprouts Farmers Market at Winter Park Corners. For the majority of last year, all food donation pick-ups from grocery partners were suspended due to safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the absence of these grocer donations, JFS Orlando purchased additional food from Second Harvest Food Bank, https://www.restaurantji.com/fl/orlando/second-harvest-food-bank-of-central-florida-/ which allowed...
The application deadline for the 2021 Kobrin Family Scholarship has been extended to July 15, 2021. This college scholarship is awarded to a qualified, full-time student in the Jewish communities of 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. To learn more and apply, visit www.jfsorlando.org/kobrin-family-scholarship. Students should mail their completed applications to JFS Orlando (2100 Lee Road,...
Kudos to Marci Gaeser, Sharon Littman and Jewish Pavilion volunteers for making Shavuot extra special for the seniors this year. The Jewish Pavilion provided more than 350 seniors with goodie bags for the holiday that included dairy snacks and information about Shavuot. The ladies spent an entire day packaging wonderful gifts for Jewish Pavilion elders whom they cherish. Pictured left to right are Pam Ruben, Shirley Schoenberger, Marci Gaeser, Sharon Littman and Susie Stone, who is the chair of...
Did someone say "fore"? It looks like the Jewish Pavilion and the Orlando Senior Help Desk are back at it again. The PGS Annual Golf Tournament to raise money and awareness for the Orlando Senior Help Desk went off with a shotgun blast this past weekend at Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Course. With a great turnout of 23 teams, the tournament was full of smiling faces, laughs, great conversations, and networking for a great cause. Following on the heels of the Jewish Pavilion's very successful...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2021 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Hank Katzen. Former recipients have inclu...
Within a year, in the Orlando area several of our beloved Jewish young adults died due to an accidental drug overdose. Statistically, it is likely that someone close to you will suffer from a substance use disorder in the coming years. How will you recognize the signs? Are there signs? And if you sense something is wrong, what do you do? If you are sure someone you love is dealing with substance use disorder, whom do you turn to for help? An upcoming panel discussion on Thursday, May 27,...
On Thursday, May 6, an antisemitic group called the Goyim Defense League stood across the street from The Roth Family JCC with signs and megaphones, ranting their propaganda to protest against the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida. They also attempted to hand out flyers to cars as they stopped at traffic lights at Maitland Avenue and Maitland Blvd. Their van, decorated with Holocaust denial and hate-filled messages, tried to come onto the JCC property. However, the JCC...
Last December, the Seminole County's Sheriff's office held a Toy Drive for neglected children in partnership with Chabad of North Orlando. Following on the success of that campaign, Sheriff's Deputy Lt. Brad McDaniel turned once again to SCSO's chaplain, Rabbi Yanky Majesky, to ask for the assistance of the Jewish community, this time for the county's homeless population. CBS's 60 Minutes put the spotlight on the homeless issue right here in our community in a segment that aired a few years ago...
JFS Orlando CARES, the emergency COVID-19 rental assistance program of Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, officially re-opened on May 1, 2021 and is accepting new applications. Dedicated to providing relief to those severely impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is open to Orange County residents and it may provide up to three months of rental assistance for those who qualify. Funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and to apply for assistance, visit the online application at...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2021 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Hank Katzen. Former recipients have inclu...
The CDC showed that the final 2020 overdose deaths in the United States exceeded 90,000, compared to 70,530 in 2019. It is the highest annual number on record, and the largest single-year percentage increase in the past 20 years. Synthetic opioids (fentanyl) appear to be one of the reasons causing the increases in death, up 38.4 percent over the past year. "We have seen an uptick in clients seeking help for drug and alcohol issues since the pandemic started. People are feeling a sense of...
Teacher Appreciation Week was May 3rd- 9th. The Rosen's JCC's Early Childhood Learning Center honored their teachers every day to help celebrate. The week kicked off with breakfast for the teachers and gave the staff a gift every day for some summer fun, including beach bags, towels and water bottles. "We love teachers and want them to know their dedication is what makes our school special!," said the JCC staff....
On Thursday, May 6, an anti-Semitic group called the Goyim Defense League stood across the street from The Roth Family JCC with signs to protest against the Holocaust Center, according The Jewish Federation CEO, Keith Dvorchik. This group is a loose network of individuals organized by six people and founded in California, spews their contempt for Jewish people in California, Colorado, Florida and New York. They share their anti-Semitism by way of the Internet, propaganda distributions and...
May is National Mental Health Awareness month, and at the end of April, members of the Jewish community participated with about 400 others in a NAMI walk at Crane's Roost Park in Altamonte Springs. The group, "Team Andy," was one of 63 teams who came out to show support and help bring awareness to mental illness. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness and is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans...
The Congregation Ohev Shalom Rabbinic Search Committee offered the position of interim rabbi to Rabbi Murray Ezring, who accepted the position. He will begin officially on Aug. 1 and serve for one or two years. During their search, the committee learned that there is a difference between an interim rabbi and a permanent one, and hiring an interim rabbi was the best solution for the congregation at this time. As an interim rabbi, Ezring says he is charged with getting the congregation in the...
The Jewish Academy of Orlando is thrilled to present the U.S. premiere of the new musical "Star Warts: The Umpire Strikes Back." This will be presented as a feature film and will be released Sunday, May 23. "This production is so unique and unlike anything an elementary school has ever produced, even pre-pandemic," said Eric Levine who is the film's producer and director. "Trust me, everyone is going to be blown away by this." The production was filmed entirely on campus using a new...
JFS Orlando's Counseling, Growth and Development Program provides individual, couples, family and group mental health counseling in a trusting, reassuring and healing atmosphere. Their clinical therapists help clients cope with major life problems in a timely and effective manner and guide people through major life transitions. Recently, JFS made some changes in their counseling program. These changes were made for several reasons, but overall to ensure the health of the program for the...
The Rosen JCC Camp J is an Orlando summer camp dedicated to children’s happiness, growth and well-being. Camp J is open to children of all faiths and backgrounds providing a diverse camp experience. Things that make Camp J special are that it is ever-growing and changing to meet the needs and interests of campers as they transition from adolescence to teenagers. Camp J knows every child is unique and it’s why we provide a variety of sessions designed to meet every child’s interests: Early Child...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2021 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Hank Katzen. Former recipients have inclu...
The Associated Press has changed its spelling of the word “antisemitism,” now writing it without a hyphen — joining the leading experts of hatred against Jews who have long advocated that usage. The Twitter account of the AP Stylebook — the leading reference for news publications — posted on April 24, 2021, “We now write antisemitism (n.), antisemitic (adj.), without a hyphen and with no capitalization.” “This is a change from AP‘s previous style: anti-Semitism and antisemitic,” it added. Because Heritage Florida Jewish News has adhered to...
The Board of Directors of the Kinneret Apartments announced on Friday, April 23, that it has approved a plan to sell the Kinneret Apartments located in downtown Orlando to a qualified buyer. The proceeds from the potential sale will be invested in programs and services for older adults at the Kinneret Apartments and the central Florida community to continue Kinneret's mission of "Caring for Those Who Cared for Us" for generations to come. This difficult decision is the result of two years of...
Maitland resident Pearl Metz celebrated her 90th birthday in a very unique way. As a birthday present, Maitland Mayor John Lowndes presented her with a proclamation declaring April 22, 2021, “Pearl Metz Day” in the city of Maitland. Not only did she receive a certificate, a “yard card” was placed in her front yard. Born in New York, New York, she met her husband, Bill, in February 1954 on a blind double date — only he wasn’t her date! They were married five months later on July 4, and celebrated...
A $13,000,000.00 lawsuit has been filed against Jetblue Airways by a Jetblue flight attendant and former Orange County, Florida firefighter/paramedic for economic and emotional injuries plus attorneys’ fees, costs and disbursements. The complaint also asks the court to declare that Jetblue violated state and anti-discrimination laws. The plaintiff, Clay Kallman, 62, a nine-year flight attendant with Jetblue Airways contends that he was discriminated against on the basis of his type-2 diabetes, religion/ethnicity, heterosexual orientation and a...
