Week of September 12, 2025
Week of September 12, 2025
MAITLAND — With hurricane season nearing its September peak, Central Florida residents gathered at Shalom Orlando on Tuesday for a Lunch & Learn hosted by the Jewish Chamber of Commerce. The featured speaker, WESH 2 News Chief Meteorologist Eric Burris, delivered insight into what drives our storm season, along with projections for the weeks ahead. “Climate always modifies, grows, and adjusts. We just have to figure out how quick and how come,” Burris told the audience, setting the stage...
(JNS) — After last year’s public service was canceled over fear of altercations, gender-separated Yom Kippur prayers will be held in a Tel Aviv public space in October. The Tel Aviv Municipality on Thursday issued the Rosh Yehudi NGO a permit to hold prayers in Meir Park, located in the center of the metropolis, Ynet reported on Thursday. Rosh Yehudi (“Jewish Head” in Hebrew) tries to spread Orthodox Judaism in Tel Aviv, an attempt that has been met in the past with antagonism in the predominantly secular city. Prayers in Meir Park...
(JNS) - The Palestinian Authority on Monday condemned attempts by Jewish activist groups to sound the shofar on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, calling the ram's horn a "dangerous tool" used by Israel to assert sovereignty. The P.A.'s Jerusalem Governorate warned in a statement that the Jewish tradition of sounding the shofar throughout the Hebrew month of Elul is "no longer a passing religious ritual but has become one of the most dangerous tools of the occupation to impose its alleged sovereignty."...
By (JNS) — Israel is fighting a “fierce war against terrorism on several fronts,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday during a visit to the site of a terrorist attack in Jerusalem that claimed the lives of six people earlier in the day. “I want to extend condolences to the families of the victims and to the wounded,” said Netanyahu. Six people were murdered and a dozen more wounded in a shooting in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot on Monday morning. Two terrorists were killed at the scene by an Israel...
(JNS) — As the IDF masses troops on the outskirts of Gaza City, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared on Tuesday that the military will not stop until it achieves a “decisive victory.” Meanwhile, a fierce debate is raging within Israel over the necessity of a final, large-scale ground assault on Hamas’s last major stronghold. The IDF has been conducting preliminary operations on the ground and calling up reservists. On Tuesday, Zamir visited newly mobilized reservists from the IDF Technological and Logistics Directorate, telling...
(JNS)- Six Israelis were murdered and a dozen more wounded in a mass-shooting attack by Palestinian terrorists in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot on Monday morning. The slain victims were identified as Yosef David, 43, from Jerusalem; Sarah Mendelson, 60, from Jerusalem; Israel Mentzer, 28, from Jerusalem; Levi Yitzhak Pash, 57, from Tel Zion; Yaakov Pinto, 25, from Jerusalem; and Mordechai Steintzeg, 79, from Jerusalem. The Magen David Adom emergency medical response group...
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, Allegro Senior Living in Winter Park was filled with warmth, joy, and the sweet spirit of the Jewish New Year as the Jewish Pavilion hosted a special Rosh Hashanah-themed breakfast. This meaningful event was held in honor of the sponsors of Jewish Pavilion Senior Services as well as the organization's dedicated board members. In the spirit of the holiday, Allegro served the traditional Rosh Hashanah treat of apples and honey, symbolizing hopes for a sweet and prosperous...
(JNS) — The Trump administration has issued broad additional restrictions on visa applications by holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing four American officials. The measures, said to have been announced in an Aug. 18 cable sent to all U.S. diplomatic missions, would prevent Palestinians from Samaria and Judea from entering America, including for medical treatment, university studies, visits to friends or relatives and business travel. The new policy reportedly goes beyond the...
At this very moment, young Jews from around the world are making aliyah for a year of service and enlistment in the IDF: On Sept. 9, 2025, a dedication ceremony was held for the new home for lone soldiers at the Hannaton Educational Center in the Galilee. Present were the approximately 30 young men and women from North America, who have made the bold decision to move to Israel via the Garin Tzabar program of the Israeli Scouts Movement and become the first cohort to move into the home. Here lone soldiers will share a campus with their Israeli...
(JNS) — An Israeli security source told Hebrew media on Wednesday that up to 80,000 Palestinians have already left Gaza City in anticipation of the Israel Defense Forces operation to capture the Hamas stronghold. The mass evacuation southwards comes despite the fact that the IDF has yet to announce the start of the operation, the source told Ynet, Israel National News, Haaretz and other outlets. Most evacuated over the past 72 hours, according to the reports. Hamas is using “various measures” to limit movement, the source said, adding...
The Rosen JCC had the privilege of welcoming State House Representative Rita Harris, State Senator Kristen Arrington, and Frank Santos, CEO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts and president of The Harris Rosen Foundation, to the Rosen JCC for a tour and formal presentation of the State appropriation award they so passionately sponsored and championed on the JCC’s behalf. Thanks to a dollar-for-dollar match from The Harris Rosen Foundation, the total investment now exceeds $1 million. This...
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues or for tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Chabad of Altamonte (Orthodox) Rabbi Mendy Bronstein Chabad of Altamonte 195 S Westmonte Drive #1126 Altamonte Springs, Fl 32701 www.jewishaltamonte.com Mon., Sept. 22, Erev Rosh Hashanah, 6:30 p.m.; candle lighting, 7:04 p.m. Tues., Sept. 23, Rosh Hashanah, morning, Traditional pre-service 9 a.m.; Morning...
On the evening of Sept. 2, over 200 joined together in the Nova Festival site to honor the memory of the sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, of the Oct. 7th victims, and bless their memory. It was the latest stage in a national initiative led in cooperation between Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron and Children of Light - the Organization of Families of the Murdered in the Nova Festival. We did this in a very practical way - by giving an emergency medical kit with their name and photo to a...
This high holiday season, Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation will open its doors to the public for two family-focused services — one on Rosh Hashanah, and the other on Yom Kippur. Rabbi Shai Specht-Sandler and Cantorial Soloist Ginny Kolin are preparing a magical, musical experience for all who attend. “We’re not just going to sit quietly and read,” said Rabbi Shai. “There will be music on the keyboard, songs everyone can sing, and a spirit that invites kids and adults alike to take part. It’s about joy, depth, and connection,...
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Interim CEO Eric Robbins, ECLC director Dr. James Larsen and Board chair Stan Rubins will discuss the ‘State of Shalom Orlando.’ Each will share the Shalom Orlando plans for the future as the Central Florida Jewish community continues to grow and thrive. Accompanying the talks will be champagne and desserts. The event will be held in the Roth Family JCC auditorium from 6:30 – 8 p.m. To RSVP, email Carol Feuerman at Carol.Feuerma...
October 2024 Opera Orlando presented $100,000 to the Holocaust Center. It had been 11 months since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, brutally murdering over 1200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages. Local neurosurgeon, Dr. John Jenkins, pledged a $50,000 matching grant for donations to moshav Ein Habesor in southern Israel, near the Gaza border. November 2024 More than 600 people attended the IAC memorial event, which the Israeli Consul General in New York co-organized with the Israeli-American Council. The Israeli Defense Ministry and the...
(JNS) — The history of Jew-hatred can be understood as the systematic perpetuation of defamatory rumors strategically deployed to demonize Jews. These myths have repeatedly produced lethal consequences, claiming Jewish lives across centuries and geographies. The recurrence of these claims makes them difficult to refute before violence ensues. From the medieval blood libel to contemporary accusations of genocide and colonialism, each new fabrication presents itself as unprecedented. In reality, each libel constitutes a continuation of a long...
(JNS) — In 2023, I advised colleagues not to show the video that Hamas filmed of their sadistic murders on Oct. 7, certainly not at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. I said that the sight of Jewish blood always unleashes denial and even more Jew-hatred. Soon enough, I also understood that the sight of Jewish military prowess unleashes even more Jew-hatred. As Israel fought to ensure that Hamas could not make good on their threat of even more Oct. 7-style attacks on Israeli soil and displayed an extraordinary command of...
(JNS) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese probably didn’t imagine that one week after his interior ministry abruptly canceled a visa for Simcha Rothman, a member of Israel’s Knesset, his government would be enveloped in a major dispute with Israel’s arch-foe, the regime in Iran. Unlike Iran, Israel has not carried out any terrorist attacks in Australia. It has not encouraged hate crimes against that country’s growing Muslim population. It is not boycotting goods produced in Australia. Had Rothman been permitted to go ahead...
(JNS) — The editorial writers at The Washington Post support establishing a sovereign Palestinian Arab state next to Israel. They continue to say this even as Israel approaches nearly two years of war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to understand that Oct. 7 has changed everything. The most alarming statement in the Aug. 24 editorial may be this groundless claim: “A two-state solution remains the only viable option to end decades of...
(JNS) — The Jewish community of Australia has long served as a model of integration, resilience and commitment. For decades, it has stood in constant solidarity with Israel, nurturing a relationship defined by deep emotional bonds and shared historical memory. Many Holocaust survivors rebuilt their shattered lives on Australian shores, laying the foundations of communities that remain among the strongest Jewish centers in the Diaspora. Despite the vast physical distance from Israel, the connection has never been a matter of miles, but of...
This article won second place in the American Jewish Press Association’s annual Simon Rockower Award program. Rosh Hashanah is the time of year when we as individuals find ourselves at the center of the universe in direct communication with God. For a brief moment the present stops, the past does not recede and the future refuses to beckon us. The High Holy Days are rest stops on our journey through life; a brief respite to catch our breaths, to check our baggage and to recharge our human energy. To understand where we have been, where we...
(JNS)— At last, the Hebrew month of Elul has arrived, the auspicious start of the High Holidays, when many Jews begin saying the penitential prayers of Selichot. For Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, the holiday began on the second day of Elul (Aug. 26) and continues through the month of Elul; for Ashkenazi Jews, this year it takes place the Saturday night preceding Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 13). Selichot, which means “forgiveness” in Hebrew, is arguably one of the most spiritually and emotionally...
As we welcome the Jewish New Year, I want to wish you and your loved ones, a year filled with health, joy, and meaningful connections. Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection, gratitude, and a renewed commitment to each other and to our community. In the coming year, the Israeli American Council will continue to stand strong in support of our community of all ages - from young families to our college students, adults fostering connection, strengthening Jewish identity, and fighting antisemitism...
The sounds of the shofar will be heard very soon. The year 5786 is just around the corner. Millions of Jews will gather in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to offer up prayers. Imagine God having to listen to all those people. What a job! What a divine headache trying to hear all of us and then trying to grant our wishes. No wonder the Greeks invented a pantheon of gods to deal with human beings. Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynoo Adonai Echad. Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord...
Are the trails getting steeper? Or am I getting older? These were my thoughts as Larry and I climbed Shrine Ridge Trail in Summit County in early July. We had been in Colorado for 10 days before we attempted the hike, so I believed I had acclimated my body to the altitude. But we started at 11,000 feet and would peak closer to 12,000. As I huffed and puffed up the trail, I never doubted I would finish. The bulldog in me would never give up. But could I do this next year? In five years? Who...
Want to lower your blood pressure? A new study pinpoints exactly what kind of exercise is best for easing blood pressure, and it doesn't involve running on the treadmill or pumping iron at the gym. Instead, the study reveals that static isometric exercises like wall sits (also known as wall squats) and planks, which engage muscles without movement, are best for lowering blood pressure. The new analysis, a systematic review of 270 studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine,...
As we welcome Rosh Hashanah and the start of 5786, we enter a season of reflection, renewal, and hope. This is a time to look back with gratitude for the stories we have preserved and shared, and to look forward with determination to continue our work for a more compassionate and just world. At the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida, we are dedicated to honoring the Holocaust's legacy by amplifying the voices of those who lived through it. These stories are not only...
This is my favorite cake to serve for Rosh Hashanah. 1 cup canola oil 1/4 cup water 2 cups sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 4 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 cups flour (Use almond flour for gluten free.) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup pecans, chopped (optional) 1 cup golden raisins (optional) 3 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples (3-4 apples) I use 2 Fiji apples, and incorporate 1 Granny Apple. An apple corer makes this easy. In a food processor mix oil, water, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and baking...
As we gather for the Jewish High Holy Days, we are reminded that this sacred season offers us more than reflection. It is a time to renew our hope, strengthen our resolve, and recommit ourselves to building a brighter future - for our neighbors, our community, and our world. At Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, we are deeply grateful for all who stand with us - not only during the holidays but every day - to uplift those in need through our FAMILY of services. The past few years have...
As we welcome the High Holidays, we at Jewish Pavilion Senior Services reflect with gratitude on a year of meaningful connection, growth, and community impact. With heartfelt appreciation, we share the joy and success of our work over the past year. Jewish Pavilion proudly served the cultural and spiritual needs of over 400 Jewish seniors, bringing them joy, tradition, and a continued connection to Jewish life. In addition, hundreds of non-Jewish residents have joined us in embracing the warmth...
A question by the father in my “adopted” family in Israel caught me off guard several years ago. Over a motzei Shabbat meal in the restaurant of a swanky Jerusalem hotel, at a window-side table, my friend, a U.S.-born baal teshuvah who has served as the rosh kollel of a small haredi yeshiva for several decades, asked me out of the blue, “Do you think you have become more religious?” I also am baal teshuva, for the majority of my 75 years, but I didn’t know how to answer his question. First of all, I’m not comfortable with the...
As the shofar sounds and we welcome 5786, the S'firot Foundation extends heartfelt wishes for a sweet, healthy, and meaningful New Year to our Jewish community across Central Florida. Our mission is to support Jewish older adults and their caregivers, and in the coming months we will be sharing results from our Older Adults Needs Assessment Survey along with updates on the Foundation's strategic priorities for funding. We invite you to learn more and stay connected at www.sfirotfoundation.org....
RYE, New York — This is the time of year when rabbis begin working on their High Holydays sermons, and Howard Goldsmith of Temple Emanu-El of Westchester had an idea for one the other day. Rabbi Goldsmith, who has served 15 years as spiritual leader of the congregation in suburban Westchester County, 25 miles north of New York City, was reading Yascha Mounk’s “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time” (Penguin Press, 2023), about minority groups’ growing assertion of their individual identity within wider society....
Dr. David and Orly Diamond of Winter Park, Florida and Laura Felson of Smyrna, Georgia are delighted to share the engagement of their daughter, Yael Diamond, to Max Maron, son of Jeffrey Maron and Rhonda Schaffer-Maron of Stamford, Connecticut. Yael is a central Florida native and attended the Roth JCC, The Hebrew Day School (The Gotlib Jewish Academy of Orlando), Winter Park High School, Alexander Muss High School in Israel and Malcon Alte Seminary. She then earned a bachelor's degree from...
Jerry Lee Cohen passed away in his sleep on Sept. 1, 2025. He was 83 years old. Jerry and his wife, Amira, were an integral part of the Orlando Jewish Community for over 30 years, but it was Jerry’s compassion and genuineness that truly made him special. His love of family over everything else, even his own wellbeing, was one of his greatest attributes. Jerry loved classic films and westerns. He was a huge sports fan rooting on his beloved Bengals and Reds all of his life. A veteran of the United States Navy he was a patriot who knew he was... Full story
With deep sorrow we announce the death of David S. Greenberg, beloved husband of Yudit Kornberg Greenberg, father of Rafi Greenberg and Elie Greenberg, and grandfather of Zeana and Lila Greenberg. David passed away on July 31, 2025, at his home in Winter Park. He was born on Feb. 20, 1953, in Seattle, Washington to Jacob and Zindell Greenberg. David attended the University of Washington where he graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. In 1977 he married the love of his life, Yudit...
MORNING MINYANS Chabad of South Orlando — Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. and 10 minutes before sunset; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m., 407-354-3660. Congregation Ahavas Yisrael — Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-644-2500. Congregation Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Daytona — Monday, 8 a.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m., 904-672-9300. Congregation Ohev Shalom — Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-298-4650. GOBOR Community Minyan at Jewish Academy of Orlando — Monday – Friday, 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Temple Israel — Sunday,...
