Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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In 1994 the state legislature mandated that Holocaust education must be taught in Florida public schools. At that time, the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center was one of 27 members of the Florida Department of Education's Task Force on Holocaust Education. Under the leadership of Tess Wise, founder of the Center, they provided educational resources to a 13-county area, which included instructional materials, best practices and professional development. According to the Center's...
Amar'e Stoudemire, the former NBA star-turned Orthodox-convert to Judaism and the Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team co-owner, has been in the news a lot lately. Currently, he is an assistant player development coach for the Brooklyn Nets, and he is very happy that he doesn't have to work on Shabbat, which he observes. In December he spoke at a Zoom discussion event sponsored by the UJA Federation New York, titled "Amar'e Stoudemire: His Practice On and Off the Court." Stoudemire was introduced...
Through Dec. 31, 2020, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando held a Human Services Relief Matching campaign, sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America. The Federation raised $62K, which JFNA matched with $31K (50 percent matching gift), equaling a total of $93K for our community. JFNA saw the need to create the Human Services Relief Matching Fund because of the economic crises - approximately 1.2 million Jewish adults felt the financial crunch that affected housing costs, and food...
"Go with the flow" has always been King William Halikman's philosophy on life and it has paid off for him. A telemetry engineer for RCA at the beginning of his career, he met an 18-year-old Brazilian beauty at a dance in Recife, Brazil. He was 25 and hadn't planned to be there. She was born in Brazil but hadn't planned to be there either (in that country, that is). Her grandparents came to South America in hopes of reaching their dream to come to America from Europe, not realizing there is a...
Doloros Indek and Rabbi Yanky Majesky, as well as many others, enjoyed the kosher sandwiches at the new kosher food truck from Gili's Kitchen in Jacksonville. They didn't have to drive to Jacksonville as the truck is now going to be coming to Reiter Park in Longwood on the second Thursday of every month. How did this come about? Beginning in January, Gili's Food Truck began serving customers in southwest Orlando in the parking lot at the Rosen JCC every Tuesday and Thursday. Rabbi Yanky Majesky...
One-third of early pregnancies end in miscarriage. It is emotionally wrenching for the anticipating parents and there are support groups, and many resources to help them deal with the loss. But what about young children? How does one help a young child who also was expecting a new brother or sister to play with? A Johns Hopkins-trained, board certified OB/GYN, and an associate professor at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Dr. I. Cori Baill often wished that she had a...
Former Orlando Jewish community resident and daughter of Arnold Stein, Lori Erlich, has sent Heritage an update about the progress of Kehilat Yonatan, the Reform/Progressive synagogue and cultural/education center in Hod Hasharon, Israel. Kehilat Yonatan was founded in 2001 and is named in the memory of Rabbi Michael Boyden's son, Israel Defense Forces paratrooper Yonatan Boyden, who was killed in action in Lebanon in 1993. In 2014, Erlich and her husband, Moshe, visited the Heritage office to...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center is hosting an exhibit titled "Uprooting Prejudice: Faces of Change." The exhibit is a collection of 45 photographs by photographer John Noltner, taken in the aftermath of George Floyd's death in police custody. Noltner is the founder of A Peace of My Mind, a multimedia arts project that uses portraits and personal stories to bridge divides and encourage dialogue around important issues. He went to the scene of Floyd's death to capture "the essen...
In May 2019, Dr. Ken Hanson, coordinator of the Judaic Studies program at UCF, traveled to Israel to produce a video documentary titled "The Druze." He was accompanied by his editor, Milos Ajdinovic, visiting lecturer in the Nicholson School of Communication, and Shmuel Kilstein, an undergraduate history major. Together, they spent two weeks traveling from northern Israel to Jerusalem to interview several members of the Druze community. Hanson undertook this project for several reasons. The...
Many of the Jewish community facilities that partner with RAISE are not currently open, but it has not stopped RAISE Director Loren London, RAISE Director of Employment and Education Rachel Slavkin, and their leadership team from continuing with this year's program, albeit with a slightly modified virtual approach. The RAISE team quickly assessed the current COVID situation and decided to continue the RAISE program online by concentrating on the participants' job preparation and social skills...
The Jewish Academy head of school, Alan Rusonik, recently informed the JAO Board of Directors of his decision to relocate and not to renew his contract with the school at the end of his contract, which coincides with the end of the academic year in 2021. Under Rusonik's six-year leadership, JAO has flourished. School enrollment increased and several new faculty members were added to the staff. He created the whole-child curriculum and encouraged innovation at every turn. He helped make learning...
This is the 22nd annual Central Florida Jewish Film Festival and it has two "firsts." It's the first time there are two film shorts to enjoy, making a total of eight films; and the first film fest that can be enjoyed from the viewer's own living room. Because of circumstances beyond everyone's control, the film festival is virtual this year. Even though theater goers can't enjoy the ambiance of the Enzian and its wonderful food and drinks, the up side is that films can be viewed at the viewer's...
This year's Jewish Film Festival hosts two film shorts - usually there is only one short - and both of them have local ties. "Resemblance" is almost "home grown" Written, directed and produced by Kevin J. O'Neill, who lives in Central Florida, the short was filmed at Canterbury Retreat in Oviedo. The executive producer, Bethanne Weiss, is well-known in the community, and in a scene on the facility's patio, some familiar faces can be spotted: Weiss, Jacqueline Levine and Harriett Weiss. Starring...
Recently featured on the TV program A World of Difference were RAISE director, Loren London, RAISE director of Employment and Education Rachel Slavkin, and three gainfully employed RAISE alumni. A World of Difference is a monthly TV series that celebrates neurodiversity, which is a viewpoint that brain differences are normal, rather than deficits. The idea of neurodiversity can have benefits for children with learning and thinking differences. This concept can help reduce stigma around learning...
Radio personality Moira is running for Seminole County Tax Collector. "This is the bravest thing I've ever done," she told Heritage. "I'm stepping off that cliff and hope to leave this place better than I found it." "I've spent my professional lifetime listening to our community - listening and interviewing people and keeping my eye on the issues in Seminole County, with the understanding that many people feel like they have never had a voice," Dictor said in an interview with The Seminole Sourc...
It was the most unusual Jewish Federation annual meeting, and not just because Heritage publisher Jeff Gaeser did not have to wear a coat and tie to present the Human Service Award to Hank Katzen. Held virtually through Zoom, Gaeser read his speech from his kitchen and Hank and his wife, Marcie, accepted it from Israel - not really. Katzen had a virtual background of the Western Wall. He and Marcie must have been time traveling as well, because a few times each momentarily disappeared and then...
The Central Florida Jewish community knew and loved Talia Osteen as one of the three members of the singing group Visions, which began under the guidance of Cantor Allan Robuck of Congregation Ohev Shalom. Each of the girls eventually went their own way and Osteen moved to New York, then to California, to pursue her career in the film industry. She successfully starred in five national TV series, and also formed the band The Wellspring, which released five albums and composed scores for several...
Longwood resident Patricia R. Sigman is a Democratic candidate on the primary ballot for state Senate, District 9. There is one opponent running against her for the seat and she is hopeful voters will turn out for the Aug. 18 primary elections to get her name on the ballot for the elections on Nov. 3. Sigman is a long-standing member of this community. She and her husband, Phil, have been affiliated with Temple Israel and also Congregation of Reform Judaism. "Seminole County is our home and our...
The interview for this year's Heritage Human Service Award winner was unprecedented. Since an "in person" interview was not possible, Heritage requested a bio and this chosen recipient obliged with an excellent introduction: "The designee for this year's Heritage Human Service Award, Hank Katzen, first visited Israel at age 18 on a UJA Family Mission. It was on a very hot day that Hank and his father [Marc Katzen] climbed to the top of Masada. On the way to the top, Hank experienced a peace and...
Anyone who has heard a lecture by Kenneth Hanson, Ph.D., coordinator of the Judaic Studies at UCF, knows how passionate he is about telling the history of Israel through its archaeological finds. Hanson is a natural storyteller who makes the past come to life through his books (almost a dozen), blogs, podcasts, radio, videos and television (The History Channel). A scholar of Hebrew language and the history of the Jewish people, Hanson has just completed a new book whose timing is perfect as...
Very few things can be scarier than having to appear in a courtroom. One concern in many people's minds is which judge will be trying their case. With almost 150 endorsements from lawyers, rest assured that those who stand before Judge Alan Apte of the Ninth Circuit Courts of Orange and Osceola counties will have a fair hearing. In fact, no one walks out of his courtroom confused. He makes sure that the litigants and lawyers understand everything that happens. In a calm, straightforward and...
A college student from Houston, Texas, started a petition against the popular retailer SHEIN for selling what she believed was a Nazi swastika pendant. The Stop Anti-Semitism watchdog group also pressured SHEIN concerning the necklace. In response SHEIN removed the necklace from its website. This article was originally intended to bring attention to the offensive pendant and its removal from the retailer's website through the effective watchdog pressure and petition that shined a light on the...
Les Kramer, Ph.D., designed and developed a prosthetic foot that is more flexible than any other prosthetic on the market. Because of this unique prosthetic, Kramer recently was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. The actual ceremony to induct Kramer, along with seven others, was originally set for Sept. 11, 2020, at the Tampa Hilton, but it has been delayed until next year because of the uncertainty with COVID-19. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame honors and celebrates those...
Many in the community remember Beth Schafer as the former cantor at Congregation of Reform Judaism and Temple Shir Shalom. She now resides in Atlanta and is the Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair at Temple Sinai in Atlanta. However, Schafer is also an inspired Jewish composer, arranger and producer with hundreds of original songs, compositions and arrangements. Recently she took to the streets in Atlanta alongside her black brothers and sisters to protest the multitude of crimes against black people....
The pro-Israel organization StandWithUs screened the premiere of “Minority of One” on June 22 with 9,000 viewers. The documentary is about Hussein Aboubakr’s eye-opening experiences as he transitioned from hating what he was taught were the “bloodthirsty Zionists,” to becoming a Hebrew teacher and loving Israel and the Jewish people. “I believe ‘Minority of One’ illustrates the crucial importance of education. No one is born evil,” Aboubakr said. Since its initial screening, more than 35,000 have tuned in to watch the video, which can be seen...
