Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles written by Eric Berger


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  • 'The Lesson,' a gripping drama from Israel, casts spotlight on thorny social issues straight from the headlines

    Eric Berger|Jul 14, 2023

    There are so many elements to unpack in the extraordinary Israeli drama “The Lesson” — which is based on a true story and won the best series award at the Cannes International Series Festival last year — that it’s hard to know where to begin. The starting point of this gripping six-part miniseries, which premiered this month on ChaiFlicks, the Jewish streaming service in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, is a confrontation between an outspoken student and her civic...

  • How one special Pink Day helps save and support cancer patients

    Eric Berger|Mar 17, 2023

    When Rachel Wojnilower was an undergraduate at American University in Washington, D.C., she did all kinds of activities with her Jewish sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi. Now 36, Wojnilower has let most of them fade from memory. But in retrospect, one in particular stands out. That's because about five years after graduating, Wojnilower got married and underwent genetic testing along with her husband as they both prepared for future children. They were surprised when they each tested positive as...

  • These are the steps Jewish institutions are taking to secure themselves against possible attacks

    Eric Berger|Jan 22, 2021

    (JTA) — When someone threw rocks a couple months ago at the doors of a Chabad center in Atlanta, the glass didn’t shatter. That’s because earlier in the year, local Chabad leaders decided to reevaluate their security following an incident with a trespasser. Neil Rabinovitz, a former 22-year veteran of the FBI who now works as community security director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, visited the site and performed a security assessment. He determined that the building needed to add more security cameras, change its system for loc...

  • Retooled approach for special-ed students brings surprising results during distancing era

    Eric Berger|Jul 10, 2020

    When Racheli Friedbauer, now 11, was enrolled four years ago in a Jewish special education program, it changed her life. Due to a rare genetic disorder, Racheli has developmental delays and some medical problems, and she is extremely shy. But she thrived within the program, which is run by Sinai Schools, a network of special educational programs that operates within regular Jewish day school settings. "It was an environment where she finally was comfortable, and she felt very loved and accepted...

  • These Jewish teens are mentoring girls in science and powering tiny houses for the homeless

    Eric Berger|May 1, 2020

    By Eric Berger Growing up in Los Angeles, Elyse Forman always tried to take the highest-level science courses she could, like A.P. physics and chemistry. Forman often found she was the only female in those classes. "You can't help but feel that you don't belong when you're not like everyone else in the class, when people don't think that you have the right answers to questions, when they look at you weirdly if you participate," the 18-year-old said. What Forman didn't realize is that the issue...

  • Orthodox-run cemetery OKs area for cremated remains, burial of non-Jewish family members

    Eric Berger|Mar 29, 2019

    ST. LOUIS (St. Louis Jewish Light via JTA)-A Jewish cemetery in a suburb here has opened a section for the burial of cremated remains and will allow for the burial of non-Jewish, immediate family members of Jews who are buried at the cemetery. The decision by the board governing Beth Shalom Cemetery in Chesterfield is an acknowledgement of two non-traditional trends in Jewish life: More Jews are ignoring the religious taboo against cremation and interfaith marriages have become more prevalent....

  • Curb your expectations: Essman is no Susie Greene

    Eric Berger, Jewish Exponent|May 17, 2013

    PHILADELPHIA—When comedian Susie Essman meets fans and is nice and gracious to them, they are often visibly disappointed. What they really want, she says, is Susie Greene, Larry David’s nemesis on the HBO show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm. ” They ask to be told off, the way she does to David when, for example, he says her hideous, homemade bedazzled sweatshirts aren’t his “cup of tea.” She responds, “All right, you know what, f--- you and f--- your tea.” Essman, who will be performing here May 18, wil...