Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA)-As 2015 winds to a close, we'd like to take a moment to honor the memories of those who we lost over the past 12 months. From remembering lives cut short by senseless, dark tragedies to tributes to revered icons who lived life to the fullest, here are some Jews whose deaths left their legacy on the year that was. Theodore Bikel, 91 Bikel, who died on July 21 of natural causes, was best known for playing Tevye in the stage production of "Fiddler on the Roof" more often than any other...
(JTA)-This post is safe for work. All those who claim to read Playboy "for the articles" might now actually mean it. Last Tuesday, Playboy announced that starting in March, its magazine will no longer feature nude models. It will, however, still have "sexy, seductive pictorials of the world's most beautiful women," according to a news release. But for the publication that changed the way sexuality was viewed in America, it certainly is the end of an era. In reporting on the shift, The New York...
(JTA)-In the wake of the never-ending email scandal and Bernie Sanders' rise in the polls, Hillary Clinton is feeling some serious heat in the 2016 presidential race. In an attempt to connect with younger voters, the Democratic front-runner agreed to be interviewed by Lena Dunham, the Jewish creator of HBO's hit show "Girls." The full interview will be available on Tuesday to subscribers of Dunham's new Lenny newsletter, whose name is a portmanteau of Lena and Jenny (as in Dunham's "Girls"...
(JTA)—As Hurricane Joaquin gains steam off the southeastern coast of the United States, the question has begun to circulate online: Are Jews allowed to take down their sukkahs in the case of a storm? Sukkot, which began Sunday, runs through this Sunday evening. Hurricane Joaquin, the first large tropical storm of the hurricane season (the name means “raised by God” in Hebrew), could hit parts of the East Coast this weekend—just before the end of the holiday. Regardless of whether the Category 3 hurricane makes landfall, it is expected to brin...
(JTA)-As a top pitcher in Major League Baseball for nearly 20 years, Curt Schilling didn't make many errors. On Aug. 25, however, he acknowledged that he made a costly one. On that morning, the three-time World Series champion tweeted an image of Hitler against a dark blood-red background that compared modern Muslims to the German population under Hitler. Schilling deleted the tweet shortly after posting it. "It's said that only 5-10 percent of Muslims are extremists," the graphic read. "In...
(JTA)-Donald Trump has called the Iran deal "terrible" in recent months. But in an interview on Sept. 3, the current Republican front-runner revealed some gaps in his knowledge of the Middle East. Trump spoke with Hugh Hewitt, a popular conservative radio host, who asked the real estate mogul some "commander-in-chief questions" about the region. When asked about the two militant groups, Trump said the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah does not matter to him yet. "[The difference] will...
(JTA)-"Our technology has exceeded our humanity," Albert Einstein allegedly once lamented. But filmmaker Tiffany Shlain-who utilizes an online, collaborative process and distribution method she dubs "cloud filmmaking"-says it's possible that technology, used correctly, can enhance our humanity. As a testament to Shlain's methods, as well as her rise to becoming one of the most influential filmmakers in the American Jewish world, her latest film, "The Making of a Mensch," will be shown in more...
(JTA)—When some Reform synagogue-goers open up their prayer books this High Holiday season, they will be greeted with snippets of poems by the likes of Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda. Feminist and LGBTQ-friendly terms and phrases will be subtly incorporated into the prayers; scattered among those prayers will be original woodcut prints inspired by the holidays. How can this be, you ask? The Central Conference of American Rabbis, the principal organization of North American Reform rabbis, has revamped its High Holidays prayer book for the f...
(JTA)-New York Sen. Chuck Schumer was not actually in New York on Wednesday, but the Democrat's influence on the fate of the Iran deal loomed large when several thousand people descended on Times Square to protest the agreement. Many of those demonstrating against the agreement chanted, "Where is Chuck Schumer?" and "Kill this deal." Some who packed the sidewalks along Seventh Avenue also held up signs that urged Schumer to convince Congress members to vote against the deal reached July 14...
(JTA)—For years it has been written about, and on the night of July 23 it was sealed: Jon Stewart is proud to be Jewish. With just two weeks left before he leaves “The Daily Show” following a 16-year run as host—and well ahead of the High Holidays—he appears to be tying up loose ends. Stewart made his Jewish pride clear in a segment titled “A Look Back: Let His People Laugh.” Sen. Chuck Schumer made a surprise appearance as a follow-up to his inclusion on the previous night’s show, which poked fun at the New York Democrat’s preference for ta...
TEL AVIV (JTA)-Professional lacrosse player Chase Clark was told that there are three keys to survival in Israel: Realize that everyone else thinks their time is more important than yours, avoid the crazy drivers while crossing the road and enjoy yourself as much as possible. Before this week, Clark had never been to the Jewish state. But on Monday, the Grand Junction, Colorado, resident moved there-with big plans to play for the country's national indoor lacrosse team. "I found out later in...
(JTA)-Former Israeli President Shimon Peres may be a big U2 fan, but it seems like Bono is an even bigger Shimon Peres fan. Peres was in Toronto for an economic conference and attended U2's performance at the Air Canada Centre there. During the encore, Bono took advantage of the opportunity to praise Peres-who also served as Israel's prime minister, among other roles -- for his efforts to broker a two-state solution. "There's somebody here who's got one of the hardest jobs on earth," Bono said,...
(JTA)-Given the long and storied history of the Holocaust film genre, it's unusual for a new movie on the subject to be lauded as innovative. But the new film "Son of Saul," the first by Hungarian director Laszlo Nemes, is being called just that. It also was one of the most widely talked about films at this year's prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where it landed the Grand Prix award for second best film. (The French film "Dheepan" won the top prize, the Palme d'Or.) "Son of Saul" stars...
(JTA)— On Rosh Hashanah, according to the liturgy, our fate is written in the Book of Life. But Jewish football fans may be spending the holiday thinking about something else: the NFL opening games they are missing. The 2015 NFL schedule was released on Tuesday, and the season kickoff is on Sept. 13, which is the first night of Rosh Hashanah. The first game of the season, as it has been in recent years, is on a Thursday (Sept. 10). But the following Sunday (Erev Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 13) kicks off the season for most of the league’s tea...
(JTA)- Critics love to nitpick Hillary Clinton's personal and policy choices, as they have during the recent email scandal and the Benghazi scandal. This time, however, the critics may have a substantial case against her. As soon as Clinton's campaign was launched, her campaign logo was lampooned from all sides. Some called it too simple, others thought it looked too corporate. Some were just confused that it features a red arrow pointing to the right – a feature that seems to contrast the blue...
NEW YORK (JTA)-As the Streit's matzah factory on the Lower East Side gets set to close, Jews in New York City and beyond are feeling the nostalgia. The last family-owned matzah company in the United States has still not set an official closing date (latest reports indicate that the Rivington Street factory may remain open until May or early summer), but its plans remain the same: Streit's matzah-making operations will be consolidated to a Moonachie, N.J., factory very soon. Brooklyn-based...
(JTA)—It’s no secret that non-Jews are into Jewish names. Sarah Palin named her dog Hadassah. Gwyneth Paltrow (that perennially “almost” Jewish actress) and Chris Martin named their son Moses. In recent years, the name Cohen has become a popular first name amongst non-Jews. So it might not come as a surprise to some that Jill Duggar, one of the 19 kids from “19 Kids and Counting” fame, and her husband Derick Dillard have named their first child Israel David. “Love this sweet baby Israel!” the Duggar family exclaimed on its official Facebook pag...
Jorma Kaukonen, who played guitar in classic rock bands Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, has just released "Ain't In No Hurry," his first solo album since 2009. While Kaukonen's guitar skills are legendary, few people know that he bought his first electric guitar by cashing Israel Bonds he received from his Jewish grandmother. On the eve of Jefferson Airplane's 50th anniversary, the 74-year-old Kaukonen, who lives in Athens, Ohio, with his wife, a Jew-by-choice, talked to JTA about his Jewish...
NEW YORK (JTA)-France's chief rabbi, Haim Korsia, rejected Israeli Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu's recent call for European Jews to move to Israel. At a news conference Thursday following a speech at Park East Synagogue in New York, Korsia said there had been a Jewish presence in France for 2,000 years and, echoing recent comments by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, said that "France will no longer be France" if there were a mass Jewish exodus. "His job is to say that," Korsia said of...
(JTA)-Wes Anderson's whimsical film "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was nominated for nine Academy Awards last week, just days after winning the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical. Named one of the best films of the year by several top critics, it could earn Anderson, a director whose cult following has steadily grown over the past decade, his first Oscar. It will also likely raise the profile of Stefan Zweig, the Austrian Jewish novelist who, Anderson has said, inspired the film's quirky...
