Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Joe Buchanan, a convert to Judaism inspired by the traditions of Americana music and his faith, will be Artist in Residence on March 1 and 2 at Congregation Ohev Shalom. It was just after a harrowing 2011 visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., that Buchanan listened with astonishment as his wife of 13 years, April, revealed something she hadn't yet told him: she was born Jewish because her mother was Jewish. He knew she had been raised in Texas by a Christian father and a...
A sellout crowd of 225 Jewish Pavilion supporters and Citrus Club members gathered in early June for a fun and relaxed networking and social event in the Citrus Club's opulent downtown setting. The 18th-floor sunset views provided a gorgeous backdrop for the evening's festivities, which included drinks and small bites, a whiskey tasting, raffle prizes, and a few premium silent auction items, including club-level tickets to upcoming Jennifer Lopez and Jonas Brothers concerts at Amway Arena. The...
Seniors at The Mayflower in Winter Park were treated to a very special program of Israeli folk and Jewish music that focused on themes related to the founding and history of the Jewish state. Paul Stenzler, a Jewish Pavilion board member and past president, and Terri Fine Stenzler lead a monthly Shabbat morning service at the facility, and they designed the program after a recent discussion with their regular Shabbat attendees. “They were saying it would be nice to have programming for both Jews and non-Jews,” said Terri. Paul proposed a mus...
Join other Orlando professionals after work on Monday, June 3, at the Citrus Club downtown for Central Florida Connects, a relaxed networking and social event in an opulent setting. Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres and a drink in a fun and friendly atmosphere for a $15 donation, with all proceeds benefitting the Jewish Pavilion. Guests can also participate in a whiskey tasting and a raffle with high-appeal prizes such as Orlando City tickets, concert tickets, hotel stays and great wines. The event is...
Early on a bright and pleasant Sunday morning, more than 100 players teed up at Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Club for the Pavilion Golf Society's annual golf tournament. The May 5th event benefitted the Orlando Senior Help Desk, a service of the Jewish Pavilion that offers free advice on services and living options for seniors. The morning began with a light breakfast, after which golfers took to their carts and positioned themselves for the shotgun start. A luncheon followed the tournament and...
Late winter and early spring, with the festive and fun holidays of Purim and Passover to celebrate, is a very busy time for Jewish Pavilion program directors, who each plan and lead dozens of programs in just a few weeks. For Cantor Lance Rhodes, the Jewish Pavilion's newest program director, beginning his job just before the Purim holiday was a wonderful way to introduce himself to the residents and staffs of the south Orlando facilities he now serves. Part of what made his March beginning so s...
With the large and growing number of seniors living in Lake and Sumpter counties, where the sprawling The Villages development acts as a magnet for retirees, it was only natural that the Orlando Senior Help Desk began receiving more and more calls from those areas. As staff researched and networked to help callers find the answers they sought, it became clear that there is a large and unmet need in that region for the kind of in-depth and compassionate information and referral services that the...
Remembering is the essence of Passover: Each year on the holiday, we hold seders to retell the stirring story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt and passage from slavery to freedom. Not all of Orlando's Jewish seniors in living facilities are able to attend a family Seder, but many had the opportunity to recall the Passover story, sing its songs and experience the flavors of the festive meal at Jewish Pavilion seders and other Passover programs all over town this month. For Jewish Pavilion staff...
More than 100 women enjoyed a morning of food, fashion and fun at the annual Jewish Pavilion Spring into Fashion show at Bloomingdale's department store in The Mall at Millenia on April 9. Volunteer models walked the runway dressed in the latest trends for spring as Bloomingdale's public relations manager Jennifer Bentson offered advice on mixing and matching, accessorizing, and wardrobe must-haves for the season. The morning began with a mimosa brunch, generously sponsored by the event's...
Hit the greens for a good cause at the seventh annual Pavilion Golf Society golf tournament on Sunday, May 5, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Club. Hosted by the Jewish Pavilion and benefiting the Orlando Senior Help Desk, this popular tournament offers golfers a mimosa breakfast followed by a round of golf on the resort's challenging Arnold Palmer-designed course. After completing the 18 holes in teams of four, participants will be treated to a gourmet luncheon and can bid on exciting packages...
Jewish Pavilion staff and volunteers worked hard to bring the joy and fun of Purim to seniors in living facilities all over town last month. At more than two dozen festive parties and special events, Jewish seniors and family members were joined by residents and staff of other faiths to sing Purim songs, eat hamantaschen and other treats, and enjoy Purim spiels that retold the story of Queen Esther, King Achashverosh, and the wicked Haman. At Brookdale Dr. Phillips, women from Gesher and their...
The Jewish Pavilion welcomed Cantor Lance Rhodes as a new program director in early March. Cantor Rhodes is coordinating Pavilion programming at all of the south Orlando senior living facilities as Walter Goldstein, who has served as program director for several years, steps down to focus on his health. As a longtime Central Floridian who grew up in Ormond Beach, Cantor Rhodes is very pleased to have a new roll in serving seniors in this community. Coming from a family that was steeped in...
The clatter of a bagful of mahjong tiles spilling onto a table broke the quiet of the commons at Tuskawilla Nursing and Rehab Center on a recent Thursday morning. Jill Cousins had just arrived and was catching up with her friend Ruth Elison, a nursing home resident, as they began setting up the game. Debbie Meitin came next and immediately pitched in to set the dozens of tiles in place, Dale Perreault soon completed the foursome. Perreault, Meitin and Cousins are part of a pool of mahjong...
Modeling the latest styles, a group of 11 fashionable supporters of the Jewish Pavilion will sashay down the runway at the Spring into Fashion show at Bloomingdale's Orlando on Tuesday, April 9. The annual showcase of spring fashion trends will honor Friends of the Pavilion member Brenda Fisher Wetmore for her commitment to the organization and efforts on its behalf. Fisher Wetmore has been active in a number of area organizations since she and her first husband, Joe Fisher, moved to Orlando...
The Pearls of the Pavilion luncheon on Feb. 22 treated some of the Jewish Pavilion's most generous supporters to a gracious afternoon social affair. Attendees were celebrated as "pearls" because of their yearly commitment of at least $500 to support the Pavilion's programs, which keep hundreds of Jewish seniors in Central Florida living facilities connected to their Jewish heritage and to the community. To symbolize their value to the organization, all attendees who were first-time annual...
As I-4 traffic became aggravatingly slow on a recent late Friday afternoon, Michelle Bilsky arrived at Cascade Heights Senior Living in Longwood a little breathless from her rush to make it on time from her job downtown at the Lutheran Towers senior complex to the 4 p.m. Jewish Pavilion Shabbat service. She and her husband, Wayne, who live nearby, leave their jobs early one Friday a month and meet at Cascade Heights to lead the service, which is offered weekly with different leaders. "Good...
Congregation Ohev Shalom and members of the Orlando community will gather together at the Shabbat service on Saturday, March 9, and at the evening Gala on Sunday, March 10, to honor and celebrate Rabbi Aaron Rubinger's many accomplishments and show the community's heartfelt appreciation for his more than 28 years of service as Congregation Ohev Shalom's rabbi. Anyone who has attended a service led by Rabbi Rubinger may very well have come away with the impression that he was practically born in...
The Jewish Pavilion's annual Pearls of the Pavilion Luncheon, on Feb. 22, will be a gracious affair, with a catered gourmet meal accompanied by a private performance by Orlando Ballet II dancers. The Pearls luncheon is a very special social event held each year in appreciation for Pavilion Annual Membership Appeal donors of at least $500. Pledges for the 2019 appeal are still being accepted and can be paid throughout the year, so everyone still has an opportunity to attend this enjoyable and...
On a brisk early January morning, Randi Cunningham entered the graciously appointed lobby of Oakmonte Village's Cordova building and greeted the desk attendant with a wave and a smile. As a volunteer for the Jewish Pavilion, making visits to the rooms of Jewish residents a few times a month for the past few years, Cunningham is a familiar sight at this Lake Mary assisted living facility. Consulting her list of current Jewish residents, Cunningham planned a route for making her visits. The first...
By Lisa Levine If you are an American Jew, chances are good that you have encountered many non-Jews who know little or have misconceptions about Jewish religion or culture. So if you or a loved one were moving into a senior care facility, it probably wouldn’t surprise you to find that it did not occur to the non-Jewish caregiving staff to wish you a happy new year on Rosh Hashanah or offer you matzoh instead of a dinner roll on Passover. But in greater Orlando, most of the facilities have s...
Whether you are a senior or a caring family member, investigating and choosing among the wide range of options available to assist seniors with their special needs and concerns can feel overwhelming. But if you live in Orlando, you have a calm and caring friend who's just a phone call or an email away, ready to give you advice that's based on years of experience and a deep knowledge of issues affecting seniors: the Orlando Senior Help Desk. Staff members are available to help guide you through...
For Jewish seniors in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, it can be a challenge to keep up the Shabbat traditions of lighting candles and saying the blessings over challah and wine. But with Shabbat Boxes, the Jewish Pavilion is able to give Orlando Jewish seniors the gift of Shabbat. The boxes were the idea of Sarah Gittleson, who leads SPARK, the women's division of JOIN (Jewish Outreach Initiative) Orlando. She was baking challahs and preparing for Shabbat at home one Friday when...
During the festive Chanukah season, most Jews host or go to at least one party. For the Jewish Pavilion, the season is extra festive (and very busy), with five program directors hosting at least 30 parties at senior living facilities from Poinciana to Sanford. The parties were each a little different, tailored to the residents in each setting, but they shared some essential elements: menorahs were lit or turned on, blessings were made over wine and food, dreidels were spun, chocolate gelt and...
It takes very special people to devote themselves to befriending and uplifting seniors in living facilities who might otherwise be forgotten, and Judy Suberman and Susan Bernstein are two of those people. They will be recognized at this year's JP Connections, the Jewish Pavilion's annual luncheon and holiday bazaar for volunteers and members. Suberman grew up in Orlando, and her way of connecting with seniors began at an early age. Her mother's mom, who at a relatively young age had suffered a...
Imagine a fun date for lunch and shopping with 120 friends-that's the essence of JP Connections. The annual luncheon and holiday bazaar hosted by the Jewish Pavilion will be held on Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. at Hilton Orlando North. Longtime volunteers Judy Suberman and Susan Bernstein will be honored at this volunteer appreciation and paid-up membership event. For the Jewish Pavilion, volunteers are lifeblood-it would be impossible to touch the lives of 500 Jewish seniors in more than 70 living facilit...
