Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles written by Mark Mietkiewicz


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  • Rosh Hashanah games and the 'Pickle of Life'

    Mark Mietkiewicz|Sep 11, 2015

    Before I get going with today’s column, I would like to wish all my readers a good and healthy CUCUMBER in which you are inscribed in the PICKLE of Life. What the--?? Rosh Hashanah is almost here—a time for solemn introspection. But that doesn’t mean you and your family can’t have some fun through holiday-related online games, puzzles and activities that will last you until Yom Kippur. Like the Torah Tots site where you can print out and then decorate holiday symbols such as the shofar and tashlich. There’s also an on-line jigsaw puzzle in...

  • Heartbreak, Holocaust and humor

    Mark Mietkiewicz|Apr 10, 2015

    On the evening of Wednesday, April 15—the 27th of Nisan—candles will be lit around the world to honor the memory of the millions of Jews who perished during the Holocaust. On Yom HaShoah, we also remember the courage and defiance Jews showed during the war. That defiance could have taken the form of physical confrontation but often it was seen as psychological resistance—such as the use of humor against their Nazi oppressors. Today, how Jews used humor during the Shoah. Does this topic unsettle you? John Morreall is not surprised if it does....

  • Protecting the Jewish home from fire

    Mark Mietkiewicz|Apr 3, 2015

    The recent horrors in Brooklyn have united Jews in sorrow. They are also a tragic example of how quickly fire can sweep through a home and the devastation it can leave behind. In addition to Shabbat, practically every Jewish holiday has a connection to fire. These sites provide potentially lifesaving advice for enjoying our traditions safely. Tragic results can occur year round when fire is not given the respect it demands. Some recent examples: • Passover: A mother trying to set fire to a piece of bread as part of a centuries-old Jewish r...

  • Sufganiyot: oil, calories and the Garden of Eden

    Mark Mietkiewicz|Nov 22, 2013

    When you think of Chanukah, the first food that comes to mind is probably the latke. While the potato pancake certainly has its virtues, its oily cousin, the sufganiya has it own unique pleasures. Today, we troll the web for the jelly-filled, powdered sugar-topped, calorie-laden doughy delight. Israeli folklorist Dov Noy says that sufganiyot go back. Way back. According to an apocryphal Bukharran fable, the first sufganiya "was given to Adam and Eve after their expulsion from the Garden of...