Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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On Friday, Jan. 31 a Tu B'Shevat seder sprung up at Brookdale Island Lake in Longwood with the help of the Jewish Pavilion. Longtime volunteer and president of the Jewish National Fund Board, Debbie Meitin, led the 30-minute service and celebration. Meitin noted that Tu B'Shevat is the New Year for trees, and coincides with springtime in the land of Israel. Emily Newman, Jewish Pavilion senior specialist and program director, pointed out that a Tu B'Shevat seder is somewhat similar to a...
On Jan. 15, the "Pearls" of the Jewish Pavilion (POP) enjoyed a state-of-the-art event featuring a gourmet luncheon, along with an eye-popping tour of the art-filled residence of Bob and Elaine Gamson. Forty POPs toured the contemporary Longwood home located in the Springs, and learned about the multi-media conceptual pop art created by their son, Stephen, who shared the influences behind his unique works of bold and iconic art representative of the communication age. He also touched upon the...
The Jewish Pavilion will honor two are very special couples-Marty and Emily Glickstein and Susie and Mark Stone-at their annual Gala on Sunday, Feb. 22 at The Westin Lake Mary at 5 p.m. The gala will include a silent auction, a gourmet meal, and the musical sounds of Paul Stenzler and his band. "This year's gala invitation featured four special words: cherish, love, adore, and share. These carefully selected words highlight our commitment to the elder-care community, and are reflective of the...
Most recently, I had the privilege of celebrating a Pavilion Chanukah party with the seniors at the Mayflower Retirement Home in Winter Park, where a cadre of volunteers helped Program Director Judy Procell add warmth to the first night's festivities. Sponsors Sally Kopke, Nancy Bland, and the Gaeser family gifted the residents' plates of latkes along with a dose of Chanukah cheer. Volunteers Ellen Hrabovsky and Lisa Rizgony along with her grandchildren visited with the seniors. Volunteer,...
While most Jews joined in the celebration of the eight days of Chanukah (which fell between Dec. 16 and Dec. 24 in 2014), the Jewish Pavilion staff and volunteers celebrated more than most. Throughout the month of December the Pavilion's four program directors and countless volunteers brought Chanukah festivities and lit the (electric) menorah in more than 50 assisted living and nursing homes in Greater Orlando, bringing Chanukah cheer to hundreds of residents. Each celebration offered a little...
Jewish Pavilion volunteers Norma Ball and Pam Ruben, as well as all Pavilion volunteers and members, will be honored at the Jewish Pavilion's annual JP Connections luncheon. As the two volunteers of the year, Ball and Ruben both understand how important it is to spend time with our senior citizens. Longtime Pavilion volunteer Norma Ball never imagined she would spend her retirement years visiting seniors. The Sanford resident spent most of her working life in Jewish education in Albany, New...
North Orlando was rocking Sunday, Nov. 16, and it wasn't because boy band One Direction was headed into town. All the fuss and fanfare was for Lake Mary's newest celebrity, Chabad of North Orlando's new Sefer Torah, sponsored by Steve and Dawn Chamu family, and Paul Sebag. The torah was dedicated that morning at Lake Mary's Westin Hotel with all the festivity customary of a blessed and joyous event. The auspiciousness of the day was compared to "momentous, awe-inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime event...
Chanshy Majesky was overcome with great sadness following the Hebrew month of Adar (March) that even the joyous effects of Purim could not lift. Two of her colleagues from the Chabad community, Rashi Minkowitz of Fulton County, Georgia, and Rivky Barber of Melbourne, Australia, passed unexpectedly, leaving behind motherless children and grieving communities. Majesky and her fellow schluchot (emissaries of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe who are sent out to spread Judaism to Jews around the globe)...
Last October, members of the Jewish Pavilion's Friends Board were introduced to Sutton Homes by marketing director Jennifer Trotter at their monthly meeting. The board was intrigued by the concept of residential memory care, as each of the nine Sutton Homes in the Orlando area house five or less residents. On Nov. 3, Trotter returned to the monthly meeting and took a handful of board members on a guided tour of a nearby facility. The group visited a Sutton Home in Altamonte Springs tucked away...
The Mega Challah Bake has re-introduced the joy of challah-making to woman around the globe in recent months. On Thursday, Oct. 23, Orlando's five Chabad Centers brought the Mega Challah Bake to Central Florida, with more than 200 Jewish women of all affiliations joining in the mix. The Challah Bake was led by all five women of Chabad, who each brought something unique to the table, which they shared at the gathering held at the Maitland Civic Center. Chanshy Majesky, co-director of Chabad of...
"Each year, the Jewish Pavilion's A Walk in the Park, reminds us of the promise each generation has made to honor, respect and look out for our senior community," said Norma Ball, event co-chair. On Sunday, Oct. 26, hundreds of participants of all ages, ranging from babies to bubbies, made good on this promise by taking part in the Pavilion's annual A Walk in the Park, benefitting seniors in long-term care facilities in Greater Orlando. At just 10 weeks old, Jack Broffman was the event's...
While the Pavilion has been breaking bread with seniors in long-term care since 1998, there is much more to the organization beyond the challah. Executive Director Nancy Ludin noted, "Lunch and Learn serves as a great example of how the Pavilion enhances the lives of seniors all year round, and not just during the holidays. Program Director Cathy Swerdlow, an experienced instructor in both Judaica and history, leads a bi-monthly discussion at Oakmonte Village in Lake Mary that promotes healthy...
Dana Selznick has been listening to the needs of deaf and hearing impaired children since she was just a kid herself at Lake Mary High School (LMHS class of '05). Selznick befriended a deaf teen during her freshman year, and advocating on her behalf became second nature throughout her high school years. Selznick studied sign language at LMHS, and decided to pursue a career in deaf education. She received an undergraduate degree in deaf and hard of hearing education from the University of North...
Many believe Yiddish, a mixture of German and Hebrew spoken by Eastern and Central European Jews before WWII, is a dying language. However, Yiddish has been alive and well for the past two years in greater Orlando, thanks to Yiddishe maven Joan Pohl and the support of the Jewish Pavilion. Pohl can be found in a makeshift classroom at Chambrel Assisted Living Center on the third Thursday of each month surrounded by a crowd of seniors, eager to practice the Yiddish language during the one hour...
I would recommend seeing the film “This is Where I Leave You” before spending time with your extended family. Despite their quirks, your own family will seem incredibly normal compared to the highly dysfunctional Altman clan, who make this film a “family affair” in the most unusual ways. The dramatic comedy opens with character, Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) having a really bad day. He discovers his wife in bed with his boss, and then receives a phone call that his father has passed away. Judd ar...
"Bunny Rosen was an irreplaceable friend of the Jewish Pavilion, and it is our honor to walk in her name at the Pavilion's 4th Annual " A Walk in the Park," taking place on Sunday, Oct. 26 at Crane's Roost Park," stated Executive Director Nancy Ludin. "We are grateful to Bunny's family, Melissa and Sandy Masin, for co-sponsoring the event in her memory." Although she has been gone for more than a year, Rosen's legacy lives on throughout Jewish Orlando. The 84-year-old dynamo of volunteerism,...
On Friday Sept. 5, 10 residents of Life Care Center were treated to an early Rosh Hashanah service led by Program Director Julie Levitt, with volunteer Stephen Wolf accompanying the festivities on the shofar. "Rosh Hashanah brings a new year and a fresh outlook to Life Care Center (LCC) in Altamonte Springs. Recently, the staff at Life Care has gone out of their way to embrace their Jewish residents and to support their culture. Activities Director Angela Gauthier prepared a beautiful dining...
Recently, I viewed the compelling documentary "The Internet's Own Son," about the life and untimely death of Internet activist, Aaron Swartz, and it hit home in a couple of unexpected ways. Not only was Swartz raised in a Jewish family in my hometown of Highland Park, Illinois, but coincidentally, we both grew up in the same house, 15 years apart. Aaron's parents, Susan and Robert Swartz, currently reside in the house I consider my own childhood home from 1970-1986. According to Zillow, the...
This year, those who attend the Jewish Pavilion's Fourth Annual Walk in the Park and Family Festival will have a rare opportunity to be captured in a "Generations Photo" by renowned American-Israeli photographer Rinat Halon. Each family that participates will receive a complimentary "generations" photo by Halon and social media-ready image file will be emailed complimentary of Rinat Halon Photography Communications (RHPC). All proceeds from any enlargements of the "Generations" photos will be...
"Happy Hours at Savannah Court have never been more joyous since singer and volunteer, Esther Portes, began serenading our seniors," said Jewish Pavilion volunteer coordinator Gloria Newberger, who shared that she had run out of song-leaders after six years of organizing weekly sing-alongs and ice cream socials at the Maitland facility, adding that most volunteers were more comfortable dishing out ice cream than "the Golden Oldies." Newberger continued, "Soon after my plea, this angel, Esther...
More than 100 women gathered at the 6th Annual Jewish Pavilion Fashion Show held on May 1 at Hutton in Winter Park, for a morning of friendship, fashion, finger foods, and fun. Pavilion volunteers graciously served as runway models as storeowne Susan Johnson shared the latest fashion trends. Pavilion board member and event honoree Elaine Gamson thanked Pavilion volunteers, family members and participants for their overwhelming support of the event, as well as of the Jewish elder community, her...
Monday afternoons are a time of celebration, song, and snack at Savannah Court and Cove in Maitland. Residents of all faiths and backgrounds stroll, wheel, or ambulate into the main hall at 3 p.m. on the dot, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Jewish Pavilion volunteers, the force behind their weekly happy hour. On Monday, May 28, Savannah Court residents had an additional reason for celebration. A rabbi affixed a mezuzah to the doorpost with a moving ceremony, designating the facility as a...
"Elaine Gamson is an extraordinary woman who has tirelessly supported the Orlando Jewish community over the past 50 years," said Nancy Ludin, executive director of the Jewish Pavilion. "We are thrilled to honor her at our annual 'Spring into Fashion' show on May 1st for holding the Jewish Pavilion and its mission close to her heart, and generously offering her time to enhance the lives of our seniors." Elaine Gamson (nee Gaeser) is a member of the Pavilion's board of directors, as well as an...
Elise Hoffeld Schilowitz of Maitland remembers pop icon, Paul Simon, from her sixth grade classroom at P.S. 164 in Kew Gardens Hills, New York, where he also was a fellow congregant at the Jewish Center. Schilowitz dug up an old class photo, and noted, "Paul Simon is still easy to pick out from our class picture. Though I haven't seen him in 50 years, he hasn't seemed to change all that much." Fortunately for Simon's voluminous fans, his crowd-pleasing vocals and iconic harmonies haven't...
The Jewish Pavilion threw its largest Purim party to date on Sunday, March 9, at the Westin in Lake Mary where more than 250 supporters attended their annual gala honoring dedicated sponsors and volunteers Valerie Chestnut and Eve Homburger. "Our Purim celebrations are a favorite at our elder facilities, bringing some sparkle to a darker time of year. The costumes, hamentaschen, and playfulness uplift our seniors, while bringing back memories of past celebrations. Our annual gala and Purim...
