Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Using only the human voice as their instrument, the Maccabeats brought their eclectic array of vocal arrangements to Orlando on the afternoon of Sunday, April 10. Their sold-out performance at the Dr. Phillips High School Performing Arts Center marked the Jewish a cappella group's first appearance in Central Florida. The 650-seat auditorium was packed with members from synagogues as near as Congregation Ohev Shalom in Maitland and as far away as Temple Beth Sholom in Sarasota. The Southwest...
Students for Justice in Palestine held its first die-in protest at the University of Central Florida on Wednesday, April 6. Shortly after noon, UCF students bearing handmade signs laid on a grassy area outside the John T. Washington Center. They remained motionless to demonstrate how Israel's alleged occupation of the West Bank affects Palestinians. Freshman Noa Tann, 19, held a cardboard sign that read, "Proud Israeli for Justice! In Palestine." Tann said her heritage makes it imperative for...
Using personal anecdotes as their guide, two Israeli reserve soldiers spoke to nearly 20 University of Central Florida students the afternoon of Feb. 25. Shir, 25, and Isaac, 27, (only first names were given to protect their identity) are the featured speakers in this year’s Israeli Soldiers Tour. Sponsored by StandWithUs, an international Israel education organization, the program aims to give a human face to the IDF. Over the past seven years, it has sent Israeli reserve soldiers across the U.S. to visit universities, high schools, synagogues...
It's a highly contested and complicated region, one where the entanglement of history, religion and politics causes most students to shy away from learning more about it. But University of Central Florida freshman Jared Dipsiner isn't daunted by the challenge. He's even taken his interest in the Middle East a step further, making it his responsibility to relay the hard facts to both local and distant communities. "I feel like the Middle East is, in [some] people's minds, a primitive and barbaric...
Most Jewish students attending the University of Central Florida don't know him by face or by name. But real estate developer and Jewish philanthropist Hank Katzen is one of the masterminds behind Central Florida Hillel-a place that many consider to be their home away from home. The CFH center, located in the $60 million NorthView apartment complex, comprises 20,000 square feet of the 600,000-square-foot facility. In an attempt to create America's first self-sustaining Hillel, Katzen...
Jewish women representing and supporting the pluralistic prayer group Women of the Wall gathered at the Kotel on Rosh Chodesh Friday morning, July 17. However, cries of disapproval from the religious community overpowered their service. "We want to abolish the discriminatory regulations that are preventing women from praying freely at the Western Wall," said Shira Pruce, director of public relations for the group. "That means allowing women access to Sefer Torah that will sit here," she added,...
"I wanted to do something different this Spring Break," said Daniela Weisz, a 20-year-old UCF junior and marketing major. And that is exactly what she and eight other students did: They traded in lazy days on sandy beaches for volunteer work in the mountains of Clayton, Ga. The Alternative Break Program, coordinated by Volunteer UCF, provides students with various opportunities to help others and impact communities, both locally and internationally. One of the 13 trips offered this Spring Break...
If you looked to the skies between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Feb. 4, you would have seen a banner plane over UCF displaying the message: "Free Israel Trip #UCFHillel ISRL@GOHILLEL.ORG." This latest piece of marketing, affectionately titled "Birthflight" by the students at UCF, is the latest push by Central Florida Hillel to promote Birthright-the free trip to Israel for Jewish young adults between the ages of 18-26. Freshman Sari Misek traveled to Israel with Central Florida Hillel on Birthright this...
Anti-Semitism is rising at an alarming rate across the United States, especially on college campuses. A group such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is not interested in engaging in civil conversations with pro-Israel students. They would rather harass supporters of Israel, shout anti-Semitic insults, and turn to violence—as witnessed recently at Temple University—to spread their desire to “free” Palestinians from the “open-air prison” they supposedly live in. This type of student-run organization thrives upon media manipulatio...
On Sep. 3, over 300 UCF Knights solemnly gathered around the heart of campus to mourn and honor Steven Joel Sotloff-a freelance journalist who was murdered in cold-blood by the extremist group ISIS. The 31-year-old Miami native attended UCF from 2002-2004 and worked as a senior staff writer for The Central Florida Future, UCF's independent newspaper. After making aliyah in 2005, he set out to earn his undergraduate degree at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya. Before he was...
With the collapse of peace negotiations in Cairo on Aug. 19, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip resumed rocket attacks on the state of Israel. Many believed that Operation Protective Edge—rightfully launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on July 8—wouldn’t be over anytime soon. However, on Aug. 26, Israel and Hamas accepted an Egyptian-brokered, open-ended cease-fire; this is the twelfth time in fifty days that Israel has agreed to another cease-fire attempt with this recognized terrorist organization. According to The Jerus...
