Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Volunteers from Our Jewish Orlando (OJO) served Christmas dinner on Dec. 25 to women and children at the Coalition for the Homeless Women's Residential and Counseling Center in Orlando. In all, 18 OJO volunteers pitched in to make the holiday memorable for residents of the center, which accommodates more than 50 women and 40 children. Our Jewish Orlando, a program for young adults by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, paid for the event with money raised as part of a "100 Wishes" mitzvah...
The stage is set, the Woman of Choice has been selected and the invitations are in the mail! Choices, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's largest women's philanthropy event of the year, will kick off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Congregation Ohev Shalom in Maitland. The theme for Choices 2016 is "Celebrating the Spirit of the Woman," and JFGO has assembled a multifaceted program that is both a celebration of women and a tribute to Jewish heritage. Of course, the star attraction for...
Throughout 2016 the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. During the year they will present special programming that honors both the past and the future of the Center. Included in the plans is a series titled "I Remember: Reflections of Eyewitnesses to the Holocaust" which will feature local Holocaust survivors who will share their stories. These programs will begin on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and will...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The United States monitored phone conversations between top Israeli officials and U.S. lawmakers as well as U.S. Jewish groups in the U.S., current and former U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal. The National Security Agency’s foreign eavesdropping included conversations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides, and private conversations held between Israeli officials and U.S. lawmakers, according to the report published late Tuesday afternoon, citing more than two dozen unnamed U.S. officials. The Whi...
TEL AVIV (JTA)-Its backers call it a victory for transparency. Opponents say it smacks of dictatorship. Either way, a new bill requiring certain Israeli nongovernmental organizations to publicly declare their foreign government funding is moving toward passage after it was approved by a Cabinet committee on Sunday. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who proposed the bill, said it uncovers foreign meddling in Israeli affairs. "The transparency law, which passed the ministerial committee for...
(Jewniverse via JTA)-A priest, a rabbi, and an imam walk into a bar... Actually, this isn't a joke or a bar. It's an extraordinary new building called the House of One, which will combine a mosque, a synagogue and a church in Petriplatz, also known as "the medieval birthplace of Berlin." Yes, Berlin-as Rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin says in House of One's promotional video, "For me as a Jew, this city is 'The City of Wounds' and 'The City of Miracles.'" The House of One will welcome people of multiple...
Now in its 22nd year, Choices has become known as the premier women's philanthropy event in Central Florida. Each year, Choices organizers make it their goal to "raise the bar" by injecting a fresh dose of creativity while enhancing and refining the production value of the program, all with the goal of providing a meaningful, memorable and enjoyable evening for all who attend. But pulling off a seamless production requires an incredible amount of heavy lifting behind the scenes, much of which...
Valerie and Jim Shapiro of Orlando recently led the Jewish National Fund's Spirit of Israel Tour on Nov. 1-8. They visited the north, the Negev, and Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Explaining why they decided to go to Israel at this time, Valerie stated "More than ever we feel the need to stand with Israel and support its people in these challenging times." Seven others from Orlando joined them on this tour. Upon returning, Valerie said, "JNF's Spirit of Israel Tour exceeded our expectations. It's a gre...
Next month marks the first anniversary of the death of Alberto Nisman, the Argentine federal prosecutor who spent a decade investigating the 1994 Iranian-backed bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires. In that massacre, 85 people were murdered and hundreds more injured. Nisman’s lifeless body, readers will remember, was discovered in the bathroom of his Buenos Aires apartment on Jan. 18, 2015—the night before he was due to elaborate on his formal complaint against the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in fron...
OK, so 2015 was a bummer. But we are a people with a tradition of looking to the future with hope—and having a sense of humor. So here’s my prediction for the major news stories of 2016: January: In the midst of a winter heat wave, Madison Square Garden cancels Ice Capades show due to melting ice; Republicans abruptly cancel outdoor “Global Warming Is A Myth” rally in Minnesota after key speakers suffer sunstroke. February: On the eve of Super Tuesday primaries, Donald Trump announces his vice presidential running mate: Nicole “Snooki...
It was possible to hope that this wave of violence was winding down. Soon after Friday prayers at the mosques, there was not much more excitement than routine stone throwing at a light rail train as it passed by an Arab neighborhood. For some time now, the management of the rail line has coated the windows with material that prevents serious damage. Then began an event that has occupied Israel’s media more than anything earlier. It also revealed some of the complexities that suggest the conflict is endless, with ups and downs in outbreaks. A gu...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Yet again the Israeli Knesset is considering legislation to single out and punish progressive nongovernmental organizations, particularly the human rights groups that are such a thorn in the side of those who favor the continued occupation of the West Bank. Carefully constructed to evade the inevitable legal challenges it would face if passed, the legislation approved by a Knesset committee this week would require representatives of organizations receiving foreign government funding to identify themselves as such in every p...
BALTIMORE (JTA)—No spoilers here, but you must have noticed by now that “Star Wars” is everywhere. With the recent release of “The Force Awakens,” everyone from die-hard to casual fans are analyzing all aspects of the movie, from the posters to the cameos. The big questions fans are asking: Will this “Star Wars” film live up to the originals in the franchise? Will it be faithful and convey the same meaning? Does the new generation at the helm have what it takes to tell the story in as compelling a way as the generation that preceded it? These a...
State Department officials and Middle East “experts” are always warning us that if the Palestinian Authority collapses, Israel will be harmed because Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation will come to an end. But an incident in Ramallah this week makes one wonder if that “security cooperation” really exists at all. The Palestinian news agency “Ma’an” boasted on Dec. 22 that “Palestinian police ordered Israeli Border Police forces out of the Beituniya area of western Ramallah and threatened to use their weapons if they refused, local...
MORNING AND EVENING MINYANS (Call synagogue to confirm time.) Chabad of South Orlando—Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. and 10 minutes before sunset; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m., 407-354-3660. Congregation Ahavas Yisrael—Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-644-2500. Congregation Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Daytona—Monday, 8 a.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m., 904-672-9300. Congregation Ohev Shalom—Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-298-4650. GOBOR Community Minyan at Jewish Academy of Orlando—Monday—Friday, 7:45 a.m.—8:30 a.m. Temple I...
A youth group from the South Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC) ranging in age from 6 to 16 took the time Christmas Day morning to put on a talent show for seniors at Brookdale Senior Living in Ocoee. Contributing in the singing and performing group and solo popular, winter, and Chanukah songs were Rebecca Goldberg, Carly Rayman, Nathan Spear, Rachel Spear, Grant Sikora, Chad Sikora, Gabe Klavans, Rebecca Klavans, Samantha Jacobson, Amanda Jacobson, and Emma Jacobson. Risa Sikora hosted the...
Mary Lavin, age 81, of Longwood, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2105, at Island Lake Center in Longwood. Mrs. Lavin was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Jan. 5, 1934, one of two daughters of the late Nathan and Sylvia Friedman Feldman. She was a homemaker and married her husband, Lloyd, in Cleveland, 63 years ago. For over 40 years, she was the caregiver for Lloyd. They relocated to the Orlando area from Cleveland in 2000 and have been members of Congregation Beth Am. Mrs. Lavin was also a highly ranked Bridge player. In addition to her husband,...
Glenn T. Vandewater, age 65, of Lake Mary, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015, at Hospice of the Comforter, Altamonte Springs. Born in Queens, New York, on Feb. 21, 1950, he was a son of the late Daniel T. and Helen Lambert Vandewater. He was a graduate of Bernard Baruch College in New York and received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Mr. Vandewater was a Navy veteran serving in the Judge Advocates General’s Corp retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. In civilian life, Mr. Vandewater was a Family Law attorney in Lake Mary. He is s...
The Tri-County Hadassah in The Villages has been busy this past season. In addition to Zumba dancing to Israeli music, they collected toys for the children in Shepherds Lighthouse Women's Shelter in Bellevue, and recenty elected its new board members. The new president is Sandee Bearison, and elected board members are Pearl Greenberg, Carol Levine, Shelie Goldsmith, Helen Landes, Elaine Grae, Geri Rittberg, Sandy Rib, Bonnie Cooperstein and Natalie Bassen-Soto....
TEL AVIV (JTA)-It has the highest poverty rate among affluent democracies, the fourth-worst income inequality and the seventh-lowest government spending on social services. Those are among the dismal conclusions of the State of the Nation report, an annual set of papers on Israel's economy and society released last week by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, a socioeconomic think tank. There is some good news sprinkled in, but the prognosis is mostly grim. Here are six figures that...
Dangers of the Internet... One of the major priorities for the World Jewish Congress (WJC) in 2016 is to put an end to the spread of hate and the recruitment of terrorists on social media sights. I recently received the following (in part) from Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER, president of the WJC: "As we turn a page on the deadly 2015 for Jews in Europe and Israel, I am deeply concerned for the safety and security of Jews in the new year. It's hard to recall a recent time of greater turmoil and...
These two girls, (along with big sister not in photo) had the pleasure of sharing time and Chanukah with their grandparents, Jack and Rose, as well as dozens of other seniors on the first night of Chanukah. The Jewish Pavilion is very appreciative to the Harper Family Foundation for their support of inter-generational programs that enhance the lives of our elders and our youth. Various teen and youth groups remain connected to the seniors serviced by Jewish Pavilion. For more information to...
Whether it's your first time in Israel or your 50th, there's something undeniably magical about Eretz Yisrael. For me, our December trip was my fifth visit to the Land of Milk and Honey. It was my husband Micah's first. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned at all about security prior to our trip. We traveled on El Al and, knowing the airline's stringent security procedures, we were confident of our safety. On advice from a friend who had recently traveled to Israel, we packed pepper spray...
JERUSALEM (JTA)-The hardest part was loading the assault rifle. That's not because he was a newbie, unaccustomed to the workings of a Tavor rifle. Rather, 1st Sgt. Izzy Ezagui had lost an arm in combat. He'd overcome seemingly insurmountable bureaucratic hurdles and got a posting on a base in the Negev. And so his next challenge began: He had to prove he could still fight. Ezagui is the only combat soldier with an amputation to serve as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces reserves. For him,...
MOSCOW (JTA)-Like many tourists in Red Square, I have often wondered what lies beyond the tall walls that separate this Moscow attraction from the Kremlin, the official residence of Russia's president and the nerve center of the state. As a journalist long obsessed with Russia, I've wanted to take a peek inside the Kremlin for just about forever. In my fantasy, I'd have a one-on-one interview with Vladimir Putin in which I gain the strongman's respect by beating him in a staring contest....
