Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 34
On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, the United States Congress presented the Monuments men and women, of all 14 nations, with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States. George Washington received the first medal. (A partial list of recipients is provided below.) Normally only two Congressional Gold Medals are awarded each year, due in part to the rigorous review and approval process that requires two-thirds consent of both houses of Congress. Nine years of... Full story
StandWithUs (SWU) is placing a billboard on University Boulevard east of Forsyth Road beginning the week of Jan. 25, 2016 for four weeks. The billboard reminds commuters of the benefits of the US-Israel relationship which "creates hundreds of thousands of jobs in America." The SWU billboard counters an anti-Israel one on University Boulevard between Forsyth and Semoran boulevards initiated and paid for by StopTheBlankCheck.org and IfAmericansKnew.org. It asks, "$10 Million a Day to Israel? Our... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion (JP) recognizes someone with a flair for giving back to the community every year at its annual fashion show. This year the JP is honoring Friends Board member Marci Gaeser at its "Spring into Fashion" show at Bloomingdales in Orlando on Thursday, Feb. 4. Gaeser hit the ground running when she joined the JP Friend's Board in the fall of 2014. Within months of joining, she had agreed to co-chair two of the Pavilion's most impactful fundraisers, its annual gala and fashion... Full story
As the turmoil in the Middle East continues to increase; as states like Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen fall apart in a bloodshed; as millions of people from the Middle East become refugees in western countries; as a global superpower like Russia takes part in the Syrian civil war and as the role of the U.S. in the Middle East politics is minimal, it is ever more confusing to understand who everyone is and what they want. On Thursday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m., Dr. Mordechai Kedar (PhD. Bar-Ilan U.), an... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-Less than a month after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled a readiness to mend ties with Israel after years of antipathy, a delegation of American Jewish leaders has embarked on a trip to embrace Turkey's longtime rival Greece. Members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations are in the midst of a weeklong trip that will take them to Israel, Greece and Cyprus, the disputed Mediterranean island that has been a source of Greek-Turkish... Full story
The ongoing wave of Palestinian terrorism that has plagued Israel since last fall has also brought to the fore the Palestinians' frustration with their own leadership. While Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has been blamed for inciting violence against Israelis, many Palestinians have become disillusioned with the PA's corruption and inability to attain statehood. As such, Israeli leaders are increasingly concerned that internal Palestinian dissatisfaction could bring about... Full story
(JTA)-A French Jewish politician found dead in his home was killed by asphyxiation, the autopsy found. The body of Alain Ghozland, 73, a municipal councilor in the Paris suburb of Creteil, was also reportedly riddled with stab wounds when it was discovered in his apartment Tuesday morning. An unnamed judicial source told the French MetroNews website Wednesday that the cause of death was "traumatic asphyxiation," which he is quoted as saying "confirms the voluntary nature of the homicide." He dec... Full story
On Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, Congregation Beth Am in Longwood will host a unique interfaith dialogue—The Jewish Jesus in Text and Context—in collaboration with 10 ministers and leaders of diverse faith communities. Starting at 2 p.m. in the Congregation Beth Am Social Hall, 3899 Sand Lake Road, Longwood Rabbi Rick Sherwin will moderate an extensive Question and Answer session responding to a video presentation by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. Dr. Levine is professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter professor of New Test... Full story
Hate crimes targeting Muslim Americans and mosques across the United States tripled in the month after the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. In light of this sobering development, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando voted to express solidarity with those who repudiate hateful interpretations of Islam. In letters sent to local Islamic leaders this month, the Federation and JCRC stated the following: "We write today to share... Full story
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is hosting its Annual Orlando Event on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at The Alfond Inn, 300 East New England Avenue, Winter Park. The evening will begin with a cocktail and dessert reception at 7 p.m., followed by the main program, titled "Courage & Heroism: Stories from the Middle East," at 7:30 p.m. The program will feature two speakers with incredible stories: Staff Sgt. Robert Bartlett, an Iraq War Veteran, and Mosab Hassan Yousef, a former Shin Bet... Full story
So numerous were the omissions, distortions, and flights of extraordinary fancy in President Barack Obama’s Jan. 12 State of the Union address that you’d be hard-pressed to pick the most egregious passage. For what it’s worth, then, I offer my personal selection. “On issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us, and make sure other countries pull their own weight,” Obama said. “That’s our approach to conflicts like Syria, where we’re partnering with local forces and leading international efforts to help that broken soc... Full story
It’s that dirty little secret nobody wants to talk about, because it makes everybody uncomfortable. It hovers in the background, it’s hidden in the closet, and it lingers in the recesses of our minds. But it’s there, written in black and white in the Oslo Accords, and it can’t be erased: the Palestinian Authority (PA) is obligated to surrender to Israel any terrorist whose extradition the Israelis request. Which is what makes the ongoing standoff in Bulgaria such an inconvenience! A Palestinian terrorist who escaped from an Israeli prison... Full story
In one of the episodes of the TV drama, Homeland, a CIA operative reports to a meeting of senior officers about his experience in Syria. The discussion proceeds something like this: There are too many militias to count, and more than a few considered important. The US has no strategy guiding its personnel on the ground. Where does it come from? They’ve been at it since the 7th century. What would it take to fix it? 200,000 US troops on the ground, and billions to create and teach a new kind of education for the younger generation. That is n... Full story
What would have happened if Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin hadn’t been murdered? Would history have been altered? Not according to former IDF Intelligence head and Labor Party frontbencher, Amos Yadlin, speaking last week. “He would have lost the elections in any event to Binyamin Netanyahu in ‘96. The public atmosphere in the country was that the Oslo process failed, the terror attacks of [Islamic] Jihad and Hamas were unacceptable and Rabin himself would have reconsidered Oslo. I have no doubt that he lost his trust, if he even had i... Full story
Last week, the media carried what on the surface appeared to be an insignificant story on the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s announcement of plans to shut down its Philadelphia consulate, along with four other closings involving embassy and consulate services in the Caribbean and Europe. But upon a second reading of this news, it appears to be a much larger story! We are reminded that Philadelphia represents the sixth-largest Jewish community in the United States, with an estimated population of 214,000 (Berman Jewish DataBank). Beyond its h... Full story
Dear Editor: Ms. Wendy Wisner’s touching concern for the so-called Muslim refugees (Heritage, Jan. 8, 2016, Page 12) with analogies to the Jewish Holocaust victims is naïve and inappropriate. Before the U.S. entered World War II, Jewish victims of Nazism were not welcomed there as refugees but permitted to come to the U.S. only under the quota immigration laws—with affidavits from relatives guaranteeing that they would not require welfare support when they arrived. Many, like my family, waited five years or longer before receiving a visa to com... Full story
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26 Torah & Tea—Women’s study group meeting weekly from 9:30—10:30 a.m. in the Conference Room at the Chabad Center of Jewish Life, 7347 W. Sand Lake Road, Orlando. The group is open to all women. Admission is free and no previous Jewish education is required. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27 Temple Israel—Adult education class on the Torah portion of the week taught by Rabbi Neeley at the synagogue, noon. At 7 p.m. Rabbi Neely leads a seminar in the style of the Beit Midrash on Jewish Law. Info: 407-647-3055. Congregation Beth Am—Adult St... Full story
Sheila Kaprow, age 67, of Winter Springs, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, at South Seminole Hospital in Longwood. Mrs. Kaprow, one of three children of the late Bernard and Sylvia Bernstein Weinstein, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb. 22, 1948. She was a Special Education teacher and the wife of 45 years of Rabbi Maurice S. Kaprow, who survives her. They relocated to Central Florida from Freehold, N.J., in 1981. Mrs. Kaprow is also survived by her sons, Dr. Marc G. (Ivy) Kaprow of Cooper City, Fla., and Philip S. (Sara) Kaprow of... Full story
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,... Full story
Jeanette Rand, age 78, of College Park, Orlando, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, at Hospice of the Comforter in Altamonte Springs. A New York native, Jeanette was the daughter of the late David and Anna Rand. She was a long time resident of College Park and worked as a medical technician in radiology for many of years. Jeanette was devoted to her parents, particularly to her mother. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Louis Rand and Al Rand; and her sister, Shirley Cohen. A funeral service was held at the... Full story
Leonard Wolfson, age 96, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and formerly of Orlando, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Milwaukee. Mr. Wolfson was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Dec. 13, 1919, to the late Samuel and Feigele Shildkraut Wolfson and was a microbiologist. He was predeceased by his wife, Doris; son, Mark; his brother, Gerald; and sister, Rose Felson. Mr. Wolfson is survived by his daughter-in-law, Betsy Wolfson of Milwaukee; and grandchildren, Jessica Wolfson, Matthew Wolfson and David Wolfson. He is also survived by his nephew, Dr.... Full story
Choices 2016, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's largest women's philanthropy event of the year, is proving to be a hot ticket. Just three days after invitations began arriving in the mailboxes of local women, JFGO had sold more than 100 tickets online for the Feb. 9 event at Congregation Ohev Shalom. Those who responded early were rewarded with a bonus-one free ticket for the Choices Raffle, a $25 value. That promotion ended Jan. 18. "We couldn't be happier with the response so far,"... Full story
Special to Heritage This is a story about a dog named Lilly, a festering dispute that emptied streets in a Winter Park neighborhood and how two young children responded with acts of tikun olam. It all started Aug. 15 when two neighbors argued about the dog that was off leash. One neighbor, claiming the dog acted aggressively, shot Lilly in the eye. Thanks to a veterinarian who came to the rescue, Lilly recovered, but the neighborhood didn't. Neighborhood streets that once hopped with children pl... Full story
Okay! Okay! I'm sorta old (sorta)... What kind of word is sorta?? And speaking of words and getting older, I received this email recently. Read on: "Lost Expressions from Our Childhood Heavens to Murgatroyd! (Would you believe the email spell checker did not recognize the word murgatroyd?) Words gone as fast as the buggy whip! Sad really! The other day a not so elderly (65) lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy and he looked at her quizzically and said what the heck is a Jalopy?... Full story
The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will present The Jewish Course of Why, the institute's new six-session winter 2016 course that will begin during the week of Feb. 8, 2016. Partnering with JLI is the Jewish National Fund of Orlando. Mention JNF when registering and 10 percent of your tuition will be donated to the Jewish National Fund helping build a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people while nourishing your soul with some Torah study. The course will be offered in 4... Full story
