Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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For years, leaders of the Jewish community have wrestled with ways to find new sources of revenue and reduce debt on the Maitland campus but no one came up with a plan to do it. Until now. Local businessman Charles Schwartz, strong supporter of Jewish causes here and abroad, has put in play a bold multi-pronged plan that tackles long-stewing financial issues. Schwartz is proposing that Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando sell its share of the Rosen JCC in South Orlando to the Rosen Foundation...
TAMPA-Five years ago Tampa's Jewish community faced financial challenges similar to Orlando's-bogged down with debt. Among other things, Tampa solved its problems by selling assets and using the proceeds to reduce campus debt-similar to a plan currently being proposed by leaders of Orlando Jewish community. Tampa had a $4 million mortgage; Orlando, a $5.8 million mortgage. "Like Orlando, the money Tampa was spending to service debt was robbing the community of its potential to fund programs and...
ORLANDO- University of Central Florida President John Hitt issued a statement today opposing the boycott of Israeli academic institutions, which has been promoted by some higher-education professional groups. Hitt joined university and college presidents from across the United States, as well as the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), in opposing an Israeli boycott. "An academic boycott of Israel is an anathema to the very principle universities hold most precious-the free...
NEW YORK—Taglit-Birthright Israel has announced that it is expanding its program eligibility to now include those young adults who had previously visited Israel as part of a peer trip when they were younger. The organization said the reason for the change in policy was based on an educational assessment that those who may have visited as a teenager would gain a significantly greater understanding and attachment to Israel through the Taglit-Birthright experience as a young adult. Beginning with the Summer 2014 registration that opens on Feb. 1...
The Jewish Pavilion Gala this year will be a festive Purim party on Sunday, March 9 at 5 p.m. at the Westin, Lake Mary. The $100 couvert includes wine, hors d'oeuvres, a gourmet dinner, live music and dancing and a silent and live auction. Costumes are optional. Honorees are Valerie Chestunt from VITAS Innovative Hospice and Eve Homburger. The Jewish Pavilion staff has planned 50 Purim parties in senior facilities across town. The gala is an extension of their mission to bring Jewish culture,...
After a five-year hiatus, the Israeli dance group at the Roth JCC is reviving its annual dance workshop with Israeli dance instructor Dany Benshalom on Saturday evening, March 29 and Sunday, March 30. Dany Benshalom, workshop master teacher, is widely known and respected among the dance community in Israel and the Western hemisphere. He has taught Israeli folk-dance for dance teachers at the Wingate Institute’s Zinnman College for P.E since 1988. Together with his wife Nogah, he runs one of Israel’s most popular dance programs in Kibbutz Giv...
A unique opportunity is available to our community to attend an afternoon of learning about the great advances that Israel brings to the world. This event will be held Sunday, March 23 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando, Congregation Ohev Shalom, Hillel of the University of Central Florida and Zionistas. This program will take place at Congregation Ohev Shalom, 613 Concourse Parkway South, Maitland. Everyone is welcome; there is no admission...
The Social Justice subcommittee of the JCRC has designated this year's focus to the growing issue of hunger, especially here in Central Florida. The first project of the year was a Jewish Response to Hunger at Second Harvest Food Bank on Jan. 15. Volunteers learned all about Second Harvest, and had the opportunity to work in the warehouse, opening boxes of donated items, cleaning them, checking expiration dates and sorting them for shelving. There will be another Second Harvest volunteer night...
The Boy Scouts of America Central Florida Council and National Eagle Scout Association Committee chose Eagle Scout Max Waldor's Eagle Scout service project, Holocaust Memorial at Southwest Orlando, as the winner of this year's Grove Adams Award. This award recognizes one Eagle Scout for his service project. Waldor's project will compete first in the Southeast Region and then if chosen, in the National competition. The Council evaluates each Eagle service project for the award on planning,...
Eric Lightman jokes that he had been living in Boston for the past year and knew it was going to start snowing any day. So he, along with his wife, Margo, packed up and moved to Orlando in December. But it wasn't just the sun and warm weather that lured them down to Florida- Lightman has been appointed program director of the Jewish Community Center's Jack & Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Campus. In this capacity, Lightman will be overseeing all of the location's youth and sports programming,...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center in Maitland will host its 27th annual Dinner of Tribute on at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 30, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. This year's honoree, Harris Rosen, president and COO of Rosen Hotels and Resorts, is well-known not only as a successful businessman but also as a highly-regarded philanthropist. His activities-ranging from support for the Tangelo Park neighborhood in Orlando, to planning an innovative housing project in Haiti, to his...
By David Bornstein In conversations with many community members, it became apparent that many people blame the Federation for the current crippling debt that encumbers the Maitland campus, while the vast majority don’t understand the situation at all. Having been involved from the beginning, I hope to shed some light on how we got where we are. No biases. Nothing softened or glossed over. Just the facts, and you can form your own opinions from there. Prior to the Maitland community campus e...
Even though it is difficult to understand, Islamic fanatics consider themselves at war with all non-Muslims as well as the entire United States. Understanding ones enemy is important to having any hope of defending one’s self, specifically when the enemy does so many odd and illogical things. In Saudi Arabia, according to a spokesperson of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police have the right to stop a woman who has “tempting eyes” and order her to cover them immediately or face a fine or pu...
As pro bono attorneys for Jonathan Pollard since 2000, we never cease to be amazed at how those who are hostile to Pollard feel compelled to make up facts. Evidently, these adversaries recognize that the actual facts are not sufficient to justify keeping Pollard in prison any longer, as he has already served more than 28 years for delivering classified information to the State of Israel. The most recent manifestation of this phenomenon appears in an opinion piece in the online edition of The New York Times by M.E. Bowman, titled “Don’t tru...
As I am out in the community, a recurring theme that comes up in many meetings and conversations is a lack of a unified Jewish community. This problem has been articulated by community members, volunteers, rabbis, and communal professionals. There is also a feeling that this Jewish community used to be united years ago, but that somehow we’ve lost our way and have become polarized and divided. Some of the strife among agencies and synagogues is a symptom of the competition for limited financial and people resources. Some of it is a r...
As I speak to people in the community, I am often asked “Is Federation relevant?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes.” There’s probably no better time or place to explain my answer than this edition of The Heritage. As with any organization, Federation’s relevance depends on periodic adaptation to changing times. And the times are definitely changing. But our mission continues to be building and strengthening the Jewish community of Central Florida, which manifests in many ways. In 2008-09, when the economy took a bad turn, Federation...
Dear Editor: Re: “Canada will stand by Israel through fire and water’ (Jan. 31 issue). I invite your readers to join with me to contact the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (address: Office of the Prime Minister, 80 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, J1A 0A2) and express our sincere gratitude for his extraordinary support to Israel and the Jewish people. We are quick to stand up for Israel and the Jewish people as it so frequently needed these days as the world nations are quick to condemn Israel, so let us equally express our...
Dear Editor: Mr. David Benkof, MA Modern Jewish History/Stanford University article about Palestine denial is wrought with not only misinformation, but omission of information. I’m surprised that he does not tell the whole history of post biblical “Palestine” beginning with the term “Syria Palestinia,” created by Emperor Hadrian in the second century AD. Prior to that, the area under discussion was known as Judea after the Jews. As an act of retribution, Hadrian renamed the area after the arch-enemies of the Jews, the non-Semetic peoples,...
MORNING AND EVENING MINYANS (Call synagogue to confirm time.) Chabad of South Orlando—Monday and Thursday, 8 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 Israel—Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-647-3055. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 Light Sha...
On Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m., former Jewish refugees from Arab countries will step before the microphone and share experiences they and their families lived as they sought freedom in the United States. This event will take place at Temple Israel, 50 S. Moss Road, Winter Springs. Following the screening of the film The Forgotten Jews they will share their stories, followed by a question and answer session. Among those participating are Azita Yashar and Solly Gabay Haber. Yashar was born and educated in Tehran. Her early education was in public...
The Jewish Pavilion welcomes gerontologist Davida Barr as the new director of Community Outreach, as well as new to Orlando. Living most of her life in Israel, Barr was a successful community organizer who helped create many new programs and facilities for vulnerable populations, including a children's library, a women's health and wellness center, and a school that provided ultra Orthodox girls with an opportunity to study secular studies. Her specialty was work with the elderly, and was a...
Carlos and Maria and their two children wanted to emigrate to Israel from their home in Argentina, but financially it was an impossible dream. Argentina had suffered financial collapse in 2001, and even though the economy was slowly improving, inflation and anti-Semitism were still on the rise. The family was beginning to lose hope when the Jewish Agency introduced them to representatives of Ezra International. With financial aid, Ezra made it possible for Maria to get to Israel first while her...
This past month, Congregation Ohev Shalom’s Senior Rabbi Aaron Rubinger began his “Sichot” series that is a series of informal conversations between a rabbi and fellow congregants. The series is held on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. Recently, Rabbi David Kay began his adult yeshiva class titled “Kabbalah for Real: Introduction to Sefer Yetzirah” on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. Along with its adult education classes in the coming months, COS looks forward to providing more interactive family programs, numerous social activities, and meaningfu...
Congregation Beth Sholom invites the public to its Shabbat service at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb.14. Rabbi Karen Allen will lead the service. Coffee and cake will be served following. The synagogue is located at 315 North 13th Street in Leesburg, with the entrance on Center Street. For more information, visit its website at BethSholomFlorida.org or call 352-326-3692....
The Jewish Community Center is pleased to announce this year's honoree for their annual fundraiser, The J Ball, is Bruce Gould. Gould will be honored on March 8 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel for his various community actions and philanthropic efforts accomplished in Orlando, New York and Israel. Gould's philanthropic desire to help the community started way back in high school and college when he was a member of Key Club and Circle K. According to Gould, "I always had a love for the JCC and it was a...
