Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 43
WASHINGTON (JTA)—For a trip that U.S. officials had cautioned was not about getting “deliverables,” President Obama’s apparent success during his Middle East trip at getting Israel and Turkey to reconcile has raised some hopes for a breakthrough on another front: Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The question now is whether Obama has the means or the will to push the Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who stayed behind to follow up with I... Full story
Good food, booze, fancy cars, luxury jets and a little bit of magic were plentiful at the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando’s Second Annual Men’s event, Man Cave. The event, held on March 14, hosted 250 men that raised funds for the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. Guests said they enjoyed themselves at the corporate hangar complex at ELJ Aviation in Sanford, while strolling through luxury automobiles and private jets. There was bourbon tasting, cigar smoking and an open bar. The mag... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—President Obama had three goals for his first presidential trip to Israel. He wanted to persuade Israelis that the United States is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He wanted to promote the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, albeit without any specific “deliverables.” Most of all, however, he wanted to charm the pants off the Israeli people. He dropped Hebrew phrases into his speeches. He quoted the Talmud. He invoked the story of Passo... Full story
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed Israeli policy last Friday, offering an apology to the Turkish people for the deaths of nine Turkish citizens aboard the armed Mavi Marmara flotilla headed toward Gaza in 2010. But that apology may have had less to do with Turkey itself than with guarantees relating to Iran or Syria. “Apologizing to Turkey may clear the deck on one issue to get free reign on other issues,” Dr. Harold Rhode—who worked for 28 years in the Pentagon, including from 1989-90 as the head of the Turkish Desk at the U.S... Full story
New York—Thirty national Jewish organizations that are members of the Conference of Presidents joined in a pre-Passover appeal to President Obama led by Conference leaders Richard Stone, chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman, requesting that President Obama release Pollard prior to his reaching his 10,000th day of imprisonment, which will fall on April 8, 2013. After wishing the president a successful trip to the Middle East, the leaders respectfully and urgently requested that the president “act on the commutation of his sen... Full story
HERZLIYA, Israel (JTA)—Four weeks ago, militants in Gaza landed a rocket near the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Three weeks ago, Egypt raised its state of emergency in the Sinai Peninsula, warning of an increase in jihadist activity there. Two weeks ago, a rock thrown by a West Bank Palestinian critically wounded a 3-year-old Israeli girl. And last week, Israel plans to ask the United States for support should it strike Syrian weapons convoys en route to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Along both its n... Full story
Christianity is the world’s largest religion. And with more than 1 billion members, the Roman Catholic Church is its largest denomination. Anyone who watched the recent installation of Pope Francis I, attended by luminaries from 132 nations, would have taken away the enduring impression of a powerful, influential faith that commands respect even from its detractors. But in other parts of the world, it’s a very different story. In the dusty alleyways of Lahore in Pakistan, or in the choked streets of northern Nigeria’s cities, Christians lead... Full story
Children and adults flocked to the Congregation of Reform Judaism for a morning of Passover treats, music, wine and educational activities at the first A to Z Passover Festival on March 17 in the synagogue’s social hall. Among the most popular features of the communitywide event was the Ask a Rabbi Q&A booth, which was manned by CRJ Rabbi Steven Engel. The booth—built by the rabbi—was fashioned after the psychiatrist booth used by Lucy in the Peanuts comic strip. But instead of costing five... Full story
More than 100 women and girls of different faith traditions gathered at the JCC’s Jack and Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Campus on March 14 to share in a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover. For the Muslim and Christian women and girls in attendance, it was a chance to learn about the traditions of the Passover holiday and the symbolism of the Passover seder. For the Jewish women and girls, it was a reminder of the story of their ancestors’ exodus from Egypt to freedom and hope. The eve... Full story
Beit Hamidrash students, parents and community members gathered March 18 for a Hunger Seder led by Rabbi David Kay. Hunger Seder observed the ancient traditions of Pesach in the context of a stark reality: that too many of our fellow-Americans are still going hungry. This seder’s message provided an important call to action for the Central Florida Jewish community to join in efforts to end hunger in America. The more than 50 participants brought canned goods to be donated to the JFS food p... Full story
I have often tried to imagine how the Israelite slaves in Egypt responded to the Ten Plagues, the midnight flight and sudden Exodus into the unknown desert, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, and the abrupt transition from bondage to freedom. Slavery was all that they and numerous generations before them had known. Suddenly, appearing out of nowhere (actually, the Sinai desert) and without any primary elections or other democratic processes, an Israelite named Moses, speaking like an Egyptian, claimed to h... Full story
Jews are pretty good developers and builders. Look at Lennar Homes, Toll Brothers, KB Homes and others. The basics are easy. The builder-businessman selects a market that looks promising, buys the land, gets his permits. Up go the homes and the owners movie in. Simple? It would seem so. In 1950 we moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio. A lovely suburb at that time on the outskirts of Cleveland. I found out, shortly after we bought a home there, that if we had moved 10 years earlier, we could not have bought a home in Shaker Heights. They had what was... Full story
How much, if any, cooperation and collaboration can there be—or should there be—among Reform, Conservative and Orthodox communities, starting with their rabbis? At times we talk a good game of Jewish peoplehood, Clal Yisrael and Jewish unity; crises still can bring us together, like concern about the fate and security of Israel, threats of anti-Semitism, the need for Jewish education. But when you get down to the practical level, the fact is that there is very little interaction between liberal and Orthodox Jews. We tend to socialize with tho... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—One act, more than any other, is indispensible from the Passover story: If God had not intervened, we would still be slaves. There would have been no Exodus, no Sinai, no bright future for the Jewish people. For the sake of a future nation, God intervened to save 600,000 warriors of Israel. Remember that number. It’s about the same number of mothers and children who will be cut off from nutrition assistance if nothing is done to stop the sequester’s bulldozer-like roll toward the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for W... Full story
WASHINGTON—Opponents of J Street consistently argue that our positions are somehow radical, strange and way out of the Israeli or American-Jewish mainstream. The opposite is true: when it comes to Israeli-Palestinian peace, the two-state solution and the inexorable demographic threat to Israel’s future as a democratic state that remains the homeland for the Jewish people, our position is the same as that of the Israeli government, the Obama administration and the vast bulk of the American Jewish community. It is right-wing critics like Sta... Full story
On Monday evening, March 11, I had a public discussion with Jeremy Ben-Ami, founder and president of J Street, at Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles. The topics included how American Jews should approach pro-Israel advocacy, whether peace is currently attainable between Israel and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, and what American Jews can do to help the two sides reach an agreement. We agreed that the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is dangerous and harmful to Israel. We agreed that the Palestinian teaching of... Full story
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 a.m.; Sunday, 8 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, MARCH 29 Light Shabbat candles at 7:23... Full story
The Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC) will honor the lives and memories of victims and survivors of the Holocaust at a Yom HaShoah commemoration open to the public on Sunday, April 7, at 10:30 a.m. at SOJC, 11200 South Apopka Vineland Road, Orlando 32836. As part of the commemoration, Max Waldor, a member of SOJC and Life Boy Scout who has just returned from a school trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau, will share stories he has been collecting and will unveil the tile images he has... Full story
Buckle up your seat belt and climb into our time machine as we celebrate 40 years of Camp J fun, traditions, memories and smiles. While so much has changed here in Maitland over the last four decades, it’s amazing to see how many great camp traditions stay the same. That’s because we go by the old saying, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!” Don’t confuse us though for a traditional day camp stuck in the 1970s. This year we have made significant improvements to our programming as we continue to evolve in order to meet the needs of today’s child... Full story
Debbie Meitin has been leading services, attending holiday programs and visiting seniors in their independent residences, assisted living facilities and nursing homes since the Jewish Pavilion opened its doors as a “Jewish Home on Wheels” in 1998. Since then, Meitin has conducted Shabbat services at Chambrel, Grand Villa, Horizon Bay and Island Lake. She has also led numerous holiday celebrations. The Jewish Pavilion is honoring her, along with Cathy Swerdlow, at the Celebration of Tra... Full story
When Bill Shamis and Mimi Shader performed at Chambrel on March 21, participants of all ages knew the words to “Tumbalalaika,” “Hava Nagila” and “Simintov and Mazel Tov.” Most also knew “My Yiddisha Mama,” “Bamir Bistu Sheyn” and many more. “Many participants talked about their full recall of Yiddish tunes that they had not heard in more than 50 years,” commented Nancy Ludin, executive director of the Jewish Pavilion. The Pavilion offers a monthly Yiddish class, taught by Joan Pohl, a speech... Full story
Seniors respond positively to the use of music in their life. Lively, upbeat music can help the person feel less lonely or isolated, especially when they sing in a group environment. Singing with others is fun! Similarly, calm and soothing music can help to relax the elderly person and ease fear or anxiety. Through music, assisted living residents with various health conditions are able to live more fully. They are not defined by their conditions or their need for medicines and skilled medical... Full story
Maxwell Goldstone, son of David and Juli Goldstone of Apopka, Fla., will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at Congregation Beth Am in Longwood. Max is an A student in the gifted program at Apopka Memorial Middle School. When not involved in academics, Max is active in local theater, either performing or working behind the scenes. His hobbies include writing, comedy, science fiction, comic books, music, singing, going to the theater, and traveling as often as he... Full story
Sydney Elizabeth Perreault, daughter of Dale and Phil Perreault of Maitland, Fla., will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at Congregation of Reform Judaism in Orlando. Sydney is in the seventh grade at Lake Highland Preparatory School, where she is on the President’s list and was a cheerleader in the fall. She was a member of the Braveheart lacrosse team, played soccer for the LHPS middle school team and volunteered at the Coalition for the Homeless since f... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Advertising, it’s fair to say, is in Ben Feldman’s blood. Yes, he technically plays a fictional advertiser, the Jewish copywriter in AMC’s award-winning drama “Mad Men.” But Feldman says it was his excellent marketing skills that landed him the role. “The casting loved that I was a Jew in real life,” Feldman told JTA. “They were looking for the typical character, a Jew with a heavy accent, and I played it up for all it was worth.” A 32-year-old traditional Jew from Washington, Fe... Full story
