Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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WASHINGTON (JTA)-The Trump administration will not allow a repeat of last year's United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel for its settlements, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told AIPAC. "Never again do what we saw with resolution 2334 and make anyone question our support" for Israel, Haley said Monday at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, where she earned the warmest reception of any speaker with an extended standing ovation. The Obama... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-"Many voices, one mission." If AIPAC's 2017 annual policy conference slogan, popping up on the conference app on activists' smartphones, isn't clear enough, the morning pick-me-up video it runs before conference business begins is pretty straightforward. In the video, activists are gravitating through sunny streets here toward the convention center, and titles float above them: Democrat, Republican, Independent, country music, classic rock, straight up coffee, triple-shot... Full story
WASHINGTON—On the morning of March 30, JCC Association of North America and a delegation of Jewish leaders met with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The meeting comes in the aftermath of 88 Jewish Community Centers or day schools that share campuses with them, in 36 states and four Canadian provinces, receiving 134 threats over the past three months, as well as threats to other Jewish institutions. The delegation had requested a meeting with the attorney general to discuss the investigation, federal and local law agencies’ support for Jew... Full story
Maitland residents King William and Pearl Halikman are beaming with joy. Their grandson, Zev Halikman, made the USA Maccabi Water Polo Team and will compete in the 20th World Maccabi Games in Israel this coming July. "In life some of us will be lucky enough to find a passion that consumes us with infinite pleasure. I was lucky enough to find that six years ago when I began playing water polo," said 22-year-old Zev, who is a graduate of Lake Howell High School and is now a sophmore at Florida Atl... Full story
If you are looking for Jewish Pavilion Fashion Show honoree Marlene Adler try giving her BFF, Susan Livingstone, a call. That's how Marlene's husband, Lee Adler, recommends finding her when she doesn't pick up her own phone. Marlene calls Livingstone, "My sister separated at birth, though one of us was born in Brooklyn and the other Dublin. The best way to tell us apart is by our accents." It is no coincidence that Adler and Livingstone are both Fashion Show honorees, the former the current... Full story
Spring is in the air and it’s time to clean out your pantries, making it the perfect time to donate those non-perishable food items to restock the Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry shelves as JFS hosts its Restock Challenge from April 1 to April 20. Monetary donations are also very appreciated, with every $1 donated turning into $7.50 worth of purchasing power. Last year, JFS Orlando was able to provide nearly 67,000 meals to our hungry neighbors and we need your help again! Through the generosity of the Weiner Family and The Winter Park Wealth G... Full story
The Hadassah Chapter of Williamsburg will host speaker Sande Berkowitz at their next monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 26, at 1 p.m. at the Parkview Point Clubhouse in Williamsburg, which is near Sea World. Berkowitz’s topic is “You Say More than You Think You Do.” All are welcome to attend. Hadassah of Williamsburg will hold their Installation Meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 1 p.m., at the Parkview Point Clubhouse. For more information on either of these events, please call Marian Bromberg at 407-354-4622.... Full story
Israel critic Peter Beinart has announced that when his children “near adulthood, I’ll encourage them to visit the West Bank.” Why? “So they can see for themselves what it means to hold millions of people... without free movement or due process,” he wrote in his column for The Forward. The Beinart children are in for quite a surprise. In his various articles and media appearances, Papa Beinart regularly accuses Israel of occupying and oppressing the Palestinians. I imagine that’s what the Beinart kids hear at the dinner table, too. But when th... Full story
(Rabbis Without Borders via JTA)—At Passover, Jews over the world gather to celebrate “zman cheirutenu,” the season of our freedom. We will read all about freedom from slavery. We drink four cups of wine to rejoice in the four freedoms given to our ancestors by God. We eat charoset, a mixture of fruits, nuts, juice or wine that represents the mortar used with the bricks we no longer have to place as slaves. Freedom from bondage, from Egypt, from Pharaoh. The idea of being freed from slavery by God is a central tenet of Judaism. We say, remem... Full story
As reports of the savage terrorist attack in central London March 22 emerged, it was clear pretty quickly that British authorities were dealing with an incident straight from the Islamist terror manual. The weapons of choice in London were ordinary consumer goods that are easily refashioned for the purposes of murder. The car in which the kids are driven to school is also a makeshift tank that can be used for ramming pedestrians. The knife that chops a salad can also be a machete of sorts, used to hack down police officers and others who get... Full story
David Friedman was confirmed March 23 by the U.S. Senate as America’s ambassador to Israel. But that was only after a highly contentious debate, and unfortunately, only because there is a Republican majority in the Senate. The same was true of Friedman’s prior approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee’s minority leader, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), voted against him, as did every single Democrat on the committee. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), wrote March 6 that Friedman “lacks the necessary temperament to serve in such... Full story
At first glance, it was one more example of why the United Nations is a cesspool of anti-Semitism and hatred for Israel. The publication of a report commissioned by the U.N.’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia broke new ground by not merely unfairly criticizing Israel, but taking the position that its existence as a Jewish state is illegitimate and, in and of itself, a justification for being branded as guilty of the “crime of apartheid.” Though this was more evidence of the rise of a new anti-Semitism that masquerades as anti-Zio... Full story
(My Jewish Learning via JTA)—What is the essence of Passover? On the one hand, it seems obvious: Passover is about gathering together with loved ones to recall, through sumptuous home rituals, the exodus from Egypt. We gather round our seder tables and quickly become engulfed in the warmth of family and friends, the culinary delights of a delicious meal, and the comforting, vaguely familiar words and songs we recite year after year. Passover is, indeed, a beautiful opportunity for rejoicing and celebrating. But it also can be much, much more. L... Full story
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... Full story
On Thursday, March 23, the Orlando Jewish Chamber of Commerce (OJC) kicked off its flagship event at the DoveCote Brasserie in the Bank of America building in downtown Orlando. Despite gusty winds, the presence of Grammy Award winning entertainer, Jesse Cutler (of both Winter Park and Los Angeles), and the OJC Board members, helped provide guests with a warm welcome. The crowd of about 40 chatted and networked with another, undaunted by the winds of Mother Nature. OJC Board member and planner... Full story
How did Enes Kanter, center for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, end up shooting hoops with Jewish Academy of Orlando students last month? The story began when the Maitland Jewish Community Campus, along with Jewish communal institutions throughout the country, began receiving bomb threats in January. The Atlantic Institute of Central Florida reached out to the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) in sympathy and solidarity. Federation Executive... Full story
So much matzah! What to do with it all? Myrna Ossin has answers to your every need to have the perfect Passover in her newly released book, "What to Do with Your Leftover Matzah, The Fifth Question." Included with the 60 recipes that can be served year round, Ossin has a timeline and a "to do" list for preparation of meals, starting a few weeks ahead. Getting down to the details, Ossin lists every serving utensil and serving item needed, menu plans with vegan, vegetarian and Shabbat options... Full story
The following list was presented by Marilyn Schwartz at an Orlando Chapter of Hadassah meeting last year. The information so delighted and fascinated the members that passing it along to all became a priority. 1. Coca-Cola makes a special batch of Kosher Coke for Passover. While Coke is generally a kosher product, the dietary laws tighten during the Passover holiday making high-fructose corn syrup a no-no for observant Jews (it really should be a no-no for everybody all the time, but that’s neither here nor there). In response, Coca-Cola p... Full story
More about BDS... I read this in a current issue of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and wanted to share it with you: "The World Jewish Congress criticized a recent decision by the city council of Trondheim, the third largest city in Norway, to back a boycott of Israeli goods from West Bank settlements. In a letter to Norwegian Foreign Minister BORGE BRENDE, WJC CEO ROBERT SINGER stated the resolution was based on 'double standards' and added: 'To Jews around the world, due to what... Full story
A fraction of something is easy to define, it is a bit of a larger whole. Yet, fractions in mathematics is a subject area that can be difficult for students to comprehend and even harder to work with computationally. The Jewish Academy third-grade teachers recognize this and redesigned their fraction unit to make this tough-to-understand subject easier for their students to grasp. In laying a foundation of understanding, the third-grade teacher team fashioned a hands on, physical fractions... Full story
Through the Boca Raton Library system's community outreach programs, Sheri Siegel, a teacher at the Katz Hillel Day School in Boca Raton, invited children's librarian Karyn Dombrosky to come and give Dr. Seuss presentations to students at the day school. Karyn, the daughter of Gil and Risa Dombrosky of Fern Park, gave four 30-minute presentations-complete with a Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat costume provided by the day school-to 165 kindergarteners through third graders, telling the stories of "The... Full story
Arlene Black, age 69, of Oviedo, passed away on Tuesday, March 28, at Florida Hospital—Altamonte. Arlene was born on Sept. 28, 1947, in Brooklyn New York, to the late Norman S. and Rachel Yerushalmi Gross. On Sept. 10, 1969, she married Jeffrey S. Black, her husband of over 47 years, who survives her. In September of 1989, the family relocated to the Orlando area from Brooklyn. In addition to her husband, Arlene is survived by her son, Randy (Stephanie) of Orlando; and her daughters, Amy of Oviedo and Stacy (Adam) Horowitz of New Jersey. She w... Full story
Calvin Fisher, age 82, of Casselberry, passed away on Monday, March 27, 2017, at Hospice of the Comforter in Altamonte Springs. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 13, 1934, to the late Nathan and Ida Lisker Fischer. A high school graduate, he married the former Janice Wolfson, his wife of over 62 years, who survives him. He was the owner/operator of a carpet cleaning business. The family relocated to the Orlando area from Brooklyn in 1974. They were former members of Congregation Beth Am. In addition to his wife, he is survived by... Full story
Doris S. Frank, age 90, of Lake Mary, passed away on Saturday, March 25, 2017, at Oakmont Village at Lake Mary. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Doris was born on Jan. 13, 1927, to the late Barney and Rosella Sloane Zeffert. Doris was a college graduate and served as a bi-lingual executive secretary in advertising for many years. She was the widow of the late Donald Frank who passed away in 2007, after 50 years of marriage. After living for many years in Miami, Doris and Don relocated to the Orlando area in 1999 and became active members of... Full story
Elaine Rosenthal, age 86, of Longwood, passed away on Thursday, March 23, 2017, at Brookdale Island Lake. Elaine was born on Jan. 3, 1931, in Chicago Ill., to the late Solomon and Annette Gittleman Strauss. On Dec. 8, 1957, in Brooklyn, she married Dr. Emanuel Rosenthal, her husband of nearly 60 years, who survives her. During her working career, Elaine worked as the office manager in her husband’s dental practice. They retired to South Florida and then relocated to the Orlando area in 2015 to be closer to their daughter. In addition to her h... Full story
