Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Central Florida Hillel has been shaping Jewish leaders for the last 20 years and is now taking the time to reflect and celebrate at a special dinner: "Honoring the Past, Charging into the Future: an Evening Celebrating 20 years of Central Florida Hillel." The event will highlight CFH's many achievements throughout the years, as well as the leadership, vision and generosity of the Ginsburg family and Hank Katzen and past CFH presidents. From 2001 to 2013, Central Florida Hillel occupied spaces...
(JTA) — The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and our partner sites at 70 Faces Media have answered the question many times over the years, a testament to its persistence in political life and its significance to American Jews: What do Jews believe about abortion? After a new report that the Supreme Court reviewed a majority opinion in February that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the question is relevant yet again. Here’s what we know: American Jews favor abortion rights, more than any other religious group, according to public polling. And tra...
(JNS) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected the Biden administration's outline for a deal with Iran. Members voted 86-12 to approve a motion that opposes the lifting of terrorism sanctions on Iran to limit cooperation between it and China. Senators also voted 66-13 to approve a motion to block the delisting of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The lawmakers also demanded that any final deal must address all of Iran's destabilizing activities. The...
The RAISE work and social skills training program for adults with special needs is now acception online applications for RAISE employees as well as opportunities to volunteer as a RAISE job coach. For more information or to apply, visit wwwljfgo.org/raise or call 407-645-5933, ext. 236....
Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando continues to partner with Central Florida Hillel to better meet the mental health needs of UCF students. Since last August, JFS Orlando therapist Shaina White Williams, MSW has been available for open counseling hours at Hillel. She meets with students for one-on-one support on-campus and virtually, developing a sessions timeline that is therapeutically appropriate for each student. She and a partner therapist also provide group therapy during monthly...
Grief is a noun that means deep sorrow especially caused by someone's death. The most difficult challenges include coping with the loss of a child, spouse, parent or sibling. The Jewish Pavilion offers a grief support service twice a year. The program is six weeks long and takes place on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. from May 9 to June 20 at Cascade Heights in Longwood. This free grief support group is being run by Judy Kahan Davis who is a social worker. The program helps participants deal with their...
The Jewish Pavilion is known for their fabulous fun events throughout the year. Their signature event is their summer cocktail party that normally attracts an audience of 150+ individuals of all ages. On Sunday, June 12, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.the Jewish Pavilion will hold their annual cocktail party at Land Rover Orlando, 199 South Lake Destiny Drive. For only $20, participants will enjoy superb appetizers and desserts along with a large array of signature drinks. Annual sponsors of the Jewish Pavilion...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2021 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Hank Katzen. Former recipients have inclu...
(JNS) — The current draft of the Iran nuclear deal should “not be signed under any circumstances,” a former Israeli national security adviser has warned. Brig. Gen. (res.) Professor Jacob Nagel, who served as acting national security adviser to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and who was the former head of Israel’s National Security Council, told JNS that the best outcome would be a scenario in which divisions between the Iranians and Americans prevent a signature from going ahead. This is due to the weakness of the proposed arrange...
(JTA) — A historically Jewish fraternity at Rutgers University has been the target of multiple cases of antisemitic harassment this week, prompting the school to announce it would be increasing security on campus. Authorities said the university’s AEPi house was first targeted on Friday when protestors exiting a rally for Students for Justice in Palestine, a pro-Palestinian university activist group, went to the house and shouted antisemitic rhetoric and spat at the brothers. Rutgers Hillel Interim Executive Director Rabbi Esther Reed told loc...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The political action committee affiliated with AIPAC, the pro-Israel powerhouse lobby, has in less than six months of existence become the biggest pro-Israel PAC, delivering $6 million to 326 candidates. It is also now endorsing 109 of the 147 of the Republicans who refused to affirm President Joe Biden’s election on Jan. 6, 2021. “The AIPAC PAC is now the largest bipartisan, pro-Israel political action committee in the country — and it is quickly emerging as a leading force in American politics,” the lobby said Wednesday...
(JNS) — It was one of the first things President Joe Biden did once he assumed office in January 2021. Though it has gotten almost no notice, it is almost certainly one of the most consequential acts of his presidency, and its impact will likely be felt long after he leaves office. But while the administration is boasting of it as proof of their devotion to civil rights and bettering the lot of the disadvantaged, it may do far more damage to American society than anything else that happens during Biden’s time in office. Considering that his...
(JNS) — Arab riots on the Temple Mount in opposition to any Jewish presence on the Jewish people’s most holy site have exposed what the Arab-Israeli conflict is all about. It’s not about the lack of a Palestinian state or Israeli concessions to the PLO, Hamas or other terrorist organizations. It’s about what makes the Temple Mount a holy place and who is the legitimate sovereign power over the entirety of the homeland of the Jewish people. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan—represented by the Waqf, the religious authority on the Temple Mount—sup...
(JNS) — The world has entered a very challenging period due to various factors that enhance pre-existent undercurrents and allow them to boil over. The perceived weakness of the current United States government on the global stage has allowed rogue nations to push their agendas without fear. The botched execution of the U.S. military disengagement from Afghanistan, the compromised security on its southern border, local inflation and economic instability, a self-inflicted dependence on foreign oil and social unrest are all factors in the rise o...
(JNS) — The Biden administration has announced that its titular head will be visiting Israel within a few months. Biden’s last high-profile visit to the Jewish State in 2010 ended with him staging a diplomatic incident and refusing to leave his hotel room for an hour to attend an event with Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israelis have little reason to be optimistic about this Biden expedition. After Muslim rioters disrupted Passover by engaging in violence at the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, the administration urged “all sides to exerc...
My wife and I, and five of our children, had a discussion over Shabbat dinner recently about giving up our U.S. citizenship. Five of my six children were born in the U.S. On my father’s side, I’m a second generation American. On my mother’s side, fourth or fifth. When we moved to Israel, our children’s ages ranged from 11 to 3. A year later our youngest son was born in Jerusalem. He’s an American because we are. Some are surprised to know that we choose to keep our U.S. citizenship or that we’re even allowed to. Others ask why we’d want t...
MORNING MINYANS (Please note, because of the coronavirus, some minyans have been canceled or held virtually.) Chabad of North Orlando and Chabad of Altamonte Springs are holding in-person minyans. 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. Congr...
(JTA) — The fact that Ukraine’s president is Jewish has hurt the credibility of Russia’s claims that it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 to “de-Nazify” it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tried to boost his country’s argument during an interview with an Italian television channel on Sunday, by saying he said he believed Adolf Hitler also had Jewish origins and that Jewish sages say the biggest antisemites are Jewish themselves. Lavrov said this during an interview with Italy’s Channel 4, a commercial broadcaster, according to the simultane...
Hatred of Jews has been a feature of world history for centuries. But only in the late 19th century did a new specific word emerge to describe it. What prompted the coining of the neologism "antisemitism" was the perception of an altered relationship between Jews and the peoples among whom they lived that could not accurately be described as mere "Judeophobia" or "Jew-hatred." The felt need for a new word affected not just self-identified anti-Semites. It was recognized by Jews and non-Jews thro...
(JNS) — A collection of pro-Israel organizations has decided that an unprecedented attack on Israel requires a response. Israel faces a first-time-ever open-ended U.N. Commission of Inquiry created by the U.N. Human Rights Council, which includes notorious human-rights violators such as Cuba, China, Libya, Somalia and Venezuela. The U.N. General Assembly voted late last year to give the commission a budget of $4.5 million a year, allowing it to hire some 18 full-time staff members, almost the same number as the human-rights office branch of t...
The instinct for many older people is to stay at home as long as possible. Even if a person at home has visitors, he or she may still be alone most of the time, especially if he or she no longer drives. The cost of hiring a driver on top of living expenses may amount to more than the cost of senior living. Reliance on others when you want to go someplace may be quite challenging. When someone makes the move to a senior community, he or she will be offered scheduled bus trips to the supermarket,...
So many celebrities ... not at all surprising... Of course we've all heard of WOLF BLITZER, famed journalist on CNN television. Well, Wolf, whose middle name is Isaac, had a most exciting upbringing. He was born in Augsberg, allied-occupied Germany after WWII in 1948. His parents were both Polish Jewish refugees who survived the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Unfortunately, his grandparents, two uncles, and two aunts on his father's side did not survive. Wolf was raised in Buffalo, New York. He i...
Cate - Central Florida Hillel and the Jewish Academy of Orlando library At Hillel Cate has the important job of getting the ballroom set up for over 200 students for the weekly Shabbat dinner. She also works diligently to keep the common areas of Hillel sparkling, to replenish snacks, to organize the supply closets and take inventory. At Jewish Academy, Cate works as an art teacher assistant. She prepares materials for the children, helps children with art projects, keeps the art room clean and...
(New York, NY) - A group of students from the University of Florida arrived in Israel this Monday, marking the first of many Birthright Campus Trips this year. The contingent is one of 28 student groups arriving this week. A total of 14,000 students from nearly 900 universities and colleges in North America are expected to land in Israel in the coming weeks. Birthright Campus Trips are a unique opportunity for North American students to go on a life-changing trip to Israel with their college...
Have you explored your bigger picture? Take a moment to do some personal self-care. Is there something you'd like to do soon or something to accomplish long-term? Identify those goals and take stock of where you are and if you're on track to meet them. Invest in yourself by learning a new skill or picking up a different hobby - something you can do now like volunteering for a favorite charity, or something that will take some time like learning a new language. Personal self-care can help you...
