Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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JERUSALEM (JTA)-The flags of countries that are home to Jewish communities hard hit by COVID-19 were projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The event held Tuesday night by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry in support of Jewish communities around the world and their home countries also saw representatives of youth groups in Israel waving the flags of dozens of countries in front of the Jaffa Gate. "Demonstrating support tonight for our Jewish brothers and sisters in all communities...
(JTA)—At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, and as recently as a couple weeks ago, some Jewish camps had hoped they could run for part of the summer. For a growing number of camps, that hope now appears to be vanishing. Two Conservative Ramah camps look increasingly likely to cancel their sessions this year. And two state governments—Georgia and Connecticut—have, for now, prohibited overnight camps from running in their states. Each of the states is home to several Jewish camps. While neither of the Ramah camps—in Wisconsin and California...
With great excitement, The Roth Family JCC CEO, Keith Dvorchik announced that the JCC will begin a step-by-step reopening on Monday, June 1. “We extend a heartfelt thank you to everybody who was able to help support us during the past two months while we were closed,” Dvorchik said in an email to JCC members. Here is the plan: • The Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center will reopen on Monday, June 1, with smaller class sizes and ratios. If you plan for your child to return on June 1, please read the important information on the E...
(JNS)-Jewish actor and comedian Jerry Stiller has died at the age of 92, his son, actor and comedian Ben Stiller announced on Monday. "I'm sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad," tweeted Ben Stiller. I'm sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most... Full story
Lag B'Omer, a minor Jewish holiday, is traditionally celebrated with major fanfare. Parades, picnics, bonfires, music and displays of Jewish pride mark the occasion that falls 25 days after the end of Pesach, on the 33rd day of the Omer count. It commemorates the miraculous ending of an epidemic that killed 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva in the second century. It is also the anniversary of the passing of one of Rabbi Akiva's foremost students, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, also known as the Rashbi, t...
RAISE, Recognizing Abilities & Inclusion of Special Employees, has some heartwarming and uplifting updates to share, Rachel Slavkin, RAISE director of Employment and Education, told the Heritage. First, RAISE was featured as a Community Champion on WESH Channel 2 news in January. Even though COVID-19 forced the employees to leave their job positions in March, the team is working remotely and continue to teach social skills through weekly Lunch and Learn session held via Zoom. “We are also reconnecting with many of our alumni as we have had a v...
(TENNESSEE)-Laurie Cardoza-Moore has called on the Israeli government to ban GOD TV from broadcasting programs focused on converting Jews to Christianity. Cardoza-Moore is the founder of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations and host of the award-winning Evangelical Christian television program Focus On Israel, which formerly aired globally on GOD TV and is currently syndicated on other Christian channels reaching a weekly audience of billions. The statement comes after GOD TV announced that they...
(JTA)—The Senate has introduced legislation to enhance partnerships between American and Israeli companies on COVID-19 projects, thus lessening U.S. dependence on China for life-saving medications and treatments. The bipartisan legislation was introduced on Wednesday as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a whirlwind eight-hour visit to Israel, criticized China while praising Israel. “You’re a great partner,” Pompeo said in an appearance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before their meeting in Jerusalem. “You share your informati...
Israel’s sampling of 100,000 citizens’ blood will provide insights into how widely the novel coronavirus has spread and whether Israelis have sufficient “herd immunity” against a second outbreak. “This is the most important mission: Get ready for the next wave, especially a wave during wintertime,” when flu season will also begin, Ministry of Health Director General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov told The New York Times. Although nobody knows if antibodies against Covid-19 will protect against reinfection—especially if the virus mutates—the H...
(JNS)—Israeli health- care providers plan to start testing the population for coronavirus antibodies this week in an attempt to discover how many Israelis have developed immunity to the virus, Israeli media reported on Sunday. Depending on the results, large segments of the population could potentially not have to worry about being quarantined or isolated and could fly or rejoin the workforce without any restrictions, according to Ynet. Last week it was reported that Israel was planning to conduct 100,000 serological tests for COVID-19 as p...
(JNS)—Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks he’s found a way to avoid further skewering at the hands of those looking for a whipping boy for the failings of the Internet. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen scorched him last fall for running what he called “the greatest propaganda machine in history” because of the site’s willingness to take both ads that some deem either hateful or false. Cohen said the social-media entrepreneur’s refusal to adequately police Facebook was the equivalent of giving Nazis free reign to act as they liked. Nor...
Rachel Goldman Shipley took her last breath in this world at 9:58 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. She was one month shy of her 95th birthday. Rachel was a force of nature. She and her sister Lynn performed as the Burton Sisters during a 14-year career in show business. They recorded Yiddish songs for Banner Records and popular music for RCA. She met me, her husband of 64 years, during a “disc jockey tour” in 1955. We were married one year later on March 4, 1956. She left the world of show business to become a force in the Cleveland... Full story
By Mel Pearlman In the May 11, 2020, edition of Time Magazine, a mother eloquently writes in an essay titled, “The pandemic has put our dreams of another baby on hold,” about her fears and concerns of conceiving g another child during this era of the coronavirus pandemic. She and her husband, already the parents of a 2-year-old, the essayist continues, “Remembering how special it had been for both of us to grow up with a sibling close in age and wanting the same kind of companionship for our son, we had planned to try for another child this...
(JNS)—“Annexation Would Hurt Israel” declared the headline of a May 8 op-ed in The New York Times by Mideast scholar Daniel Pipes. According to Pipes, the incorporation of any part of the Judea-Samaria territories into the State of Israel is a bad idea because it will anger a lot of people. But the historical record shows that such fears are not well founded. U.S. President Donald Trump will “erupt in fury,” writes Pipes. Democrats will be “alienated” from Israel. “Major European states” will be outraged. The hope for improving relatio...
By Daniel Pipes (JNS)—As Aristotle long ago recognized, virtue is the midpoint between extremes. And I found myself smack at that midpoint in recent days. I published a modest article suggesting six reasons why the Jewish state should not extend its sovereignty to a Palestinian-majority territory. (Confusingly, The New York Times titled the May 7 online version “Annexing the West Bank Would Hurt Israel” and the slightly different May 8 print version as “Annexation Would Hurt Israel.”) I hardly expected the article to arouse high emotions....
By Matthew Mainen (JNS)—U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is arriving in Israel on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His visit presents a perfect opportunity, at a perfect time—with most of the globe preoccupied with the COVID-19 pandemic—for the two to announce that Israel will begin to implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan and annex parts of the Jewish-inhabited portions of the West Bank. Though tempers around the world likely will flare, no sane government will shift its focus from...
Dear Editor: I always read Mel Pearlman’s articles in the Heritage. His article of May 8, 2020 was excellent. I was a Democrat. I registered as a Republican about 15 years ago when I realized there were anti-Semites in the Democratic Party and no one was calling them out. Also, the Democratic Party was no longer supporting the Jewish people or Israel. There are many important issues to consider when you vote, but making sure Jews are not in danger is number one for me. Some people tell me they don’t like President Trump. I tell them, “Do...
MORNING AND EVENING MINYANS (Please note, because of the coronavirus, all minyans have been canceled.) 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—F...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2020 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “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 Dick Weiner. Former recipients have inclu... Full story
Due to the new US tax deadline and school closures during COVID-19, the application deadline for the 2020 Kobrin Family Scholarship has been extended to July 15. The scholarship is available to a qualified, full-time student of the Jewish faith from Orange, Osceola or Seminole County who will be attending the University of Central Florida. The scholarship is available in the amount of $2,500 per year for a maximum of four (4) years. The student must maintain a 3.1 GPA (based on a 4.0 scale) each year in order to remain qualified for the...
On the recommendation of a friend, I rented the freshly released film "Resistance" on Amazon Prime. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, the film is a small peek into the true story of the rescue of tens of thousands of orphaned Jewish children in France by the Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants. I already knew about the many children who were swallowed up into the safety of the Swiss alps, what I didn't know was the true story of Marcel Mangel-later known worldwide as the mime artist Marcel Marceau-and how he...
By Ed Borowsky Rosen Hotels & Resorts currently employs more than 4,000 associates, all of whom owner Harris Rosen considers part of his extended family. In 1974, Rosen purchased his first hotel-now the Rosen Inn International-which was the impetus for Rosen Hotels & Resorts. As Florida's largest independent hotelier, Rosen owns and operates an award-wining collection of eight Orlando hotels to include: the 800-room Rosen Plaza, 1,334-room Rosen Centre and the 1,501-room AAA Four Diamond Rosen...
Experts from the company’s RosenCare healthcare program partnered with a task force and created a comprehensive plan that applies specifically to the Rosen Hotels’ eight Orlando hotels. The COVID-19 Response Plan incorporates all of the successful learnings of RosenCare to elevate the company’s already superior level of hygiene and cleanliness to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its hotel guests and associates. The Rosen task force includes Dr. Ronald Ryan, the 7-year medical director of the Rosen Medical Center, as advisor. Led by Jonat...
Another poem by Yours Truly (What else is there to do these days except clean house. (Ugh!) It's been four months I'm stuck at home, 'Bout time to write another poem, I'm missing friends and (handsome) men, I must admit, I have a yen... To hug and kiss and more (much more), Being home alone is quite a bore, Chocolate is my greatest pleasure, (My thighs are now too large to measure). Oy Vay! I repeat: Oy Vay! As if I'm not upset enough... I received the following in the mail from the Simon...
Rabbi Sanford Olshansky—adjunct professor, Judaic Studies Program, UCF—pointed out an error in Gloria Yousha’s “Scene Around” column in the Heritage, May 8 issue. He writes, “in her ‘Shout Out’ about the Passover Haggadah, Ms. Yousha complains that Moses is not mentioned, saying ‘He was the most important part of the story as he led our people out of Egypt and into the promised land of Israel.’ But God, not Moses, is ‘the most important part of the story.’ In the biblical book of Exodus, God hears the cry of the Israelites in their aff... Full story
