Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Like many of us during this pandemic confinement, Stella Levy of Sacramento, California, has spent time cleaning house and going through long forgotten boxes of papers and photos. Little did she know she would discover some priceless family documents and Orlando history. Upon finding these treasures Levy contacted her cousin Roz Fuchs to share what she had. Fuchs, who chaired the Kehillah exhibit, which was on display two years ago at the Orange County Regional History Center, was excited to...
(JNS) - A Republican primary opponent of a sitting Florida state representative has been accused of engaging in anti-Semitism against the incumbent, who is Jewish. Randy Fine, who represents the Sunshine State's 53rd district and is the only Jewish Republican in the state legislature, has faced ethnic attacks by economist Marcie Adkins and a political consultant for her campaign, Robert Burns. In March 2019, a fake Facebook page was created called "Randy Fine Not So Fine," trafficking in almost...
(ISRAEL21c) - The story probably didn't end happily for the bound and naked captive depicted on a 3,500-year-old clay tablet recently found in Israel. Things have turned out much better for the six-year-old boy who stumbled across this rare find a couple of months ago. Imri Elya from Kibbutz Nirim near the Gaza Strip spotted the 2.8-square-centimeter (1.1-square-inch) tablet while walking with his parents at the Tel Jemmeh archaeological site near Kibbutz Re'im. The curious boy picked up the...
As of June 1 The Roth Family JCC began to slowly reopen. The Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center opened with smaller classes and new safety protocols. Also opening, to the refreshment of many, was the pool. It will be open Mondays through Thursdays 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends. There will be a cap on the number of people allowed in the pool at the same time and the deck is set up for social distancing. The Fitness Center will open on June 6. There will be preprogrammed 90-minute workout sessions on the...
It's been almost three months. That's right, almost three months since the Jewish Pavilion program directors and volunteers have been actually able to go and be with its seniors. Purim came and went with celebrations canceled and everyone thought or hoped that by Passover they would be with the seniors. It wasn't long before it was realized that they weren't going to be with them for Passover nor were they sure when they would be able to visit with the seniors again. The Pavilion's mission is...
On June 3 there was a virtual event titled “Names, Not Numbers” viewed by many that evening. This documentary film showcases the work of St. Margaret Mary Catholic School eighth graders as they interviewed, filmed, edited and produced the stories of four local Holocaust survivors and one liberator. For those who missed it, The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center will have the video available for 10 days. The Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach had a grant that allowed them to create “Names, Not Numbers” with multiple groups. They pa...
Streaming live via Zoom on Thursdays at 1 p.m. The Roth Family JCC will present the Summer Author Series. Kicking off the series on June 11 will be Lori Gottlieb, author of "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone." She is also a psychotherapist and New York Times author who writes The Atlantic's weekly "Dear Therapist" advice column. On July 9 Lynda Loigman will discuss her book "The Wartime Sisters" and on Aug. 13, Adeena Sussman will do some cooking demonstrations from her book "Sababa." To...
(JNS) — Israeli media and their left-wing anti-Netanyahu allies have been anticipating for years the moment Benjamin Netanyahu would be dragged into a courtroom. Unable to beat Israel’s longest-serving prime minister at the polls, many have looked to a politically left-leaning legal system to get him out of office. Many pundits eagerly anticipated pictures of a guilt-ridden former prime minister, defeated at the ballot box, sitting depressed on the wooden benches of the Jerusalem District Cou...
(ISRAEL21c) — Research groups across the world are using a variety of approaches to formulating vaccines that could protect people from COVID-19. Big money and urgent demand are accelerating the normally lengthy process of vaccine development. Vaccine candidates from the U.S., U.K., China, Japan and Germany are on the fast track, and Israel has at least six projects on the go. This international effort may lead to multiple products. “We expect more than one could make it to market,” says Ronald Ellis, an Israel-based consultant to the indus...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Never Again Education Act, which seeks to expand Holocaust education in the United States, into law on Thursday. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation in January, while the U.S. Senate did so on May 13. The new law expands the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s education programming to teachers nationwide, requiring the museum to develop and disseminate resources to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and its lessons. A total of $2 million will be allocated ann...
DENVER (JTA) — In the summer of 1999, we slept head to head in top bunks at Camp Ramah in Canada. We also shared a viral upper respiratory illness that kept us from participating in the much-anticipated yom bli shemesh (a day without sun) while the rest of our cabin got to experience a day of camp in the middle of the night. We had to stay in bed for a few days, but soon recovered and enjoyed another invaluable summer. Jewish summer camp made us into the adults we are today. Now we work side by side in the Emergency Department of a major childr...
(JNS) — A recent JNS article needs to more clearly expose the true identity of the signers and originators of a falsehood-filled letter to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations . The letter maligned me and the Zionist Organization of America for appropriately opposing the election of HIAS chair Dianne Lob to become chair of the Conference of Presidents, and for explaining how HIAS’s activities conflict with the Conference’s missions of helping Jews and Israel. The letter misleadingly identified its signers as carin...
JNS) — The most pressing issue facing Israel and American Jews is whether the newly-formed Netanyahu-Gantz unity government will extend Israeli sovereignty over portions of the West Bank as it has pledged to do. It is widely anticipated that such a move will be announced by July 1. The proposed action has generated considerable controversy among those who enthusiastically favor such a plan and those who vehemently oppose the idea. It is not surprising that, among American Jewish groups, the usual suspects have come out to denounce the p...
(JNS) — Former Vice President Joe Biden apologizes. President Donald Trump doesn’t ever apologize. While both said things that can easily be construed as offensive, the thinking behind their talk about being entitled to votes from particular groups was based in something we shouldn’t condemn. As Biden learned, talking down to voters is bad, but appealing to them to support their community’s interests is kosher. Or at least it is, unless you’re talking about something that most Jews consider important, like the security of the State of Israel. B...
Dear Editor: I just read Marcus M. Gilban’s article about Israeli folk dancing (“COVID-19 hasn’t stopped one of Israel’s national passions: folk dance,” May 22). Mr. Gilban wrote, “Jews and dancing go way back — when Moses opened the Red Sea waters.” Perhaps he was misled by one of his journalistic sources, but Jewish tradition teaches that G-d, not Moses, performed that miracle. I think a correction is in order. (At the risk of sounding pedantic, it was the Sea of Reeds, not the Red Sea. But that’s just semantics, and I’m anti-Semantic.) Tha...
Dear Editor: In reply to Gary Schiff’s piece of May 15, 2020, “An open letter to our Jewish family and friends in America,” I can’t explain why 71percent of U.S. Jews hate Donald Trump, but I can share with you why one Jew detests him, and from that you may draw your own conclusions. First and foremost, Americans elect a president to represent all our diverse interests and to lead our country and the world toward a better future; you on the other hand assume the role of the U.S. president is strictly to help Israeli Jews. Failing to underst...
Dear Editor: I read the Solomon letter a few times (Letter to the editor by Sandi Solomon “No. 1 issue when voting is to make sure Jews are not in danger,” May 22 issue), I thought it was a put-on: “I realized there were anti-Semites in the Democratic party.” Surprise, there are anti-Semites in the Democratic and Republican parties, organizations, and just everyday people. Trump likes Israel because of the Jewish vote, not because he likes Jews. Look inside his mind during the torches march at the University of Virginia. “Jews will not repla...
MORNING MINYANS (Please note, because of the coronavirus, all minyans have been canceled or held virtually.) 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... Full story
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
(JTA) - Emma Seligman is trying to stay optimistic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the 25-year-old came extremely close to fulfilling every film student's fantasy: having her debut indie film played at coveted festivals and becoming an up-and-coming name to know in the industry. Her film "Shiva Baby" involves both of the terms invoked in its title: a sugar baby - or a young girl who receives money or other material gifts from a wealthy older man in exchange for company, and often sex - who...
This week, life is feeling normal. There are an average of 15 new cases of coronavirus daily. The numbers are decreasing on all fronts Corona-wise and we are suffering from a massive heat wave. It's always something! Stores opened up and we went to Beer Sheva. Boy, what an adventure! The outdoor shopping center was quite full. People were lined up on the sidewalks, waiting in groups due to the limited number of customers permitted inside stores at one time. These are the new rules. Security...
(JTA) — Many New York City restaurants are closing for good as their owners are unable to pay rent during the state’s shutdown, which has now gone on for more than eight weeks. In addition to the city’s high rents, eateries catering to observant Jews have to shoulder additional costs. Kosher products, especially meat, is pricier than nonkosher counterparts. Kosher certification can cost more than $1,000 a month and many eateries hire full-time kosher supervisors. Most kosher restaurants are also closed on Shabbat, which means they lose a cruci...
Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer leveled scathing criticism at The New York Times on Friday over an article pointing out that the Israel Defense Forces’ research and development efforts, which have proven crucial in Israel’s battle against the coronavirus, are predominately dedicated to devising ways to counter the Jewish state’s enemies. The article, “Israeli Army’s Idea Lab Aims at a New Target: Saving Lives,” which was published on Thursday, states that “The Israeli Defense Ministry’s research-and-development arm is best known f...
Want to escape to a past Jewish lifetime where families ventured to a resort in the Catskills during the hot summer months? “Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort,” a film documentary by Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg, will satisfy that desire. Kutsher’s Country Club was the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills. One of the legendary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, Kutsher’s was family-owned and operated for over 100 years. Anyone who watched Amazon Prime’s S...
Indeed, we are living in challenging times with national lockdowns, social distancing, and wearing protective masks in public. Programs and activities which the Jewish Pavilion has provided in the past are temporarily sidelined until the time when resuming these programs is safe. In the meantime, creative ideas to continue connecting with our Jewish seniors have given way to the production of various YouTube and Zoom Shabbat and holiday services that are now being shown in a variety of facilities around town. Shavuot bags of cheer were...
