Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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He isn't a professional entertainment agent or a motivational speaker; and he isn't an activities director or fundraiser, but he is very good at all these jobs. He is Berny Raff, and he is this year's recipient of the Heritage Human Service Award because all these "jobs" aren't really jobs to him, they are what he does, and has always done to better this community. Berny was nominated by Susan Sparrow, Jewish Pavilion office manager. She has known Berny for 10 years and wishes she could clone a... Full story
Casselberry's reform Congregation Bet Chaim (CBC), the first in Seminole County to build its own facility, has forged a one-of-a kind relationship with the Longwood (now Casselberry) Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church, with a sale/lease arrangement that will fortify the temple's longevity and growth. The congregation, which celebrates its 24th anniversary this week, sold the approximately 3,000 square foot building and two acre lakefront lot that they have occupied since 2005 to the Adventist... Full story
The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando announces that it will be renaming its array of basketball leagues as the Charles I. Schwartz Memorial JCC Basketball League and completing a renovation to its basketball gym in memory of Charles Schwartz. Schwartz, a longtime supporter of the JCC and Jewish community, passed away in September 2014. In the months since Schwartz's passing, JCC leaders reflected on a number of ways in which to honor his memory. The most impactful... Full story
WJC president urges Krakow museum to pull offensive video exhibition World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder today criticized the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow (MOCAK), Poland for reinstating an art installation that features a video of naked men and women playing tag in a gas chamber. Lauder said: “Despite the protestations of Shoah survivors and many others, Jews and non-Jews alike, the museum continues to show an exhibit that hurts many people’s feelings. We urge the MOCAK to immediately remove this exhibit.” He went... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israel's religious services minister said in a radio interview that Reform Jews cannot be considered Jews. "A Reform Jew, from the moment he stops following Jewish law, I cannot allow myself to say that he is a Jew," David Azoulay, of the Sephardic Orthodox Shas party, said Tuesday morning, July 7, on Army Radio. "These are Jews that have lost their way, and we must ensure that every Jew returns to the fold of Judaism, and accept everyone with love and joy." Azoulay spoke with... Full story
On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, we denounce the divisive comments made last week by Israeli Minister of Religious Services David Azoulay. We are deeply offended by his hateful words and we applaud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his swift repudiation of these remarks. At the time when Israel and the Jewish people are facing existential threats from Iran and ISIS, we need to bring the Jewish people together rather than driving wedges among Jews of different denominations and between American Jews and the people of... Full story
NEW YORK—July 09, 2015—Rabbi Steve A. Fox, Chief Executive of The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), the official rabbinic leadership organization of the Reform Judaism Movement, released the following statement in response to the recent disparaging remarks about Reform Jews by Israel’s Religious Services Minister David Azoulay: “Minister Azoulay must apologize for his comments, which are offensive to millions of American Jews. Reform Judaism is deeply rooted in Jewish history, tracing its origins to more than 200 years ago, beginni... Full story
In a press release dated July 8, the Rabbinical Council of America stated that Reform Jews are Jews. Rabbi Leonard Matanky, president of the RCA, said, “The RCA, representing traditional standards of religious practice and definition of Jewishness, has well-known objections to some of the fundamental tenets of Reform Judaism. There is no question, however, that we certainly embrace all members of the Jewish community. This is clearly the undisputed position of Jewish law. In addition, our late teacher Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik spoke of a c... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando (JFGO) is celebrating its most successful fundraising campaign in years, closing out the 2015 Annual Campaign with a final tally of more than $1,003,500 in gifts and sponsorships. It’s a milestone that JFGO has been tirelessly pursuing for years. When the U.S. economy entered a freefall in late 2008, the ripple effects were felt at nonprofits across the nation, and JFGO was no exception. But as the economy slowly climbed back, so did charitable giving. JFGO has seen a slow but steady uptick in donations... Full story
Demystify the ancient Indian practice and separate out myths from facts about yoga. On Sunday, Aug. 2, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. JFS Orlando, together with Sharsheret, will present Healing with Yoga. This class will cover the basic history and practice of yoga, as well as introduce Ayurvedic medicine, meditation, and chanting. Rebekah will also explain the differences between common yoga classes offered at gyms and studios and answer any questions. No mats or props are required for participation. The class will be held at the JFS Orlando office,... Full story
On Monday, July 20, UCF’s Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence and Global Perspectives presents a Speaker Series event, “Perspectives on Terrorism from the Academy and the Field.” There, a panel of experts from academia and the government will discuss terrorism, counterterrorism and whether current efforts are working. Panelists include Dr. Sebastian Gorka, the Major General Matthew C. Horner Distinguished Chair of Military Theory at the Marine Corps University, and Adrianne George, the National Counterterrorism Cente... Full story
Rabbi Karen Allen of Congregation Beth Sholom in Leesburg will lead a Torah roundtable on Thursday, July 23 at 11 a.m. at the Sumter County Administration Building (with the golden dome) at 7375 Powell Road (near Pinellas Plaza and 466A), Wildwood. Inquire in the Library for the room number. The roundtable provides a unique opportunity to talk with the rabbi as she leads an informal and interactive discussion focusing on topics of contemporary Jewish interest suggested by the Torah portion of the week. Rabbi Allen will conduct Saturday morning... Full story
I’ve been thinking for years about the best way to respond to the threat of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. I’ve read pretty much everything on the topic and brainstormed every possible idea, but I’ve never heard anything that really made sense to me. Until I heard from Hillary Clinton. Ironically, Clinton wasn’t trying to provide any answers; she was merely asking for assistance. In a letter this week to a small group of Jewish leaders, including mega Democratic donor Haim Saban, that was made public,... Full story
The Iran deal is the worst agreement in U.S. diplomatic history. The devil is not in the details. It’s in the entire conception of the Iran deal, animated by President Obama’s fantastical belief that he, uniquely, could achieve detente with a fanatical Islamist regime whose foundational purpose is to cleanse the Middle East of the poisonous corruption of American power and influence. In pursuit of his desire to make the Islamic Republic into an accepted, normalized “successful regional power,” Obama decided to take over the nuclear negotiations... Full story
We should pity them, as well as oppose their wildest demands. Those claiming to speak for them (the terms “leader” or “leadership” are too grandiose for their history) have brought them to blind alleys. Demanding too much (it would not be an exaggeration to say “demanding everything,” or “everything imaginable”) have led them to one failure after another. You can start with their rejection of the British proposal to divide the area between Jews and Arabs, which would have provided the Palestinians (then calling themselves, for the most part,... Full story
CHARLESTON, S.C. (JTA)—My father died a few weeks ago. The hardest part of the shiva was when it ended. Friends and family were, by and large, no longer visiting. I was alone in pain and agony. I thought of this reality during my visit to the Emanuel AME Church in this city merely two weeks after the racially motivated massacre that killed nine people. Joined by Rabbis Shmuel Herzfeld and Etan Mintz, we approached the front of the church. The cameras, which had been everywhere for days, were gone. Only a couple dozen people were milling a... Full story
Ralph Nader, the famous crusader against fraud and corruption, believes he has uncovered a horrific new injustice—and the perpetrators are “the Jews.” “You never avoid using the word anti-Semitism when Arabs and Arab-Americans are discriminated against, are arrested without charges, are exposed to all kinds of swears and bars against employment and all kinds of discrimination that goes on, and that is anti-Semitism. The Semitic race is Arabs and Jews and the Jews do not own the phrase anti-Semitism,” Nader declared at the recent annual co... Full story
I had looked forward to my year in seminary with great anticipation because I knew that living and learning in Israel would open up a whole new world to me. In fact, everyone I encountered informed me that my “gap year” would consist of one life-altering experience after another and that I needed to make the most of every opportunity that came my way. But I was a little anxious about my ability to truly maximize the year. After all, I had only a few short months to achieve so many important things. In addition to increasing my Torah knowledge a... 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
Each year approximately 60,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This degenerative brain disorder is second only to Alzheimer's in prevalence. The actor Michael J. Fox brought national attention to this chronic disease in 1998 after being diagnosed with it in 1991. He has since become an advocate for research toward finding a cure and created the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2010. There is no cure yet for Parkinson's and it is not know how people contract it, however... Full story
Max Wolf Landsman peacefully passed away on July 12, 2015 at Weinberg Village in Tampa, Florida. He was 96 years old and was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 31, 1918. Mr. Landsman was a proud World War II Veteran. He moved his family to Monsey, N.Y., in 1958 and retired from the New York City Transit Authority in 1975. He was predeceased by his wife Ida Feider Landsman; and his children, Sandra Berger, Allan Landsman, Phyllis May, Francine Landsman; and his granddaughter, Susan Berger. He is survived by his daughters, Gloria Levine (Dr. Lester... Full story
Acknowledging wonderful people... This comes from the World Jewish Congress digest this month. I pass it along to you in its entirety: "Lord GEORGE WEIDENFELD, the 95 year old statesman, scholar and publisher, recently accepted the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Theodor Herzl Award at a gala dinner at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The award recognizes outstanding individuals who carry forward Herzl's ideals for a safer, more tolerant world for the Jewish people. WJC President Ambassador... Full story
Mikvah-peeping rabbi appeals prison sentence (JTA)—Rabbi Barry Freundel is appealing the length of his prison sentence for filming women nude at a ritual bath. Freundel, who was sentenced in May to 6 1/2 years for videotaping dozens of women at a Washington, D.C., mikvah, is arguing that he should have been sentenced to no more than one year in prison, the Washington Post reported last Friday. A hearing on the appeal will be held in Washington Superior Court on July 31. Freundel, 63, was given 45 days for each of the 52 counts of misdemeanor v... Full story
