Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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To honor the victims and families of the tragic Pulse Club massacre in Orlando on June 12, Temple Israel has produced, and is offering for sale, a custom-designed commemorative T-shirt which shows the Jewish community's support and love for all who were affected by this event. T-shirts can be ordered online at www.tiflorida.org. The entire project was the idea of Emily Raij, a member of Temple Israel, who wanted to organize something in memory of and support of the Central Florida LGBT and... Full story
This has been a trying week for America. As Americans, we are all wounded by the targeting of the police force in Dallas and the deaths in St. Paul and Baton Rouge. Now, I know a lot of you might ask, "What can I do?" You can do a lot-right now, this weekend. This weekend, it is on each of us to be a visible force in our communities for non-violence. Join together online, in your neighborhood, in your houses of worship, around your kitchen table. For all of you community leaders, use your... Full story
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando has announced the winners of its 2016 community leadership awards, to be presented at Federation's Annual Meeting at 7 p.m., Aug. 17, on the Maitland Jewish Community Campus. Themed "A Meeting of the Minds," the event also will feature "Mentalist to the Stars" Sidney Friedman, who will read minds and perform ESP, telepathy and premonition, among other feats. Federation will pay tribute to "the great minds of our Jewish community" with the following... Full story
JFS Orlando received a grant for over $150,000, the largest grant this year, through the Orange County Community Development Block (CDBG) grant programs. The funds will be used to assist with much needed agency renovations including replacing air conditioning units, installing new sewer lines, creating a new lobby space and upgrading the building entry to be ADA accessible. The increased safety and accessibility improvements to the facility will enable JFS Orlando to create a healthier, more... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-They're elusive, but show up in the right place at the right time-and you might find one! No, we're not talking about the latest iteration of Pokemon Go. This is about tracking prominent Jewish GOPers and Jewish organizational representatives attending the Republican National Convention next week in Cleveland. They'll be barely visible, and the reason has everything to do with the presumptive nominee, Donald Trump. The Republican Jewish Coalition usually rolls out major sheb... Full story
Washington, D.C.—Just two days after hearing oral argument, a federal court, relying heavily on Becket Fund Supreme Court victories, ruled that the Florida Department of Corrections must allow Jewish prisoners to practice their faith by providing them with kosher meals. Thirty-five states and the federal government already provide kosher diets for prisoners. Before today’s ruling, Florida’s Department of Corrections was the only large prison system in the country that insisted it should remain free to refuse to provide kosher meals to observa...
(JNS.org) A United States Senate report released this week shows that the U.S. State Department sent nearly $350,000 to OneVoice, a group that advocates for peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians but was also part of a campaign to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The group received grants from the State Department during 14-month period ending in November 2014, revealed the report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. After the grants ended, OneVoice merged with another Israeli group, Victory... Full story
(JNS.org)-The American social media giant Facebook has closed the account of Hamas politburo member Ezzat al-Rishq for the seventh time. "I condemn Facebook's administration for closing my personal account for the seventh time in a row, and I consider the [decision] bias in favor [of] the occupation and its dictates and against the struggle of our people for the sake of freedom," Rishq, who is a close confidante of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, said on Twitter, the Jerusalem Post reported. The... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion will turn back the clock to the 1960s on Oct. 23, bringing the community together with their new fall festival, promoting peace, love, and "Sunday in the Park." Get your groove on, and save the date for the Fall Family Festival featuring a Beatle's tribute band, The British Invasion (formerly of Epcot). If you're looking for an afternoon of entertainment that also provides a sense of fulfillment, then the multi-generational "Sunday in the Park" will be music to your ears.... Full story
There is a new, one-of-a-kind religious school in Winter Springs to provide your children with a strong Jewish education and identity whether you consider yourself Conservative or Reform. Temple Israel and Temple Shir Shalom have joined forces to create a collaborative religious school called the Meitin Alliance for Growth And Learning. The school will be known as MAGAL, the Hebrew word for circle and a symbol of oneness. Rabbi Joshua Neely and Cantor Kim Singer will be the heads of MAGAL and... Full story
Jewish Academy of Orlando announced its new board for the upcoming school year. “We would like to thank all of the outgoing members, who worked tirelessly to support our school,” said outgoing President Jordan Steinberg. Marni Stahlman, Rona Weiss, Allan Klaiman, Linda Zlatkiss and Paul Rosenthal all deserve recognition for their dedication. At this year’s annual meeting and last board meeting of the year, Renee Libow and Maura Weiner received special recognition for their continued support, dedication and efforts throughout the years. Alan... Full story
Later this month the Republicans and Democrats will hold their respective conventions. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will officially become the presidential nominees. Ahead of the conventions, both parties selected delegates to draft their platforms. The Democratic platform committee convened late last month. As soon as the delegates to the Democratic platform committee were named, it was clear that the future of the party’s support for Israel would come under assault. After Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination with her primary v... Full story
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) sends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the 84 innocent people, including 15 children, who were murdered in the truck attack in Nice, France July 14 by radical Islamist Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel. ZOA also sends prayers for recovery to the 188 injured, including the 50 people whom French President Francois Hollande stated were in critical condition “between life and death.” BBC reported that a witness who had time to see the terrorist’s face said that the terrorist-truck driver “appe... Full story
The pictures are fuzzy. Overt, explicit, and legally enforced racism is no more in the United States. Individual blacks, Asians, Jews, and other minorities, and women, can reach as high as the White House, senior governmental and corporate positions, and marry who they choose. Integration, human relations, political correctness, busing, and affirmative action accomplished a great deal. But not everything. A significant incidence of white-black violence associated with police, black activism said to paint an extremist picture, and the killing of... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Last week, we watched in horror and dismay as violent event after violent event unfolded, each amplifying and recontextualizing the one before it. By Friday morning, July 8, five Dallas police officers were dead, three black men had been killed by the police (including the Dallas shooter), and countless families were broken and traumatized. On Friday evening I was in the streets marching, chanting our movement’s simplest, yet most elusive assertion, “Black Lives Matter.” As a black person and a Jew, I was asserting the value o... Full story
I don’t know how to write a column on this theme except to say, stop, stop, please stop the killing. Killing somebody is the not the answer. Killing people because of race, gender, religion, or for any reason under the sun is wrong. Killing does not eliminate problems. Killing does not solve family or neighborhood squabbles. Yet, we kill all the time. America is a nation of killers. We’re all about killing, killing and killing. Do we want to start counting all the people killed in all the wars just in the last couple of hundred years? How many... Full story
Dear Editor: While I can certainly understand and appreciate Olga Yorish’s comments in the latest email FED Friday, dated July 8, 2016, I do not totally agree with these comments. With the tragic event that took place in Orlando, my hometown, last June, the dynamics have changed dramatically. An act of terrorism has become a reality here. As a result, the paradigm has also changed. What was acceptable behavior and response prior to this event is no longer valid. The reality is that yes there are bad people out there who “hate” for whate... 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
NEW YORK (JTA)-Being an American Jew, more than anything else, means remembering the Holocaust. That's what nearly three quarters of Jewish Americans said, according to the Pew Research Center's landmark 2013 study on American Jewry. Asked to pick attributes "essential" to being Jewish, more Jews said Holocaust remembrance than leading an ethical or moral life, caring about Israel or observing Jewish law. If anyone personified that consensus, it was Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor who... Full story
British-Jewish and pro-Israel groups are congratulating Home Secretary Theresa May for winning the leadership of the Conservative Party and replacing outgoing United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned following the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union (EU) in the Brexit referendum last month. May takes over the role after all other candidates for the Conservative leadership exited the race earlier in the week, and after Cameron expedited his resignation to Wednesday, July... Full story
By Shannon Sarna (The Nosher via JTA)-If a sweet pulled brisket married a can of baked beans, this dish would be their delicious baby. I love baked beans, right out of the can, all summer long for cookouts and backyard parties. It reminds me of my childhood, not to mention it's just straight up easy and cheap. You can follow all my steps below. You could also put a brisket in a slow cooker with some water, a bottle of store-bought barbecue sauce and maybe an onion. After 3 1/2 hours, add the... Full story
Ha Ha Ha Hee Hee Hee Ho Ho Ho... No. Santa Claus isn't coming to town. (No way! This is a Jewish story!) I'm writing about my experience the other day with the Jewish Community Center's Laughter Yoga class that takes place every Monday afternoon from 12:15 pm until 1 pm. It is lead by the very talented and likeable DANA KAPLAN. I walked into the designated room at the JCC with Dana and saw some chairs in a semi-circle waiting for us. Lovely gals who were taking part, Barbara and Sylvia, were... Full story
Joshua Aaron Overturf: Marine veteran, firefighter, EMT, National Guard Army, training for Staff Sargent promotion and getting ready to attend paramedic school so that he can change his military occupational specialty to work as a helicopter medic. As if these accomplishments weren’t enough, my son also saved my life. I want to go back a little and tell you about what happened to me before this incident. On June 13, 2016, I had emergency surgery to fix a blockage behind a hernia on the right side of my stomach. I was in the hospital until J... Full story
JEDWABNE, Poland (JTA)-As German army troops invaded eastern Poland, Ichak Lewin's family fled their town of Wizna. On July 10, 1941, the Lewins approached the nearby town of Jedwabne, where hundreds of Jews lived and had the means to shelter other Jews. But the Lewins soon realized they had come to the wrong place. "We were on the cart when we smelled a fire and another bad smell," said Lewin, recalling the day 75 years ago that has changed how millions in Poland and beyond think of the... Full story
Esther Fallas, age 94, of Sanford, passed away on Friday, July 8, 2016, at Health and Rehab Center of Sanford. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1922, Esther was the daughter of the late Harry and Celia Cohen Shasho. A homemaker, she and her husband, Ike, who survives her, relocated to the Orlando area in 2013. She is also survived by her daughters, Mona (Joey) Marliev of Brooklyn and Corrie (Al) Mosseri of Lake Mary; and her brothers, Teddy (Jenny) Shasho of Sarasota and Max Shasho of Brooklyn. Additionally, she is survived by five... Full story
