Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - A total of 225 new immigrants from North America landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Wednesday as part of the 63rd Nefesh B'Nefesh chartered aliyah flight through El Al Airlines. The flight was coordinated in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, Jewish National Fund-USA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds, culturally and demographically - hailing from 19 U.S. sta...
BERLIN (JTA) — Nestled in the Bavarian alps, the city of Oberammergau has one major claim to fame: every 10 years, it hosts the world-famous Passion Play, which tells the New Testament story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It has been doing so since the 17th century, almost without fail, and it happens to be on now, after a two-year, pandemic-related delay. About half a million spectators are expected to flock to the town by the time this season is over, on Oct. 2. Over the centuries, the play — in which all roles are filled by local resident...
On the occasion of David Moldau's 80th birthday, Sunday, Aug. 21, Chabad of North Orlando dedicated its new Hebrew school, naming it the Moldau Hebrew School, after David and Harriet Moldau. During speeches, Rabbi Yanky Majesky noted that David and Harriet are committed to the welfare of Jewish life. Rabbi Sholom Dubov shared about the Cup of Blessing, which was before him on the table with cups of paint. He invited leaders and those who made the school possible to pour paint over the cup – as r...
(JNS) - Internationally acclaimed novelist Salman Rushdie, who had a fatwa (religious edict) placed on him by Iran since the late 1980s, was stabbed on Friday as he took the stage during a speaking engagement in western New York, less than an hour from Lake Erie. During a press conference later in the afternoon, New York State Police identified the attacker as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, of Fairview, N.J., who it said stabbed Rushdie in the neck and at least twice in the abdomen. The police said...
The Jewish Pavilion has been offering Grief Support through a Jewish Lens for close to 10 years. The program is offered twice a year - Fall and Spring. The program is five-six weeks and takes place on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. beginning Oct. 24th at Village on the Green, 500 Village Place in Longwood. A grief support group offers a different quality of support and connection that comes from being with people who have also recently experienced a loss. Grief support groups provide emotional support,...
The leadership of the Jewish Pavilion wants to thank Julie Levitt Bain for 12 years of service as an outstanding program director. A dozen years ago, Levitt Bain served as a volunteer on the committee for A Walk in the Park. Cathy Swerdlow was leaving the Jewish Pavilion as a program director and requested that we split the job in to four positions - with part-time program directors in the north, east, south and west so that the individuals did not have to do so much driving to outlying...
The Rosen JCC is excited to launch its J University after-school program. The Rosen JCC understood there was a need in the community to help parents find activities for their children after school. This program starts by offering convenient pick-up from Bay Meadows, Dr. Phillips and Sand Lake Elementary schools. Once they arrive at the Rosen JCC there are a variety of options. Children will receive a snack and then move on to other fun activities. The program provides homework help which gives them the opportunity to do their homework with...
(JTA) — The passage of a milestone climate bill in Congress on Friday means major progress on a policy issue that American Jews rank above all others in recent surveys of voter priorities. While climate change is not often pegged as a Jewish issue, a set of poll results suggest concern about it is nearly a consensus in the community. Already eight years ago, a survey from the nonpartisan group Public Religion Research Institute found that a far larger percentage of American Jews believed that climate change was a concern than Americans as a w...
(JTA) — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of committing “Holocausts” at a press conference after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, and Scholz’s muted initial response is spurring criticism. Abbas used the term in response on Tuesday to a reporter who asked if the Palestinian leader would apologize for the murder 50 years ago of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics. An arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization carried out the attack, and the PLO and the Palestinian Authori...
(JNS) — A bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill that would make energy sanctions placed against Iran in 1996 permanent. The co-sponsors of the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act (SISA) wrote in a news release that the bill was necessitated by Iran’s continued pursuit of a nuclear weapon and malign activities in the Middle East being a danger to Israel, America’s Arab partners and American military personnel in the region. Drafted and introduced on Aug. 2 by Sen Tim Scott (R-S.C.), its original co-sponsors included Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N....
(JNS) —Jewish life in America is under assault. Ideological and political campaigns that defame and demonize Jews are now fashionable in the media, academia and too many Christian and Muslim religious institutions. This demonization naturally incites physical violence, as it has throughout history. The simplistic and short-term response is, of course, increased physical security — armed guards at Jewish venues and events. Wise leadership would recognize that we cannot provide physical security for every Jew and that unless we deal with the root...
With the U.S. recently authorizing $1 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine and persistently opposing the Russian invasion, it is difficult to imagine the prospect of American leaders aligning with the Kremlin on any particular issue. But that is precisely what Sen. Marco Rubio (R) did last week vis-à-vis the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan — and that development should make Florida’s Jewish community aware that double standards extend beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Rubio is known as a strong supp...
Ya know, just when we think we have successfully dealt with antisemitism and the threat of the “Proud Boys” etc. here comes a new/old threat to the Jewish People: Christian Nationalism. This theory, pushed by the far right organizations active in our political landscape today, states that America was founded as a Christian Nation and all other religions have no place in American life and/or American philosophy. It states in the Declaration of Independence that the United States is “One Nation Under God.” So, what does that mean? As Jews we...
(JNS) — The families of the Israeli athletes massacred at the 1972 Munich Olympics have announced a boycott of an upcoming 50th-anniversary commemoration in Germany. They’re protesting the inadequate level of compensation provided by the German government, and I fully support their position. But let’s not forget that one of the masterminds of the massacre heads a regime that is currently receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in direct and indirect aid each year from the United States, Germany and numerous other countries. I am refer...
(JNS) — Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion once famously said, “When Israel has prostitutes and thieves, we’ll be a state just like any other.” Ben-Gurion’s vision of Zionism was to “normalize” the Jews. His “normal” meant having a country with a Jewish flavor that is still a state like any other, with all the vices inherent therein. This was a great aspiration at the time given the urgency of restoring the Jewish people to sovereignty in the Land of Israel. However, it would have been nice if Ben-Gurion had referred to other s...
(JNS) — We are swiftly approaching the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists. Even after the passage of decades, the wounds have not healed, and the atrocity remains as emotive and fraught as it ever was. In particular, the German government, which botched its ambush attempt on the terrorists, allowing them to murder the athletes they had taken hostage, recently offered further compensation to the families of the victims. It was refused, with one survivor c...
MORNING MINYANS 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. Congregation Ohev Shalom — Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-298-4650. GOBOR Community Minyan at Jewish Academy...
(New York Jewish Week) — Polio has been detected in New York City wastewater, three weeks after a Jewish man in Rockland County was diagnosed with the first polio case in the U.S. in 10 years. The announcement suggests that the potentially deadly virus is circulating in the city, officials say. New York City and State health officials made the joint announcement on Friday. Traces of polio had previously been found in wastewater samples from Rockland and Orange Counties, north of the city. “The risk to New Yorkers is real but the defense is so...
(JTA) - How the subject of his new documentary, "Syndrome K," has largely escaped public attention is a mystery to filmmaker Stephen Edwards. "It's the greatest elevator pitch in Hollywood," he said. "The story of three doctors, one of them Jewish, practicing with a fake identity, that fool the SS with a fake disease that saved Jews from certain deportation." "Syndrome K," which hits digital and video on demand platforms on Tuesday after some Jewish film festival showings, tells that...
The Jewish tradition of leaving stones or pebbles on a grave is an ancient one, and its origins are unclear. It is a custom or tradition, rather than a commandment, and over time many interpretations have been offered for this practice. Common explanations for this custom include: • Warning To Kohanim (Jewish Priests) During the times of the Temple in Jerusalem, Jewish priests (kohanim) became ritually impure if they came within four feet of a corpse. As a result, Jews began marking graves w...
Find time away from the chaos. During the end of summer as the kids get back to school and we shift out of vacation mode, things can seem a bit overwhelming. Let go of what you can and focus on good enough, not perfection, and make time to rest. If you normally spend all weekend doing household chores, try to carve out some quiet time for yourself or spend quality time with friends or family. Focus for an hour or two on yourself to let your mind clear. It's ok not to be perfect. We're here to...
On Sunday, Aug. 14th, the The JFS Orlando Pantry Van made a special appearance at the Congregation of Reform Judaism's Welcome Back Block Party. "Our congregation appreciates the JFS Pantry Van pop-up for literally bringing the mitzvah of tzedakah onto our campus," said Rabbi Steve Engel. "Meeting people where they are and building partnerships like the one between JFS and CRJ is what our community needs more of." Members filled the van with generously donated items most needed by JFS clients,...
The state of Florida is vulnerable to hurricanes during the Atlantic hurricane season (June-November.) When there is a warning of a hurricane or other natural disaster, elder-care communities ensure the comfort and safety of their residents. Senior communities have a Hurricane and Disaster Preparedness Plan which consists of recommendations from regulating authorities such as the Florida Division of Emergency Management as well as precautionary guidelines and procedures developed from their experience and expertise in hurricane preparedness....
Gloria Yousha is down on her back - literally - and can't sit to write her column. So here are a few stories from Scene Around past. We hope you enjoy them. Admiral Hyman Rickover ... (From December 2015) HYMAN GEORGE RICKOVER was a United States Navy admiral who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors. In addition, he oversaw the development of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the world's...
Following the dedication service of the new Moldau Hebrew School, children and adults enjoyed pony rides, food and games...
