Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The Jewish Academy of Orlando began the new school year with advances in student retention and enrollment, as well as improvements in the technology and fine arts programs. Year-over-year enrollment increased 14 percent, and the school achieved a 95 percent retention rate, an improvement from prior years. "We are excited to begin the school year with such positive momentum in recruitment and enrollment," Head of School Alan Rusonik stated. For years, Jewish Academy has been a technology leader...
(JTA)-A former guard at a Nazi concentration camp was deported to Germany overnight from the United States, where he had lived for decades. Jakiw Palij, 95, had lived in Queens, New York. He served as a guard at the Trawniki concentration camp near Lublin, Poland, during World War II, and may face prosecution in Germany for his actions. Members of New York's congressional delegation last year urged the Trump administration to deport Palij, whose citizenship was revoked in 2003 based on his...
NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS—On Aug. 9, 2018, the community group Education Without Indoctrination filed a lawsuit against the School Committee of Newton, Massachusetts, in Massachusetts Superior Court on behalf of three Newton taxpayers. The lawsuit claims multiple violations of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law stemming from the school committee’s handling of a burgeoning scandal over anti-Semitic lessons and the promotion of Islamic religious beliefs as objective facts in the public school district’s history classes. In teaching world histo...
The Kinneret Council of Aging’s Annual 8 over 80 Honorary Dinner is designed to recognize area residents who have contributed to the betterment of the Central Florida community. Who will be the newest honorees? On Sunday, March 3, 2019, KCOA will pay tribute to eight individuals over the age of 80 who have made significant contributions in the Central Florida area and continue to live lives of remarkable achievement, vitality and civic engagement. This coveted honor is one of the most prestigious awards for older adults in our community. ...
The Jewish Pavilion Board of Directors welcomed a new executive committee and six new members at its August meeting. Former board member Dick Appelbaum reviewed the past year's accomplishments and installed the new executive committee and board. The new president for a two-year term is Faye Novick. Barry Kudlowitz is vice president, Terri Fine is secretary and Toby Vandemark is treasurer. Immediate past president Paul Stenzler remains on the executive committee and board. New board members are...
Recognizing that the school districts of Seminole and Orange counties will be in session during Rosh Hashanah, Congregation Beth Am in Longwood will offer an innovative, alternative worship "experience" on Monday, Sept. 10, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for all students and their families who will not have had the opportunity to attend services on the 1st Day of Rosh Hashanah. This will be followed by a brief Tashlich service that's BYOB (Bring Your Own Bread). According to Greg Alman, vice-president...
JSU is back in full force and is now in seven high schools around Orlando. JSU is a student run Jewish Club at local high schools where teens of all affiliations and backgrounds get to explore Judaism in a fun, accepting, and engaging environment. JSU has hundreds of clubs all over the country, with seven of them right here in Orlando. There will be a JSU kickoff event on Sunday, Sept. 2 from noon to 2:30 p.m. at 9101 International Dr., #1032 in Orlando. The cost is $12 per person. For more information about the clubs or the JSU Kick off...
For those grieving the loss of a loved one there is hope. Once again, JFS Orlando, in coordination with the Jewish Pavilion and in cooperation with The Hospice of the Comforter and VITAS Healthcare, is holding a Grief Support Group on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The group meetings began on Aug. 30 and will continue to meet Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, and Oct. 4. The meetings take place at Congregation Ohev Shalom, 613 Concourse Parkway South, Maitland. For registration or questions, contact JFS clinical therapist supervisor Ashlyn...
(JTA)—A senior clergywoman in the Episcopal Church of Massachusetts has apologized for comments accusing Israel of fabricated atrocities. During a speech last month to the church’s General Convention, Bishop Suffragen Gayle Harris claimed that she had witnessed Israeli security forces arrest a 3-year-old on the Temple Mount and shoot a 15-year-old in the back 10 times after making a comment to a group of soldiers. Harris, the second-highest ranking Episcopal official in the state, later clarified that she had heard the stories from a third par...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—PepsiCo will acquire the Israeli home soda maker manufacturer SodaStream for $3.2 billion, the soft drink giant said Monday. PepsiCo plans to maintain the Israeli company’s current base of operations in the Negev. SodaStream will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary. The American multinational agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of SodaStream International Ltd. for $144 per share. “PepsiCo and SodaStream are an inspired match,” PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said in a statement. SodaStream CEO Danie...
(JNS)—An Israeli report has revealed that the son of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas told a top Trump administration official that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unrealistic. According to Israel’s Channel 10, Tarek Abbas told White House special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt last September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York that he does not think a two-state solution is possible, and that the solution is one state with equal rights for all citizens. Mahmoud Abb...
The ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Hamas terror group’s regime in Gaza point to a central truth about the nature of the Palestinian conflict with Israel. Before anyone speaks any more about a possible “deal of the century,” or a “two-state solution,” it is imperative that the implications of those talks be fully understood. The ceasefire talks are being held between the sides of two separate international coalitions. On the one side are Israel, the U.S., and Egypt. On the other side are Hamas, Qatar, and Turkey. The party tha...
It’s an old story and has resonance probably only for people of a certain age whose life made it almost necessary to look at everything through the “I am a Jew” lens. Back in 1969, When I told my 93-year-old immigrant grandmother “Bubby! We just landed a man on the moon!” She replied, “Oh. Is that good for the Jews or bad for the Jews?” Well, we’ve come a ways since then. But, Israel... yeah, Israel. Not as simple as it used to be. When the State became a reality in 1948, Jews around the world rejoiced. We, the People of the Book were back...
It appears that the split between Gaza and the West Bank is serious. There’s a line of culture between us and them that keeps us from knowing what’s occurring. We do know that the Fatah of Mahmoud Abbas is out of touch with the Hamas that controls Gaza. We don’t know more, but there’s speculation that it is or isn’t a matter of Abbas’ stubbornness. He’s in his mid-80s, and ill, and there are several competitors for his job. One or more may have connections with Gaza. Hamas appears to be dominant in Gaza. Its competitors include several groups e...
(JNS)—In the international hit Israeli TV series “Fauda,” the head of the Palestinian Authority security service is a fictional character named Abu Maher. Played by Qader Harini, an Arab actor from eastern Jerusalem, Abu Maher is reconciled to peace and coexistence, and therefore willing to cooperate with the Israelis to combat Islamist terror. In an episode of the show’s second season (this is not a spoiler for the main plot line, so you can keep reading even if you haven’t watched the series), Abu Maher takes his son—a student who sympath...
(JNS)—Much has been published against the new Israeli basic law: Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish People. Many, both in Israel and abroad, ask: Why is it necessary? How can it comport with democracy? Where does it leave minorities, particularly Muslim-Arabs, who make up some 20% of the Israeli population? In order to understand the need for the new Nation-State law, we must understand the challenges to Israel’s existence in the Middle East. First of all, there is the religious aspect. According to Islam, Judaism and Christianity are...
(JTA)—In the Trump era, even the deporting of Nazis can’t bring Americans together. A number of Jewish organizations and lawmakers were quick to thank the Trump administration for deporting Jakiw Palij, a former SS guard at the Nazis’ Trawnicki concentration camp in Poland. But they weren’t as quick as the administration itself, whose news release Monday announcing the deportation was explicit in commending President Donald Trump for making Palij’s expulsion a priority while noting that “past administrations were unsuccessful in removing Palij....
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...
WASHINGTON (JTA)-Rashida Tlaib, the Democratic nominee in a surefire congressional district comprising parts of Detroit, believes in a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and says she would vote against military assistance for Israel. Does she represent a trend? Republicans would like you to think so. "This is the Democrat (sic) party," the Republican Jewish Coalition tweeted, attached to a story about Tlaib's view on military aid. Is Tlaib indeed the future of the Democratic...
Mr. And Mrs. Errol Zazik of Coral Springs and Mr. And Mrs. R.J. Stuart Bourne of Apopka are delighted to announce the engagement of their children, Alexa Zazik and Alexander Bourne. Alexa is a speech pathologist at Northwest Elementary School in Tampa. She received her bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders from Florida State University and her master's degree from the University of South Florida. Alex is a transportation development associate at RS&H in Tampa. He received...
(JTA)-Dafna Michaelson Jenet traces her political career back to conversations around the Shabbat table as a 14-year-old. She remembers hearing her parents and their friends discuss the challenges facing Cincinnati, where they were living. But the conversations would quickly be forgotten once the day of rest came to an end. "I was distressed by this because I truly believed that they had the answer to the problems that I cared strongly about, that were plaguing our community, and they didn't...
Who knew? department... When I was younger and much better looking (oh quiet!), I loved to wear the latest fashions and I adored the famous fashion designers. My favorite was RALPH LAUREN. I just found out that his real name is not Lauren, rather Lifshitz! (A landsman!) If you were born in 1925-1955... This is a note to all the kids who survived the 1930s, '40s and '50s. No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, we are awesome!! Our lives are living proof!! First, we...
MOSCOW (JTA)—Israel’s passage of the nation-state law brought another round of barrages across the Atlantic underlining the growing alienation of the world’s two largest Jewish communities. The issues are increasingly familiar: American pluralism versus Jewish exceptionalism, Orthodox versus Liberal, nationalism versus enlightenment. Yes, we have a problem. Israel and American Jewry are growing apart from one other. It would be wrong to put the responsibility of this growing schism only on the Israeli government, or Israeli civil society, since...
AMSTERDAM (JTA)-On July 19, Evelien Gans, one of the Netherlands' foremost scholars on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, jumped to her death from her fourth-story Amsterdam apartment, where she lived alone. Gans, 67, a retired professor at the University of Amsterdam who had struggled with clinical depression for years, prepared her suicide with characteristic meticulousness. She left a carefully worded note for her life partner, Frank Diamand, and a last will and testament for her sister. Yet...
NEW YORK (JTA)-If you scroll down the Twitter feed of Jacob Wohl, former teenage hedge fund manager and current pro-Donald Trump provocateur, you'll see a stream of insults directed at Robert Mueller, liberals and a proposed plastic straw ban. And that was just Friday morning. To his 158,000 followers, Wohl, 20, describes himself as "Conservative, Trump Supporter, Zionist." So he seemed like an interesting person to profile for JTA. And in the 19 minutes before he hung up on me, Wohl said his...
