Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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In its second year, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando’s Jewish Teen Education Network (JTEN) has awarded more than $10,000 in grants to eight synagogues for formal Jewish teen educational programming. For the 2015-2016 year, eight Central Florida congregations applied for and received awards, including Chabad of North Orlando, Chabad of South Orlando, Congregation Beth Am, Congregation of Reform Judaism, Congregation Ohev Shalom, Temple Israel, Temple Shir Shalom of Oviedo and Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC). “The JTEN pro...
On Aug. 28, 2015, the American Jewish Community participated in the live broadcast of the "Special Address by President Barack Obama" presented by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The address served as an opportunity for dialogue between the president and the American Jewish people on the issue of the Iran Nuclear Agreement. The event was moderated and hosted jointly by the JFNA's Michael Siegal and the...
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando (JFGO) has awarded $50,000 in Collaborative Community Grants to 11 Central Florida programs and services for the 2015-2016 program year. The grant recipients were announced at the Federation’s Annual Meeting in August. To qualify for a grant, at least two agencies, synagogues or organizations must work together to develop and submit a proposal and implement a program. In addition, the programs or services must be open to the entire Jewish community of Greater Orlando regardless of religious a...
You won’t read about it in the New York Times or the Washington Post. But this week’s arrest of four Palestinian terrorists who were plotting to attack a Jewish holy site tells you everything you need to know about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. The reason you won’t hear about it in the American news media is because the terrorists were caught before they struck. Apparently intentions don’t count. No casualties, no news coverage—and even when there are casualties, there isn’t always news coverage. Did your daily newspaper report abou...
On Aug. 16, the Israeli Army revealed that Iran has been directing terrorist attacks from Syria against Israelis in the Golan Heights region. Nobody paid attention. Four days later, Iranian-sponsored rockets from Syria struck Israel’s Upper Galilee. Is anybody listening now? For weeks, supporters of Israel have been warning that the emerging Iran agreement would give Tehran funds that it could use to wage war against Israel through its proxies. But now it turns out that Iran is already waging that war. The question is, who is paying a...
It’s time for another round of that hoary folk song about disaster just about everywhere, i.e., “They’re rioting in Africa, they’re starving in Spain...” The ugliest story concerns more than 70 bodies, decomposed to a smelly lump making counts difficult and identification impossible, found in a closed truck along a highway in Hungary. No less disturbing are reports by an Israeli journalist who interviewed women in a refugee camp on the Jordan side of the Jordan-Syria border. There were few men to be interviewed. The women told stories o...
(My Jewish Learning via JTA)—We live with a practical tradition. We begin the Jewish New Year with 10 days devoted to introspection. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we are asked to review our past failures and victories, to evaluate our relationships and how we can make things better for ourselves and those we care for. We take stock of our lives and try to put ourselves back on the right path. “Chet” is the Hebrew word commonly translated as “sin.” It is derived from the term that means “to miss the target.” The assumption is that sin i...
Is it over? On Wednesday morning, during a KPCC radio talk show about the Iran deal, the host, Patt Morrison, asked me whether, now that President Barack Obama has the 34 votes he needs to support the Iran nuclear agreement, the rancor and vitriol within the Jewish community that marked the debate over it would subside. Honestly, I wish I knew the answer. I do know that last night, the evening before Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski said she would sign onto the deal, a prominent Maryland rabbi held a rally outside his synagogue, during which he...
(Kveller via JTA)—Growing up as the only Jewish family in town meant that we missed out on a lot of things. We didn’t go to Hebrew school, we barely acknowledged Shabbat and we had very little connection to the Jewish community. My Israeli mother did her best to give us a basis in Judaism, but since my dad did not have a Jewish background and there were no other Jews for miles around, being Jewish was more of an abstract concept than a way of life. But every year, when the air turned cooler and the leaves turned colors, something would cha...
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...
More than 40 moms, dads and children turned out on Sunday, Aug. 30, to celebrate Rosh Hashanah at Lukas Nursery and Butterfly Encounter in Oviedo. The event was organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's Shalom Families program. The families were joined by Rabbi Joshua Neely of Temple Israel, who helped make the day special by reading "A Very Hungry Caterpillar," leading the families in blessings, and blowing the shofar. Families attending the event fed butterflies, made apples and...
Geraldine “Geri” Halperin Harris, age 88, of Northport, Alabama, passed away at the Huntercreek Nursing and Rehab Center in Northport on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. Mrs. Harris was born in Dublin, Georgia, on Oct. 24, 1926, to the late Philip and Celia Greenberg Halperin. She grew up in Fitzgerald, Ga., with her brother and sisters, Sammy and Florence and Jeanette, where the family belonged to the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congregation. She attended the University of Georgia where she met her first husband, Ed Ember. They moved back to Fitzgerald bot...
Myrna Lighterman, age 85, of Sanford, passed away at her residence on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015. A native of New York City, she was born on May 11, 1930, to the late Harold and Eve Merzon Winniman. A high school graduate, she was self-taught and started the first computer consulting firm in the State of Florida in the 1970s. Mrs. Lighterman and her family relocated to South Florida from New York in 1960 and in 2002, she settled in Central Florida. She is survived by her children, Mark Lighterman of Sanford and Sandy Lighterman of Plantation;...
Ruby Gloria Steinfeld (Nee Eisner)of Orlando, passed away on Sept. 4th, 2015, following a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s at the Hunters Creek Nursing Home. She was born on Jan. 7, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Louis and Rose Eisner. She grew up in Dover, N.J., and was a graduate of Dover High School. She is also a graduate of New Jersey State Teachers College and then began her long rewarding career as a kindergarten teacher at the Franklin School in Succasunna, N.J. She retired in 1993 from the Roxbury Board of Education. Upon r...
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. Most synagogues require tickets for admission, and their cost varies from congregation to congregation. Some may open one or more of their holiday services to the community. For tickets or information, contact the individual synagogue. Celebration Jewish Congregation (Reform) Rabbi Dr. Richard M. Cowin Cantorial soloists Dr. Norton and Jane...
A date in infamy... Of course I refer to this date, Sept. 11, when our country was attacked and so many Americans died, among them Alan Feinberg, a family member, who was a firefighter with the 59th battalion. Ladder 4. His firehouse was on 48th Street and 8th Avenue, NYC. He was rescuing people from Tower One of the World Trade Center when it collapsed. This column is for and about you, not me... But I want to take this opportunity to thank the many who sent sympathy cards and phoned me to say...
We are very proud that to say that our Jewish elderly are receiving the love and support they deserve. At the Jewish Pavilion, we deliver Jewish tradition and compassion to the doorsteps of seniors in long-term care. In Orlando we do not have a Jewish Home for the Aged. We are an outreach organization that functions like a Jewish community center on wheels bringing the Jewish community to our seniors who are no longer mobile. The Pavilion has 400 volunteers that visit every known Jewish elder...
As the once and sometimes Jewish philosopher Bob Dylan was fond of saying, “the times, they are a changin,” and the same can be said for Central Florida Hillel. Since the calendar switched from 5774 to 5775 a lot has changed at the little house that potential built... Our beautiful Hillel building is now full of the noise of students studying, not studying, pretending to study, and having a good time with each other and our staff. Our community events regularly have attendance nearing 100 students, and our Fall 2015 kick off event had over 300...
Shalom, Friends, On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, we want to express our best wishes to you and your family for a sweet New Year 5776. According to Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world, and this is where our calendar begins. On this day, we are expected to conceive a plan, engage in a vision of the future, have ambition and desire to take an active part in the shaping of our future. And as we do on any birthday, we make wishes for the coming year....
The year 5775 produced a lot of "new" for The Roth Family JCC of Greater Orlando-a new name, new logo, new web site, new theater program, new giving initiatives, and a whole lot of new kids and families participating in our programs, as we achieved a year of major growth. Here are just a few of our achievements from the year: • In memory of Charles Schwartz, raised over $130,000 from 77 donors to renovate our basketball gymnasium and rename our youth and adult basketball leagues the Charles I...
Celebrating our 38th year, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando is proud to serve the Central Florida community and positively affect the lives of thousands of individuals and families. Providing professional guidance in a caring and confidential environment, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando's unique ability to help those in need is demonstrated throughout a full range of programs and services. Our cultural and religious tenets, shared from one generation to the next, affirm our...
On Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate Creation. We recognize that a higher power in the universe created the world "ex nihilo," or "out of nothing." It is a time we can step back and say in the words of the Psalmist "Ma Rabu Ma'asecha," or "how magnificent is Your work and Your creation." From time immemorial, human beings have had that similar innate desire to create, to imagine, and to innovate. Humankind has created beautiful works of art, magnificent temples and cathedrals, and remarkable cities....
The Jewish Pavilion is celebrating the vibrant memories of lost loved ones at its fall fundraiser, "A Taste in the Park", a special tasting event which will be held on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Venue on the Lake-Maitland Civic Center. Memorial sponsors will receive a certificate honoring a past loved one. Additionally, a memorial poster will be displayed at the event, sharing a short bio (with notes by the family), and a "taste of" the life and times of the loved one who has passed. When Apopka's...
Tradition dictates a glass of champagne on the secular New Year. But what can give you a nice buzz to celebrate the Jewish New Year? These Rosh Hashanah drinks from "Queen of Kosher" Jaime Geller's Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine could very well start a new trend. Spiced Spiked Almond Milk By Cheryl Heisler/JoyofKosher.com and Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine Spike your almond milk with spicy liquors for the ultimate comfort and buzz this Rosh Hashanah. Prep Time: 5 minutes...
LOS ANGELES (JTA)-It's no miracle that I know the exact minute that Rosh Hashanah is coming; my trusty Jewish calendar hanging on the refrigerator tells me. While it doesn't actually speak to me like my friend Marcy's Jewish calendar computer program, my old-fashioned paper version not only provides me the eve of when Rosh Hashanah begins, Sept. 13, and the precise moment, 6:44 p.m., but a lesson in klal Yisrael, literally "the whole of Israel." And it's all for free. Unlike the mezuzah, there...
