Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
On Sep. 3, over 300 UCF Knights solemnly gathered around the heart of campus to mourn and honor Steven Joel Sotloff-a freelance journalist who was murdered in cold-blood by the extremist group ISIS. The 31-year-old Miami native attended UCF from 2002-2004 and worked as a senior staff writer for The Central Florida Future, UCF's independent newspaper. After making aliyah in 2005, he set out to earn his undergraduate degree at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya. Before he was... Full story
In one of Steven Sotloff's final reports for The Media Line, dated July 30, 2014, he wrote: "As the international media is fixated on the struggle between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, few reporters are focusing on Syria. But a spate of kidnappings of foreign journalists in Syria has made the country a mini-Iraq that few want to venture into. 'It's dangerous and getting worse by the day,' says a correspondent for a major Western publication. If no one is asking for articles, why... Full story
Jewish National Fund (JNF) will host its annual Tree of Life Award Dinner at the Rosen Plaza Hotel, located at 9700 International Drive in Orlando, at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The event will honor local philanthropists Valeria and Jim Shapiro and Orlando Magic Executive Alex Martins with the prestigious Tree of Life Award. The Tree of Life Award is a humanitarian award given in recognition of outstanding community involvement, dedication to the cause of American –Israeli friendship, and d... Full story
Over Shabbat on Sept. 20, the Jewish community of Orlando will be treated to a fantastic opportunity to hear from a wonderful scholar who will be visiting our area. Dr. Walter Herzberg, assistant professor of Bible and Professional and Pastoral Skills at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America will be the guest scholar-in-residence at the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SOJC) on Shabbat morning and will also join a gathering of several local synagogues for Slichot services that... Full story
NEW YORK-From the north to the south, the people of Israel are praising Jewish National Fund (JNF) donors for the emergency aid delivered to them during the recent crisis. When Operation Protective Edge went into effect in early July, JNF immediately went to work internally and with numerous partners in Israel to deliver programs, provisions and services for thousands of men, women and children in facilities, shelters and fire stations, and provided trips and field programs to the north for... Full story
The following letter was written by the mother of Daniel Tregerman, the 4-year-old killed by mortar shell fired from Gaza, to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. She gave permission for the letter to be publicized so that others would know the complete story of what happened and what the past was like between Gazan civilians and Israelis who live in nearby kibbutzim. Dear Sir, My name is Gila, I am an Israeli citizen, and I am a resident of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, near the border with Gaza. A week... Full story
Recently, I viewed the compelling documentary "The Internet's Own Son," about the life and untimely death of Internet activist, Aaron Swartz, and it hit home in a couple of unexpected ways. Not only was Swartz raised in a Jewish family in my hometown of Highland Park, Illinois, but coincidentally, we both grew up in the same house, 15 years apart. Aaron's parents, Susan and Robert Swartz, currently reside in the house I consider my own childhood home from 1970-1986. According to Zillow, the... Full story
Casselberry's Congregation Bet Chaim is shaking up the High Holidays this year with a new leadership team designed to engage and inspire members and guests with a combination of traditional and unique. Rabbi Sanford Olshansky, previously of Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff, N.J., is already breathing new life into the 23-year-old congregation, Seminole County's first reform temple. "Rabbi Sandy" is a "second career" rabbi whose passion for Judaism led him to begin his rabbinical studies after... Full story
Joe and Lynn Goldovitz, esteemed and multi-talented spiritual leaders of Congregation Sinai, Minneola, Fla., will blow the shofar, play the harp and conduct the upcoming High Holidays. Congregation Sinai is a full-service, family-oriented synagogue that commemorates all lifecycle events. Jewish people all over the world will usher in the Jewish New Year, 5775, a time of new beginnings and of reflection on one’s life, at sundown Wed. Sept 24. The 10 days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the holiest days of the year. It is the anniversary of t... Full story
Ask a foreigner to name a British parliamentarian. Assuming they are able to provide an answer, there’s a high chance, especially if that person is a Jew or a Muslim, that the name on their lips will be that of George Galloway. The 60-year-old Galloway has been a fixture of the British House of Commons since 1987. In that time, he has represented a variety of constituencies, beginning in the Scottish city of Glasgow and currently representing a section of Bradford, a heavily Muslim city in the north of England. He has also represented two diffe... Full story
The key question—both legally and morally—in evaluating Israel’s recent military actions is whether the Israeli government was justified in ordering ground troops into Gaza to destroy the Hamas tunnels. This question is important because most of the deaths—among Palestinian civilians, Hamas terrorists and Israeli soldiers—came about after Israeli ground troops attacked the tunnels. These tunnels went deep underground from Gaza to Israel and were designed to allow Hamas death squads to cross into Israel and to kill and kidnap Israeli citizens.... Full story
Policymakers aspire to clarity. It is easiest to define and defend one’s actions according to fixed lines. Government benefits should go to individuals who meet certain criteria. Giving discretion to the people who carry out policy is problematic. It facilitates favoritism and brings charges of discrimination. Yet some issues do not lend themselves to clear lines, and some of those who implement policy should have discretion. Physicians make some decisions according to widely accepted criteria, but are entitled to use the judgment they have bee... Full story
The definition of peace between the Palestinians and Israelis is when the two can work alongside each other, earning equal wages, benefits, and economically energizing their neighborhoods, in a ‘so called’ peaceful environment. Peace broke out in Maale Adumim, West Bank at the SodaStream factory 15 minutes west of Jerusalem. 600 West Bank Palestinians, 300 East Jerusalem Arabs, and 300 Israeli Jews entered, without knowing, into a voluntary peace deal at SodaStream. All this achieved without outside interference from the United Nations, Uni... Full story
Last Friday, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach began an advertising campaign to defend the State of Israel by arguing that Hamas and ISIS are equally vile. According to his press release, “The ad equates ISIS and its execution of American journalist James Foley and Hamas’ actions in Gaza.” Not only is the opinion of “America’s Rabbi” wrong, it is dangerous. Let me be clear: I believe Hamas is an existential danger to the State of Israel, and I denounce that bellicose terrorist regime vigorously. I was a strong supporter of our recent efforts in Gaza, wh... Full story
On Aug. 30, Palestinian terrorists set a Jewish man on fire in Jerusalem, and on Sept. 1, other Palestinian terrorists tried to set an entire bus full of Israeli Jews on fire. Yet I couldn’t find any mention of these horrific attacks in the New York Times, the Washington Post, or any other major American news outlet. Why is it that news about burning Jews is not considered fit to print? The first of the firebomb attacks took place in Jerusalem’s City of David neighborhood. A Molotov cocktail—a flaming bottle of gasoline that explodes upon conta... Full story
MORNING AND EVENING MINYANS (Call synagogue to confirm time.) Chabad of South Orlando—Monday and Thursday, 8 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 Israel—Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-647-3055. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Li... Full story
Charles Schwartz passed away on Sept. 8, 2014 after a difficult but courageous battle with cancer, and with his loved ones by his side. Charles is predeceased by his parents, Maxwell Alter Schwartz and Jennie Besner Schwartz as well as by his sister, Phyllis Schwartz Shapiro. Born March 8, 1940 in Montreal, Canada within the large and very extended "Besner clan," he was a member of a generation of 27 first cousins. Charles was a resident of Orlando since 1977. Founder of Avanti Properties Group... Full story
A few years ago I had the dubious honor of chairing a Jewish Federation committee that collected unpaid pledges made to the Jewish community. We were mostly successful but sometimes we ran into tough eggs who wouldn’t pay up or return phone calls or letters. One day it dawned on me. The trick was finding the right person to make the call, someone who was so respected and admired that his calls could not be shrugged off. Right off — I knew the right guy for this, Charles Schwartz. One person who had made a sizable pledge had dodged me for wee... Full story
Beatrice S. Allen of Orlando, passed away at her residence on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. She was 95 years old. Mrs. Allen was born on Aug. 13, 1919, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jacob and Gitla Goodman Kleinman. Following graduation from high school she began a career working for the U.S. government. She was married to the late William Grossman for 27 years when he passed away in 1967. In the 1970s, she married the late Joseph Allen to whom she was married for 34 years. Following her marriage to Mr. Allen, she moved to Toronto where she lived until... Full story
Sharon Louise Sandin Brossier of Orlando, passed away on Aug. 26, 2014. She was 71 years old. Mrs. Brossier was born in Ohio to Sanford and Evelyn Sandin. She married Howard Peiper in 1963. They moved to Orlando in 1977 to open Flowerland in the Altamonte Mall. They were members of Congregation Ohev Shalom and active at the JCC. She was also active in literacy tutoring and cared deeply about animals. Mrs. Brossier is survived by her husband, Christy Brossier; three children, David Robert, Marc Ian and Jackie Fern Peiper; and her grandchildren,... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Jon Stewart's directorial film debut, "Rosewater," is set to premiere at film festivals in the United States and Canada this September. So the Hollywood Reporter took the opportunity to grab some golden quotes (and glam shots) of the iconic "Daily Show" comedian about filming in the Middle East-and his own take on the region's politics. "Rosewater" tells a story that Stewart was drawn to because of his own real-life involvement: The film is adapted from the memoir of Maziar... Full story
Felissa Gaber, daughter of Eva and Larry (z"l) Gaber, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, at Congregation Beth Am. Felissa is in the seventh grade at Glenridge Middle School where she is in the IB Middle Years Honor program and is a member of the Beta Club and Junior Thespian Troupe 89087. Her hobbies and interests include reading, ice skating, "obsessing" over "Wicked," laughing with friends, swimming, arts and music, and volunteering in Beth Am's Sunday... Full story
Tired of Holocaust deniers... I read this recently in the World Jewish Congress Digest (WJC) and I found it to be very upsetting. (As I age, I seem to find everything upsetting... especially when I look in the mirror!) As the Jewish New Year is almost upon us, I feel this takes on even more meaning. I pass it along to you: "During a major national address for Persian New Year, Iran's Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, took another opportunity to deny that the Holocaust ever took place and... Full story
(JTA) – All is not well in the U.S.-Israel relationship. Somehow, the 50 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas frayed ties between Washington and Jerusalem. How did this happen? In part, the contretemps stems from the divergent ways that the Israeli and U.S. administrations view the Gaza war. Here's where each side is coming from: In the eyes of the U.S. administration... While Israel's security concerns vis-a-vis Gaza are legitimate, the ferocity of Israel's response against Hamas in G... Full story
BEERSHEBA, Israel (JTA)-Handcuffed to a wooden chair in the middle of the night, Rafat Awaysha still wasn't sure what crime he had committed. He had announced a demonstration against the war in Gaza in a July 11 Facebook post. Soon afterward, he received a call from the police, who came to his dormitory and took him in for questioning. Released after an hour, Awaysha, the head of the Arab-Israeli Balad party student group at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, thought the ordeal was over. But... Full story
