Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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B’nai B’rith is troubled that a gathering in Washington, D.C., to support Christians persecuted by radical Islamists has been overshadowed by a display of animosity toward Israel. During the “In Defense of Christians” (IDC) summit, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was shouted down when he spoke positively about Israel. During a speech at an evening gala, Cruz noted that some urge differentiating between “ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas”—and rejected this approach, asserting, “Hate is hate, and murder is murder.” He continued: “Christians have...
For over 10 years Congregation Sinai, a full-service progressive congregation, which considers itself “a little bit Conservative and a little bit Reform,” has been holding services, social events, adult education classes, Torah study, and youth education classes leading to bar and bat mizvah ceremonies. The Mens Club and Sisterhood are very active arms of the synagogue life. Beside the weekly Torah study every Saturday, they will continue the Adult Educaiton program on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Currently, they are studying the First Book of Samuel...
(JNS.org) Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is "quietly converting to Judaism," The New York Post reported. The outlet's gossip column, Page Six, reported that Paltrow is converting after following kabbalah for years. Many non-Jewish celebrities have adopted or followed the teachings of kabbalah, most notably Madonna. Paltrow's late father, Bruce Paltrow, who died in 2002 of cancer, was Jewish. Her mother, Blythe Danner, is Christian. The actress has said she was raised with both religions....
Rabbi Joshua Neely will be leading services at Temple Israel throughout the High Holidays. The theme of his messages this year is to find your core within Judaism's core. You can live superficially but there is a gnawing doubt and emptiness at the core. Find out how to let Judaism be your core and provide balance and strength for your whole life. Deborah Meitin, long-time Temple Israel member, will serve as the High Holiday cantor during High Holiday services at the synagogue. Debbie's...
President Eric Hoffman is pleased to announce that Susan Bernstein has been hired as Temple Israel's congregational life coordinator. Bernstein brings to Orlando a wellspring of experiences and knowledge. She began her career as a public school music teacher in Stamford, Connecticut, and Valley Stream, New York. Her love for music brought her to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to study ethnomusicology where she taught music at the Conservatory in Ashkelon and produced music programs for the...
The Ritual Committee chairman at Temple Israel, Natan Brener, has announced there will be a hands-on High Holiday workshop for school-aged children and their family members on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Roth Social Hall. Everyone in the greater Orlando community is invited. There will be take-away activities to help bring families together and get ready for the New Year. There is no charge and reservations are not necessary. For directions, please visit www.tiflorida.org. Temple Israel is located at 50 S. Moss Rd., Winter...
Charles Schwartz, of blessed memory, was a challenging man. On first impression the words many people chose to describe him were often couched in cautious criticism. Reserved. Opinionated. Controlled. Condescending. But if you were part of his circle, or had the opportunity to know him for a long period of time, and thus were able to peel back the layers, you knew that first impression was entirely misleading. Charles held himself in check because he was, by nature, one of the most rational men...
By Ben Cohen JNS.org Here’s the good news: the Obama administration has finally grasped that the onslaught of the Islamic State terror group through Iraq and Syria needs to be defeated and destroyed. Sixty-one percent of Americans, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, agree with the president. At a time when much of the world believes, not unreasonably, that America is in retreat, the administration’s willingness to pursue military options and its almost George W. Bush-esque rhetoric regarding the “evil” of Islamic State, as Secr...
Wednesday morning we woke to our neighborhood in the headlines. My inbox included two notes from overseas inquiring about our safety. “Activists” (“terrorists” is on the other edge of the politically correct; “thieves’ or “vandals” may be correct in this instance) from Isaweea torched the French Hill gas station and looted its store. The station manager and employees are Arabs, and they will suffer at least a temporary loss of work. Likewise the Palestinians who work in Jewish industries that the worthies of the world boycott on account of inju...
When I asked Rabbi Andy Bachman what he plans to speak about in his sermons during this, his last, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services as senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Elohim, I thought he would bring up the importance of closing the gap between the wealthy and the needy in this country. After all, the 51-year-old rabbi built a reputation at the Park Slope, Brooklyn synagogue as a strong voice for progressive Judaism, giving secular Jews a sense of meaning through social justice and communal causes beyond ancient rituals and prayers....
As we mark the end of another year with the advent of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we pause to take stock of the year that has passed, to learn from ourselves, our experiences and our mistakes as we move forward to build a better future. This has been a most difficult year for the Jewish people and particularly for the state of Israel, which once again has fended off a threat on its southern border from an implacable foe, the terrorist group Hamas. As the year concludes there is little hope that the most recent war will lead to any...
Anti-Semitism is rising at an alarming rate across the United States, especially on college campuses. A group such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is not interested in engaging in civil conversations with pro-Israel students. They would rather harass supporters of Israel, shout anti-Semitic insults, and turn to violence—as witnessed recently at Temple University—to spread their desire to “free” Palestinians from the “open-air prison” they supposedly live in. This type of student-run organization thrives upon media manipulatio...
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 19 Li...
The Jewish New Year is a time for starting anew, for leaving the past behind us and crafting a better future for ourselves and our community. It is a time for courage when we take a look at ourselves and take stock of what we have achieved and where we have fallen short of our own goals. At Central Florida Hillel, this past year has been a year of heretofore-unimagined growth. On the positive side, we opened a magnificent 600-bed student apartment complex that is now 100 percent occupied. We...
Madaleen Kamenoff passed away, Tuesday, Sept. 9. She was 88 years old. Madaleen was the daughter of Lillian and Harry Schulman. She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and came to Florida with her family when she was 3 years old. She grew up in Miami, where she was very active in B’nai B’rith Girls, USY and the Y.M.H.A. where she helped write the summer camp song that was their anthem for many years. She was a drum majorette in the Jewish War Veteran’s Drum and Bugle Corp, and marched in the inauguration in Tallahassee of Govenor Spess...
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 ther 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...
"Can we talk?"... My heart is breaking (and many of you feel as I do) at the news that Joan Rivers passed away recently. I loved her and have followed her career for more that half-century, stealing many of her jokes along the way. I considered her a friend. Here is a tribute (part of a poem from DAV) and "borrowed" by me: "Thank you my friend for all you do, For giving so much, saying no to few So when I ask for one more thing, Think of all the light That your jokes can bring." I particularly...
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 5775. 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. Our plan will focus on bringing Federation back as a community builder. To do so, we...
At the start of 5774, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando embarked on a new chronological chapter-having just celebrated our 40th anniversary. And while the number 40 has major significance in Judaism, perhaps even more important in Jewish tradition is what comes after 40. After submersing oneself in a mikvah ritual bath of 40 measures of water, one becomes spiritually pure. After a biblical storm that lasted 40 days and 40 nights, the world became rid of evil. After 40 days on Mt....
One of the unique aspects of the High Holidays is that the focus is on the past, present and future all at the same time. We reflect on the year that has just come to an end and ask our family and friends for forgiveness for past transgressions. Then, we think about the people we are today and what we can do right now to heal the world and make it a better place. And finally, when this is done with proper devotion and intention, we are able to grow and change, and create a better future for our...
In 2013, G-dcast, a San Francisco-based new media studio, launched the eScapegoat app, encouraging users to engage in deeper Jewish learning and to prepare for Yom Kippur by offloading their sins to a virtual goat, in an echo of an ancient repentance ritual. Now, the app is back, and has spawned Mini Goats—local mini-apps that let smaller communities re-enact this ritual virtually for a new, high-tech learning and community connection. “Despite high synagogue attendance on Yom Kippur, literacy of the scapegoat story in Leviticus is very low...
NEW YORK-KosherFoodieBox (www.kosherfoodiebox.com), introduces the tastiest way to discover the latest kosher food introductions without shopping or traveling from store to store. The web-based business delivers various size packages of the newest foods to hit the kosher market, along with special offers for those who enjoy the samplings, as well as links for ordering more, more, and more Foodie favorites! The brainchild of Gail Lobel Rand, a Kosher Foodie whose spare time is spent scouring the...
The Friedman Team (Jeff and Barbara) with Fannie Hillman & Associates is pleased to welcome their new team member Sheryl Kashuk. Sheryl joins the team with many years of both sales and interior decorating experience. She will be a very valuable member of the team as they expand their service in the Central Florida area. As a lifelong resident of Central Florida, Sheryl raised three sons, Josh, Brett, and Andrew Ackerman. While raising her children, she became an integral member of Robb & Stucky...
Hillary S. Bressler is one of the nation’s authorities on online marketing and an industry innovator. She is founder and CEO of .Com Marketing (www.commarketing.com), a result-driven digital marketing agency with a track record of proven success. The award-winning .Com Marketing specializes in lead-generating spearch, digital advertising, brand engagement and best-in-class consulting. The compay was acquired in May 2014 by EdgeCore and will operate as a business unit of the Cedar Falls, Iowa-based direct marketing agency. Bressler e...
The students at the Jewish Academy of Orlando begin each morning during the Jewish month of Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah, by blowing the Shofar in anticipation and preparation for the New Year. The students are busy in their classes learning about the High Holidays, how to celebrate and why we celebrate. When the students begin each morning by hearing the sound of the Shofar, they are encouraged to search their souls and think about how they can become better people and new beginnings....
