Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - The International March of the Living announced on Thursday a global campaign with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial to preserve thousands of shoes belonging to children, most of them Jews, who were murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Around 8,000 children's shoes found at Auschwitz are rapidly disintegrating and require immediate conservation so they can be retained as historic documentation, the Foundation said. The conservation project,...
When Jewish summer camps unexpectedly had to cancel their summer programs two years ago after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and before vaccines became available, they faced sudden financial ruin. Jewish camps are widely recognized as uniquely effective tools for cultivating Jewish identity and leadership, and the prospect of dozens of them across the continent permanently shutting down was seen as a problem not just for camps and their campers, but disastrous for the American Jewish community....
(JNS) - Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid supported the creation of a Palestinian state in a speech addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, sparking a swift denunciation from Israel's right. "Despite all the obstacles, still today a large majority of Israelis support the vision of this two-state solution. I am one of them," Lapid said. "An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy and...
(JNS) - My name is Ramzi Batesh and I live in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Safafa. I work at the dispatch center of United Hatzalah and as one of the organization's volunteer EMTs and ambucycle drivers. This past Friday, I saved three people who were suffering medical emergencies. This isn't necessarily unusual, but there was something unique about it because of who I treated and where. The day began with morning prayers. Then I received and responded to a medical emergency involving a Jew...
A number of people call the Orlando Senior Help Desk at the Jewish Pavilion and ask me whether Medicare will cover their independent, assisted or killed, living and the answer is “no.” They are shocked and often angry. Most people pay into Medicare through their payroll for all their employment years, thinking that once they turn 65, the coverage will be free. In reality, Medicare has several expenses. High-income earners pay more in terms of copays, deductibles, and premiums, and expect no out-of-pocket maximum. Original Medicare covers oph...
As the High Holidays approach, so does the time of self-betterment, healing, and repentance. When asking for forgiveness, take time to reflect on what you are specifically sorry for. Remember that you are responsible for your own words or behaviors. Clearly identify what you are sorry for in your apology, without blaming the other person or using "but you" statements. After apologizing, acknowledge the next steps you might need to take to not make the same mistake next time. Change what you can...
Fall at the Rosen JCC is jammed packed with events for the entire family. Community Bingo! Oct. 2 —The doors open at 1 p.m. and the games start at 2 p.m. It’s $20 cash to play for the day. Cash prizes and Raffles will be held. Refreshments are available for purchase. Don’t miss out on the phone and tell your friends and family. Vaccine Clinc — Walgreens will be at the Rosen JCC on Friday, Oct. 7 from noon to 4 p.m. offering vaccines. You can get Flu shots, Covid shots and boosters, Pneumonia (65+), Shingles (55+) DAP (Whooping Cough) and chi...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The lawmakers thanked the representatives from the social networks giants for attending the Capitol Hill hearing on antisemitism — after all, it was not an official congressional hearing and no one was obliged to turn up. But then, after some tense exchanges last Friday, things got acrimonious quickly: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Jewish Florida Democrat who convened the hearing, said that the tech reps’ stonewalling on whether and how antisemitism would be treated will lead to congressional action. “We’re all start...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s an argument that has percolated for years in salons and on social media and now members of Congress are duking it out: What fits better into the “progressive” portmanteau, supporting or opposing Israeli policies? Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat who is Palestinian American and who is the only member of Congress who opposes Israel’s self-definition as a Jewish state, said Tuesday that there was no room in the progressive movement for supporters of what she called Israel’s “apartheid” government. “I want you all...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Joe Biden is bringing a Jewish High Holiday celebration to the White House for the first time. His White House is hosting a Rosh Hashanah reception tonight, Sept. 30, Jewish Insider reported on Monday. As vice president during the 2009-2017 Obama administration, Biden hosted Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot receptions at the Naval Observatory, the official vice presidential residence, the first vice president to do so. President Bill Clinton was the first president to host a Chanukah party for staff, and President George W....
(JNS) — The ongoing discrimination against Jews on the Temple Mount needs to change. Currently, Jews are not allowed to bring prayer books or a Torah to the site, and cannot wear tefillin. Only recently have small groups of Jews been able to pray quietly during the five hours a day that the Mount is open to them. Despite the restrictions, 50,000 Jews visited the Temple Mount over the past year, approximately double that of the previous year. This is believed to be the highest number of Jews to visit the Mount since the Bar Kochba revolt a...
Through the course of American history and two centuries of developing constitutional law, two great principles have emerged, both of which have become increasingly ignored by many good and patriotic Americans. The first of these principles was hammered out after much heated debate at the constitutional convention in the formative years of our nationhood by our founders, most if not all of whom were members of various Christian denominations. That principle is the doctrine of “separation of church and state”. This principle separating religious...
I have written before about my dad. A two-fisted fighter who fought and fought hard for what he believed in. One thing he fell short on in his younger years was his Judaism. As I have said, his paternal grandfather was a nasty, bitter old man. He hated the Russians for throwing him out of Russia to live in a bitterly empty wasteland that today is Ukraine. He came to America to find that the streets were not lined with gold and life in America was not a paradise after all. His religion was his only escape — and he dove in head first. His son, m...
“Follow the money” is a cliché in politics. It shows how knowledgeable people expect an officeholder to act. For Congresswoman Val Demings, a Democrat, who is running against Florida’s incumbent Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, the facts show that liberal, progressive donors in California and big labor unions expect her votes to be aligned with their interests and agendas, not necessarily Florida’s. Moreover, Demings’ voting record in Congress confirms her alignment with the policies of liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, from California...
(JTA) — Seventy-eight years ago this week, David Ben-Gurion rose before the Asefat Hanivcharim, Palestine Jewry’s elected assembly, and delivered an explosive “j’accuse” against the Allies for abandoning Europe’s Jews during the Holocaust. The words of the man who would soon be Israel’s first prime minister take on added significance in view of the upcoming release of Ken Burns’ three-part, six-hour PBS documentary “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” Its official website says the film “dispels” the “myth” that America “looked on with callous ind...
(JNS) — On Sept. 13, a beautiful 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, was arrested in Tehran and brutally beaten by “morality police” for wearing her hijab “too loosely,” perhaps allowing a few strands of hair to show through. She was overwhelmed by both male and female brutes and thugs, beaten mercilessly, thrown into a van and driven to some unknown place—most probably the notorious Evin prison, where she was undoubtedly raped and tortured. Next thing we knew, she was in a coma. As I write this three days later, we know she is dead. Her f...
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 of Orla...
(JNS) — The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., is opening a new exhibition with unprecedented access to the life, culture and history of the Samaritans, a 2,000-year-old community. Beginning on Sept. 16 and running through Jan. 1, it was created in partnership with the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies under the direction of Steven Fine, the Dean Pinkhos Churgin Chair in Jewish History. A panel discussion and documentary are part of the opening events. The Samaritans have lived in the Land of Israel, beside their sacred m...
(JTA) - In 1944, Faye Schulman, a young Jewish partisan, emerged from the forest into her hometown of Lenin, Poland, on a mission to burn houses the Nazis were using as their wartime offices. One of those houses, she soon discovered, was her own. As she wandered through her childhood home, she spied an old potato peeler still on the floor. Schulman thought of the rest of her family - already murdered by the Nazis by that point - and realized, even if she survived the war herself, that she would...
LOS ANGELES (JTA) - JJ Harel, newly 14 years old and standing at 6-foot-2, expects to face some tough competition when the Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2028 and the starting pistol for the track and field events sounds off. But his first decision will be whether to march into the Olympic stadium under the American, Australian or Israeli flag. In any other family, such musings would be taken as the fantasies of an over-stimulated adolescent mind. However, to skeptics JJ need only unveil the...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday described as “successful” his government’s diplomatic offensive against a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. However, he conceded that there was a “long way” to go to ensure that Tehran does not benefit to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars should an accord be reached. “Together with Alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Israel is conducting a successful diplomatic campaign to stop the nuclear agreement and prevent the lifting of sanctions on...
The Jewish Pavilion depends on its generous sponsors in order to pursue their mission: enriching the lives of residents in elder care communities. Forty companies support the Jewish Pavilion financially and emotionally. They are integrally involved in volunteering with seniors and planning events. Some serve on the Board of Directors. Twice a year, sponsors get together with leadership for a networking breakfast. Allegro Winter Park sponsored the Rosh Hashanah-themed breakfast on Sept. 20....
When people deny themselves food for an extended period of time they're usually ravenously hungry and find themselves thinking about consuming huge amounts of food. But it's not a good idea to pack it in too quickly. It's too hard on your digestive system. So when Yom Kippur comes to a close, I make it easier for my family and friends and follow the ages-old wisdom of transitioning from the fast to the main meal by offering my guests a light nibble as they come into my home after synagogue. I...
Fasting on Yom Kippur is not easy, nor is it for everyone - some people cannot fast because they are pregnant, breastfeeding or have a medical condition. Some simply do not function well while abstaining from water and food for a 25-hour period. But for those who do choose to fast as a meaningful way to engage in Yom Kippur, there are actually foods to eat beforehand that can set you up for a more successful, less onerous fast. Most people stick to a menu that is classic and delicious but not to...
One of my favorite Rosh Hashanah stories that I tell to the residents in the Orlando area senior living facilities is about an apple tree that is growing in a forest. The apple tree gazes up at the night sky each evening and sees the stars that appear to be sitting on the branches of the other trees in the forest. She begs God to place stars on her branches as well and seems to get the cold shoulder time after time. In her frustration from being denied the stars, she begins to shake furiously back and forth, which causes an apple to fall and...
