Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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By Etgar Lefkovits (JNS) - An Israeli graffiti artist who was painting murals at the Nova music festival in southern Israel just hours before the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre on Tuesday launched a new exhibition in Jerusalem in memory of its victims. The exhibition, dubbed "Faces of October 7," was inaugurated just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the deadliest single attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and as the war against Hamas in Gaza has expanded to include Hezbollah in Lebanon....
Through the efforts of Opera Orlando, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Sings, and the Defiant Requiem Foundation, as well as the support of the Holocaust Center's generous donors and ticket buyers, $100,000 has been raised for the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida. These funds will help to continue the Center's mission to educate the community and foster a just and caring society free from prejudice and bigotry. The Center extends its heartfelt gratitude to...
Fellowship Church recently hosted the spokeswoman for Rescuers Without Borders in Israel, Natalie Sopinsky, who gave an "on-the-ground and very personal" perspective of the Gaza and Hezbollah conflicts. "On my speaking tour, I get the same questions over and over," Sopinsky said. "One of them is: What do you see happening ... will there be peace?" Eleven months and counting as of Sept. 24, and now Hezbollah has launched all out attacks on northern Israel. The red dots on this map represent the m...
Whether you want books, beef, or bucks, be sure to attend Temple Israel's Second Annual Book Fair and Corned Beef Sandwich Day on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Roth Social Hall at 50 S. Moss Road in Winter Springs. There are thousands of donated books to choose from, organized by fiction, nonfiction, and children's books, as well as miscellaneous media such as games, puzzles, CDs, and other make-an-offer items. Hardcover books are priced at $2, while paperbacks cost $1 each....
The Jewish Pavilion Harvest and Post-Sukkot Networking Festival is more than an event—it’s an opportunity to come together, celebrate the season, and support a cause that enriches the lives of our beloved seniors. Just as Sukkot invites us to gather in joy, gratitude, and community, this festival is designed to foster connections, camaraderie, and meaningful relationships—all while supporting the incredible work of the Jewish Pavilion. The festival will be held Thursday, Nov. 7, from 4-6 p.m. at Watercrest Winter Park for an evening fille...
(JNS) — “We have three objectives: returning the hostages, dismantling Hamas and safely bringing back the residents of the north. These three remain our focus, despite the current media attention on the northern front,” said Brig. Gen. Amichai Levin, commander of Hatzerim Air Force Base, in a joint interview with Lt. Col. M., commander of the 69th Squadron, following the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. “The base, the squadron, and the entire IAF continue to operate intensively and significantly in Gaza...
(JTA) — Brandeis University President Ronald Liebowitz announced his resignation Wednesday morning after he lost a vote of no confidence from faculty. Liebowitz’s resignation, which takes effect Nov. 1, comes amid steep financial challenges for the historically Jewish university. Brandeis announced in May that it would lay off 60 employees and restructure several programs to cut costs. The motion calling for a no-confidence vote, which was non-binding, cited both the budget crisis and Liebowitz’s handling of student protests over the Israe...
(JTA) — Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, President Joe Biden warned against “full-scale war” in Israel and Lebanon, sounding a warning as massive exchanges of fire escalated between Israel and Hezbollah. In his final speech as president to the international body, Biden squarely blamed Hezbollah for the hostilities on Israel’s northern border, which began when the Lebanese terror group started shelling Israel on Oct. 8, a day after Hamas launched its own war against Israel from the Gaza Strip. Since then, hundreds of people...
(JNS) — U.S President Joe Biden on Saturday, Sept. 28, praised Israel’s targeting killing of Hezbollah terror master Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, saying the development had brought justice to his thousands of victims. “Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror. His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians,” he said. “The strike that kill...
(JTA) — I’ve spent the last year traveling the world — two trips each to Israel and Ukraine, along with time in Bulgaria, Ghana, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Georgia and beyond — and I have new eyes for the situation we Jews find ourselves in. We face skyrocketing antisemitism, an agonizing war with Hamas and its allies, and the grim Whac-A-Mole of so many other pressing concerns. And in early October, we’re somehow meant to endure a Jewish New Year that will force us to confront the chasm between our prayers and our reality. Attemptin...
(FLAME via JNS) — Jewish students from the City University of New York recently attending a Hillel welcome-back dinner were surrounded by masked, screaming protesters who banged on windows and chanted, “Terrorist! Terrorist! Terrorist! All Zionists are racist! Dogs off campus!” The protesters shoved pictures of murdered babies in students’ faces and assaulted a Hillel staffer. Campuses are already paying the price of last school year’s weak-kneed, appeasing administration responses, as violence and threats by radicals rachet up again. Th...
As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York this week, all eyes will be on Lebanon, and all daggers will be drawn to blame Israel. But in looking to ascribe blame, paraphrasing Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, they should look no further than their own backyard. To that end, I launched a plan to send mirrors to each of the UN member states (and observers) to mount behind the microphone and their country’s name, so when they sit in the General Assembly and blame Israel, they can see where the real blame lies. Let’s be clear, eve...
(JNS) — Jewish parents have always worried about their kids, but since Oct. 7, fears and concerns have been justified and amplified in an America where antisemitism is running rampant. When it comes to university choices in North America, any Jew who considers enrolling in Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Michigan, New York University, the University of California, Los Angeles, or some of the other schools that day after day sees horrific antisemitism really needs to rethink their priorities. You are sending your c...
(JNS) — It’s a busy time for the media. Not only is it election season, but in between campaigning for Kamala, the media also has to carry water for the multiple Islamic terrorist groups attacking Israel. After almost a year of turning Hamas press releases into headlines (“Gaza Ministry of Health claims 24 children killed in assault on rocket launcher school”), the media hurriedly began turning Hezbollah press releases into headlines (“Lebanese government caims Hezbollah leaders killed by pagers were really 12-year-olds”), and now with the ar...
MORNING 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 Orlando — Monday – Friday, 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Temple Israel — Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-647-3...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese citizens to rise up against Hezbollah on Tuesday while warning that the military will not hesitate to strike any infrastructure used by the terror group. “I say to the people of Lebanon: Our war is not with you. Our war is with Hezbollah. Nasrallah is leading you to the edge of the abyss,” Netanuahu after a visit to an undisclosed intelligence base. “I told you to evacuate homes in which there is a missile in the living room and a rocket in the garage,” he said. “Whoever...
(JNS) - On the eve of Wednesday, Oct. 2, Jews the world over will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Sweet dishes are served to welcome in 5785 with wishes for a sweet year ahead. And for peace. After a year like this one, the Jewish people need some resolution. They need the estimated 100 hostages returned from nearly a year of captivity in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas terrorist attacks and atrocities in southern Israel last October. They need calm in Israel's north and the...
(JTA) - The mayor of Muslim-majority Hamtramck, Michigan, has endorsed Donald Trump for president after meeting with him in private. The endorsement comes amid a wave of anger among local Muslims over the Biden-Harris administration's support for Israel. A recent poll from the Council on American-Islamic Relations found that Kamala Harris has the support of just 12 percent of Muslim voters in Michigan, compared to 18 percent for Trump and 40 percent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, a harsh...
The High Holy Days is a time for us to turn inward, to reflect on our lives, not only where we have been but also where we hope to go in the coming year. So much of the world needs our help. What can one person do? How can one person make a difference? In the Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Tarfon writes, “It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work but neither are you at liberty to desist from it.” That quote has been in my email signature for several years and serves as a reminder to me and those that read it that we can all can make a dif...
When we reflect on grief, our minds often turn to the emotions and processes following the loss of a loved one. However, the journey of grief begins long before death, especially when a loved one receives a life-threatening diagnosis. This pre-loss mourning is termed anticipatory grief, a concept illuminated by renowned grief expert Dr. Therese Rando. Anticipatory grief encompasses the mourning of past, present, and future losses, shaping the emotional landscape of both care recipients and caregivers. From different vantage points, care...
This story originally appeared on Hey Alma. Growing up, Rosh Hashanah was a benign holiday for me. Apples and honey, food and family. That is, until my brother was diagnosed with cancer the summer before my senior year of high school. During the first week back at school that year, I was asked to deliver a d'var Torah on Rosh Hashanah. I wracked my brain trying to remember the heroes and villains of the Rosh Hashanah story, and eventually had to check out a library book to learn more. To my...
This story originally appeared on The Nosher. Honey cake is a hallmark of Rosh Hashanah and the fall Jewish holidays - Ashkenazi honey cake, that is. But did you know there's a Sephardi cake traditionally served for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur break fast and during Sukkot? Like its Eastern European counterpart, tishpishti symbolizes wishes for a sweet new year and the fullness of life. The cake is also popular for Purim and adapted for Passover. Semolina pastries and puddings have been made for...
(JTA) - The enduring traditions of the High Holiday season take shape across time and place in the latest crop of children's books about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. This year's books transport readers back to biblical times; whiz them to the old-world streets of Istanbul; remember the etrog trade in 18th-century New York City; and celebrate harvest festivals from very different culture. All of them beckon families with stories that display the rich diversity in Jewish culture. Here's...
Mr. Simon Krause, 67, Altamonte Springs, Florida passed away peacefully Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024 at his son’s Lake Mary home following a brief illness. Mr. Krause was born Jan. 11, 1957, in Melbourne, Australia to the late Eli and Sofi (Rubenstein) Krause. Mr. Krause was a proud United States Air Force veteran. Mr. Krause is survived by his devoted son, Michael Krause of Lake Mary, Florida; devoted sisters; Helen Donohue of Greenwich, Connecticut and Marlene Malowitz of Del Ray Beach, Florida. Graveside Services for Mr. Krause were held at C...
Submitted by the family It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Bercu Peisich on Aug. 22, 2024, at the age of 87. Born on Dec. 12, 1936, in Lasi, Romania, Bercu faced unimaginable hardships during his youth, enduring Nazi persecution and the harrowing realities of pogroms and life in the ghetto. The loss of dozens of family members during that dark time left an indelible mark on his life and shaped his character. Bercu's journey took him to Brazil, where he spent seven transf...
