Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 35
The 2018 J-Serve Teen Task Force has started planning this year's J-Serve community service projects for 6th-12th graders, beginning Sunday, April 15. The 2018 J-Serve Teen Task Force are (back row l-r), Will Zornek, 9th grade, Winter Park; Andrew Hefley, 11th grade, Seminole; Tuval Basher, 10th grade, Lake Brantley; Abby Arace, 9th grade, Lake Brantley; Dylan Sachs, 10th grade, Oviedo; (front row l-r), Fallon Harris, 8th grade, Lake Forest Prep; Frances Hoffen, 12th grade, Lake Mary; Jordan... Full story
A body of an American solider lying peacefully in the snow in a battlefield in Belgium. A Jewish boy in Brooklyn orphaned twice by World War II. And the world-renown photographer who connected the two. This is their story. Samuel Tannenbaum was born on July 10, 1942, in Washington, D.C. to Henry and Bertha Fiedel Tannenbaum. Less than two years later, Henry was drafted into the United States Army, Bertha and Sam moved to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to be closer to their families. After... Full story
One hundred years ago, on Nov. 2, 1917, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration. This month, British Prime Minister Theresa May stated, "we are proud of the role that we played in the creation of the State of Israel." Jewish Rights to Palestine were internationally guaranteed. In the first Report of the High Commissioner on the Administration of Palestine (1920-1925) presented to the British secretary of state for the Colonies, published in April 1925, the most senior official of t... Full story
The United Nations has earmarked some $1.3 billion to fund Palestinian legal campaigns against Israel and to support the creation of an independent Palestinian state, in what experts are calling an unprecedented act singling out the Jewish state at the world body. A document that was recently signed between the UN and the Palestinians outlines a “strategic programming framework” in the disputed territories from 2018-2022, and states that the UN will work to advise the Palestinian Authority on how to exploit “international accountability mecha... Full story
An historic gathering took place on Tuesday, Oct. 17, as the Jewish Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the Muslim-American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida to present a panel discussion on the subject, "Forced to be Free: The Failure of Democratization in the Middle East." "At this panel discussion, the topics discussed included the thoughts from our panelists regarding why democracy has struggled to take hold in the Middle East, the causes of and the results of the Arab Spring uprisings,... Full story
Lake Brantley's Club L'Chaim, with Chabad Altamonte Springs present the second event of an ongoing series about Standing up against hate on Monday, Nov. 13 at Lake Brantley High School, 991 Sand Lake Road, Altamonte Springs. The keynote speaker will be 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Dr. Jacob Eisenbach. He is the subject of the book "Where You Go, I Go," written by Karen McCartney, about his life surviving the Third Reich as a teenager. He is now an educational speaker with a mission to end... Full story
Throughout the year, JFS volunteers deliver kosher meals to older and/or disabled and home-bound adults. As the program continues to expand, JFS Orlando calls upon its volunteer base to assist with the growing need. Meals will be picked up from JFS Orlando on Wednesday, Nov. 22 between 11 a.m. and noon and delivered to adults in the Orlando area. Typically, each volunteer is assigned 2-4 households and the entire process (from pick-up to final delivery) should take approximately 2 hours. This is a great opportunity for families and friends to... Full story
Jewish Pavilion volunteers made sure that senior residents of assisted-living facilities were not forgotten during Sukkot. Shown here (top) is Emily Glickstein with residents during a pet visit at Oakmonte Village in Lake Mary; Nancy Price brings a shofar to Serenades by Sonata; and Atria Park of Lake Forest in Sanford built a sukkah, which they do every year.... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-On May 2, Israel's Independence Day, Texas state Rep. Phil King stood smiling as Gov. Greg Abbott signed King's bill banning the state from doing business with boycotters of Israel. "Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally," Abbott said of the bill that overwhelmingly passed the Legislature. Less than six months later, King had to explain why his signature pro-Israel policy was not an anti-Texas policy. City... Full story
Iran is unlikely to halt its drive toward nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's recent refusal to recertify the Islamic Republic's compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, experts say. Trump's move empowers Congress to decide whether to reimpose sanctions that were lifted as part of the deal between Iran and world powers. The Iranian leadership has made aggressive statements in response to the announcement of America's new and tougher approach,... Full story
(JTA)—Gabe Kapler, a major league outfielder for 12 seasons and a coach for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, was named manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Kapler, who played for seven teams, has been the head of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization since 2014. “I’m equal parts honored, humbled and excited by the opportunity with the Phillies, an elite franchise in a city rich in history, tradition, sports excellence and with amazingly passionate fans,” Kapler said in a statement Monday. Kapler, 42, is Jewish... Full story
Every year, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration passes by quietly in Israel with hardly any notice. Only this year it is being noted and celebrated because it is the 100th anniversary. However this is not true of the Palestinian Authority. Ever since Palestinian Media Watch has been monitoring the PA, the date of the Balfour Declaration was among the most important days on the PA calendar. Each year, PA schools would have special sessions discussing Balfour. In 2011, for example, the PA organized a letter writing campaign from schoolchil... Full story
It was a minor news story when it broke in the summer of 2016. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas announced he was suing Great Britain over the Balfour Declaration, issued on Nov. 2, 1917. But as we prepare to observe the centennial of the document this week, it’s important to understand that although his lawsuit was a stunt, Abbas was serious. More than that, the symbolism of his protest tells us more about what is preventing peace between Israel and the Palestinians than any of the usual explanations about settlements, b... Full story
For the Palestinians, the year zero is not 1948, when the state of Israel came into being, but 1917, when Great Britain issued, in the November of that year, the Balfour Declaration—expressing support for the establishment of a “Jewish national home” in Palestine. So central is the Balfour Declaration to Palestinian political identity that the “Zionist invasion” is officially deemed to have begun in 1917—not in 1882, when the first trickle of Jewish pioneers from Russia began arriving, nor in 1897, when the Zionist movement held its first congr... Full story
In his keynote survey of the descent of American democracy in the Trump era, at the recent Zionism 3.0 conference in Palo Alto, Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg dwelled for some time on the proliferation of “fake news,” which he attributed, in large part, to the thousands of portals of entry of information—be it true or false—into the public consciousness. Not surprisingly, he gave much higher marks for accuracy and objectivity to the old media, which while not perfect, does a pretty good job of bringing pertinent and accurate informa... Full story
The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) late in 2018 is one shot across the U.N.’s bow. Notoriously hospitable to dictatorships, hostile to Israel and mismanaged as well, UNESCO deserves the warning. But what does the U.S. do about UN member countries consistently voting against it and against Israel without even a national policy excuse for doing so? Not enough, yet. The countries in question are not adversaries like Russia or Iran, which pursue policies... Full story
While Americans have been tearing down statues that honor people who don’t deserve to be honored, Palestinian Arabs are doing exactly the opposite. A statue honoring Saddam Hussein, the notorious dictator, terror sponsor and mass murderer, was unveiled last week in the Palestinian Authority (PA) city of Qalqilya. Technically, the statue was sponsored by the Arab Liberation Front (ALF), not the municipality of Qalqilya or the PA itself. But the PA’s district governor for the Qalqilya District, Rafi Rawajba, attended the unveiling ceremony. Raw... Full story
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... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Fifty years since the Six-Day War, 100 years since the Balfour Declaration, 150 years since Mark Twain first visited Palestine. This has been a year of big Israel-related anniversaries. To the Jewish state's most diehard Christian supporters, the barrage of milestones is not mere coincidence but rather a harbinger of prophecies being fulfilled. Every half century, many Christian Zionists believe, history makes a concerted push toward its endpoint: the return of the Messiah to... Full story
(JTA)-"It was very peculiar," said Gilbert Gottfried, 62, about becoming the subject of the aptly named bio-documentary, "Gilbert." "The filmmaker, Neil Berkeley, came to me and said he'd always dreamed about making a Gilbert Gottfried documentary," the comedian told JTA in a telephone interview. "I told him you should set your dreams higher." When they first met in October 2014, Gottfried was not enthused at the prospect of the film. He was concerned about what he called the "'Wizard of Oz'... Full story
By Curt Schleier (JTA)-Turns out you don't actually have to be a guest on Henry Louis Gates' PBS show "Finding Your Roots" to, well, find your roots. Gili Rozenfeld, 29, a video editor who lives in Tel Aviv, caught a glimpse of the episode that ran Tuesday on Israeli TV showing actress Scarlett Johansson tearing up when she learns of ancestors who died in the Warsaw Ghetto. Rozenfeld was shocked when she recognized the names of Johansson's relatives, particularly Zlata Szlamberg, who was 15 at... Full story
I'm starting this column with some shout-outs... As many of you already know, I was in Florida Hospital-South, for 10 days due to my needing surgery for a heart valve. I am okay now (I hope) and I want to mention the following registered nurses who went "above and beyond" the call of duty to care for me. (I am very grateful.) For my pre-surgery I was on the sixth floor of the magnificent (like a hotel) Ginsburg Tower, built through donations from our own ALAN GINSBURG. There one of my nurses,... Full story
(The Nosher via JTA)-Shchi, or Russian cabbage soup, is among the more well-known soups in Russia. It is usually made with white or green cabbage, but some versions are made with other green leafy vegetables, especially spinach, sorrel or nettles. Shchi is usually served with sour cream and some black bread on the side. Unlike borscht, there are no beets in this soup. (This recipe was excerpted with permission from "Hazana: Jewish Vegetarian Cooking," by Paola Gavin, published by Quadrille in... Full story
By her daughter, Bonnie Sprung To many, Carolyn M. Sprung was a sweet, quiet woman who always had a smile on her face. Carolyn was active in her own right. She was a wonderful wife to her late husband Mickey and loving mother to her son, Bill, and daughter, Bonnie. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 10, 1936 to her parents, Beatrice and Soleman Joseph. Growing up she had a typical childhood: school, summer camp and helping out in the family business, a store called Stadium Stores Inc.... Full story
Ruth K. Birman, age 87, of Maitland, passed away on Oct. 28, 2017, at Hospice of the Comforter - Altamonte Springs. She was born on Sept. 4, 1930, in Buffalo, New York, a daughter of the late Maurice and Anne Horwich Kohn. Ruth was married to her high school sweetheart, Gerald Birman, for 56 years when he passed away in Feb. 2016. In 1971, they relocated to the Orlando area from Denver after he retired from the United States Air Force. Ruth spent many years working as a teaching assistant. She is survived by her daughter, Sarah Barton of Maitla... Full story
