Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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NEW YORK (JTA)-At the federation movement's General Assembly in Jerusalem in early November, the chairman of the network did something unusual for Jewish power gatherings: He devoted the bulk of his speech to nursery school. Calling Jewish preschool the "seedbed of our community," the chairman of Jewish Federations of North America, Michael Siegal, pledged to raise $1 billion over the next decade for a Jewish revitalization plan with tuition-free Jewish preschool as its centerpiece. By offering...
BALTIMORE (JTA)-The basketball goal that Ellen Schneeweis bought for her four sons as a Chanukah present in 2008 drew Andrew, the second oldest, to practice shot after shot. Some attempts came from a pretty fair distance-like the sidewalk in front of his neighbors' house in Englewood, Colo., on the other side of East Berry Drive. His diligence paid off: On Aug. 24, Andrew Schneeweis, now 18, swished a half-court shot at Colorado State University's Moby Arena to earn a free year of tuition. The...
NEW YORK (JTA)-Chava, a student at a Chabad seminary, has lived in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn for six years, but it's only in the past few days that she started carrying pepper spray in her handbag. Her younger brother gave her the deterrent after news hit of a string of recent attacks against Orthodox Jews, seven of them in Crown Heights. The assaults, believed to be part of a national wave of so-called "knockout game" attacks in which black teens punch random white strangers for...
TEL AVIV (JTA)-Breakfast costs Dov Jakobovitz $2. Lunch costs him $2.25. Both are served in the public old-age home in south Tel Aviv where he lives. But the food is not to his liking. Jakobovitz longs for the dishes he ate as a child in Transylvania-gefilte fish, goulash, chicken wings-rather than the rice-and-salad fare more typical of the Israeli diet. A restaurant he enjoys in the center of the city serves such Ashkenazi fare, but he can't afford it. For dinner, he eats leftovers from...
BERLIKUM, Netherlands (JTA)-In a windswept parking lot near the North Sea shore, Klaas Zijlstra stands motionless as he admires his latest creation. It's the first time he is testing the 36-foot menorah he has spent weeks designing and building in the shape of a Star of David in his metal workshop in the northern tip of the Netherlands. Despite strong winds, the menorah holds, thanks in no small part to its 6-ton base. This isn't just any mega-menorah. For one thing, it may be the largest in...
(JTA)-With an asylum application to her own homeland, Annika Hernroth-Rothstein was hoping to draw attention to the problem of anti-Semitism in Sweden. Hernroth-Rothstein acknowledges the bid is "absurd"-but it's working, having garnered international media coverage and stirring debate. "EU statutes provide that asylum be granted to persons with 'well-founded reasons to fear persecution due to race; nationality; religious or political beliefs; gender; sexual orientation; or affiliation to a...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—For 90 minutes in a packed hotel conference room in the heart of Washington, Israel was the colonizer, the settler state, the perpetuator of apartheid. As the annual meeting this weekend of the American Studies Association demonstrated, participants who favored boycotting Israeli universities far outnumbered those opposed. Of 44 speakers, 37 supported the resolution, in which the association would endorse and “honor the call of Palestinian society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.” The preamble to the resol...
By Pamela Ruben Our daily lives are filled with stress; we are faced with stressors in the workplace, stressors on our commute as we make our way home, and family stressors as we walk through the front door. On Sunday, Oct. 19, Chabad of North Orlando presented Dr. Gill Heart who delivered a seminar on taking control of these stressors that impact our daily lives. Dr. Heart, who holds a PhD in biomedical engineering, honed his skills in stress management on the job as a special operative of the...
For those who are beginning to make plans for a special occasion, such as a bar/bat mitzvah or a wedding in the near future, Congregation Ohev Shalom will host EVENTful Moments, a one-stop showcase for the Orlando community featuring Central Florida's top caterers, DJs, florists, photographers and videographers, invitation specialists, and event planners, all under one roof. The event will be held on Sunday, Jan. 12, from 2-5 p.m. in Congregation Ohev Shalom's ballroom and will include food...
For the first time the University of Central Florida Judaic Studies Program will offer a course on the history, culture and folklore of the Sephardim. The course will be taught by Dr. Norman Berdichevsky, the author of "Spanish Vignettes" who lived seven years in Spain and is also the author of the forthcoming book "The Past, Present and Future of the Hebrew Language" (McFarland, February 2014). The course may be audited without charge for seniors (60 and over) who are Florida residents. The classes begin on Jan.7 and will be held on Tuesdays...
By Gary Rosenblatt The Jewish Week Ari Shavit, the popular Israeli newspaper columnist for Haaretz, seems to be everywhere in the American media these days, talking about his newly published and highly praised book, “My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel.” That’s a good thing for those of us who believe that the better Israel is known and understood, flaws and all, the more it will be appreciated and supported. In the past week Shavit, 57, and a native of Rehovot, was on “The Charlie Rose Show” and NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gro...
Imagine the following scenario. A storied American university holds a conference on the future of democracy in Europe. Among the invited speakers are representatives of two of the continent’s neo-Nazi parties, Jobbik in Hungary and Golden Dawn in Greece. Better yet, imagine that same university holding a conference on current trends in Israeli politics, featuring a speaker who is an open admirer of Baruch Goldstein, the Jewish extremist who murdered 29 worshippers and wounded more than 100 when he opened fire in a Palestinian mosque in H...
The best feature of the Iran deal—and maybe its only good feature—is that there is a deal, showing that the Iranians are willing to deal. The weakest points from an Israeli perspective are the Iranians, the U.S. administration, and the U.N. agency charged with inspection, none of which are particularly trustworthy. Some may object to an Israeli perspective. Primary for Americans, Europeans, Russians, and Chinese is what is good for them. Yet an Israeli perspective is legitimate in itself, especially for Israelis, and in this context may cla...
TEL AVIV (JTA)—For the first time in a decade, the United States and a coalition of world powers have reached an agreement with Iran to curb the country’s nuclear program. The deal requires Iran to limit its nuclear enrichment and freeze most of its centrifuges for six months, as well as halt construction on its plutonium reactor. In exchange, the U.S.-led coalition—including Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany—will roll back some of the sanctions on Iran. Both the United States and Iran have strongly praised the deal, but Israeli...
BERLIN (JTA)—The extraordinary disclosure that a trove of more than 1,400 vanished artworks were found in a Munich apartment has raised more questions than it has answered. What were these works, which were produced by masters such as Chagall, Matisse and Picasso? Who are their rightful owners? And where is Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Holocaust-era art dealer in whose apartment they were found? Responding to growing international pressure, German authorities have begun to offer some preliminary answers. A few weeks ago, the state p...
When I see the earnest and eager John Kerry globe-trotting the world in his sharp business suits trying to convince mullahs not to build a nuclear bomb, I can’t help but have these politically incorrect thoughts that are loaded with stereotypes. The most obvious stereotype is that of the golly-gee American sucker in long shorts and black socks getting ripped off by a wily merchant in a Middle Eastern souk. The first question I ask myself is: Does Kerry realize what this is about? Does he realize that in a region where honor and glory are everyt...
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, DECEMBER 6 Ligh...
The Roth Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando is calling on business professionals and executives to attend a professional networking luncheon, dubbed J-Lunch, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at its Maitland location. “The event will feature technology-based solutions to supercharge your business,” said Jackie Ravinoff, who is coordinating the event. The event will feature three panelists, Hillary Bressler, founder and CEO of .Com Marketing, Joel Goldstein, best-selling author “A Professional’s Guide to Social Media,” and Bree...
Congregation Beth Sholom invites the public to its Shabbat service at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. Rabbi Karen Allen and the congregation will welcome the members who have joined the congregation over the past year. Coffee and cake will be served following the service. The synagogue is located at 315 North 13th Street in Leesburg, with the entrance on Center Street. For more information see our website at BethSholomFlorida.org or call 352-326-3692....
By Hillel Kuttler BALTIMORE (JTA)-Arie Glazer smiled and his large eyes lit up as his iPad displayed photographs and comments on the Facebook page of Shenkar Elementary School's Class of 1977. The Baltimore businessman was just back from a visit to his native Israel to attend the class reunion of Shenkar, now in its 69th year of operation on Ahad Ha'Am Street in Holon, a town just south of Tel Aviv. Glazer very nearly could have flown home without a plane, such was his high from the Oct. 9...
Helen Goldberg Brown passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, at NuVisa Care at Hillsborough Lakes in Lutz, Fla. She was 90 years old. Mrs. Brown was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, on March 26, 1923, to the late Louis and Miriam Goldberg. After marrying her late husband, Charles, in Reno, Nev., the couple returned to Maine, where he was stationed, and in 1946 they moved to the Orlando area. She was a homemaker, and for many years was a Sunday School teacher at Congregation Ohev Shalom. Mrs. Brown is survived by her daughter, Sandy...
The Jewish Pavilion partners with senior living facilities to bring Jewish culture and tradition to the residents. This past Chanukah, several facilities hosted some very elegant affairs. Thanks to the Jewish Pavilion, holiday parties get better every year. Shown here are three of the beautiful Chanukah parties that were held. (Top) Lori Okeon, executive director of Atria at Lake Forest in Sanford, posing with two lovely ladies; (middle) Jewish Pavilion program director Emily Newman is shown at...
Hoffman-Sandler comedy HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-Adam Sandler is a Jewish comic actor with a serious streak. Dustin Hoffman is a serious Jewish actor who can be pretty freakin' funny. Put them both together and what do you get? "The Cobbler," a comedy starring Sandler and, according to The Wrap, now Hoffman, too. No word on Hoffman's role, but Sandler will play a shoe repairman who has powers that allow him to step into the lives of the people whose footwear he repairs. Steve Buscemi also just...
Trust but verify?... You know I'm referring to the "compromise" recently reached by our Secretary of State JOHN KERRY, our European allies and "trustworthy" Iran, Six months will tell. (Pray!) I recently received in the mail a little booklet containing pocket facts about Israel. On the page with the heading "Israel's Security Threats" was written the following: "Iranian leaders call for Israel to be 'wiped off the map' and are racing to build nuclear weapons. Iranian-supported proxies, Hamas...
(JNS.org) Australia's new Liberal Party government under Prime Minister Tony Abbott has shifted to a pro-Israel position in the U.N., saying that it will not support resolutions that are "one-sided." Earlier this month, Australia abstained from two votes in the U.N.'s General Assembly that condemned Jewish construction in the West Bank, and another one forcing Israel to comply with the 1949 Geneva Conventions. "The government will not support resolutions which are one-sided," a spokeswoman for...
