Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
On Thursday, Dec. 11, 17 second-grade students from Jewish Academy of Orlando got the lesson of a lifetime, and it was not in the classroom. They were able to visit a Habitat for Humanity Winter Park-Maitland construction site at 832 English Court, Winter Park, 32789, to bring to life the lessons they have been learning at school during their Social Studies unit on economics. At Habitat for Humanity, the students conducted mock inspections of a home under construction, putting mathematical...
With television shows like “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Finding Your Roots,” it is no wonder that genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the U.S. (gardening is No. 1). It is also the second most visited category on the Internet (next only to pornography). In light of this growing interest in family histories, on Jan. 12, 2015, Congregation Ohev Shalom and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO) will present a special program featuring David Laskin, author of “The Family,” which is the story of his own ancestors w...
On March 13, 1978, Jewish Family Services Orlando opened its door to help low-income families who found themselves in a crunch, and 36 years later, it is still helping people down on their luck. It is the Jewish Community's organized outreach into the community-for Jews and non-Jews alike. The agency isn't on the Jewish Community Campus. There's a reason for that. Located at 2100 Lee Road in Winter Park, it is on the bus routes, the means of transportation for many of the people who use the...
TAMPA—The Tampa Orlando Pinellas Jewish foundation (“TOP”) has launched a new endowment program that will empower every member of the community to have a long-term impact on Jewish institutions and organizations at home, in Israel and around the world. TOP will facilitate the “Life & Legacy” program under the guidance of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, a program that represents a shared commitment by area agencies, synagogues and day schools to work together to collectively secure endowment gifts. The grant-funded program will be offered f...
NEW YORK (The Jewish Week via JTA)—Just three weeks after terrorists killed four worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue, a man entered a Brooklyn shul and stabbed a 22-year-old Israeli student. New York police officers fatally shot the 49-year-old assailant, who reportedly shouted “Kill the Jews.” At a press conference Tuesday, New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton said there is “no indication” the assailant, identified as Calvin Peters, was connected to a terrorist group. The Tuesday morning attack is being investigated as a hate cr...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The stabbing of a rabbinical student at Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in New York underscores three things that Jewish security officials have been urging in recent years: Be alert for copycats, cooperate with law enforcement and don’t stay away from shul. American Jewish community officials have been on the lookout for an attack on a synagogue ever since terrorists killed four worshippers and a policeman in Jerusalem last month, said Paul Goldenberg, the director of Secure Communities Network, which coordinates security for...
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Late Friday night, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the No Social Security for Nazis Act. The House of Representatives passed the same legislation earlier in the week. “It was a crime in and of itself that Nazis who had carried out heinous crimes against humanity should get benefits at all from the U.S. government,” said William Daroff, senior vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office of The Jewish Federations of North America, which led the advocacy efforts for the legislation. “We salute...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center (HMREC) is pleased to announce an upcoming reception with Boris Fishman, author of "A Replacement Life." The New York Times calls Fishman's novel, "bold, ambitious and wickedly smart." The reception with Fishman is free, open to the public, and will take place on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015 from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Holocaust Center. Book clubs and individuals interested in reading the novel and attending the event are encouraged to RSVP to B...
Nursing homes can be sad places to visit year-round but visiting at holiday time can be even more upsetting. Imagine that your home has turned red and green, with Christmas lights and Christmas music galore. The yuletide spirit decks the halls, as well as the dining room with baked ham and eggnog featured throughout the month of December. Every year, from Thanksgiving through the New Year, our Jewish elders in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities experience the "glad tidings" of the...
The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando is pleased to announce it will honor Susie and Ed Kleiman, Pearl and Howard Lefkowitz, and their families, at its annual J Ball event on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. "We are thrilled to honor the Kleimans and Lefkowitzes for their incredibly strong commitment to our JCC and community," said David Wayne, executive director. The event, which will begin at 7 p.m., will include entertainment, food stations, an open...
Dear God, If I were Christian and under age 10 I suppose I’d be writing to Santa Claus, but I’m not. I’m Jewish and 58 years old and I don’t know who else (what else?) to turn to, so I’m writing you, and hoping you read the Heritage. I’m not asking for much. Just eight simple requests, one for each night of Chanukah. Which brings me to my first ask. God, can you please tell me the correct spelling for Chanukah? I’m so confused. Is it Hanukah, or Hanukkah, or Chanukkah, or Chanukah? Is...
It is an absolute fact. The number of Islamic terrorists are growing rapidly as are their violent actions killing more and more non-Muslims. We must stop thinking there is nothing one person can do. There are many options on how an individual can get involved in counteracting terrorists. Below are a few ideas how you can help defend our freedom. A small amount of assistance from a lot of people can make a big difference. The very important first step is a firm commitment to learn, with an open mind, about Islam and the terrorists. Clearly,...
Currently Israeli politicians are wrapping themselves around a high intensity bit of meaninglessness, which is also dangerous, about the country’s self definition of being a Jewish state. The issue was settled 60 years ago when the founders left dangling in the Declaration of Independence the wonderful sounding ideals of being both Jewish and democratic, with rights for all. It’s worked, as well as democracy and equality has worked in other western democracies. Not perfect, but it ain’t perfect anywhere. Minorities generally suffer short share...
A winter of discontent is brewing in America. Over the last fortnight, large parts of the country have seethed with anger, first at the decision of a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown—18 years old, and black—and second, at the decision of a grand jury in New York not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, the Staten Island police officer who placed Eric Garner—43 years old, and black—in the chokehold that contributed to his death minutes later. The proximity, in terms of timing,...
They don’t have plush offices or secretaries or gala dinners, but a group of 15-year-olds on Long Island are providing an inspiring model of leadership for the rest of the American Jewish community. Tenth graders at the Rambam Mesivta High School in Lawrence, New York, recently initiated an on-line crowd sourcing campaign, which has raised an astonishing $2.4-million for the families of the four American-Israeli rabbis, and the Druze police officer, who were murdered in a Jerusalem synagogue last month. We were all horrified and saddened by the...
In the 21st century, Chanukah is celebrated by more Jews than any holiday other than Passover. Both are performed at least one night a year by almost 90 percent of American Jews, more than the number who observed Chanukah in the 1930s. The sociological reason is surely related to the competition with a commercialized, publicly observed Christmas and holiday season. Yet Jews could have also adopted a secularized Christmas, as many German Jews did in the 19th century and early 20th century. If social pressure and a desire to be like everyone...
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 19 Lig...
Ruth Gampel Zemel of Altamonte Springs, Fla., formerly of South Orange, N.J., died Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. She was 89 years old. Mrs. Zemel was the daughter of the late Helen and Abraham Gampel, and was also predeceased by her sister Norma Levy. She was a great lady who made a difference. Mrs. Zemel is survived by her children, Ron Zemel, Dr. Marcia Leder, Ben (Susan) Zemel and Andy Zemel; a sister, Florence Newman; and grandchildren, Brandon and Amanda. A graveside funeral was held on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, at East Ridgelawn Cemetery Menorah...
What's in a name?... "Mort Aux Juifs" is the name of a small French village. What does it mean? Are you ready for this answer? Okay, here goes: "Death to Jews." Are you shocked? (I was.) This comes directly from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Digest: "Despite efforts by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the deputy mayor of the village of Courtemaux, Marie-Elizabeth Secretand, has defended her decision opposing a name change. 'It's absurd,' she said. 'This name has existed for ages. Of course no one...
