Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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By Hal Simonds On March 31 Chabad of North Orlando' s Rabbi Yanki Majesky led a local contingent to Israel for one week to take part in JLI's Solidarity Trip to show love and support to the Israeli people. As stated, the trip was to show support to the Israeli people; so that perhaps they could draw strength to help them carry on through the horror of a heinous attack and the ongoing war against evil. It turns out the people of Israel provided us with strength. At each stop, with every speaker,...
(JTA) - Taylor Swift's detachment from contentious global conflicts is a hallmark of her superstardom. For some fans in Israel, it's also a selling point. Michal Paz-Klapp, the Young Adult editor at Israel's prominent Modan Publishing House, snatched the opportunity to publish a Hebrew-language edition of "Who Is Taylor Swift?," by Kirsten Anderson. The U.S. children's book came out in April as part of Penguin Workshop's bestselling "Who Was?" and "Who Is?" series, a range of illustrated...
Dementia profoundly impacts daily life for both individuals and their loved ones. Recognizing this, it’s crucial to comprehend its effects and take steps to create a supportive living environment. This guide aims to empower caregivers and individuals by transforming living spaces into safe and comfortable havens for those dealing with dementia. Challenges of dementia at home Living with dementia presents unique challenges within the home environment. Simple adjustments like decluttering and ensuring clear pathways can enhance safety and r...
(JTA) - They wanted to capture a growing Jewish generational divide over Israel. The Jewish makers of "Israelism" accomplished that - and then some. Over the last seven months, the documentary critiquing the American Jewish relationship to Israel has become something closer to a foundational text for the campus pro-Palestinian movement. It's been screened at more than 100 colleges, including several encampments. It has toured overseas and won support from an array of Jewish groups on the left,...
(JTA) — An exhibit about Jews in Hollywood that launched at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles following an outcry from Jewish critics is now getting a revision — following another outcry from Jewish critics. The museum opened its first-ever permanent exhibit, a deep-dive on the Jewish pioneers that laid the groundwork for Hollywood, on May 19. “Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital” launched two and a half years after the museum opened without the history of the industry’s Jewish beginnings. Designe...
(JTA) — Diane von Furstenberg’s design business was stagnating in the 1980s when she got a call that her mother had had a nervous breakdown in Europe. The breakdown, her mother’s companion said, may have been triggered by hearing German men speaking loudly. Her mother was cowering under a hotel concierge’s desk. Von Furstenberg, newly divorced and worrying about the future of her dress label, immediately headed to Europe with her children. She knew that her mother had survived the Holocaust, but...
(JTA) - Donald Sterling hasn't owned the L.A. Clippers for a decade, but on Tuesday, his story is coming back to the spotlight with the debut of FX's new Hulu miniseries, "Clipped." Sterling, born Donald Tokowitz to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrant parents, owned the Clippers from 1981 until 2014, when he received a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine from the NBA after private recordings revealed him making racist comments about Black people. "Clipped," starring Ed O'Neill as Sterling, Jacki Weaver...
In family and community life, seniors serve as reservoirs of wisdom acquired over a lifetime. Recognizing the value of this wisdom, this article explores the importance of passing down skills and traditions to younger generations. — Value of Generational Wisdom Seniors bring a wealth of skills and talents, cultivated through years of experience, enriching family and community life. The transfer of knowledge goes beyond mere skills encapsulating the essence of generational wisdom and shaping family narratives. — Identifying Key Skills and Tra...
(JNS) - The National Library of Israel in Jerusalem announced on Wednesday the acquisition of a one-of-a-kind manuscript, "Mezukak Shivatayim," whose title means "Distilled Sevenfold" in Hebrew. An encyclopedic work that "distills" and blends halachah (Jewish law), theology, and Aristotelian and medieval philosophy, the treatise is one of those few rare books representing the now lost Jewish community of Provence and its unique way of life. During the late 13th and early 14th centuries, a vast...
(JNS) — When the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated the “Saint Catherine Area” as a World Heritage Site in 2002, UNESCO noted that the Greek Orthodox monastery “stands at the foot of Mount Horeb where, the Old Testament records, Moses received the Tablets of the Law.” “The mountain is known and revered by Muslims as Jebel Musa. The entire area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism,” the U.N. agency adds. “The monastery, founded in the sixth century, is the oldest Christia...
By (JTA) - Many people know Barbra Streisand as the awkward Jewish girl from Brooklyn who grew up to become one of the best-selling recording artists of all time - and an award-winning actor, director, producer, author, screenwriter and songwriter. Fewer may know that Streisand is a philanthropist, advocate and activist whose charity has transformed the lives of thousands in the United States, Israel and Eastern Europe. Over the past 37 years, the Streisand Foundation has poured tens of...
Would you like to "experience the nerve center of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement?" read the promotional materials for "Shabbat in the Heights," an annual weekend sponsored by Chabad, one of the world's largest Hasidic groups. Considering Chabad's question, I thought to myself: First, will it be a spiritual, religious or fun weekend in Crown Heights (Brooklyn), N.Y.? And second, will some of my favorite people from my North Orlando Chabad community - including the dynamic Rabbi Yanky Majesky - be...
(JNS) - A gold ring dating from the early Hellenistic period set with a precious stone was recently found in the joint Israel Antiquities Authority-Tel Aviv University excavation in Jerusalem's City of David. The 2,300-year-old ring was discovered by Tehiya Gangate, a City of David excavation team member. "I was sifting earth...and suddenly saw something glitter," she recounted. "I immediately yelled, 'I found a ring, I found a ring!' Within seconds everyone gathered around me, and there was gre...
Care plans are essential tools used by long-term care providers to coordinate and manage patients’ healthcare goals, needs, and services. While primarily used by healthcare professionals, family caregivers can also benefit from employing this strategy to provide effective care. However, it’s crucial to understand that care plans require regular evaluation and updating to remain effective over time. Once an initial care plan is established, it should undergo comprehensive review periodically – particularly after significant health events. The dy...
(JTA) — Since Oct. 7, Montana Tucker has encapsulated the growing role of social media influencers in the sprawling effort to advocate for Israel. Tucker, who has more than 3 million followers on Instagram (in addition to 9 million on TikTok), has uploaded videos and photos from the communities devastated by Hamas’ attack and from Auschwitz. She’s posted speeches at rallies and tried to interview people at campus protests. At the Grammys in February, she wore a large yellow ribbon over her dress displaying the words “Bring them home....
Much has been written about Righteous Gentiles, the men and women who risked their lives to help save the Jews in Europe during the Holocaust. One of the most successful rescues happened in Denmark, where Danish authority and innumerable private citizens working with Jewish community leaders came together to rescue thousands of their fellow citizens from certain death. Although the Nazis had occupied Denmark in 1939, initially there had been an uneasy peace. The Germans regarded the blond,...
(JTA) - In "The Zone of Interest," the Oscar-winning drama about life adjacent to Auschwitz, the children of Rudolf Höss, the Nazi concentration camp's commandant, are only dimly aware of the horrors unfolding on the other side of the fence. Now, a new documentary exploring what those real-life children knew, and when, is hitting theaters - and unlike "The Zone of Interest," it includes voices of Jews imprisoned at Auschwitz. "The Commandant's Shadow," directed by Daniela Volker and distributed...
By Toby Klein is no stranger to standing out and challenging the status quo. She successfully navigated coming out as gay to her Orthodox community, chose to do her doctorate researching Holocaust education at the University of Arkansas and spent time doing abortion advocacy work in the conservative southern state before becoming program manager for the Jewish LGBTQ+ advocacy organization A Wider Bridge. But Klein's work advocating for Israel since Oct. 7 has made her stand out like never...
(JTA) - For Rabbi Jill Hausman, spiritual leader of the Actors' Temple in Manhattan's Theater District, working with celebrities comes with the job description. So when she saw an email on Thursday from "Saturday Night Live," asking her to be on that week's show, she knew she had to accept. "If opportunities come along, it's such great fun for me to be in something with other people," she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "If people come to me with an opportunity, as long as I can, I'll try...
As time passes, the pain of losing a loved one may evolve either becoming more manageable or more intensifying. There’s no set timeline for healing as each person navigates grief in their own way. Finding outlets for emotions can be beneficial whether through journaling, creating a photo collage, immersing oneself in music, or simply taking a walk. For those seeking support, the Jewish Pavilion and various hospice groups stand ready to accompany individuals on their grief journeys. These bereavement support services aim to help individuals a...
(New York Jewish Week) - "I've always wanted to write about the Holocaust," the playwright Moisés Kaufman, son of a Romanian Holocaust survivor, told me this week. "But it's the one thing in history that has been most written about. What is there new to say?" One answer came in an article on the front page of the New York Times, dated Sept. 19, 2017, about a remarkable album of photographs donated anonymously to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. More than 100 carefully mounted snapshots...
(JTA) - Amanda Pogany works as the director of a Jewish day school in Brooklyn. But recently, she added another bullet point to her resume: consultant for "Sesame Street." Pogany weighed in on three new episodes of the educational children's TV show, all of which feature human characters explaining Jewish traditions to the show's iconic puppets. (Two aired this spring, while a third will air next year.) In one, Elmo and Big Bird learn to make challah for Shabbat. In another, a child writes a...
(JNS) - Israelis evacuated from their homes in communities opposite the Gaza Strip and the Upper Galilee, who live in temporary housing arrangements, have been provided specially designed areas called "Quiet Rooms" for them to retrieve some peace and privacy. The "Quiet Rooms," modeled after Beit Issie Shapiro's Snoezelen rooms, are controlled spaces designed to reduce anxiety and mental stress while calming sensory overload. Since 1993, when their first Snoezelen room opened, Ra'anana-based...
Written by Phelim McAleer, the play ‘October 7’ – with performances now through June 16 at the Actors Temple in New York – tells the story of Israel’s darkest day by using the compelling and dramatic accounts of those who lived through it performed by a cast of 14. ‘October 7’ is a 100 percent verbatim play consisting entirely of stories from those who were there. The interviews were conducted by veteran Irish journalists McAleer and Ann McElhinney who traveled to Israel in the immediate afterma...
This story was originally published on My Jewish Learning. (JTA) - My son's hair is more unruly than usual, though that's typical for this time of year. In our family, we follow the custom of not cutting our hair during the Omer, the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. The Omer is treated as a time of mourning - first marking the deaths of many thousands of Jews in the Bar Kochba revolt and subsequent plague in 132 CE, and later taking on significance as the time of year when Ashkenazi Jews...
