Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA) - When tickets for Los Angeles' Infinite Light Festival went on sale in October, just a week after Hamas' brutal attack on Israel, sales were brisk. In fact, tickets sold out to the annual Chanukah celebration held by the local Jewish federation's young adult division, NuRoots, faster than in any other year. "I truly believe that that's because people are just craving to be in community, to celebrate, to be given permission to have a sense of joy, and to show up and have fun," Chelsea...
Oftentimes, as nursing home residents decline, they lose the ability to communicate. Sadly, this is a time when families stop visiting as often because they don’t know what to say or how to make the visits meaningful for the family, as well as their loved one. Sometimes, just being present can be satisfying. Here are some tips for the families. • Prepare for the visit ahead of time. Bring items of interest with you. For example, if your loved one enjoys pets, bring your family pet to visit. If he loves music, bring music to play. • Talk with...
Israel Tsvaygenbaum views what is happening in Israel as a painful reminder of his own family history. His father was 29 when he fled Poland in 1939 to escape the Nazis. The remaining family members were murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau. "I have always reflected in my paintings the theme of the Holocaust and, in general, human tragedy, the loss of people close to us," said the Russian-American artist, whose work representing the magic realism art movement is known throughout the world....
By (New York Jewish Week) — In March 2022, Jack Waksal thought he recognized Sam Ron, the keynote speaker at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual South Florida dinner in Boca Raton. But he couldn’t quite place him — after all, at 97, Waksal had met thousands of people during his lifetime. But when Ron said the word “Pionki,” all the memories came rushing back. Ron, formerly known as Shmuel Rakowsk, and Waksal had been best friends as teenagers when they worked side by side making gunp...
A recent poll by the Arab World for Research and Development painted a vivid picture of who the innocent Palestinian Arabs are about whom the world is decrying their treatment in Israel’s war with Hamas, the same world that’s been an impotent deaf mute, overlooking decades of abuse and war crimes against the Palestinian Arabs under Hamas, the PLO, and Islamic Jihad. The current situation begs the question, for another conversation, as to whether anyone in the world actually cares about the well being of the Palestinian Arabs, or if this is jus...
(JTA) — Attend or watch footage of a campus pro-Palestinian demonstration these days and you are likely to see someone carrying a sign reading “Decolonization is not a metaphor.” Almost immediately after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, George Washington University Students for Justice in Palestine put out a statement praising the terrorists, declaring “Decolonization is NOT a metaphor.” As a political slogan, it may not pack the same punch as “Free Palestine” or “From the river to the sea.” But to activists on both sides of the Israeli-Pa...
By Andrew Bostom (JNS) — On Nov. 22, Geert Wilders and his Partij voor de Vrijheid, “Party for Freedom,” burst out of the Netherlands’ political wilderness with a resounding electoral victory. Now endeavoring to cobble together a governing coalition, Wilders observed, “The PVV is a broad popular party. The largest in the Netherlands. 2.4 million people voted for us. Highly and poorly educated, native and immigrant, workers, retirees, young people and the elderly. From the city, the countryside. The PVV is for everyone.” Just prior to the electi...
(JNS)- As Jewish families prepare to celebrate Chanukah, we remain continually focused on the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Many children-not to mention parents-are making connections between the thousands-year-old story of Jews fighting oppression in their homeland and current events that tell a similar tale. For two months now, our children have been seeking answers and understanding, requiring parents to step into conversations in ways they may not necessarily feel equipped to do. This...
As a caregiver, some people totally devote themselves to caring for another person who no longer functions as he once did. We may move, leave our jobs, give up our independence, and rarely see our family and friends. Our entire life may revolve around comforting and making our loved one feel loved. When a loved one passes, often we grieve and then the process of finding our way back into the world begins anew. How do we pick up the pieces and start to live again? Everyone does it differently and in his or her own time frame. Suggestions: Join...
(JTA) — The star of a blockbuster horror franchise and an Oscar-winning veteran actress saw their careers take a hit this week over their public comments on Jews and Israel in some of the most high-profile examples yet of how the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has impacted Hollywood. Variety reported Tuesday that Melissa Barrera was recently fired from the upcoming seventh installment of the “Scream” series over pro-Palestinian social media posts that the film’s producers implied had crossed the line into antisemitism. The “In The Heights...
The Maccabees were a band of Jewish freedom fighters who freed Judea from the Syrian-Greek occupiers during the Second Temple period. The word Maccabee is an acronym for the Hebrew words that mean “Who is like You among all powers, Gd.” Led by Judah the Maccabee and his four brothers, they trounced the Greek interlopers and restored the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to the service of Gd. Their victory is celebrated during the holiday of Chanukah. The Background More than 2,000 years ago there was...
On Thursday, Dec. 7, Jews around the world will begin celebrating Chanukah. Each night, we will light the candles placed in our Chanukiahs to remember yet another time in our history when Jews faced the possibility of annihilation. In 167 B.C.E. Judah Maccabeus and his brothers led a revolt against Antiochus, the Seleucid king who had tried to eradicate their religion. This Jewish festival commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple Now, 2190 years later, Jews are facing another enemy whose goal...
Take technology breaks: Constantly being connected can leave you frazzled and stressed out. Enjoy the outdoors: Exposure yourself to nature and breathe fresh air. Even ten minutes may reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue. Get active: Release those endorphins with movement, stretches, walks and laughter. Make Time For You: Take a minimum of 10-15 minutes each day to do something just for you. Connect with people you love on a regular basis. Get plenty of sleep: Rest will keep you more focused, less anxious and will boost your immune system. Be...
This recipe was first published on The Nosher. The Japanese word "okonomiyaki" is derived from two words: okonomi (how you like it) and yaki (grill). Okonomiyaki is a customizable Japanese savory vegetable pancake. Like a latke, it gets cooked in oil in a fritter formation. Unlike a latke, it's usually made into a large plate-sized pancake comprising mainly cabbage. Food historians have linked the rise in popularity of okonomiyaki in Japan to World War II, when rice was more scarce and this reci...
The following story and recipe come from the book Traditional Jewish Baking by Carine Goren, and was first published on The Nosher. I was never able to pronounce the name of this pastry correctly. Sfenj actually means "sponge," and these are indeed spongy, springy and full of air bubbles. I learned this recipe from my friend and pastry chef Ruta, and here it is, with a few minor adjustments. In my family, sfenj are consumed in three different ways: mom likes them plain; most of the family...
This essay was first published on Kveller Jewish kids and Christmas: For some parents, this combination can seem like a proverbial minefield of challenges presented to us each winter. The secular world, it seems, becomes infinitely less so as Christmas decorations, commercials and episodes of beloved kids shows proliferate. For interfaith families like mine, which celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas, this time can be especially fraught. My own 3-year-old Jewish daughter, for instance, is obses...
Without proper legal planning, caring for aging loved ones is often emotionally and financially distressing for everyone involved. Families struggle at the last minute to find information, guidance and assistance to handle the complex health care, financial and legal needs. By planning ahead and obtaining the right legal documents, families can help their aging relatives gain security, take advantage of public benefits, and preserve their assets. Estate plans are needed. They can help families avoid probate, which occurs when an individual...
Yesterday I was speaking to a friend on the phone in the USA. She asked me about my children, about the situation here, about any updates. Then she tried to change the subject. She actually started talking about something else. I don’t remember what she said. I could not focus. None of us can really think about anything else. For us, there is nothing else. Just this situation. This war. Our kidnapped citizens. Our dead friends. Our soldiers fighting. Each day another announcement of fallen soldiers, listed by age and name, rank, division, u...
(JTA) — They went to Washington, D.C., to support Israel and left the rally with a deepened sense of the Jewish community in the United States. So said teenagers who were among the estimated 290,000 Israel supporters who gathered on the National Mall on Tuesday — one of the largest gatherings of Jews in U.S. history. JTA’s Teen Journalism Fellows were at the March for Israel to report on their peers’ experiences throughout the day; many heard from teens that they would be returning home inspired by the number of people, the range of Judaism...
In today's crazy world, it is hard to find things for which to be thankful. So I have been trying to find gratitude in the small things: a FaceTime with my children and grandchildren; a good cup of coffee with a piece of warm challah; a special moment with Larry. Recently, I reached back 54 years to remember an evening that still holds a special place in my heart. In 1969, my brother Jay, who was going for his master's at Cornell University, invited me out for the weekend. Jay arranged for me...
Known to many as "Jerusalem Jones," "Sherlock," or "Hercule," as well as many other characters, Professor Kenneth Hanson, who teaches Judaic Studies at UCF, believes that students don't retain enough by simply reading or hearing lectures. For this reason, he has worn many faces to make history more interesting and appealing to his audiences. In fact, he still uses these characters and others to teach Jewish history to various groups. Most recently he "performed" a history teaching on the Dead Se...
In 2019, local resident Bob Herpe published his first suspense novel, "Gravnick." It is a story of the intertwining of two families - one Jewish, one Mafioso. Now, three years later, as promised, Herpe has completed the sequel, "The Other Side of Crisis." Herpe is a late comer to writing novels. He wrote "Gravnick" in his late 80s and is now in his 90s - and he is not slowing down. He already has the opening for his third book. "The Other Side of Crisis" picks up where "Gravnick" left off in...
(JNS) — Despite reports of Jews being fearful to display their faith outwardly amid rising antisemitism globally, so many Jews are reconnecting with their faith that supplies are short, according to the largest Jewish network, Chabad-Lubavitch. “There’s a global shortage of tefillin and mezuzahs,” Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesman for Chabad, told JNS. “We’re seeing an immense amount of people wanting to connect, wanting to double down and leaning into their Jewish identity and practice,” Seligson said. “People wanting to start putting on tefi...
Alzheimer’s disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, and millions of Americans are affected by the disease. It’s important to distinguish the facts from the myths about Alzheimer’s, especially when it comes to finding information online. 1. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are the same thing People often use the terms Alzheimer’s disease and dementia interchangeably, but there is a difference. Dementia refers to impaired memory, thinking, reasoning, and behavior, and Alzheimer’s is just one type of dementia. The terms are l...
BOSTON (JTA) - Jason Greenberg remembers the lavish breakfast spreads Carmela Dan would serve when he and his family visited his cousin at Kibbutz Nir Oz. He relished the shakshuka, salads and bread she prepared to welcome her American family. "She was a great cook," Greenberg, a lawyer in Boston, recalled of those regular visits he has made for more than 30 years. Dan was beloved at Nir Oz, a tight-knit community on the southern border with Gaza that she helped found in 1955. What especially...
