Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(Braden Hamelin/The Jewish Exponent via JNS) - Israeli dancer Yuval Cohen's performance in a featured role of "Carmen" with the Philadelphia Ballet on Oct. 9 was a full-circle moment for the artist still in his 20s. Cohen performed the same ballet in his first featured role with the company almost exactly two years earlier, shortly after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. This year's performance was a much happier occasion for Cohen, as news of the Israel-Hamas...
Last week, the Orlando Jewish Chamber of Commerce hosted a standout Lunch and Learn event featuring guest speaker Amy Schwartz Kimlat, a marketing and advertising professional and Head of Growth & Brand Experience for See Magic Live. The presentation, titled "Working With AI," drew a much larger crowd than expected, filling the Roth Family JCC where it was hosted by Shalom Orlando. Kimlat delivered an engaging and practical talk on harnessing artificial intelligence in the workplace. She shared...
(JNS) - Freed Israeli-Russian hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov said on Wednesday that Jerusalem's assassination campaign targeting top Hezbollah, Hamas and Iranian terrorists contributed to hear release from captivity. Tsurkov, who was held for two and a half years by Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah in Iraq, told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday that she believes the IDF military campaign "rattled" the terrorist leaders, leading them to view their captive as a liability. The...
I’m late for work! What? Wait a minute. What day is this? Friday? No; I didn’t put out the trash can for collection. Let’s see, what did I do last night? Oh, yes, I recall. We watched Antiques Roadshow. So, it must be Tuesday. And I don’t have to go to work; I retired many years ago. Such confusion. It only happens once in a while. But thanks to the resetting of clocks back to standard time my brain is malfunctioning. It used to be that I was only affected every spring when the clocks were mo...
Imagine your parent is in a senior living community. Whenever you visit or call, they tell you about another resident who has the most wonderful daughter. This amazing daughter is patient, compassionate, and attentive. She visits her mother every day. You wonder if your parent is trying to tell you something. How do you respond? If you struggle to get along with your parents, you’re not alone. Relationships are tricky, and families are no exception. Comments like the one above may feel like a personal jab, but it is important to consider the...
I am not a fan of the supernatural. Except for "Ghost" (I love the chemistry between Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze!) and "Sixth Sense" (What a great ending!), I shy away from any movie that smacks of the occult. And while I respect Stephen King as a writer, I rarely read his best-selling horror novels. But there is one area in which I am a believer: signs from the other side. Several times in my life, I have felt that I have had "visits" from those I had loved and lost. Six weeks after my...
(JNS) - After facing a flood of antisemitism in the publishing world, Australian writer Linda Margolin Royal brought her Holocaust story to Jerusalem, turning adversity into triumph. Royal, a former advertising copywriter in Australia, flew to Israel to launch her bestselling debut novel, "The Star on the Grave," at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, on Sept. 30. Released last year, Royal's historical fiction novel is based on her family's true story of how an altruistic gentile...
About 10 years ago, as a volunteer program director for the Jewish Pavilion, I put together a program about Yiddish — its words, humor, and heart — and took it “on the road” to a dozen assisted-living and nursing facilities across West Orange County. The residents loved it. We laughed our way through bupkes, kvetch, schlep, mensch, and dozens of other favorites. Many in the audience still remembered those words from their parents or childhood neighbors. The program was a great schtick, and now it has brought back memories of my childho...
Part of my growing up experience included my friends affectionately calling me just by my last name, and my high school coaches doing the same, only not so affectionately. Problem is, most people have a tendency to mispronounce my last name. Instead of pronouncing the letter “v” at the end, they say it like my last name ends with an “f.” Hence Witkov becomes Witkoff. When I spell my name (over the phone or checking in somewhere) I always finish with, “That last letter is a ‘v’ as in the word ‘victory.’” But, more often than not, they still get...
(JNS) - Seven years ago, in the calm of a Saturday morning in Pittsburgh, the world convulsed. The Oct. 27 massacre at the Tree of Life*Or L'Simcha, in which 11 Jewish people were killed, did not merely shatter bones and hopes; it bent the axis of everyday life in my hometown neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. And now, in this seventh year, the hard work is no longer just to remember what happened or to respond with declarations of unity; it is to reckon with how memory demands us to live...
(JNS) - Walking down 3rd Avenue and 85th Street during a recent visit to New York, I was approached by a young, professionally-dressed woman who recognized me from news interviews. "Thank you for everything you do for Israel," she said, and held out her hand. I shook it, blushing. "No," I replied, "Thank you for standing by us during this difficult period." "Difficult period" is, of course, an understatement. For the past two years, the Jewish state and the nation it represents have been...
Keep a folder of all medical information. It is good to have a binder in addition to a folder on the computer, so you can take critical medical information with you to appointments. Information Needed: • Health insurance cards, Medicare cards, and so on • Appointment reminder cards from health care providers • A list of medications including dosages, frequency, date started and reason • A medical history • A list of emergency contacts, relationship, addresses and all phone numbers • A sheet for recording the date of visits, the provider an...
When Israeli pop star Yoni Bloch created a music video in January depicting scenes of the Israeli hostages returning through the use of artificial intelligence, it was meant as a hopeful fantasy. At the time, Bloch's song, "Sof Tov" or "A Happy Ending," went viral in Israel for offering optimism for the release of the nearly 100 hostages still held in Gaza. It also envisioned peace in the region accompanying the end of the war in Gaza. Now, nine months later, after the remaining 20 living...
In colder weather the arugula is less bitter than summer. Adding seasonal pomegranate seeds adds the sweetness needed. You can multiply the quantities for company. It makes a colorful presentation. 3/4 cup arugula leaves with stems. Wash and paper towel dry the greens. Use scissors, cut 1-2 inch pieces. (You can also use small pieces of romaine lettuce.) Cut a small ripe avocado in half. In the side without the pit, score small cubes with a knife and use a spoon to remove them from the peel. Keep the pit in the other half and sprinkle fresh lem...
I was born Gloria Bernardi, but my father was born Jacob Moses Schwartzman. When he came to America and became an opera singer in the years just before World War I, it was a time of smoldering antisemitism. He decided that the name Giacomo Bernardi would look better on theatre marquees than Jacob Moses Schwartzman. Bernardi became a name that opened doors, soothed suspicion, and allowed him to move between two worlds. And that’s what names often do — change to fit the times. They can protect, disguise, or celebrate who we are — and who we ho...
When the first season of the surprise hit "Nobody Wants This" ended last year, viewers were left with a cliffhanger about the unlikely couple at the center of the story: Would Joanne convert to be with Rabbi Noah? Would they be together at all? Now, the second season has dropped bringing the immediate revelation in the first episode that, while their relationship has survived, no decision has been made. Thus begins another 10-episode season showcasing the travails of an interfaith Los Angeles...
A signed, game-worn Sandy Koufax jersey is up for auction with an estimated value of more than $1 million. The listing at the Dallas-based Heritage Auctions notes that the No. 32 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey from 1966, Koufax's final season, has been photo-matched to a May 14 game at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, an undated image from the same season at Shea Stadium in New York City, as well as two other outings in which Koufax did not pitch. Koufax, 89, was one of the most dominant southpaws of...
Like most synagogues, Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey added new rituals after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that killed 1,200 in Israel, saw another 251 taken hostage and launched a grinding war between Israel and Hamas. The Conservative congregation hung a "bring them home now" sign out front on behalf of the hostages. Rabbi Jesse Olitzky added the "Acheinu" prayer for redeeming captives to the weekly Shabbat service, and each week read the biography of a hostage. As the war raged...
The Torah is direct: eat this, not that; separate milk and meat, based on the verse “Do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21); and remove leaven from the home before Passover. Leviticus and Deuteronomy do not say “to prevent parasites” or “to avoid food poisoning.” Rabbis treated these as chukim — decrees beyond human reasoning. To follow them was to show trust in God’s wisdom. Over the centuries, rabbis of old cautioned against searching for purely practical motives in these laws. They feared that if pe...
For seniors looking to maintain independence, explore the realm of online delivery services. These services offer more than just groceries; they cater to the specific needs of aging adults, regardless of their level of tech proficiency. What started as a niche market has now become a growing trend. Delivery has a long history, from the milkman in Britain in the 1860s to the emergence of pizza delivery for Italian royals in 1889. Mail order catalogs like Tiffany’s Blue Book and Montgomery Ward paved the way for remote shopping, while c...
As the weather gets cooler, a soup can be the perfect meal. (Rice and beans served together makes a complete protein meal.) Serve with some quality bread and a salad for an easy meal. The recipe makes 4-5 servings. 14 oz. frozen broad beans or a 14 1/2 oz. can of rinsed and drained Northern Beans 6 T. virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, (1 cup) finely chopped and fried in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. 2 medium tomatoes skinned and very finely chopped or 16 oz. can diced tomatoes,...
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 106 times to 143 laureates in its 125-year history. And yet numerous conflicts and wars rage on. Has the award lost its significance and power to truly motivate people to bring about lasting peace for our planet? Or have we overlooked simple but impactful solutions that may bring about peace and prosperity? What if we could avoid difficult situations and remedy serious problems simply by drinking enough water? Not just to eradicate wars between nations and...
On a winter morning in 1825, Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia opened its doors for a consecration few in the city would forget. The sanctuary filled not only with Jews but with the city’s civic and religious leaders. Bishop William White, the Episcopal bishop of Pennsylvania, was there. So too were the chief justice and associate judges of the state Supreme Court, along with ministers from other Christian churches and “many other distinguished citizens.” The newspaper that cover...
Submitted by the family Jeffrey Steven Koplow left us far too soon on Oct. 25, 2024, and the world is a little quieter and a lot less funny without him. He is survived by his devoted mother, Toby Stolar; his greatest joys - his children, Chase and Maci Koplow; his longtime friend and wonderful co-parent, Erin Koplow; and his loving sisters, Randi Benatar and Penny (Keith) Grumer. Also missing him deeply are his nieces and nephews: Natalie (Jason) Staple, Michael (Alyssa) Salerno, Hallie (Kevin)... Full story
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza on Sunday and Israel conducted strikes against targets inside the territory in the biggest threats yet to the week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The soldiers were not killed by Hamas, the group and Israel both said. The deaths come as Hamas is continuing to locate and release the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages, as required by the terms of the ceasefire deal, and as U.S. officials head to the region in an attempt to preserve the deal...
