Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Senior Program Director Susan Bernstein and Jewish Pavilion volunteers were busy celebrating Chanukah with senior residents of 10 assisted living facilities....
(JNS) — On Dec. 16, our rabbi announced that Avi Lulu of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, who spent Chanukah with us in Palm Beach, Florida and returned to Israel on Dec. 11, had telephoned him the previous day to tell him that his son Alon Shamriz had been one of three hostages mistakenly killed by IDF soldiers. The congregation roiled with anguish. We had gotten to know Avi. He spoke at menorah lightings, Shabbat services, parlor meetings and before the Jewish Federation. Kfar Aza is located near the Gaza border. On Oct. 7, 80 of its more than 700 r...
Sometimes, your loved one is going to be discharged from the hospital, and you feel that person is not ready to come home. You can refuse discharge. Every state has a quality innovation network quality Improvement Organization. These government agencies help people with Medicare and Medicaid. See www.tiny.cc/QINmap. KEPRO handles Florida, Georgia, etc. Kepro, 844-45-9708. It is a beneficiary and family centered family quality improvement organization that can help you. Quite simply, this is how it works and I tried it with my mother a few...
(JTA) - A decades-long era of Jewish comedy on television will come to an end next year, as "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David's HBO comedy, is set to end after its 12th season. The imminent conclusion of "Curb" has been rumored for several seasons now, but a poster and press statement from David this week confirmed that its 12th go-around, premiering Feb. 4, will indeed be the show's last. "As 'Curb' comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this 'Larry David' persona...
(JNS) - To the women, children and men who survived the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7 in Israel: You are not alone. We see you. We hear you. We are crying with you. And I am sorry. I am so very sorry. Those words are not adequate enough to convey the depth of my sorrow for what you were made to endure, but they will have to do because I don't believe adequate words exist. I am sorry for the horrors you suffered on that Black Shabbat. And I am sorry for every day of continued suffering you...
(JNS) — Eran the potato farmer. Rachel the food hostess. Michaela the midwife. All three are residents of the northwestern Negev who were caught in Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre; all three are heroes who were able to think quickly on their feet and save myriad lives on that dreadful day. Their stories of heroism, and many more, are being gathered and documented online for children, to give them strength and create a sense of unity amid the horrors being shared about Oct. 7. The name of the project is...
Our first Susya soldier fell. It was the first night of Chanukah. We were eating dinner and my daughter, 16, saw a message in her medical whatsapp group. The head Medic was wishing a friend of mine sorry on her son. I saw it, and said "he probably got injured" and we continued eating. The mother, a good friend of mine, is one of our original medics here. She is a strong person, one of my group of friends, and is one of those women who seems to do it all. She can even do a lay-up on the basketbal...
Men account for almost 40 percent of the caregiver population. In order for male caregivers to properly care for their loved ones, they must remember to care for themselves. Here are seven emotional and physical tips for male caregivers: • Participate in a support group. • Vary the caregiving responsibilities among family members or friends. • Exercise an average of three times per week and maintain a healthy diet. • Establish time for meditation. • Practice time management. • Prepare all necessary documents, i.e.: insurance policies, d...
As the end of the year approaches, you’ve probably noticed your inbox filling up with requests from charities asking for year-end donations. Giving is important, especially now. Like so many people, you may find yourself stressed as you scramble to locate receipts and track contributions to document your tax deductions for 2023. You may also discover that organizing your giving differently could have resulted in greater tax benefits. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your tax deductions, be more intentional about your giving, and r...
(JTA) - Throughout Hollywood history, many stars of Jewish ancestry have soft-pedaled their heritage, changing their names or speaking rarely, if at all, about their Jewishness. No one can accuse Barbra Streisand of either. The singer and actress of the stage and screen - one of the most beloved Jewish American icons of the past half-century - published her long-awaited memoir, "My Name is Barbra," earlier this month. Throughout, Streisand references her Jewish background constantly, often...
(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...
