Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 529
Lottie M. Cohen, age 98, passed away peacefully with her family at her bedside on July 15, 2023. Lottie was born in Moers, Germany, the daughter of the late William S. and Antonie (Lowenstein) Meyer. Lottie, along with her brother Steven and parents, came to the United States in the late 1930s. She was a graduate of Washington Heights High School and became a dental hygienist soon thereafter. In February 1948, Lottie married Lynn M. Cohen. They were together for more than 71 years until... Full story
Submitted by the family Sara M. Danziger, a woman of strong conviction, patriotism, and deep faith, peacefully passed away July 20, 2023, in Winter Park, Florida. Born in Guatemala City, she pursued academic excellence, earning a BSBA from the University of Cincinnati, and two MA degrees and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, specializing in Latin American Literature. A dedicated Spanish teacher at the University of Maryland and BCC High School, Sara inspired countless students with her passion for language and culture. Beyond academia, s... Full story
Mrs. Cynthia Kalik, 77, of Oviedo, Florida passed away Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at AdventHealth Oviedo following a brief illness. Mrs. Kalik was born May 22, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Jack and Shirley (Betz) Goldfarb. She and her late husband, Michael P. Kalik, moved to the Central Florida area in 1998 from Wilmington, Delaware. Mrs. Kalik is survived by her beloved children; daughter, Dana (Herman) Meyer of Oviedo, Florida and son, Robert (Lauren) Kalik of Todd, North Carolina; her sister, Sheila LaPanne of Lauderhill,... Full story
Sgt. Steven Sorkin, 75, of Casselberry, Florida, passed away Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Advent Health Altamonte Springs following a brief illness. Sgt. Sorkin was born April 12, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois to the late Julius and Mollie (Schwartz) Sorkin. He is predeceased by his first wife, Sheila Marie Sorkin. Sgt. Sorkin is survived by his wife, Vilma Vina of Casselberry, Florida; son, Julian Sorkin of Jacksonville, Florida; and his granddaughter, Amy Sorkin of Jacksonville, Florida. Graveside Services were held at Cape Canaveral National... Full story
(JTA) — I was just out of college when I got a freelance assignment from a small entertainment magazine to interview a rising comic named Pee-wee Herman. Of course that wasn’t his real name, but the man-child persona — one part Howdy Doody, one part third-grade nerd, who spoke as if he just took a hit off a helium balloon — was created by a comic and actor named Paul Reubens. The publicist warned me that Reubens would be only talking to me as Pee-wee, but the voice at the other end of the cal...
Dr. Margery Jean Adelson, 78, of Orlando, Florida, passed away Sunday, July 9, 2023, at Bridgeport ASL of Maitland, Florida, following a brief illness. Dr. Adelson was born Jan. 10, 1945, in New York, New York. Beloved wife of the late Dr. Joseph B. Adelson; cherished mother of Eric (Andrea) Adelson, David Adelson, and Gretchen (Michael) Kaplan; treasured grandmother of Hope Adelson, Anabelle Adelson, Julianne Kaplan, and Henry “Hank” Kaplan; dear sister of Vivan Altholz; Margery was the loving daughter of the late Greta and the late Ema... Full story
(JTA) - Alan Arkin knew he was going to be an actor from the age of five. "Every film I saw, every play, every piece of music fed an unquenchable need to turn myself into something other than what I was," he wrote in his 2011 memoir, "An Improvised Life." What he was was the son of Ukrainian and German Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn, where he was born in 1934. But over the course of a long and unusually peripatetic career, he managed to turn himself into a conflicted Russian submarine officer ("The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,"...
Mr. Steven K. Peltz, 80, formerly of Orlando, Florida, passed away Wednesday, July 5, 2023, in Alexandria, Virginia. Mr. Peltz was born Nov. 29, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York to the late Max Hy and Sylvia (Schwartz) Peltz. Mr. Peltz was a retired psychologist and a proud Navy Veteran. Mr. Peltz is survived by his longtime companion, Glenn Ann Levy of Alexandria, Virginia; children, Joshua Peltz and Jessica Peltz. Interment Services for Mr. Peltz were at Congregation Ohev Shalom Cemetery. Services entrusted to Beth Shalom Memorial Chapel, 933 Lee... Full story
Morey Raiskin passed peacefully in his Clermont, Florida, home on July 4, 2023. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 3, 1957, he was the loving husband of his wife Michelle. He was preceded in death by his former wife Maribeth and was a devoted father to their children: son Marshall, daughter-in-law Mikala, and son Evan. He also leaves his sister, Karen Raiskin-Horenstein; nephew, Joshua Horenstein, his wife Paula Zimmerman and their children Marcus and Miles. Morey’s love extended to i... Full story
Submitted by the family Kira Spress, 40 years old of Orlando, Florida passed away in her sleep on June 26, 2023, at home. Kira was born in Denver, Colorado, and later relocated to Nebraska and lived on a raspberry farm with her mother, father and her newborn sister, Adene Rae Duncan. Kira and her family later moved to Golden, Colorado, where Kira’s mother, Brenda Strange, and step-dad, Joseph Applegate, had another child, Tawny Michelle Applegate. Kira was the third child born to Brenda S... Full story
(JTA) - The moment when Sheldon Harnick realized that his new musical might be something special came when he sang the lyrics he had just composed for a new song: "Sunrise, Sunset." He was sitting in the basement studio of his friend and collaborator, the composer Jerry Bock, in New Rochelle, New York. It was 1961, and they were in the throes of writing "Fiddler on the Roof." Bock had originally meant for the melody to be used for one of the flirtations between Tevye's three older daughters and...
Mrs. Elaine Friedman, 92, Fern Park, Florida passed away Friday, June 16, 2023, at Advent Health Winter Park following a brief illness. Mrs. Friedman was born Oct. 24, 1930, in Bronx, New York to the late Abraham and Celia Leah (Aronowitz) Barosin and moved to the Fern Park area in 1980 from North Miami Beach, Florida. Mrs. Friedman is survived devoted sons; Jonathan Friedman of Japan and Howard Friedman of Maitland, Florida; sister, Phyllis (Gerry) Rosenthal; grandchildren; Austin, Ally, Dylan. Graveside Services for Mrs. Friedman were held... Full story
Mr. Felipe Grazutis, 61, Orlando, Florida passed away Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital following a brief illness. Mr. Grazutis was born Sept. 16, 1961, in Havana, Cuba to the late Aaron and Elisa (Varon) Grazutis. Mr. Grazutis is survived by his devoted daughters; Corina (Gregory) Gonzalez and Alyssia (David) Garcia both of Orlando, Florida; sister, Jenny Yedwab of Miami Beach, Florida; and his cherished grandson, Gregory Gonzalez. Graveside services for Mr. Grazutis were held with Rabbi Dovid Dubov... Full story
Submitted by the family Howard "Bud" Robinson, beloved husband of 61 years to his wife, Gail, passed away peacefully in Orlando, FL., on June 15, 2023. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Oct. 2, 1933, to Nathaniel Robinson and Tillie (Gordon) Robinson, who emigrated from Russia. He attended Penn State and subsequently began a career in retail management. Ever upwardly mobile, Howard ultimately transferred to Florida where he was introduced to Gail and the couple married shortly thereafter. A... Full story
(JTA) - Pat Robertson was trying to pay Jews a compliment. "They'd rather be polishing diamonds than fixing cars," he said in 2014 on his show on the Christian Broadcasting Network, the station the Southern Baptist minister founded in 1960 that had grown into an evangelical Protestant powerhouse. Robertson made his observation - while chuckling - in a conversation with a rabbi who was sympathetic to his conservative beliefs, Daniel Lapin. He clearly thought that diamond polishing was a good...
Mrs. Sheila Loretta Friedman Reback passed away on June 7, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. Born in Cortland, New York, on June 7, 1942, to the late John & Norma (Cohen) Friedman. She and her husband moved to the Orlando area in 1979 from Syracuse, New York. Mrs. Reback is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Gerald Harvey Reback, of Altamonte Springs, Florida; her devoted children, Ariella (Rabbi Edward Bernstein) Reback of Boynton Beach, Florida; Danielle (Dr. Harel) Deutsch of...
Mr. Avigdor “Victor” Bilia, 84, passed away Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at his Deltona, Florida, home following a brief illness. Mr. Bilia was born Aug. 12, 1938, in Casablanca, Morocco, to the late Shimon and Shulamit (Malka) Bilia. He retired as owner and operator of an automotive repair shop. He proudly served in the Israeli Army. Mr. Bilia is survived by his devoted wife of 37 years, Dolores (Vallin) Bilia of Deltona, Florida; son, Gilad (Anat) Bilia; daughters, Yris (Ron Krell) Bilia and Galit (Segev) Kenat; brothers, Robert Bilia and Dav... Full story
Mrs. Norma (Kleinfeld) Kaplan, 88, of Orlando, Florida, passed away Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at Halifax Hospice following a brief illness. Mrs. Kaplan was born June 25, 1934, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the late Herman and Rose (Davis) Kleinfeld. She and her late husband, Bernard “Buddy” Kaplan, moved to the Orlando area in 1972 from Akron, Ohio. Mrs. Kaplan was a longtime member of Congregation of Reform Judaism. Mrs. Kaplan is survived by her devoted children, Deena (Andre) Biewend of New Smyrna Beach and Eric Kaplan of Nevada; and her... Full story
Ms. Eleanore Leeson, 99, of Orlando (Williamsburg), Florida, passed away Monday, May 29, 2023, at Vitas Hospice following a brief illness. Ms. Leeson was born Jan. 14, 1924, in Manhattan, New York to the late Henry and Tessie (Hershkowitz) Milchstein. She and her late husband, Jack Leeson, moved to the Orlando area in 1982 from Mineola, New York. Ms. Leeson was a graduate of The Juilliard School and loved playing her grand piano in her home every day. Ms. Leeson is survived by her devoted sons; Floyd (Ivy) Leeson of Irving, California, and Jeff... Full story
(JTA) - Rabbi Harold Kushner, one of the most influential congregational rabbis of the 20th century whose works of popular theology reached millions of people outside the synagogue, died on April 28, 2023. Kushner, who turned 88 on April 3, died in Canton, Massachusetts, just miles from the synagogue where he had been rabbi laureate for more than three decades. Kushner's fairly conventional trajectory as a Conservative rabbi was altered shortly after arriving at Temple Israel of Natick when, on...
Mr. Richard Greenhut, 73, Clermont, Florida, passed away Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at Mike Conley Hospice House following a brief illness. Mr. Greenhut was born May 21, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Adolph and Rosalind (Fisher) Greenhut. He and his family moved to the Central Florida area in 1987 from Connecticut. Mr. Greenhut is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Marilyn (Smoot) Greenhut of Clermont, Florida; daughters, Debra Greenhut and Amy Greenhut both of Apopka, Florida;... Full story
Gerri Kilberg, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and cherished friend, passed away on April 25, 2023, at the age of 98, in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family and friends. Born in Philadelphia, Gerri lived through the Great Depression and was a product of that era. At the age of 24, she married the love of her life, Milton Kilberg, with whom she shared 70 years of marriage before his passing in 2019. Together, they had one daughter, Dr. Ilene Wilkins, and seven grandchil... Full story
Ms. Ileen Susan Ramos, 59, Kissimmee, Florida passed away Sunday, April 23, 2023, at Osceola Regional Medical Center following a brief illness. Ms. Ramos was born Sept. 10, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. Ms. Ramos is survived by her beloved sons, Chris (Tricia) Ramos of Haines City, Florida and Ryan Ramos of Kissimmee, Florida; devoted mother, Joan Siegel of Kissimmee, Florida, and dearest sister, Janet Hidalgo of Kissimmee, Florida. In keeping with Ms. Ramos wishes she was cremated and a graveside service will be held at a later date in Temple... Full story
Mr. Jordan Ira Zamore, 39, Las Vegas, Nevada, passed away Monday, April 17, 2023, at Sunrise Medical Center following a brief illness. Jordan was born Nov. 27, 1983, in Danbury, Connecticut. Jordan was a graduate of Full Sail University and a Audio Lighting Producer. He is predeceased by his father Michael Stuart Zamore. Jordan was always traveling around the world, working gigs with bands such as Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Imagine Dragons and Bad Bunny to mention a few. Jordan was very much into music and often went to music festivals.... Full story
(New York Jewish Week) - Barrier-smashing singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, who once boasted of being "the most popular Jew in America" because of his rendition of a Hebrew classic, died Tuesday at his longtime Upper West Side home. He was 96. The New York City native was the one of the first Black artists to achieve widespread commercial success in the United States, and while he was raised Catholic, his life frequently dovetailed with Jewish causes, values and people....
