Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Schools across the nation have had to get creative with their commencement ceremonies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center in Maitland is no exception. The preschool, part of The Roth Family JCC, held its pre-k graduation on May 20 in the parking lot of the JCC, which remains closed to the public until June 1. A small gathering of families cheered on the graduates as they marched across the parking lot one by one, wearing face masks and obeying...
Even though the RAISE employees were furloughed along with everyone else during the COVID-19 lockdown, Loren London, RAISE director, and Rachel Slavkin, director of Employment and Education, decided to continue its weekly Lunch and Learn sessions via ZOOM, allowing RAISE employees to develop social and work skills they need to be independent and productive members of the community. The ZOOM sessions have also allowed the employees to get to know each other on a more personal level. Attending...
Even though his bar mitzvah isn't until October, Mason Moses, son of Andrew and Wendi Moses of Orlando, Fla., has been working hard on his Bar Mitzvah Project - ear savers to use with facemasks. Just what are ear savers? "Ear savers are little things that you put on the back of your ears to relieve the pressure behind your ears when you wear a mask," Mason explained. "We could not be more proud of all of his time, dedication and hard work. He has been busy printing ear savers for doctors, nurses...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2020 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Dick Weiner. Former recipients have inclu... Full story
The RAISE program for adults with special needs is now accepting online applications for a limited number of fall positions. RAISE is a 6- to 12-month work and social skills training program offered through the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando that is open to all faiths and provides paid employment at our partnering Jewish agencies. In addition, RAISE assists our employees in the transition to finding employment in the community. If you know a young adult who may benefit from RAISE or you are interested in volunteering as a Job Coach,...
Something was different. On Tuesday, May 19, in the spot where the Kinneret bus is generally parked, the Toasted truck took its place. By 10:30 a.m. there was the distinct scent of grilled cheese wafting from the truck. The Kinneret Council on Aging staff donned masks and gloves and lined up with carts to deliver a hot grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup and coleslaw to all 301 Kinneret residents. The grill in the truck did not stop for 2 ½ hours, which is how long it took to deliver...
Jewish Academy of Orlando fifth graders presented the Living History museum during the school's remote assembly. The Living History museum concludes the students' study of colonial times and the class trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. Each student researched a person from the colonial time period and wrote a script detailing that person's life. As part of their project, they created a slide show with pictures and captions. They presented to the school dressed in period costumes. The following...
Jill Goldsmith and her friendly seamstresses made and delivered many bags of facemasks to the Jewish Pavilion to be distributed to seniors in elder-care communities....
With great excitement, The Roth Family JCC CEO, Keith Dvorchik announced that the JCC will begin a step-by-step reopening on Monday, June 1. “We extend a heartfelt thank you to everybody who was able to help support us during the past two months while we were closed,” Dvorchik said in an email to JCC members. Here is the plan: • The Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center will reopen on Monday, June 1, with smaller class sizes and ratios. If you plan for your child to return on June 1, please read the important information on the E...
Lag B'Omer, a minor Jewish holiday, is traditionally celebrated with major fanfare. Parades, picnics, bonfires, music and displays of Jewish pride mark the occasion that falls 25 days after the end of Pesach, on the 33rd day of the Omer count. It commemorates the miraculous ending of an epidemic that killed 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva in the second century. It is also the anniversary of the passing of one of Rabbi Akiva's foremost students, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, also known as the Rashbi, t...
RAISE, Recognizing Abilities & Inclusion of Special Employees, has some heartwarming and uplifting updates to share, Rachel Slavkin, RAISE director of Employment and Education, told the Heritage. First, RAISE was featured as a Community Champion on WESH Channel 2 news in January. Even though COVID-19 forced the employees to leave their job positions in March, the team is working remotely and continue to teach social skills through weekly Lunch and Learn session held via Zoom. “We are also reconnecting with many of our alumni as we have had a v...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2020 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Dick Weiner. Former recipients have inclu... Full story
Due to the new US tax deadline and school closures during COVID-19, the application deadline for the 2020 Kobrin Family Scholarship has been extended to July 15. The scholarship is available to a qualified, full-time student of the Jewish faith from Orange, Osceola or Seminole County who will be attending the University of Central Florida. The scholarship is available in the amount of $2,500 per year for a maximum of four (4) years. The student must maintain a 3.1 GPA (based on a 4.0 scale) each year in order to remain qualified for the...
Experts from the company’s RosenCare healthcare program partnered with a task force and created a comprehensive plan that applies specifically to the Rosen Hotels’ eight Orlando hotels. The COVID-19 Response Plan incorporates all of the successful learnings of RosenCare to elevate the company’s already superior level of hygiene and cleanliness to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its hotel guests and associates. The Rosen task force includes Dr. Ronald Ryan, the 7-year medical director of the Rosen Medical Center, as advisor. Led by Jonat...
Jewish Academy of Orlando (JAO) continues to promote positive education remotely as part of the school's core value of teaching to the whole child. Positive education combines traditional education with positive psychology, which is the scientific study of well-being. There are 24 character strengths which are the backbone of positive psychology, and this year the school these strengths to the students to build a common language of appreciating strengths in themselves and in others. JAO is...
Many graduating seniors will not be able to observe their graduations at graduation ceremonies this year because of the coronavirus. Heritage would like to recognize all high school graduates in the paper. If there is a graduating student in your household, please consider sending Heritage a photo, name of student, high school (or college) attended, and if you’d like, also include their future plans. Information and photos can be emailed to news@orlandoheritage.com. The deadline for submissions is June 3.... Full story
Like other nonprofits, the Jewish Pavilion has moved to virtual meetings on Zoom. However, not everything can be discussed in a stilted format. The leadership of the Friends of the Jewish Pavilion met in the parking lot to discuss fundraising plans for 2020-21. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Lee Adler established healthy protocols for "organizing outside." He also served as the photographer for this masked meeting. Pictured are the Friends leadership ladies sitting on their own chairs... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion's main goal is to help our seniors stay connected to their culture. No one wants to be left behind and we have always helped our seniors by going to them. We are approaching almost two months in some facilities where we have not been able to go and visit our seniors. And just like everyone else we have had to adjust, get creative, and find new ways to stay in contact with our seniors. From the beginning we started writing to our seniors and reached out to the community to...
When our community and society were faced with the life-changing challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando stepped up to fill the void brought on by the loss of our normal active lives. At the onset of the pandemic, the Federation rose to the occasion to bring the essence of Passover into everyone’s homes and hearts—this included a beautiful virtual Women’s Passover Seder hosted by Cantor Jackie Rawiszer, attended by more than 100 women; and a community virtual Seder for first night of Passover, hosted by Ya...
On May 1st, Yael Diamond of Winter Park received a commission as an officer in the United States Army. Due to social distancing the ceremony took place at the Orlando Veterans Memorial Park online via Zoom conference. Diamond attended the Hebrew Day School (now the Jewish Academy of Orlando), Winter Park High School and on May 2nd graduated from the University of Florida. She earned bachelor's degrees in both International Studies with a Middle East emphasis and Political Science. At UF,...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2020 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Dick Weiner. Former recipients have inclu... Full story
Jewish Academy of Orlando teachers are superheroes. During Teacher Appreciation Week, teachers were celebrated with yard signs. Here is a peek of some of JAO's beloved teachers. Jewish Academy of Orlando serves central Florida students of all faiths from transitional kindergarten through fifth grade. The school delivers a whole-child education fostering academic excellence and character education rooted in Jewish values. Jewish Academy of Orlando is accredited by the Florida Council of...
Not even a lockdown could stop the campaign of Lynn Dictor, known by her radio listeners as Moira, a first-time candidate for Seminole County Tax Collector. Dictor, a Democrat, always intended to qualify by petition for her spot on the November 2020 ballot. But shelter-in-place orders prohibited Dictor and her field team from attending any gathering of Seminole County voters to complete the petition drive. Dictor needed 3,037 Seminole County registered voters to sign her ballot petitions by the... Full story
Thanks to the community’s generous contributions, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando collected $18,742 and 4,930 lbs. of food in this year’s Restock Challenge. With every $1 and pound of food matched $0.50 by The Weiner Family and The Winter Park Wealth Group, JFS surpassed their $10,000 match goal and therefore raised a grand total of $28,742. Although due to COVID-19 JFS could no longer collect food donations two weeks into the drive, donors “stepped up to the challenge” by giving monetary donations. These donations made a big impact... Full story
Marc Homburger Jacobs, son of Brad Jacobs and Eve Homburger, has just earned the rank of Eagle Scout, completing his Board of Review via video conference. Since Marc's Boy Scout Troop 641 meets at The Roth Family JCC, he knew he wanted to give something back to this agency. Marc's Eagle Scout Project was to beautify and refresh the exterior of The Roth Family JCC pool's outdoor changing area. Keith Dvorchik, JCC CEO, was the Project beneficiary. Marc would like to thank everybody who supported... Full story
