Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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On Jan. 27, Cantor Nina Fine entertained residents of Westminster Orlando with a lively outdoor Tu B'Shvat program featuring songs about trees, sun, rain, and more. Cantor Fine explained what Tu B' Shvat is all about and brought samples of typical Israeli fruits eaten on the holiday for residents to try. The concert ended with a lively song about being a tree, getting everyone on their feet and moving. The weather was perfect and even the trees seemed to enjoy the entertainment. Please consider...
Even though we are in the midst of a pandemic and visitation rights have been decreased at most of the senior living facilities in the area, the Jewish Pavilion has been committed to finding ways to connect with our Jewish residents. Jewish Pavilion Program directors have been able to present in-person programs at a variety of sites - not letting even the most minor celebration go unnoticed. Susan Bernstein visited with residents at Village On The Green and presented a Tu B'shvat Seder, which...
Jewish Academy of Orlando, celebrating 43 years of Jewish education, announced it will be honoring Cheryl and Greg Finkelstein at the Soaring Into the Future Gala on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 at 7:30 p.m., held remotely. Cheryl and Greg Finkelstein, with their children Eli and Emily, moved to Orlando in 2003, shortly after Greg co-founded a local education technology firm. Greg and Cheryl immediately embraced the Orlando Jewish community, with their children attending the Roth Family JCC Early...
Award-winning New York City jazz pianist Ben Rosenblum and his trio will perform an intimate concert at the Timucua Arts Foundation in Orlando on Friday, Feb. 12, as part of a seven-stop Southeast tour through Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. This evening will be open to limited attendance for its two sets at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and will also be live-streamed. More information can be found at the links on Timucua's website, timucua.com. SeaofTranquility.org stated that Rosenblum is...
This winter, Chabad Centers throughout Orlando will offer Journey of the Soul, a new six-session course by the acclaimed Rohr Jewish Learning Institute that will answer a question which has occurred to every self-reflective person: What happens when we die? The course will begin Feb. 2 and run through March 9, from 7:30-9 p.m., at Chabad of Altamonte Springs, Nate’s Shul in Lake Mary, Chabad of Greater Orlando, and 7– 8:30 p.m. at Chabad – Center of Jewish Life in South Orlando. The course will be offered over Zoom as well as in-person with...
Westminster resident Joseph Aaronson cozies up in his Jewish Pavilion “Linus Blanket” nicknamed by him and his son Benn, as it brings him great comfort and joy. He uses it every day to stay warm and feel comforted during quarantine. If you would like to help bring more joy and comfort to isolated seniors like Joseph, please consider donating your time or some funds to The Jewish Pavilion www.jewishpavilion.org or call 407-678-9363. — Nina Fine, program director...
Starting a business in the age of Covid may sound risky but a Winter Park couple, Evan and Susanne Roberts, saw it as an opportunity. They launched Sign Greeters, a company that installs large, cheerful yard greetings for customers who have something to celebrate or promote. "Basically, we do anything from birthdays to anniversaries to welcome back to school," said Evan Roberts. Surprisingly, the coronavirus hasn't been a hindrance, explained Evan. "If anything, social isolation has helped us,"...
As part of their monthly guest speakers via Zoom "Physically Apart - Emotionally Together", Chabads of Greater Orlando and North Orlando invite you to hear the fascinating story of Rabbi Motti Flikshtein on Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m. Motti will take you back in time to the days of his youth as a drug dealing rapper, and retell his journey of becoming a rabbi. You will hear the incredible story of a man who completely turned his life around. Coming from the darkest of places, he not only brought light...
Even though three quarters of 2020 was under quarantine, JFS Orlando had many things to be thankful for. These are the agency’s 10 favorite things: 10 The Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry provided enough food for more than 175,000 meals to about 9,000 individuals 9 JFS Orlando’s mental health counselors transitioned all appointments to telehealth (overnight with very few hiccups) to stay safe and still meet with clients. 8 The Family Stabilization program helped more than 140 families fight homelessness and become more self-sufficient for the...
The Central Florida Jewish Community Study, conducted by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, is well under way. If you have received a letter, phone call, email or text from Brandeis, Keith Dvorchik, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, encourages you to respond if you haven't done so already - it isn't a scam, it is the real deal. If you did not receive a survey, please understand the survey is a random sample and was not sent out to everyone. Every...
What do a jean jacket and breast cancer have in common? Dolores Indek and the Jewish Pavilion. Indek made a successful bid at the Jewish Pavilion auction for a custom jean jacket and her support can be seen whether from the front of the jean jacket or the back of it. A little bit of a back story: The Jewish Pavilion had an online auction this year instead of its in-person gala. They received lots of great items and the auction was successful. One item donated in particular caught Indek's eye and...
The Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Orlando will host a zoom presentation of some memorable stories shared by Robinn Magid from the JRI-Poland.org case file that highlight what this database and website might do for your own research. The event will be held via Zoom on Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. For 25 years, JRI-Poland has served as the preferred finding aid for the Jewish records that survive in the archives of Poland today. This vast collection of 6.2 million records includes information about...
The Kinneret Council on Aging, a nonprofit agency that provides ongoing programs and services to residents of Kinneret Apartments, has announced the honorees for their 2021, virtual 8 over 80 #SaluteOurSeniors to be held on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. "This is our community's premiere event honoring older adults and we are truly inspired by the number of outstanding individuals, who continue to contribute to our community and promote the Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam," said Carol Feuerman, KCOA...
The Jewish Pavilion and the Jewish Academy have partnered together for many years and love to bring such joy to the community. This year, Jewish Academy of Orlando student, 5th grader Lorelie, decided as her mitzvah project to make sure the residents in assisted living and nursing homes felt loved during this unusual season. With the help of fellow students, Lorelie made a bunch of handmade holiday cards for the seniors. The Jewish Pavilion was more than honored to deliver these cards and know...
Have you ever wondered how Jewish texts from hundreds of years ago can inform some of the big ethical questions of the 21st century? In January, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando will offer Jewish Medical Ethics, one of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning’s most popular courses. This 10-week Zoom course — which begins Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021 — will focus on such topics as cloning, prenatal interventions and termination of pregnancy, assisted suicide, and access to health care. While this course may be of special inter...
For many of the clients who come to Jewish Family Services, the holidays can often be a stressful and dark time. This year is especially difficult as so many in our Central Florida community have lost their jobs, are struggling to pay bills, or have even lost a loved one to the coronavirus. But amidst the darkness, here at JFS Orlando we've seen a bright light appear this holiday season. Some members in our community have decided, instead of spending money on gifts for their family and friends,...
With restrictions for in-person visitations beginning to relax, the staff and volunteers at the Jewish Pavilion have been busy making arrangements to bring holiday cheer to the hundreds of seniors living in facilities around the greater Orlando area. Sharon Littman, a Jewish Pavilion volunteer, with the assistance of her daughter, Alyssa; sons, Jacob and Zachary; and husband, Adam, prepared over 300 Chanukah bags of goodies that were delivered to the residents during the week of Chanukah. While...
After a comprehensive search, the Congregation Ohev Shalom Board selected Rachel Rosenberg O'Brien to be executive director of the synagogue. She will assume her duties on Jan. 4, 2021. Steve Brownstein has been the acting executive director since 2013. O'Brien, who has 20 years experience in management, comes to COS from Austin, Texas, where she is involved with Hadassah and her synagogue. "We were immediately impressed by her ability to run a business with multiple stakeholders, identify and...
As part of their monthly guest speakers via zoom "Physically Apart - Emotionally Together," Chabads of North and Greater Orlando invite you to hear the fascinating story of Genie Milgrom on Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Genie will share her journey back in time as she crossed the globe in search of her Crypto-Jewish ancestors. Genie Milgrom was born in Havana, Cuba, into a Roman Catholic Family of Spanish Ancestry. According to Jewish law, one's Jewishness is determined by their maternal...
Congregation Sinai helps our community celebrate all Jewish holidays with special events and virtual services. Congregation Sinai has been serving the Jewish Community of Central Florida for the past 17 years. Many services and annual holiday events are open and free to the entire community. For more information about their holiday services, new membership, educational programs, Friday night Shabbat services are held every Friday night starting at 7:30 p.m. Healing Services are held on the...
The nights may be getting longer, but they are also about to get a whole lot brighter. On Dec. 13, children will gather on ZOOM or in person at Chabad of North Orlando to spread light all over town in a new interactive Chanukah event. Children will embark on a scavenger hunt journey, discovering Chanukah's message and experiencing the miracle of Chanukah in their own lives - how good conquers evil and light conquers darkness. "The best way to make a message stick is through experience," said...
Jewish Academy of Orlando's Knesset (student government) is collecting toys to benefit local children in need through Jewish Family Services. Collection boxes for unwrapped are located at the JCC. The event continues through Friday, Dec. 18. Jewish Academy of Orlando serves central Florida students of all faiths from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school delivers a whole-child education fostering academic excellence and character education rooted in Jewish values. Jewish Academy of...
As COVID continues, caution is taken as the Jewish Pavilion program directors plan Chanukah luncheons or bring Chanukah goodie bags to area assisted-living facilities. The outdoor luncheons are open to the public. Here is the schedule: Friday, Dec. 11 Cascade Heights, 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Allegro, noon Watercress, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13 Oakmonte Village and Cascade Heights, no time given Monday, Dec. 14 Westchester, 1 p.m. Village on the Green, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15 Siena, 1 p.m. Cordova, 1:20 p.m. Valencia, 1:40 p.m. Dec. 26 Life...
In an amazing display of unity, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, over 800 people joined together for 36 hours in support of Orlando Torah Academy. Now in its 11th year, OTA is home to 111 children from almost 50 families. Thank G-d, OTA has been open for in-person learning since the beginning of the school year. After spending the last few months of last school year on Zoom, it gives everyone an extra appreciation for being back in school. But, like many other schools throughout the country, OTA has incurred increased costs and expenses in order to make the...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center is hosting an exhibit titled "Uprooting Prejudice: Faces of Change." The exhibit is a collection of 45 photographs by photographer John Noltner, taken in the aftermath of George Floyd's death in police custody. Noltner is the founder of A Peace of My Mind, a multimedia arts project that uses portraits and personal stories to bridge divides and encourage dialogue around important issues. He went to the scene of Floyd's death to capture "the essen...
