Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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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...
Chabad of Greater Orlando is hosting several Chanukiot lightings around town. Chabad and The Roth Family JCC will kick off the holiday by lighting a menorah in front of the JCC building at 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 10. Every event will include music, dancing, donuts, Kids Krafts (children will enjoy decorating their own Chanukah-themed pre-wraped cookies) and the Rabbi’s message about Chanukah. The main event will be on Sunday, Dec. 13, 5:30 p.m. Join together with Chabad at the Walt Disney Amphitheater in Lake Eola Park for an evening of music, H...
One more stop has been included in the Jewish Pavilion and Chabad North Orlando Chanukah Car Parade on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 12:30 p.m. Beginning at the gate before Oakmonte Village (1021 Royal Gardens Cir., Lake Mary), the parade will continue on to Cascade Heights (160 Islander Ct., Longwood). Decorate your car and call out Happy Chanukah to the seniors. Wave and make a big fuss! Everyone is invited to participate. Children are encouraged to join in this fun and safe activity. The event is free. Sign up at www.jewishnorthorl...
Jewish Academy of Orlando kindergarteners performed in the school’s annual Thanksgiving show. The remote audience was taken back in time to the days of the pilgrims. The students sang Thanksgiving favorites like, “Happy Thanksgiving, hurray, hurray, hurray!,” and shared what they are thankful for. The music helped to tell the story of the first Thanksgiving with songs about Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower, and the harvest. The students also shared a cookbook with their favorite recipes for the h...
Chabad of South Orlando, 7347 W. Sand Lake Rd, Orlando invites the community to sign up for six thought-provoking classes titled Secrets of the Bible. Find the answer to these questions: • What is the deeper meaning behind these stories? • How did they shape the Jewish worldview? • What wisdom do they hold for you today? Classes begin in-person or via Zoom on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and run through Jan. 12, from 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Course outline: Session one Would you choose knowledge over paradis...
On Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m., the director of the Jewish Sports Heritage Association, Alan Freedman, will present "Jewish Sports Legends," a free Zoom program open to the entire community. Freedman founded the not-for-profit JSHA in 2015 to help educate the public about the role of Jews in sports and bring to light contributions that are often overlooked. Previously, Freedman was the founder and director of The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and Suffolk Y JCC, both in Commack,...
Last year Jewish Federation CEO Keith Dvorchik participated in the Encounter program in Israel. Encounter works to help Jewish leaders understand the diverse Palestinian narrative. “It was a fascinating experience that was hopeful, depressing, and aggravating at the same time,” Dvorchik said in the Fed Friday newsletter. This November he was to return as a facilitator for an Encounter trip before COVID-19 changed the world. Since Dvorchik can’t go to Israel for the experience, Encounter is bringing some of the speakers to Central Florida free...
The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando will present the video “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” virtually on Dec. 9, 7 p.m. The presentation includes a video from Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Arielle Weininger will discuss the history of RBG and the exhibition, complete with embedded audio, video, and photographs of artifacts as seen in the exhibition. After the video is a live Q&A session with a docent. The cost is $18/person. Register at htt...
On Sunday, Nov. 15, children gathered at Chabad of North Orlando to experience kosher in a whole new way. The program channeled children's inner designers, entrepreneurs, and chefs as they created their own kosher restaurant startups. This was a showdown where everyone was boss. Children planned and showcased their very own startup ideas, and learned important Jewish lessons along the way. "It was a fresh activity that got the kids excited about the mitzvah of kosher," said Chanshy Majesky, co-d...
In the times of the Baal Shem Tov (founder of the Chassidic movement) there was an outbreak of a dreadful disease. The holy master suggested that the community participate in the creation of a new Torah scroll. In the merit of this Torah, miraculously, the community began to heal. With COVID-19 raging around the world, Meir and Shawna Waizman and their family have stepped up to generously donate a new Torah to Chabad of North Orlando and Nate's Shul in Longwood for the protection, health and...
In May 2019, Dr. Ken Hanson, coordinator of the Judaic Studies program at UCF, traveled to Israel to produce a video documentary titled "The Druze." He was accompanied by his editor, Milos Ajdinovic, visiting lecturer in the Nicholson School of Communication, and Shmuel Kilstein, an undergraduate history major. Together, they spent two weeks traveling from northern Israel to Jerusalem to interview several members of the Druze community. Hanson undertook this project for several reasons. The...
Ten Jewish seniors and 10 excited Jewish school-age children have already been connected through an adoptive grandparents program through the Jewish Pavilion. The children are preparing cards, pictures, letters and gifts for a monthly mailing to their "grandparents," and the "grandparents" are waiting expectantly for their new connection in the Jewish community and the surprise coming to them in the mail each month. One participant, third grader Rebekah McNarney, had this to say about the...
Jewish Academy of Orlando students, faculty, and alumni participated in a cleanup of the school's beloved Kindness Garden. Participants weeded the entire garden and trimmed back the trees and bushes. From the youngest participants to the faculty and parents, everyone was able to lend a hand to kick off the school's Kindness week. The garden, which is a segment of the campus playground, was created by the 2019 graduating class and funded by a grant that incorporates fine arts into the school's...
This past summer, our country was experiencing the height of the pandemic, masks were mandatory but not always easy to find. Around the same time, some people around the country began to express anti-police feelings which sometimes tragically turned violent. To show their support of local law enforcement, Rabbi Yanky, Chanshy Majesky and Chabad North Orlando ran a police appreciation project where custom masks were made for law enforcement officers with the logo of their department. The program...
Many of the Jewish community facilities that partner with RAISE are not currently open, but it has not stopped RAISE Director Loren London, RAISE Director of Employment and Education Rachel Slavkin, and their leadership team from continuing with this year's program, albeit with a slightly modified virtual approach. The RAISE team quickly assessed the current COVID situation and decided to continue the RAISE program online by concentrating on the participants' job preparation and social skills...
The Jewish Academy head of school, Alan Rusonik, recently informed the JAO Board of Directors of his decision to relocate and not to renew his contract with the school at the end of his contract, which coincides with the end of the academic year in 2021. Under Rusonik's six-year leadership, JAO has flourished. School enrollment increased and several new faculty members were added to the staff. He created the whole-child curriculum and encouraged innovation at every turn. He helped make learning...
Jewish Academy of Orlando is providing an academic program to serve the community. Transitional Kindergarten will be offered again for the 2021-2022 school year. TK is a grade that serves as a bridge between preschool and Kindergarten, providing students time to develop fundamental skills needed for success in an academic setting. "We are finding more and more that an extra year of maturational growth has long-term positive impacts on a child's social, emotional, and academic success. The gift...
JFS Orlando would like to give a BIG “Thank You” to all who supported their first-ever High Holiday Hope Drive (Sept. 1 — Oct. 15, 2020). Over the past several weeks, thanks to generous supporters, JFS surpassed their goal and raised more than $11,000 to support their community services! During the COVID-19 pandemic, families across Greater Orlando have needed hope now more than ever. Hope that can only be found through relief services like JFS Orlando’s Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry or Family Stabilization Program or Counseling, Growth and De...
It has been along 8 months for everyone, but especially for residents in long-term care communities. Jewish Pavilion Program Director Julie Levitt donned PPE and safely socially distanced so she could spend a few minutes to visit. "I may have been more excited to reunite with my friends than they may have been. Life Care of Altamonte did an amazing job to make sure the visit was safe for all of us and putting the residents safety an upmost priority. Knowing that this visit was such a success, I...
Jewish Academy of Orlando completed the recording of "Alice in Wonderland." The full-scale musical production, which was previously scheduled for May, is now being produced as a video production. Out of an abundance of caution, the school moved away from a live audience performance to video production. Shown here are Alice and the cast. Stay tuned for the final video....
This is the 22nd annual Central Florida Jewish Film Festival and it has two "firsts." It's the first time there are two film shorts to enjoy, making a total of eight films; and the first film fest that can be enjoyed from the viewer's own living room. Because of circumstances beyond everyone's control, the film festival is virtual this year. Even though theater goers can't enjoy the ambiance of the Enzian and its wonderful food and drinks, the up side is that films can be viewed at the viewer's...
This year's Jewish Film Festival hosts two film shorts - usually there is only one short - and both of them have local ties. "Resemblance" is almost "home grown" Written, directed and produced by Kevin J. O'Neill, who lives in Central Florida, the short was filmed at Canterbury Retreat in Oviedo. The executive producer, Bethanne Weiss, is well-known in the community, and in a scene on the facility's patio, some familiar faces can be spotted: Weiss, Jacqueline Levine and Harriett Weiss. Starring...
After 17 years of service to Congregation Ohev Shalom, Rabbi David Kay’s leadership will be completed at the end of his contract, July 3, 2021. The COS Board of Trustees determined that it would be in the best interest of the congregation to change the rabbinic leadership. “Congregation Ohev Shalom is very fortunate and so pleased that Rabbi Kay will remain fully engaged as our rabbi through the end of July 2021. Rabbi Kay has been an extremely dedicated and valued member of our clergy for ove...
