Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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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...
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...
