Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando is sponsoring a population study of the Jewish community of Central Florida. Studies like this are conducted by Jewish communities all over the United States to estimate the size and characteristics of the local Jewish community and to assist Jewish communal organizations to make well-informed, data-driven decisions for the benefit of the entire community. The study will be conducted by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University,...
Monthly events for the new Jewish year 5781 are being offered for women with zoom and in-person options. "Jewish women don't usually need an excuse to get together," says Chanshy Majesky co-director of Chabad of North Orlando, "but, if they did, the feminine theme of the new Jewish month offers a perfect opportunity" This year the events, which begin Nov. 19, will include educational lessons as well as art activities. Some arts in the lineup for this year will be drip painting, truffle...
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Chabad of North Orlando has continued to innovate new ways to engage, educate and connect with the community. There was the Drive-In Lag B'Omer concert, Zoom classes and guest speakers, Holidays in a box for those celebrating at home, Sukkos Drive Through Experience to mention a few. The Jewish trivia game JText for teens has been very popular over the last two years in the Orlando Jewish community with over 100 local teens signed up. With no end in sight to...
Laughing has been an important part of Judaism since biblical times. Abraham and Sarah, were not able to have children. When G‑d's messenger gave the elderly couple the happy news, they both laughed. Because of this laughter, the heir to Judaism and the first Jewish child ever born was named Yitzchak (Isaac), which means "laugh." The history of Jewish merrymaking does not end in the Bible. We find in Talmudic times the account of how a great sage, Rabbah, used to begin each of his lessons w...
On Oct. 5, more than 100 households gathered on Zoom for a virtual thank you party in honor of Robby Etzkin, who left his position as executive director at The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic after nearly eight years of service. Guests included former and current JCC staff and members, staff from the JCC Association in which Etzkin has been an active fixture for nearly 15 years, as well as friends and family from across the...
Chabads of North Orlando and Greater Orlando will be hosting Holocaust survivor Dr. Jacob Eisenbach, who lived through the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Poland, a labor camp and concentration camps, will tell his story of survival at a special zoom event on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Dr. Eisenbach, 95, was the sole survivor of the Holocaust from his extended family of about 100 people. He immigrated to the United States in 1950, married a fellow survivor and built a dentistry practice he operated f...
The future needs of healthy and independent seniors are not on the radar of their family members until a crisis arises. An unexpected fall is often the beginning of a family member’s transition into caregiving. All of a sudden, the new caregiver has to learn so many things about their loved one: what insurance they have, who are their medical professionals, what are the rehabilitation options, are their finances in order, is their living environment still a safe and viable choice, and so much more. In 2012 the Orlando Senior Help Desk was f...
Jewish Academy of Orlando kindergarteners and first graders participate in PE despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a peek at what PE looks like at the Jewish Academy of Orlando. 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 Orlando is accredited by the Florida Council of Independent...
Jewish Academy of Orlando students loved celebrating sukkot. They (safely) shook the lulav and etrog, had a snack, and made edible sukkot. The students also loved integrating STEM education into Judaic studies by building Lego Sukkot in the innovation lab - even the remote students participated! Here are some peeks from the week's celebrations. To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: jewishacademyorlando.org or follow the school on Facebook https://facebo...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida announced via a webinar held Oct. 1, that it has partnered with USC Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education to be a content and creative partner in the development of the new Holocaust museum to be located in downtown Orlando. This marks the first time USC Shoah Foundation, a world leader in testimony-based research, education and interactive experiences, has teamed with a Holocaust museum to design, develop...
Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, in partnership with the TOP Jewish Foundation and the Jewish Capital Alliance, is excited to announce the launch of a new financial assistance program called “JFS Orlando CARES.” Dedicated to providing relief to those severely impacted financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program will provide $500,000 in emergency rental assistance. The program, a reimbursable Housing and Community Development grant awarded to JFS as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also kno...
"We are doing our annual gala auction online this year because it's the best choice we have. We're just not going to lose sight of helping our seniors, no matter what," said Shirley Schoenberg, co-chairwoman of this year's "Ungala" event sponsored by the Jewish Pavilion. The highly anticipated annual fall fundraiser has moved online this year - the first time in the event's 13-year history. Participants won't have to leave the comfort of their living room to win the auction's most popular...
Beginning at the end of the month, Chabad in Metro Orlando will be offering a new six-session course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, titled Secrets of the Bible: Iconic Stories, Mystical Meanings, and Their Lessons for Life. Chabad of North Orlando's classes will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., and held at Nate's Shul, 1701 Markham Woods Rd., Longwood FL, 32779. Interested students may visit www.myJLI.com to find the closest class, for registration and for other c...
For many, the recognition that a loved one is having trouble with their memory is scary and frightening. They are not alone. More than 5 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s. An estimated 5.8 million Americans age 65 and older in 2020 were living with some form of dementia. One in 10 people age 65 and older (10 percent) has Alzheimer’s dementia. “Everyone in the family is impacted with the knowledge that a family member’s memory is slipping. The news can be devastating. First we minimize or deny it, then the family rallies to compens...
To promote the upcoming Jewish Pavilion “Gems and Jeans” auction Oct. 18-23, Marlene Adler, chairwoman of the board of directors, put her talents to use and designed one-of-a-kind denim masks. The masks are $20 or two for $36. To purchase, contact Nancy Ludin at the Jewish Pavilion office at 407-678-9363. Supplies are limited to 50 artistic masks, and can be selected any morning. Known as a “Denim Diva,” Adler has an enormous denim collection, purchasing jeans and gems at yard sales. In the pas...
Yaron Porter is a former elite classified IDF special forces soldier who suffers from PTSD. Nine years ago he was one of the first fighters to clash with the Sinai ISIS on the Eilat border. After being attacked by the terrorists, his whole life fell apart as he had to rebuild everything from scratch, mentally, physically and financially at the age of 27. On Oct. 14, at 7 p.m., Porter will share his amazing life story with high school students and CTeen at Nate's Shul 1701 Markham Woods Rd. in...
This year the National Basketball Association was in mid-season when COVID-19 hit. On March 11 NBA announced the suspension of the 2019–20 season putting the whole sport on lockdown. Several months later they came up with a solution for continuing the season. The 2020 NBA Bubble, also referred to as the Orlando Bubble, became the isolation zone at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, which was created by the NBA to protect its players from the COVID-19 pandemic during the final eight games of t...
The Kinneret Council on Aging is continuing with its tradition to honor eight remarkable people in our community, over the age of 80 who have made significant contributions to the Jewish and Central Florida community at the virtual 8 Over 80, on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. This coveted honor is one of the most prestigious awards for older adults in our community. Do you know of an active and passionate senior over 80 who volunteers countless hours and lends their leadership skills to help organizations in our community? Please consider nominating...
From biblical archaeology to religion and politics in Israel, Temple Israel has adult education opportunities covering a variety of interests this fall. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Dr. Ken Hanson will give a Zoom presentation called "Whose Holy Land? Archaeology Meets Geopolitics in Today's Middle East." Dr. Hanson is a scholar of Jewish history and Hebrew language and literature, as well as the coordinator of Judaic Studies at UCF. His talk will reveal the stories behind ancient artifacts and the...
Even though the current pandemic has forced the Jewish Pavilion to curtail many of its services and programs that have been scheduled for the senior living facilities in the Orlando area, the dedicated program directors and volunteers have not given up their effort to connect with and support our Jewish seniors. Holiday gift bags have been delivered to over 400 residents for the High Holidays, in addition to providing Rosh Hashanah services that have been viewed via in-house TV channels,...
On Friday, Sept. 25, students at Jewish Academy of Orlando observed Tashlich. While the younger grades attended a service on campus, grades 3-5 observed Tashlich at Lake Lily. The program, attended by students and their families, included a service with inspirational readings from Jewish sources and concluded with the blowing of the shofar. Afterwards, the students symbolically cast their sins into the water to help usher in new beginnings for the New Year. The student event concluded with a...
The Jewish Pavilion's Cantor Nina Fine and volunteer Sandi Trainor deliver Rosh Hashanah bags to Jewish residents at Lutheran Towers, Westminster, and Kinneret. The bags were lovingly assembled by the Jewish Pavilion's dedicated volunteers and contained an individual round raisin challah, grape juice, honey, a calendar, a holiday service guide and more. Cantor Fine added a special holiday card made by Jewish children she works with and she was able to distribute 40 cards to the seniors. The...
For the past four years, Orlando synagogue Men's Clubs, with support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, generous premier sponsors Alan Ginsburg and Aaron Gorovitz, and several other sponsors, have brought three generations of Jewish men together for an evening of camaraderie, top-shelf cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, prime rib dinner (catered by Arthur's) and entertainment by a recognized comedian. This year we will be hosting the event via a commercial version of Zoom. So save the date,...
Jewish Academy of Orlando students prepared for the High Holidays by creating artwork on jars to hold the honey that they would dip their apples into, anticipating a sweet year (let us hope it will be sans masks!) Shown here are a few students decked out in colorful masks. 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...
Two years ago, Tracey Kagan ran for office for the first time. Now she's running again - but this time, "it's a whole different ballgame," said Kagan. "I have learned so much in the past two years that it almost feels like a lifetime ago." Kagan, an attorney and single mom of three daughters, is one of a historic slate of Jewish women running for office in Seminole County, Fla., this November - including Patricia Sigman, who is running for State Senate, and Moira Dictor, who is running for...
