Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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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...
Radio personality Moira is running for Seminole County Tax Collector. "This is the bravest thing I've ever done," she told Heritage. "I'm stepping off that cliff and hope to leave this place better than I found it." "I've spent my professional lifetime listening to our community - listening and interviewing people and keeping my eye on the issues in Seminole County, with the understanding that many people feel like they have never had a voice," Dictor said in an interview with The Seminole Sourc...
This community rocks when it comes to fundraising challenges. On Sept. 9 the Roth Family JCC held a 36-hour fundraiser for the Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center, which has experienced a decline in enrollment because of the COVIC pandemic. Just like a 24-hour fundraiser the JCC held years ago, the 222 donors surpassed the goal amount of $120,000, raising a total of $122,212. “I cannot find the words to describe how your generosity has touched our hearts,” said Keith Dvorchik, executive director. “You have made an important inves...
Maitland residents Jason and Ronni Mendelsohn have a home in Bozeman, Montana, which they recently lost to a fire that destroyed 28 homes in the area. The NBC television station in Montana interviewed Mendelsohn and rode with him to his first viewing of his home after the fire. He wasn't prepared for what he saw, as he really didn't think the fire would reach his house or property. The entire house was burned to the ground. He walked around ash and discovered the only thing left standing in the...
Like other nonprofits, the Jewish Pavilion is cancelling their gala for 2020. Their ungala will consist of a silent online auction from Oct. 18-23. Instead of donning your annual Gems and Jeans attire, you can shop from the comfort of your home says Shirley Schoenberger who is co-chairing the auction with Susie Stone. The hottest auction item so far is a monthly gift certificate for two of Ben Breslauer's delicious challahs said Nancy Ludin, CEO. Breslauer (owner of the former Ben's Bakery)...
Jewish Academy of Orlando has upgraded the school's remote learning offering by investing in new technology and by naming Emily Watson, a veteran teacher as remote learning coordinator. Twenty percent of the school's enrollment has opted for remote learning to start the year. These investments create an educational opportunity that equals the high standards and success for which JAO is known. "Our goal is to make the remote student experience connected, social, meaningful, authentic and...
For the last several months, the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation has held Friday night and Saturday morning Shabbat services over Zoom, in a well-received effort to keep the community both safe and connected in the unprecedented times created by COVID-19. “It’s been a wonderful opportunity for innovation,” said Rabbi Orrin Krublit. “We’re always looking for chances to create sacred spaces virtually, so people can be transformed and feel the power of Shabbat even while apart.” The shift to digital has brought with it plenty of challenges,...
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. This year due to COVID-19, services during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be completely different from those in years past. One of the basic tenets of Judaism is Pikuach Nefesh (the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule). Most synagogues will be hosting a choice:... Full story
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March, sisters Janna (a 24-year-old University of Central Florida employee) and Maya (a 17-year-old student at Lyman High School) have been making cards to send to children with life-threatening illnesses. They wanted to extend their support to the community and provide Rosh Hashanah cards for Jewish nursing home residents through the Jewish Pavilion. These special cards for the Jewish nursing home residents have been designed with the help of Joanne Fink...
Jewish Academy of Orlando presents Disney's Alice in Wonderland on video. The play, previously scheduled for May, and then rescheduled for October, will now be produced as a video production. "After meeting with physicians who have served as advisers on our re-opening task force, our school came to the decision to move away from a live audience performance and instead focus on creating an unforgettable video production," said Alan Rusonik, head of school. "This will ensure the safety of our...
The following synagogues provided information about their High Holiday services to the Heritage by press time. For information about services at other local synagogues, contact the individual congregations. This year due to COVID-19, services during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be completely different from those in years past. One of the basic tenets of Judaism is Pikuach Nefesh (the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule). Most synagogues will be hosting a choice:...
Announced at the annual Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando meeting were the new board officers: president - Ming Marx; vice president - Danielle Krise; treasurer - Diane Jacobs; secretary - Rhonda Forest; and immediate past president - Brad Jacobs. New board members and agency representatives:Barbara Weinreich, Edward Zissman, Matthew Broffman, Seth Hyman, Yeosh Bendayan, Leigh Norber, Edward Bromberg, Michael Soll, Rachel Slavkin, Debby Gendzier, and Natalia Goldenberg. Holocaust Center -...
Joni Okun's debut audiobook, "To Hold the Throne: A Novel of the Last Maccabee Princess and King Herod the Great" won the gold medal in the E-Lit Awards 2020 religious fiction category. E-Lit is an eBook awards program that honors the best e-books published each year in the North American market. Okun's book will be featured in www.IndependentPublisher.com and highlighted prominently in E-Lit's monthly newsletter, which goes out to more than 20,000 subscribers worldwide, many of whom are...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, families across Greater Orlando are in need of hope now more than ever. Hope that can only be found through relief services like JFS Orlando’s Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry. Over the past few months, the Pantry has helped double the usual number of hungry households it serves a day. This year, for the safety of clients and staff, JFS cannot host its usual holiday food drive. Instead, they are hosting their first-ever, virtual High Holiday Hope Drive. Supporting all of the essential “hope-giving” programs at JFS t...
Teachers from Orlando Torah Academy are taking part in an elite training program to better address the social and emotional needs of their students whose academic year will start off differently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hidden Sparks, a nonprofit dedicated to training teachers and providing them with the tools to support struggling students in mainstream Jewish day schools, is conducting the training, which focuses on Social Emotional Learning, and is helping teachers establish classrooms routines which could be easily transitioned online...
A unique opportunity is coming to Jewish high school students in Orlando this fall: The chance to earn two private college credits while exploring the tenets of Judaism. The course is being offered by CTeen U, a collaboration of Yeshiva University and CTeen International. Yeshiva University is the world’s premier Jewish institution for higher education. It is home to a network of undergraduate and graduate programs. The undergraduate programs offer a unique dual curriculum comprising Jewish studies and liberal arts, sciences, and business c...
