Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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In recognition of their community involvement and their dedicated support of The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center and the vision for the new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity, the Center looks forward to presenting the Harvey and Carol Massey and their family with the Tess Wise White Rose Award on April 28 at the new White Rose Tribute Event. Harvey and Carol Massey of Winter Park have three children and 10 grandchildren. The Massey's philanthropic interests in education, arts...
"When you clean out your closet, think of us "said Nancy Ludin, CEO of the Jewish Pavilion. Special thanks to Larry Kahn, Alan Perlman, Roz Murray and many other generous people who have recently donated Judaica to the Jewish Pavilion. All of the gifts received are used as presents for seniors to go in their welcome bags. The Jewish Pavilion always welcomes gifts such as Jewish holiday paper goods, Chanukah wrapping paper, ritual objects, etc. Shown here is Joe Aronson of Westminster Towers...
You can’t go to Neverland, but you can go and see “Peter Pan” at Orlando Ballet with your friends from Temple Israel. Tickets for the 2 p.m. show on Sunday, April 18, can be reserved at https://tickets.drphillipscenter.org/booking/production/bestavailable/11788 by using promo code GROUP10. This full-length production choreographed by Jorden Morris features favorite characters from Tinkerbell to Captain Hook and lots of humor and energy. The show will be performed at the Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts....
Many people in the Jewish community have asked where did Robby Etzkin, former executive director of The Roth Family JCC, go? He is in Sarasota and according to The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Etzkin has accepted a position as senior director of Camp Marci Lynn at the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. The camp will open on the Federation's Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life in June 2022, but Etzkin has already started and is excited about his new role. "I am most excited...
Kudos to Sherry Bilsky McCann a new volunteer for the Jewish Pavilion. McCann called the Jewish Pavilion during the pandemic to inquire about grief support services. She offered to help with volunteer work and became a weekly volunteer. McCann writes beautiful cards to seniors living in elder-care facilities. She writes more than a dozen cards at a time and mails a package every week to the Jewish Pavilion office. Pictured is one of her lovely cards that was distributed to seniors at Harbor...
Through Dec. 31, 2020, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando held a Human Services Relief Matching campaign, sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America. The Federation raised $62K, which JFNA matched with $31K (50 percent matching gift), equaling a total of $93K for our community. JFNA saw the need to create the Human Services Relief Matching Fund because of the economic crises - approximately 1.2 million Jewish adults felt the financial crunch that affected housing costs, and food...
The UCF Commencements, Convocations and Recognitions Committee and the president of the University of Central Florida, Alexander N. Cartwright, have bestowed upon Dr. Moshe Pelli the status as Professor Emeritus for his distinguished performance, outstanding contributions and exceptional service to the UCF community. In a congratulatory letter to Dr. Pelli, Cartwright wrote, "Your many contributions as a faculty member in the Department of History will have a lasting impact for which we will...
The Jewish Academy of Orlando has announced that Amy Polacek will be the new principal of the school beginning June 1, 2021. Polacek, the current director of Academics at JAO, joined the faculty in 2007 as a kindergarten teacher. After teaching at all grade levels, in 2018, she took on the additional role of Admissions coordinator, where she built relationships with prospective parents and shared her love of JAO. In 2019, Amy stepped away from the classroom and became the school's director of...
In an "unveiling" of their newly published monograph, Judaism and Jesus, Dr. Zev Garber, emeritus professor and chairman of Jewish Studies and Philosophy at Los Angeles Valley College and Dr. Ken Hanson, associate professor and coordinator of the UCF Judaic Studies Program, relate their "hands-on" experience in approaching the Jewish Jesus and the controversial subject of Messianic Judaism in a webinar on Thursday, March 11 at 3:30 p.m. There is no cost for this webinar. To register for this...
Are you facing another brick wall? Or have your research efforts plateaued out with nothing new on the horizon? Marion Wehrle has a cure for that with suggestions for new avenues to explore and strategies for finding information you didn't know you could. Join the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Orlando at its next Zoom meeting on March 9, 7 p.m., and learn how to dig deeper into resources to advance your family history. Werle began family history research over 25 years ago, researching...
COS Men's Club is starting an online Bridge group and all are welcome. No age limit, no experience needed and no other forms of discrimination, only a desire to have a fun time learning and playing Bridge. All that is required is Internet access and a laptop/computer to access the game, which is played while on a Zoom call, so participants can kibbitz (explain, question or teach) while playing. The Zoom can be on a cell phone or just leave the zoom app open in background on the same device you p...
Special thanks to Keith Dvorchik, the CEO of the Federation who partnered with CC's Wish List to provide in-kind donations to Jewish agencies and schools in the community. The staff at the Jewish Pavilion delivered free socks and ladies lounge pants to our elders in skilled nursing facilities. In total The Federation received: Women's Socks - 864 pairs; Women's Underwear - 2400 pairs; Ladies Lounge pants - 432 (this is the most in demand and we may run out); Fuzzy socks - 864 pairs; Men's Briefs...
Chabad of Altamonte Springs is holding services in person and observing social distancing on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. The shul is located at 195 S Westmonte Dr Suite 1126, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714. They are also holding in-person minyans. For more information, please call 407-720-8111....
Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando is proud to announce that the 2021 Kobrin Family Scholarship application is now available. This college scholarship is to be awarded to a qualified, full-time student of the Jewish faith from Orange, Osceola or Seminole County who will be attending the University of Central Florida. The scholarship is available in the amount of $2,500 per year for a maximum of four years. To learn more and apply, visit www.jfsorlando.org/kobrin-family-scholarship. Students should mail completed applications to JFS...
Contrary to what many have thought, there are some kosher eateries in Central Florida. However, they are all located in southwest Orlando and Kissimmee. Rabbi Yosef Konikov provided the following information about the Kosher restaurants in Central Florida: Kosher Eatery, 4797 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Suite A, Kissimmee, 34746. 407-354-1296, www.koshereateryorlando.com. Kosher Grill, 5615 International Dr., Orlando, 32819. 407-392-2292, www.koshergrillorlando.com. Kosher Cuisine, 6807 Visitors Circle, Orlando, 32819. 407-704-2464,www.kosher...
Doloros Indek and Rabbi Yanky Majesky, as well as many others, enjoyed the kosher sandwiches at the new kosher food truck from Gili's Kitchen in Jacksonville. They didn't have to drive to Jacksonville as the truck is now going to be coming to Reiter Park in Longwood on the second Thursday of every month. How did this come about? Beginning in January, Gili's Food Truck began serving customers in southwest Orlando in the parking lot at the Rosen JCC every Tuesday and Thursday. Rabbi Yanky Majesky...
Fundraising can be challenging in the best of times, and if you throw in a pandemic, it creates even bigger challenges. What do nonprofits do to ensure that they are able to receive the funds they need to fulfill their mission? At the Jewish Pavilion an army of dedicated volunteers and employees worked together, came up with a plan, and carried it out beautifully. To quote Charles Dickens “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” and this group made the Pavilion’s fund-raiser event shine bright to make sure our seniors see the b...
Emotionally together," Chabad will be hosting Holocaust historian Dr. Efraim Zuroff on Sunday, March 14 at 10 a.m. Zuroff is the chief Nazi-hunter of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the director of the Center's Israel Office and Eastern European Affairs. For four decades, he has played a major role in facilitating the prosecution of many Nazi war criminals all over the world. He is the author of four books (translated into 15 languages) and numerous articles on Holocaust-related issues and their...
Purim was celebrated al fresco at many of the Jewish Pavilion facilities. All of the Jewish elderly received goody bags for the Purim Holiday. Special thanks to Sharon Littman and her mahjong ladies - Marci Gaeser, Pam Ruben, Emily Newman and Patti Bughan. They filled 350 bags with Purim goodies such as masks, groggers, colorful coins, colored pencils, coloring pages from Joanne Fink at Zenspirations, hamantashen, the Purim story and snacks. Allysa Littman made 350 personalized Purim cards to...
One death from substance abuse is one too many. The Central Florida Jewish community has had to bear many heartbreaking losses because of this devastating disease. Nationally, suspected overdose submissions to the Overdose Mapping Application Program in 2020 showed increases of 11.4 percent for fatal overdoses and 18.6 percent for nonfatal overdoses during 2020. Regardless of how a substance abuse disorder is initiated, help is desperately needed for those affected, as well as their families....
The IAC360 platform was designed as part of the Israeli-American Council vision to build an engaged and resilient coast-to-coast community with Israel at its heart and “Israeliness” in its spirit. IAC invites the community to be part of its growing community and explore its high-quality activities, programs, courses, and events that are tailored especially Israeli and Jewish American families. The IAC360 vision is to give every Israeli and Jewish American the opportunity to continuously be connected to Israel in every stage of life. IAC360 bri...
Once again, Laurence Morrell, aka "Last of the Jewish Red Necks," came through. He gladly assisted both the Temple Israel educational school, MAGAL, to have both a fundraiser and a way to celebrate Tu B' Shvat in January. He did the same with the Jewish Academy of Orlando. Both were very successful events. Morrell, who knows where to find plants, located a source of pomegranate trees from the nursery Green Sea Farms, located outside of the very small South Central community of Zolfo Springs....
Temple Israel Sisterhood is hosting a special Zoom Havdalah on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 7:15 p.m. and invites the community at large. This service is a symbolic way to say goodbye to Shabbat and usher in a new week. Please RSVP at https://tisisterhoodorlando.org/sisterhood-havdalah or email TISisterhoodOrlando@gmail.com to receive your Havdalah kit as well as the Zoom link for this warm and welcoming event. Kits are free for Temple Israel members and $5 for nonmembers. The Havdalah kits include a braided candle, spice box, and printed prayers....
Jewish Academy of Orlando's Soaring Into the Future Gala, which takes place on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m., will be held remotely, and will highlight the school's innovations and feature a live and silent auction. The gala will spotlight the school's innovations in learning, including its cutting-edge Innovation Lab and the many technology innovations sponsored by the Katzen family. The Katzen's have provided JAO with state-of-the-art remote learning technology, the latest version of Apple...
JFS Orlando's very own community rabbi, Rabbi E. Arnold (Arny) Siegel, started a new video series this year. Every month, he discusses a different relevant theme that touches on Jewish culture and traditions, hoping to provide advice and guidance through a spiritual lens. Here is an excerpt from his latest video on the topic of "Small Beginnings": "One has to start small. Always remember quality over quantity. Success comes with no guarantee, but I believe building on the pluses and minuses of...