Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The shut down hasn’t slowed The Jewish Federation one bit. Here are a few examples of what is going on in the community: • The Jewish Academy of Orlando’s online school has been outstanding. The curriculum, the teacher interaction, and the special exercise programs throughout the week are providing students with a quality education along with fitness and fun. • The Federation’s RAISE continues to thrive, with employees attending weekly Lunch & Learn social skills and work training classes. The first RAISE Family Reunion was held online, a...
The COVID-19 isn’t slowing down JOIN Orlando’s programming as it is continuing to build its virtual offerings with four new programs to continue your Jewish journey together with them. JOIN Meaningful Moment—On Fridays, enjoy a practical and meaningful insight into a Jewish concept, Weekly Torah Portion, upcoming Jewish Holiday, or important core Jewish Value. The J.MM. will feature one of the JOIN educators or a guest. Weekly SPARK—Thursday nights, 7:30 p.m., Sarah and Shifra will be leading an amazing array of women’s discussions, classes,...
Margie had been wondering if there was a shelter-at-home order in her county. She didn't really use the computer very much, but her daughter had recommended she look at the Orlando Senior Help Desk's website when she was looking for some assistance for her husband who had recently been ill. She remembered how easy it was. She went to www.orlandoseniorhelpdesk.org, and right there on the front of the site was an area saying "COVID-19 Coronavirus" with a big easy button saying "Information." She...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2020 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Dick Weiner. Former recipients have inclu...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2020 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Dick Weiner. Former recipients have inclu...
“These are interesting times, with things changing on a daily basis and so much more that is unknown than is known,” said Keith Dvorchik, CEO of The Roth Family JCC as he shared some things the JCC is working on. Getting back to work slowly The Roth Family JCC has received Paycheck Protection Program funding and because of this, they can bring back the staff in a “strategic fashion,” according to Dvorchik. On April 27, the ECLC supervisors, JCC department directors and accounting staff remotely went back to work. On Monday, May 4, the majorit...
Jewish Academy of Orlando observed its annual Holocaust remembrance day remotely. Fourth and fifth grade students participated in a morning of music, prayer, and remembrance. Head of School Alan Rusonik said, "It was important to us to deliver a developmentally appropriate program that was meaningful to our students." The morning began with, "Eli, Eli," a song based on the poem written by Holocaust hero, Hannah Senesh. Fourth grade parent, Heidi Zissman stated, "I appreciated that the program...
The Jewish Pavilion provided free lunches to 400 healthcare workers in Orange and Seminole counties as a way of thanking them for the wonderful care they have provided to our seniors in elder-care communities. Special thanks to the Pargh Foundation for initiating and funding this project....
JFS Orlando can't wait to welcome back all of our volunteers once the JFS building opens back up due to COVID-19. Two of those wonderful volunteers are Robin and Marty Katz. Teamwork makes the dream work. Robin and Marty have volunteered together with JFS Orlando for about a decade. "I do it with Marty because he does the heavy lifting and I do the sorting and putting away," says Robin. "And so we have a very good teamwork!" Robin, originally from Chicago, and Marty, originally from New York,...
This Passover was different than any other. For many, being unable to gather for the Seder with family, friends and community as they had planned, this was their first foray into preparing and leading a seder themselves. Many people needed assistance. Some people are hungry. They may have lost their job, have increased medical bills or are going through a rough patch. Maybe they have food, but not the traditional Passover delicacies they grew up with. And some people just need help. They are...
One of the dilemmas facing assisted-living facilities during this COVID-19 pandemic is that to protect their senior residents, facilitators have had to initiate complicated routines: Staff members and delivery persons must have his or her temperature taken before entering the premises; residents can't receive visitors; they must eat alone in their rooms and all regular social activities have been canceled. The results: Residents are spending all of their time alone. Facilitators know that...
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israel will hold its annual Independence Day torch-lighting on Mount Herzl, but only with a television and digital audience because of coronavirus regulations. Among the torch-lighters announced by the Culture and Sport Ministry is the one representing Diaspora Jewry, which has become a tradition in recent years. The honor goes to Lori Palatnik, the founding director of Momentum, formerly known as the Jewish Women's Renaissance Project and colloquially called "Birthright for Moms...
Jewish Academy of Orlando will offer daily activities during Passover/spring amidst the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Head of School Alan Rusonik said, "All of us, students, teachers and parents alike, need a break! In just a matter of a few short weeks, our world was turned upside down." He continued, "No matter what or how our families celebrate over the next few days, we wanted to make the best of the situation and connect with family and friends (virtually) and enjoy the holiday and rest." Ea...
The world is going through a pandemic right now and it has changed everyone's life in one way or another. Passover is a time for the family to gather together and celebrate. It is the closeness of family and being together that makes the meaning of the celebration all that more powerful. Here is how three families usually celebrate Passover and what they did differently this year, the challenges they faced and if this experience provided them with any changes they would make permanent? And...
The Kinneret Council on Aging, a nonprofit agency that provides ongoing programs and services to residents of Kinneret Apartments, provided Kosher for Passover meals to limited income Jewish seniors in the community. While it's an annual tradition at Kinneret to hold a communal Seder, stretching back over 50 years, this year it was not permitted due to Covid-19. Instead, Seders were brought directly to our residents and community while they were staying safe at home. Keeping things upbeat and...
Unfortunately, the Jewish Pavilion program directors and volunteers couldn’t celebrate Passover with area senior residents in the many assisted-living facilities this year, but they made sure the seniors are never forgotten. Here is what the Jewish Pavilion good bags catered for the residents looked like....
Special thanks to Nancy Layish for starting the Cookies for Comfort Caravan for the Jewish Pavilion. Layish and others are home-baking cookies for healthcare workers who devote their lives to seniors in elder-care communities. The first delivery took place on April 6.The cookies were delivered along with cards and letters given to the Jewish Pavilion to distribute to seniors at Brookdale Altamonte Springs. The staff expressed their sincere appreciation for the gift....
Even though the volunteers can't visit with our elderly, the Jewish Pavilion made sure that seniors living in area assisted-living facilities had Passover goodies for the Passover week. Here are two senior residents of Savannah Court and Cove in Maitland showing their gifts....
Jewish Academy of Orlando continues to make improvements on remote learning based on parent survey results. The school began remote learning only a day after schools across the state nation were closed for weeks or more. The administration conducted a parent survey to determine areas of success and improvement toward its remote learning offering. Alan Rusonik, head of school stated, "We are grateful to all of our families for their participation in our remote learning survey. We had a...
Nancy Ludin, CEO of the Jewish Pavilion, is deeply concerned about the loneliness the residents of assisted-living facilities are feeling during this time of quarantine because of COVID-19. She suggested to the program directors that they write short notes to the senior citizens to brighten their day. She also shared the card sending idea in the article "What's in a card?" (March 27, 2020 Heritage issue) and encouraged Heritage readers to do the same. The results have been incredible as the...
"What JFS Orlando does is the essence of being Jewish," said Dick Weiner of the agency he strongly supports and firmly believes is one of the most important agencies in the community. "The essence of being Jewish is helping anyone in need-Jew or non-Jew." Through this pandemic, the JFS Orlando staff has been working long hours to meet the needs of this community-no matter who is in need. What was on average 18 to 20 families in need of food has become 68 to 70 families daily coming to JFS...
For the past several months, I have been working on "RecycleJ," a new recycling program for The Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando. I was prepared to introduce RecycleJ to the preschool students at the Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center during their Shabbat assembly on Friday morning, March 13. But suddenly, COVID-19 uprooted our lives, and by late Thursday afternoon, the Shabbat assembly was canceled, and then the classrooms were restricted, and then all local...
At the Jewish Pavilion we love our seniors, and we so appreciate all that the staff who work in elder-communities are doing to keep their residents safe and happy. Thanks to a generous donor, the Jewish Pavilion brought free lunches to the entire staff at Brookdale Lake Orienta in Altamonte Springs on Wednesday, April 1st. The Jewish Pavilion will continue to offer lunch semi-weekly to health-care workers. The following schedule has been established thus far: Wednesdays on April 8 - Cascade...
The Roth Family JCC is announcing even more ways to stay connected and CEO Keith Dvorchik is helping the Jewish community stick together via his e-mail newsletters, which Heritage also posts for those who aren’t members of the JCC. As we come to the end of March, COVID-19 remains foremost in our minds. With the passage of the Paycheck Protection Act on March 27, there is a lot to learn and share with our agencies, organizations and synagogues. And as the Federation continues to work on a remote basis for the community, there are many exciting t...
Jill Goldsmith is a home seamstress who learned to sew as a girl and continues to sew items that bring her joy and comfort. She has a small home-based business making one-of-a-kind handbags. When the virus first appeared Goldsmith looked at her fabric stash and realized she could make washable, home-sewn masks for friends and family. (These are not masks a frontline caregiver would use, and Goldsmith said the masks must be washed in hot water first. "I did wash all the fabric before any sewing...
