Chanukah Happenings



Pinellas The Dateliners organization at Temple B’nai Israel in Clearwater invites the community to its second annual Chanukah Dinner Party on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. at the Marlin Darlin Grill, 2819 W. Bay Drive, Largo. Celebrate the First Night with food, music, trivia, and fun. RSVP to Marvin Hollander at (727) 785-2623 or Linda Goldman at 727-536-7076. * […]

Festigal: Israeli show epitomizes commercialization of Chanukah



Israeli parents have a love-hate relationship with Chanukah. They love the festive atmosphere, the public menorah lightings and sufganiyot (the Israeli doughnut), but schools are closed for nine days while offices and businesses remain open, so there’s a scramble to find ways to keep kids occupied. Enter the commercialization of Chanukah in Israel. With winter weather limiting outside activities, the […]

Lawsuit: Refusal to work Shabbat brings firing



Hillsborough County resident Sarit Vankin-Fajardo filed a lawsuit this month against the Wisconsin parent company of Ashley Furniture, alleging she was fired from her sales job for refusing to work on Shabbat. Fajardo, who was born in Israel and moved with her family to the United States when she was 9, says she brought the suit because she values her […]

USF Health chief Maimonides dinner speaker



Dr. Stephen K. Klasko, head of the University of South Florida’s health system including its medical school, will be the guest speaker at the annual program for Jewish health professionals. The Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation of Pinellas & Pasco Counties will also honor Dr. Bruce Levine with the 18th annual Alfred Schick, M.D. Award at the dinner on […]

Despite critics, the Wall remains bastion of haredi orthodoxy



JERUSALEM — Sitting in his office 20 feet above the Western Wall Plaza, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz is unperturbed by the simmering tensions below. For years, Israeli and American Jewish groups have agitated for greater religious freedom at the Wall, which currently allows for only Orthodox worship. Occasionally the outrage boils over. In October, Israeli police arrested Anat Hoffman, the chairperson […]

Just a nosh…



Financial penalties loom if Palestinians use new UN status to seek Israeli punishment NEW YORK — The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to upgrade Palestine to a non-member observer state. The vote Nov. 29 was 138 to 9, with 41 countries abstaining. Few benefits accrue to the “observer state of Palestine” that the Palestine Liberation Organization, the non-member entity, […]

Prenatal whole genome sequencing technology raises Jewish ethical questions



BALTIMORE )– Expectant mothers long have faced the choice of finding out the gender of their child while still in the womb. But what if parents could get a list of all the genes and chromosomes of their unborn children, forecasting everything from possible autism and future genetic diseases to intelligence level and eye color? The technology to do just […]

Celebration to feature ‘Hanukkah Rocks’ concert



The LeeVees, a rock band that got its start creating Chanukah songs with a humorous twist, will perform a free concert in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Part of Congregation B’nai Israel’s 90th anniversary Hanukkah Festival, the event is co-sponsored by the synagogue and the JCC Suncoast. Festivities begin outside the synagogue at 5:30 p.m. followed by the concert […]

The irony of Chanukah



Undoubtedly, Chanukah is one of the most joyous festivals in our calendar. It is a festive celebration filled with joy as we remember the Talmudic legend of the miracle of oil. We light our chanukiyah on eight consecutive nights and eat latkes, we spin the dreidel and we exchange presents with friends and loved ones. Yet according to tradition, it […]

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times