2020-03-27 E-Edition

Passover

First Night Seder April 8

Social distancing dictate prompts novel options


Due to the coronavirus, virtually all congregations and organizations in the Tampa Bay area have canceled in-person events for the near future and are monitoring the situation regarding events beyond that. Many synagogues are livestreaming their services with the Pinellas Board of Rabbis announcing there would be no in-person services through April at its member congregations (Chabad rabbis are not […]

Notable events done in by coronavirus

Spring is normally a busy season for local Jewish organizations, but when the coronavirus began to spread throughout the nation many notable events were canceled or postponed. Among them are: Tampa Bay Area-wide • Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival, March 29-April 5 – postponed • Menorah Manor’s Bucket List Ball – postponed from April 19 to Nov. 15 • “Let […]

STAYING ACTIVE


Listening to musical concerts, learning to cook, making art, working out, and other JCC activities can be done from the safety of your own home. From a virtual pancake party, to chair yoga, to theater discussions, the Tampa JCCs & Federation offers a huge variety of free programs with the help of digital live streams and video conferences. All you […]

FUNERALS & MOuRNING


“We are giving virtual hugs, but they are just not as good as the real thing,” said Sherrie Carroll as she told how her family is mourning the death of her father, whose March 24 funeral became the first one conducted by David Gross Funeral Home in St. Petersburg via the teleconferencing software Zoom. In this new world created by […]

Letter from the Editor

The Yiddish saying goes “We plan and God laughs.” No matter how much we plan for the future, things can change in an instant. The March 13-23 edition of the Jewish Press is a perfect example. By the time you received it, I felt we needed to put a big stamp on it that read, “Never Mind.” We see one […]

Coronavirus spoils opening of exhibit featuring first edition ‘Szyk Haggadah’

An exhibit of works by Polish-Jewish political artist Arthur Szyk, including his best known creation, “Haggadah,” was to be on display at the Florida Holocaust Museum, starting just before Passover and running through Sept. 20, but with coronavirus forcing the museum’s closure, it is unclear when the public will get to see it. Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Gelman said because […]

Lets make it our finest hour

March normally brings about the promise of Spring, the excitement of the NCAA basketball tournament, and preparations for Passover. Instead, we find ourselves grappling with the uncertainty of what will happen in the coming weeks and days. To say this moment in time is like no other I’ve been through would be an understatement. For most of us, we have […]

PJ Library celebrates Purim at Great Explorations

PJ Library of the Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast hosted a Purim party on Sunday, March 8 at Great Explorations Children’s Museum in St. Petersburg. Children, friends and families enjoyed an afternoon of learning about the importance of Purim. There were plenty of smiling faces as the children played Purim games, created hand-made groggers and enjoyed Purim character finger […]