Week of November 1, 2024
Week of November 1, 2024
(New York Jewish Week) - Shai Davidai, an Israeli assistant professor at Columbia University's business school and outspoken pro-Israel activist, said he has been barred from the school's campus again. In a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Davidai said his lawyer had been informed that Davidai was barred from campus after he posted videos of himself confronting university officials about anti-Israel protests on Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of Hamas' attack. "The university decided to...
(JNS) — Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah financial sites across Lebanon overnight Sunday, including in Beirut. According to the Israel Defense Forces, dozens of facilities and sites used by the Iranian proxy to fund its terrorist activities against the Jewish state were attacked. “These funds, which Hezbollah used for terror activities, were stored by the Al-Qard al-Hassan Association, which directly funds Hezbollah’s terror activities, including the purchase of weapons and payments to operatives in Hezbollah’s military wing,...
(JTA) - WASHINGTON - Israel said it hit military targets in Iran in retaliation for that country's missile barrage on Oct. 1, apparently heeding Biden administration pleas to avoid oil fields or Iran's nuclear program because of fears of escalation into an all-out war. "In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran," Daniel Hagari, the Israeli army...
(JTA) — WASHINGTON — With just four days to go before the election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have both tried to use Israel as a wedge issue: Trump has said the country will not exist in two years if he is defeated, and Harris’ campaign has called his rhetoric on Israel antisemitic. Trump and Harris do disagree on a range of Israel-related topics, from how Israel should fight its battles to their starkly different visions of America’s role in the world. But there are also key issues where — in the big picture — they agree....
(JNS) — As the three-day Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exhibition wound down on Oct. 16 in Washington, word spread among Israeli defense companies that Emmanuel Macron, the French president, intended to ban them from the upcoming Euronaval defense fair outside Paris. A spokesman for a major Israeli defense company told JNS on Wednesday at the Washington event that France’s decision to bar Israeli companies “is not surprising,” referring further questions to the Israeli Defense Ministry. A ministry...
(JTA) — President Joe Biden said he wants Israel’s strike on Iran to be “the end” of direct fighting between the two countries, as Iran said it had the right to respond to the attack but did not vow to do so. Israel said that it had concluded its strikes against Iran and warned Iran against beginning what it called a “new round.” The Israeli attack on Saturday came in response to Iran firing more than 180 missiles at Israel on Oct. 1 and was supported by the Biden administration. But American officials had pressed Israel to avoid...
(JTA) — When Adalbert and Hilda Parlagi fled Vienna in 1938, a month after the Nazi annexation of Austria, they left behind a collection of artwork, which they and their heirs spent decades trying to retrieve. On Wednesday in New Orleans, FBI agents presented the couple’s grandchildren with one of the looted works: a pastel drawing by French impressionist Claude Monet. “Our grandfather would have been so happy to find out this Monet was being restituted after all his attempts over the...
(JNS) — The United States considers the implementation of the 18-year-old U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 to be the only way to end the war between Israel and the Hezbollah terror organization, Vedant Patel, the principal deputy U.S. State Department spokesman, said at the Foggy Bottom press briefing on Tuesday. “I know that there’s been a lot of interest in 1701 over the past couple of days and perhaps a little bit of misunderstanding in how—or misinterpretation in how it’s being discussed,” Patel said. “So let me just be...
(JNS) — The elimination of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s top military-terrorist and political chief and the architect of the Oct. 7 invasion marks a major turning point in the battle to degrade the Iranian-backed jihadist network surrounding Israel. IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari explained on Thursday that Sinwar had been attempting to flee from house to house, moving between structures in Rafah. Hagari noted that Sinwar “was in flight,” and at one point, after the entourage protecting him had been fired upon by the IDF and split...
The Jewish Chamber is excited to host a free Chanukah breakfast on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at One Senior Place, located at 715 Douglas Ave in Altamonte Springs. This festive event will begin at 9 a.m. and is open to the community, offering a warm and welcoming introduction to Chanukah for over 30 attendees, including many who may not be familiar with the holiday's traditions. Attendees will enjoy festive decor and a spread of delicious homemade holiday foods, generously provided by Jewish Pavilion...
(JNS) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, wrote to her 15 million social media followers on Sunday night that the Jewish state has to act quickly to allow more aid into the Gaza Strip. “The U.N. reports that no food has entered northern Gaza in nearly two weeks,” Harris wrote. “Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and must have access to food, water and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected.” The vice...
(JNS) — A survivor of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, Nova music festival massacre, Shirel Golan, took her own life on Oct. 20, her 22nd birthday. She was found lifeless in the yard of her home in Moshav Porat in central Israel. The exact cause of death was not made public. She was set to have visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron with her family. According to family members, despite suffering from post-trauma, the state failed to provide Shirel with mental health services. “She said she received no...
(JTA) - A new campaign ad for Donald Trump pushes back against Kamala Harris' claim that the former president is a "fascist" by featuring a Holocaust survivor who says Harris is disgracing his murdered family members with the allegation. "Adolf Hitler invaded Poland when I was 9 years old. He murdered my parents and most of my family," says 94-year-old Jerry Wartski, an Auschwitz survivor and retired New York City real estate investor in the ad released last Friday. "I know more about Hitler...
(JTA) - As tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have shot up to new highs, Israeli soldiers anticipating being deployed to the north are increasingly turning for help to the civilian donation efforts that have kept them stocked in Gaza. Adi Vaxman, who heads the U.S.-based donation effort called Operation Israel, fields requests from individual soldiers and says demand has spiked in tandem with security developments involving Hezbollah. "With the situation up north, the demand has tripled in...
IDF base’s dining hall reopens a week after deadly Hezbollah strike (JNS) — The dining hall of the Israel Defense Forces training base, has been repaired and reopened one week after a deadly drone attack by Iran’s Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah. According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, restoration work was completed on the eve of the Sukkot holiday. The drone strike on Oct. 13 killed four soldiers and wounded dozens more at the Golani Brigade training base, located near Binyamina in northern Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav...
(JTA) — Speaking at a campaign rally in Georgia on Monday night, Donald Trump said the Kamala Harris campaign was painting him and his supporters as Nazis, a charge he rejected forcefully. “I’m not a Nazi. I’m the opposite of a Nazi,” Trump said to cheers. The comments, which come a week before Election Day, represent an unusual statement by a presidential candidate. They also represent the latest fallout since Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, last week said in on-the-record interviews that Trump had expressed admiration...
(The Gatestone Institute via JNS) — The legacy of the last two Democratic presidencies — Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s — will be the appeasement of Iran in its efforts to dominate the Middle East and eventually expand its influence through the acquisition of a nuclear arsenal. Obama has been the “Chamberlain” in this 21st-century version of Great Britain’s and France’s appeasement of an evil and dangerous regime. In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain thought he had a secure peace treaty with Hitler ...
(JNS) — Last week, the Jewish people celebrated the holiday of Sukkot. Last year, the holiday ended with the Oct. 7 pogrom in Israel. This year, we are celebrating our strength, resilience and success in fighting evil. Sukkot is the holiday when everything culminates: The annual holiday cycle that begins with Passover, the High Holidays that begins with Rosh Hashanah, and, in the mystical tradition, references the culmination of human history. That is why our Torah readings speak of the “end of days” and the final battles that will...
(JNS) — One year ago, our enemies launched an unprecedented assault on the Jewish state. On Oct. 7, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s proxy terror network unleashed an unprecedented and heinous massacre to kill as many Jews as possible and destroy the State of Israel. Decades in the making, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Qatar, and yes, the Palestinian Authority plotted together, united by a common goal: to wipe Israel off the map. Despite knowing about such plans over the years, Israel chose to hold back. No Israeli government, including those led by...
(JNS) — Is it just me, or is the “new” antisemitism starting to sound a lot like the old kind? In recent weeks, The New York Times has twice published remarks that directly invoked classic antisemitic stereotypes. Many of us had thought that kind of crude bigotry had finally been eliminated from the mainstream media. Apparently not. Book reviewer Sam Kriss wrote in the Times on Aug. 20 that his Jewish identity is rooted in his affinity for books, matzah-ball soup and his “overbearing mother.” If a reporter would ask him about...
(JNS) — Some people here in Israel reportedly cried tears of joy over the killing by the Israel Defense Forces of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Rafah area of Gaza on Wednesday. Others were jubilant. I was not. Yes, there’s enormous relief. There’s huge satisfaction that at last Sinwar has met his long overdue fate. The world is a better place without him. It’s also an immense victory for the Israel Defense Forces. And it’s another vindication of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to send the IDF into the...
(JNS) — A replica of the Ark of the Covenant, painstakingly constructed, its creators say, to the Torah specifications of the sacred vessel that was the First Temple’s central fixture, was displayed in Jerusalem on Sunday evening, during the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday. The ark described in the Torah, which housed the Ten Commandments tablets among other holy objects, was hidden after the destruction of the First Temple, per rabbinic tradition. At Jerusalem’s King David Hotel,...
Whether you’re a family caregiver or a professional, owning a wheelchair-accessible van can greatly improve mobility for those you care for. Here are some tips to help you find the right van at the right price: 1. Assess tour needs: Consider whether rear- or side-entry access would work best for your situation. Rear entry is ideal for larger wheelchairs, while side entry offers versatility in seating arrangements. 2. Shop smart: Look for wheelchair van dealerships online and nearby to find options within your budget. Explore mobility...
(JNS) — Amid the ongoing wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, countless artifacts from the Second Temple era, the Late Roman period, and more were uncovered across Israel in 2024. “Despite the difficult year we experienced due to the war, the Israel Antiquities Authority continued to carry out rescue excavations throughout the country,” said the body’s director-general, Eli Escusido. “Over the past year, approximately 120 sites were excavated (compared to the usual average of 250-300 in...
(JNS) - Although American actor Christopher Reeve sustained a life-altering injury that left him paralyzed below the neck, the actor maintained his positive morale and unselfishness, according to Dr. Steven Kirshblum, who is featured in the new documentary film "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story," out in theaters nationwide. Initially after a fall from his horse at an equestrian competition in Virginia on May 27, 1995, Reeve asked his wife, Dana, if they should let him go. But she told him...
(JNS) - The mother of Yotam Haim-who was mistakenly killed by Israel Defense Forces soldiers from the 828th "Bislach" Brigade while he, Alon Shamriz and Samer Fouad Talalka were in the process of escaping from Hamas captivity-has again exhibited the kind of spiritual superiority to which the rest of us rarely aspire, let alone achieve. On Thursday, Iris Haim posted a voice message in the brigade's WhatsApp group to express her gratitude for their elimination of the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023...
(JTA) — Among the legions of Grateful Dead fans mourning Phil Lesh are a small but devoted cohort of Jewish Deadheads with memories of celebrating Passover with him. “To life! To Phil! Our love will not fade away! Eternally grateful,” the Jewish vocalist Jeannette Ferber posted on Facebook, alongside a picture showing herself with Lesh at a seder. Lesh, the legendary jam band’s bassist, died Friday at 84. His Instagram account, which announced his death without specifying a cause, said...
MORNING MINYANS Chabad of South Orlando — Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. and 10 minutes before sunset; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m., 407-354-3660. Congregation Ahavas Yisrael — Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-644-2500. Congregation Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Daytona — Monday, 8 a.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m., 904-672-9300. Congregation Ohev Shalom — Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-298-4650. GOBOR Community Minyan at Jewish Academy of Orlando — Monday – Friday, 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Temple Israel — Sunday,...
