Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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I've been to this "paradise"... I'm referring to Switzerland, of course. It is truly an inspiring, lovely country. My deceased spouse and I truly enjoyed our visit some years ago and I will never forget it. I recently read this about the Swiss government committing to security of its Jewish community. I pass it along to you: "The Swiss National Council has adopted a motion mandating the government to increase its efforts to protect religious minorities, including the local Jewish community. The...
About immigrants... This is a country made great by immigrants! My ancestry is Canada, Ukraine, Russia, Poland... as far as I know. (I plan to take an Ancestry test soon to see where else my ancestors come from). Everyone should be welcome... that is everyone but... (no, I am NOT getting political!) Great news from Greece... I read this in a recent World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and pass it along: "DAVID SALTIEL, president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, a WJC...
"Where have all the values gone?"... This is the title of a work written by a lovely lady, AUNITA PADGETT, a friend and fellow member of my Grief Support Group. It really hit home with me, especially all the young folks I see (even when they are driving) who constantly stare at their cell phones. I pass it along in part to you: "We have new gadgets, fancy automobiles and name brand clothing, but do we appreciate a new car, for instance, the way our grandparents and the whole family oohed and...
This report really upset me... I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you: "The World Jewish Congress decried the United Nations Human Rights Council's recent adoption of five resolutions under Agenda Item 7 accusing Israel of human rights abuses and violations of international law in the Golan Heights and Palestinian territories. (I visited the Golan Heights some years ago during the Yom Kippur war.) 'The U.N. Human Rights Council has once again let its biased and...
Talk about disturbing news... I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you: "Recent figures released by the Community Security Trust indicate a record-high number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United Kingdom, with the Jewish community targeted at a rate of nearly four times a day over the course of 2017. This is the third year in a row that the CST has reported record levels of anti-Semitism, and this is in a year with no specific trigger events. 'Anti-Semitism is...
About Sephardic Jews... My late spouse was Sephardic. His ancestry dates all the way back to Barcelona, Spain, and his family spoke Ladino (Spanish). This article from the World Jewish Congress digest caught my eye: "The World Jewish Congress welcomed a recent agreement between Spain's Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport and the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain, aimed at combating anti-Semitism through education. FCJE is the representative body of the Spanish Jewish community and...
Important to every Jew, every lover of Israel... I received this letter from the World Jewish Congress. I pass it along (with my personal comments): "Israel must continue to thrive, now and always. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the modern State of Israel, and marvel at its remarkable and inspiring achievements (in medicine, science, etc.), this is the solemn commitment that we embody in both our thoughts and our actions. Israel is the only Jewish state. It is a...
Finally, some justice... I read this in a current issue of the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along: "Polish Deputy Prime Minister PIOTR GHLINSKI has personally informed the WJC that the Polish government will invest 100 million zloty ($28 million USD) to restore the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery. Glinski relayed the decision to WJC CEO and Executive Vice President, ROBERT SINGER, during a special meeting at the cemetery itself in mid-December. Singer travelled to Warsaw as part of a...
I am so upset... What kind of White House do we have? What's with our 45th? What is happening to Congress? (Well, maybe I won't be alive much longer to care, but my children and grandchildren hopefully will be). Who ever made that remark about Senator JOHN McCAIN "dying anyway" should be fired! John McCain is what America is all about... (or should be about.) He has served our country honorably, I trust every word he says. He's not a liar! He tries to do the right thing for all of us, even if...
We can count on Israel... When it comes to science and medical cures, Israel seems to be leading the world. How proud that makes me feel. It is even more than pride I feel, as I've been a diabetic for many years. I read this in my copy of World Jewish Congress (WJC) Digest, Science & Technology: "The Israeli company Cnoga Medical has developed a new, pain-free way to monitor blood glucose levels, eliminating the discomfort of diabetes patients who check their sugar levels by using a finger-prick...
I recently heard from the Simon Wiesenthal Center... The Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced a political cartoon in Volkskrant, a major Dutch newspaper, for depicting Israel as a murderous bully celebrating its 70th birthday by gunning down defenseless Palestinians at the Gaza border. "For the last month, Hamas has deployed the people of Gaza, including terrorists, at the Israeli border in what it labeled as peaceful protests but in reality, they included firebombs, kites affixed with...
A wonderful lady... We lost a lovely lady, a former first lady of the United States just recently. She was admired and loved by most, including me. The wife of a president and the mother of a president and governor, she was a force in her family. May she rest in peace. She will be missed. Wow! Talk about posh!... I recently visited a new facility in Winter Park, took the tour with a group of others and had a lovely lunch. The name of the place is Allegro, which refers to upbeat musical tempo....
"Canada, Oh Canada"... That's how the song starts. I have a special feeling for Canada as my mom, Sally, was born in Montreal, Canada. Her parents, (my maternal grandparents) fled to Canada from the Ukraine before the turn of the last century with my Uncle Jack and my Aunt Betty. Jack and Betty made it to the States when they were grown and my mom came with her father (her mom was deceased) when she was a young girl. The rest is history! Speaking of Canada... I read this in a recent copy of the...
A reflective thought... What ever happened to "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free"? (Just saying.) I received a letter... The letter I received was sent from DAVID HARRIS, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). I pass it along to you in part: "The Jewish stories handed down through our three-thousand-year-old tradition recount instances of persecution and hatred, but also examples of resilience and survival. Now, let me ask you to consider a current s...
My heart is broken... Everyone in Central Florida probably remembers the Pulse Nightclub shooting tragedy where so many precious lives were lost. My friend Eddie Sotomayor Jr. was the first to be shot that fate-filled day more than a year ago. (Seems like yesterday to me.) The NOOR SALMAN trial ended recently and she was found not guilty by the jury. (Life goes on... but not for my friend, Eddie.) Another tragic life lost... (Actually, six million lives lost.) I recently watched a rerun of the...
FBI reports uptick on anti-Semitism... I read this recently in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest (got upset as usual) and pass it along: "According to hate crime statistics recently released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States rose slightly over the previous year and each year. Following Jews, Muslims were the targets of the second-largest number of hate crimes." (No surprise to me. Anti-Semitism seems to be back and just as...
South American Holocaust Museum... I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you in part: "As reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires, Argentina, recently welcomed a record 17,727 visitors in one night, and then closed for a year and a half to undergo renovations. Two days after setting its attendance record, the 17-year-old museum announced it will close for a $4 million building project that will add space for a permanent...
A meaningful letter... LAWRENCE GROSSMAN, American Jewish Committee's director of publications, wrote this letter a few months ago. I found it very powerful and so I pass it on to you in part: "What happened at the 'Unite the Right' rally on Aug. 12 last year in Charlottesville, Virginia, was both a battle in the longstanding war over Confederate memorials and, more broadly, the latest episode in the blood-soaked, centuries-old history of racism in America. But for baby-boomer Jews like me, the...
Our people have been there... I read this in a letter from the American Jewish World Service: As this column is read, "we have just celebrated Purim, a celebratory holiday filled full of treats and costumes. Purim has deep lessons to teach us about fighting intolerance and acting on our shared values to pursue justice. Just as Queen Esther courageously stood up to the evil Haman and saved the Jewish community of ancient Persia, we too can stand up for those who face persecution today. In Burma...
The NRA spends millions... (I'm just saying.) This is a recent statement from the American Federation of Teachers: (AFT) President RANDI WEINGARTEN on the Florida school shooting; "This is the 18th school shooting this year. At least 17 people were killed today. May their memories be a blessing, but when is enough enough? "We are devastated and horrified by yet another school shooting in our nation. The trauma and tragedy inflicted on the children, educators and parents of the Stoneman Douglas...
Wow! Go figure... I recently watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in South Korea. I've seen many Olympic ceremonies in my long life, but this one was by far, the best! It was perfect in every way and I was especially thrilled to see team USA and, of course, team Korea, made up of both North and South Koreans marching into the stadium together and learning that they will be competing as one. I must mention that a weird thing happened as I was watching... one of my deceased husband's...
Very Disturbing... I recently received a letter from ALAN KORNMAN about (I repeat) a very disturbing happening at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. I pass it along: “The Young Democrats of Orange County and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) were having a rally at Lake Eola on Dec 8, 2017 concerning the moving of our embassy to Jerusalem. My friend and I went to attend and film the rally. The volume of anti-Semitism filmed is troubling—but once you get past that fact, I was most disturbed by the 100+ people who did nothing. It was in...
Not "fake news"... Recently, I watched the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" (for the third time) on television. This time was particularly strange as I felt that I was in Russia and Ukraine while watching. It just happens that my ancestry comes from Russia and Ukraine. (Could it be a sign?) New Director-General... "World Jewish Congress (WJC) CEO AND Executive Vice President ROBERT SINGER congratulated former French Culture Minister, AUDREY AZOULAY on her recent appointment as Director-General of the...
How upsetting... I read this not too long ago in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and pass it along to you: "As reported recently by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, two kippah-wearing brothers were allegedly forced to drive off a main road near Paris, France, by another vehicle carrying several men yelling "Dirty Jews, you're going to die." Once stopped, the brothers were surrounded by the men and others who emerged from a nearby hookah café. Both were beaten ruthlessly, while their...
Three cheers... I read this recently in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and pass it along to you: "World Jewish Congress President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER welcomed the European Court of Justice's decision to uphold the European Union's (EU) listing of Hamas as a terrorist organization, and called on the EU to do everything in its power to prevent European entities from engaging in business or showing any other form of support with it. In upholding the decision to keep Hamas on the...
