Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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We are all following the news these days... I recently received the following letter (in part) from Rabbi MARVIN HIER, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center: "I know you have been following the news from Israel with increasing alarm as a wave of murderous stabbings, shootings, bombings and car rammings have been unleashed by Palestinians against their Jewish neighbors. This barbaric and relentless new surge of terrorism has enraged Israelis. And you can see why when you consider the...
Dangers of the Internet... One of the major priorities for the World Jewish Congress (WJC) in 2016 is to put an end to the spread of hate and the recruitment of terrorists on social media sights. I recently received the following (in part) from Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER, president of the WJC: "As we turn a page on the deadly 2015 for Jews in Europe and Israel, I am deeply concerned for the safety and security of Jews in the new year. It's hard to recall a recent time of greater turmoil and...
Even I forgot... Before I became a professional singer and a writer of columns, I was a published poet. I completely forgot about that part of my life until just recently when one of my sons helped me clean out my garage and several books containing my poetry were found. I will pass on only one because it is so appropriate for my new situation: "I held your hand when first we met and came to know your touch, I held your hand and as time past I loved you oh so much, I held your hand when we were...
A disturbing letter... I received a letter from RONALD S. LAUDER, president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and I pass it along in part to you: "As we close the door on 2015, I am dismayed by the wave of terror that has crashed over the Jewish state of Israel, taking with it the lives of too many innocent men, women and children and leaving many critically wounded. As terrorist thugs continue their violent attacks against the citizens of Israel, Jews in Europe are facing anti-Semitic...
Eight days, almost eight decades... In spite of the fact that this is probably the saddest Chanukah I've ever experienced in my life, I was given one of the best Chanukah presents ever. Turner Movie Classics (TMC) recently aired the movie "That's Entertainment" about the first 50 years at Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios (MGM). What memories! What stars! What fabulous music, the kind I grew up with and perform! I especially liked the "American In Paris" ballet danced by Gene Kelly and written by my...
Anti-Semitism is alive and well and HERE!... I received mail from Hillel International President and CEO ERIC D. FINGERHUT, and in the wake of the anti-Semitic flyers posted around the campus of our own University of Central Florida, I thought I should pass it along in part: "As Thanksgiving break has come and after it, the mad rush toward final exams for 400,000 Jewish college students across the United States, there is something I must urgently convey about life on today's campuses. Is it...
Have you ever heard of JDC?... I hadn't until now, actually not until I received this info in the mail last week. JDC stands for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Their main headquarters is located at 711 Third Avenue, New York City. JDC is the world's leading Jewish humanitarian organization. For nearly a century, JDC has been saving lives and giving hope to the neediest Jews in the world. Throughout its long history, JDC has coupled the concern for Jewish lives with an equally...
Before I start this column... I want to express my deepest sympathy to the loved ones of those who were murdered in the recent Paris massacre. My prayers are also for the people who were seriously wounded. How cruel. How sad. How sick. The brilliance of Israeli universities... I'm sure that most of you already know about the great strides being made in Israeli universities, many involving medical solutions. For instance, here are some of the accomplishments of Ben-Gurion University of the...
Memories of World War II... (I hate to admit it but I have such memories also, even though I'm NOT that old!!!!) In a recent issue of Reminisce Magazine, a lady named MARLENE B. BROWN wrote this article. It struck a chord with me and I send it along to you: "How well I remember the last days of the war; I grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and my neighbor Frank and I shredded old newspapers and filled bushel baskets in anticipation of the war's end. On the day victory was announced, Frank took the...
“A museum like no other”... “The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was established to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to educate the nation and the world about one of the darkest chapters in human history.” (I received this brochure in the mail recently and will pass it along to you word for word. Now, perhaps more then ever we must be vigilant. A few years ago, my spouse and I visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. We were so very touched. Visit if you can... and support the museum if you are able.) It continu...
Haven't they suffered enough?... I read this in last month's World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. It upset me but it is something we must be aware of. I pass it along to you: "World Jewish Congress Holocaust Memory Commissioner CHARLOTTE KNOBLOCH has called it 'intolerable' that so many Holocaust survivors today have to live in poverty and urged the world to take action. Speaking at the Wannsee Ville in Berlin, where in 1941 the Nazis decided to implement the 'final solution of the Jewish...
Three cheers for good sense... I read this in the current World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. I was pleased and I am sure you will be too. I pass it along: "The World Jewish Congress hailed a recent decision by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States to reject a motion endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. WJC thanked the Episcopal Church Convention for lending its support to Israel on this issue and for taking a moral stand, expressing the...
It's about time... I read this recently in the October issue of the World Jewish Congress digest under the heading "New Amnesty International Report Details Hamas Crimes Against Palestinians In Gaza." I pass it along to you: "Amnesty International, not known for its pro-Israel views, recently released a report in which the human rights group turned its attention to the abuses of Hamas. This report found that under the cover of the Israeli military action during Operation Protective Edge last...
A great movie. A great actress... I refer to Academy Award winning actress, HELEN MIRREN. I just received this information in a World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest: "Academy Award winning actress Helen Mirren was honored by the WJC for helping to publicize the issue of Nazi-looted art through her portrayal of Maria Altman in the acclaimed film 'Woman In Gold.' The movie tells the story of the Austrian-American woman who made headlines in 2006 for her winning legal battle against the Austrian...
I have a dear friend... Because a dear family friend of mine (who will remain nameless), is facing chemotherapy due to a positive diagnosis of breast cancer, I found this letter I recently received from JOAN COLEN to be extremely interesting. (Incidentally, my friend lives in Winter Park.) And the fact that it praises the great accomplishments of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, makes it a subject I choose to write about. Here is Joan's letter in part: "I am a two-time cance...
I love Canada... Probably because my late mom, Sally Golub, was born in Montreal. Also, because I had the privilege of performing at the Calgary Stampede years ago when I was vocalist with the legendary Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. I've never been to eastern Canada, but Montreal is on my "Bucket List." However, Calgary, Banff and Lake Louise in western Canada were beautiful places to be and I have great memories. I read about Canada recently in a World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. I pass it along...
A FAIR United Nations? (We can only hope.)... I read this in the latest World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. (But I sort of new it already.) I pass it along to you: "Some 1,000 participants from a dozen countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands and Switzerland, gathered in Geneva on June 29th (before the massive immigrant migration from Syria) to express their support for the State of Israel as the UN Human Rights Council held another debate on...
"They're as good as dogs"?... (I don't think so!) I read this in the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest and found it very (very) interesting. I think you should read it too: "An Israeli company called X-Test is harnessing the keen sense of smell of these furry creatures (would you believe, they are referring to mice?) to sniff out explosives, drugs and foreign substances at border crossings and airports. These specially trained mice will be carried in cages to discreetly smell people and...
A date in infamy... Of course I refer to this date, Sept. 11, when our country was attacked and so many Americans died, among them Alan Feinberg, a family member, who was a firefighter with the 59th battalion. Ladder 4. His firehouse was on 48th Street and 8th Avenue, NYC. He was rescuing people from Tower One of the World Trade Center when it collapsed. This column is for and about you, not me... But I want to take this opportunity to thank the many who sent sympathy cards and phoned me to say...
Dangerous internet?... I received this warning from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. (With all the mishagas that's happening in my world lately, this I DIDN'T need!) The heading reads "Online Holocaust Denial Spreading Rapidly, LAJC Warns." I pass it along to you: "The Latin American Jewish Congress (LAJC), an affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, has warned that Holocaust denial on the Internet is growing quickly, and they have launched a campaign to combat the dangerous phenomenon....
I'm really getting nervous... According to a new report from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest, "Violent anti-Semitism in Europe rose dramatically in 2014." This is very disturbing to me and most of you, I'm guessing. Not only for myself, but for my children and grandchildren and... Here is the report: "A newly released annual report on global anti-Semitism, issued by Tel-Aviv University, found the situation of Jews in Europe more dangerous and precarious than ever before. The report...
Simply outrageous... I received this update from the Simon Wiesenthal Center recently... and it literally made me feel sick. Read on: "You may not have heard about the outrageous sermon delivered at Al-Aqsa Mosque just a few weeks ago by Sheik KHALAD AL-MUGHRABI. Now Al-Mughrabi is no ordinary preacher, but a preacher at one of the holiest sites in Islam, just a stones's throw away from the Western Wall. And his sermon was so outrageous, so full of hate, that it should have made the front pages...
The times they are a changin' (or are they?)... I just read the following in the new World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest for this month: "Addressing the rise of anti-Semitism around the world and the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa, WJC President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER noted that the merging today of anti-Semitism and the persecution of Christians is not unique. 'We've both been targeted before, often by the same enemy. But today's rampage against both religions at...
A special commemoration... I read this in my July issue of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest. It is a time for all of us to remember with much reverence. I pass it along to you: "More that 100 survivors of the Nazi camp Bergen-Belsen, children born at the post-war displaced persons (DP) camp, British liberators and a WJC leadership group traveled to Lower Saxony, Germany, on April 26 to mark the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation. German president, JOACHIM GAUCK and WJC President Amb...
New research findings... This information comes directly from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) digest with asides by me in parenthesis. I find it very interesting but not at all surprising: "A recent report released by Pew Research Center and reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency found that Muslims will overtake Christians in the last half of the 21st century as the world's largest religious group in the United States. Muslims will comprise 2.3 percent of the population in 2050, up from 0.9...