Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS)—Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) say they plan on endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The three freshmen congresswomen are scheduled to officially make the endorsement at a rally for Sanders on Saturday in New York. “Bernie is leading a working-class movement to defeat Donald Trump that transcends generation, ethnicity, and geography,” said Omar in a statement to NPR. “That is why he is fighting to cancel all stu... Full story
(JNS)-A recent presentation during a mandatory meeting for the residential living team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that was replete with anti-Semitic references has come under fire from the pro-Israel community, with the school's chancellor denouncing the incident. Titled "Palestine & Great Return March: Palestinian Resistance to 70 Years of Israeli Terror," the slideshow presentation included libelous statements with one of the slides headlined "Brief History of the... Full story
(JNS)—Jewish and pro-Israel groups reacted unfavorably to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision on Sunday evening to withdraw U.S. forces from northeast Syria, ahead of an expected invasion by Turkey against Kurdish forces. The White House announced the withdrawal on Sunday, following a call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, eliciting alarm from the Syrian Kurds, whom Erdogan considers to be terrorists. Trump’s decision was also met with bipartisan condemnation, including from U.S. House Speak... Full story
(JNS)-Amid increasing concerns over Israel-related anti-Semitism found on college campuses, the anti-Israel group National Students for Justice in Palestine announced its upcoming national conference at the University of Minnesota from Nov. 1-3. The NSJP says that the conference is titled "Beyond Struggle: From Roots to Branches Towards Liberation," and recognizes the "support for the Palestinian cause is increasing within mainstream politics," noting the inflammatory words and actions of Reps.... Full story
(JNS)—Jewish and pro-Israel community leaders and groups reacted to the White House announcement on Thursday that U.S. Middle East special envoy Jason Greenblatt plans to resign within the coming weeks. “Mr. Greenblatt has played a pivotal role over the last two years in strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship and in working on ways to seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” American Israel Public Affairs Committee spokesperson Marshall Wittmann told JNS. “We are grateful for his service to our country, and we wish him well in his fut... Full story
(JNS)-During the upcoming American Political Science Association's annual conference in Washington, D.C., a group of political theorists is expected to discuss a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions. While the "Academic Boycott Resolution" will only be discussed and not voted on during the Aug. 31 meeting, the Academic Engagement Network nonetheless expressed alarm towards the APSA, which was founded in 1903 and is "the leading professional organization for the study of political... Full story
(JNS)-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the Trump administration is considering allowing U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem to list "Jerusalem, Israel" on their U.S. passports. "We're constantly evaluating the way we handle what can be listed on passports," he told JNS in a wide-ranging interview. "It's something that's actively being looked at." Despite the United States recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017 and relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv... Full story
(JNS)-Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a libertarian, was the only member of the Republican Party to vote against last week's resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives condemning the anti-Israel BDS movement. Massie, 48, explained his decision in a statement: I voted against H. Res. 246 because it calls for the full implementation of a bill I voted against back in 2014. That 2014 bill spends taxpayer dollars on "green" energy subsidies for another country, despite the fact that we face a debt... Full story
(JNS)-Among the some two-dozen 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has sought to position himself as a consensus moderate backing long-held positions within the party. But even with a long track record of executive experience, campaigning this way in such a crowded field that seems to be shifting leftward makes it increasingly difficult to stand out. His candidacy also comes at a time when the Democratic Party is facing questions over its bipartisan... Full story
(JNS)-U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a veteran Democratic lawmaker and icon of the civil-rights movement, is currently co-sponsoring a resolution for and against the anti-Israel BDS movement, leading to questions as to whether or not he supports boycotting the Jewish state. Last week, Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) introduced a bill affirming the right to boycott countries. It was widely seen as a bid by Omar, who openly supports the BDS movement, to push back against U.S. laws banning the boycott... Full story
(JNS)—Williams College has reached a resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Education in lieu of an investigation over the student government rejecting a new pro-Israel group, Williams Initiative for Israel (WIFI), in an anonymous vote in April. The college administration overrode the student government’s rejection of WIFI the following month. “This Agreement contains no findings of fact, does not constitute an admission of liability on the part of the College, and does not repre... Full story
(JNS)-Turkey began to receive the S-400 air-defense missile-defense system on Friday despite U.S. warnings not to do so. The move by Turkey is likely to have "major ramifications" for the U.S.-Turkish relationship, according to Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "Turkey will no longer be able to receive F-35 stealth jets and Turkish companies removed from the F-35 supply chain will lose $12 billion of revenue. Also, the United States is likely to... Full story
(JNS)—U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone Wednesday about Iran, in addition to joint American-Israeli security interests, as Trump threatened that U.S. sanctions on Iran will be “increased substantially” in response to the regime last week exceeding the uranium-enrichment limit under the 2015 nuclear deal. “The two leaders discussed cooperation between the United States and Israel in advancing shared national-security interests, including efforts to prevent Iran’s malign actions i... Full story
(JNS)—Turn on any cable-news channel and the majority of the focus will be on national leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump or Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. And while politicians on the national level indeed command attention, state and local politics move forward at the same time, often at a quicker pace in terms of legislation and reaction to crises. Citizens often feel a more direct impact from resulting policies: From helping local businesses and revitalizing a city’s downtown to basic trash pickup, mayors and local leaders ser... Full story
(JNS)-The second Democratic presidential primary debate on Thursday night barely featured a discussion on Iran, let alone foreign policy. However, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said that, if elected, her "first act will be to engage Iran to stabilize the Middle East and make sure we do not start an unwanted, never-ending war." She also accused U.S. President Donald Trump for being "hell-bent on starting a war with Iran." Whereas Gillibrand said that Iran would be the first country she would... Full story
(JNS)-Iran has exceeded the uranium enrichment limit under the 2015 nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced on Monday. Tzvi Kahn, senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS that Iran's aim is to preserve relations with European allies in the face of the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign against the regime since it withdrew the United States from the agreement in May 2018, reimposing sanctions lifted under it along with enactin... Full story
(JNS)—Josh Block, a former Clinton aide, announced on Monday that he is stepping down after seven years as CEO and president of the nonpartisan educational group The Israel Project. Block announced his departure in a post on the blogging site Medium, mentioning that he notified TIP’s board of directors in June. “It has been an honor to head such a dynamic organization, led by a wonderful board and an amazing chairman, full of talented people who didn’t seek credit or the limelight, but do this work because they grasp the vital nature of ensu... Full story
(JNS)-In the aftermath of two synagogue shootings exactly six months apart, in addition to arson incidents at Chabad Houses in Massachusetts and an attempted arson attempt at a Chicago synagogue last month, the issue of security, specifically armed personnel, has been in the spotlight. Some have called for supporting the idea, while others, especially those who favor strict gun control, have expressed their opposition to the idea. Three arson incidents occurred in Massachusetts within a week... Full story
(JNS)—Outrage from pro-Israel and Jewish groups is growing at U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for her remarks on Monday on her Instagram account that the United States is “running concentration camps on our southern border,” in reference to the Trump administration’s policies regarding illegal immigration. “AOC should ask Holocaust survivors and ex-GIs who liberated Dachau what that charnel House was like,” Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the SWC’s associate dean and director of global social action for the leading international... Full story
(JNS)—The United States will send an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East as tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran, the Pentagon announced on Monday evening. “In response to a request from the U.S. Central Command for additional forces, and with the advice of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in consultation with the White House, I have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval and ground-based threats in the Middle East,” said Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patri... Full story
(JNS)—The ongoing tensions between America and Iran seemed to reach a tipping point late last week when the United States blamed Iran for being behind the attack on two ships in the Gulf of Oman. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that “of course” the United States could take military action. “The United States is considering a full range of options. We have briefed the president a couple of times, [and] we’ll continue to keep him updated. We are confident that we can take a set of actions that can restore deterrenc... Full story
(JNS)—Iran has increased its uranium enrichment since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, warned the International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday. However, while IAEA chief Yukiya Amano informed reporters about this development, he noted, “I did not say Iran is implementing [the JCPOA], but I did not say Iran is not implementing either.” Newsweek reported that “Amano specifically said that the country had increased its production of low-enriched uranium, the type of uranium that is used for produci... Full story
(JNS)—The new Netflix series “Historical Roasts,” which mocks the young Jewish diarist Anne Frank, finds itself in the midst of a backlash. One particular episode features actress Rachel Feinstein as Frank, Gilbert Gottfried as Adolf Hitler and Jon Lovitz as U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. These performers are Jewish. “Everyone knows you as a hero and a best-selling author, but to me you’ll always be little number 825060,” says Gottfried as Hitler to Anne, adding that, “Of all the accounts that I’ve read, Anne, your book is by far the most... Full story
(JNS)—An Illinois school district is under fire for a course offered to teachers titled “Teaching Palestine.” The Niles Township High School District 219 serves Lincolnwood and parts of Morton Grove, Niles and Skokie in Cook County, home to Chicago. There are an estimated 291,800 Jews in Illinois with most of them living in the Chicagoland area. The district consists of Niles North High School and Niles West High School. The lesson, according to the course description obtained by JNS, “brings together critical educators who want to teach about... Full story
(JNS)—Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is standing by comments she made recently that include saying that Palestinians enabled a “safe haven” for Jews after the Holocaust, thereby reiterating her support for a one-state solution. “There’s always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors—Palestinians—who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some peop... Full story
