Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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In past years I have written about the dichotomy between Chanukah and Christmas in terms of their intersectionality and convergence in secular terms; even though not related at all in terms of religious significance and observance. This intersectionality is created by the fact both holidays fall very closely in the month of December and in some years actually overlap. This year the eight days of Chanukah, based on the Hebrew calendar, occurred from Thursday evening, Dec. 10th through Friday, Dec. 18th. While the Christmas season pretty much...
The recent per curium (unsigned) decision by the U.S. Supreme Court granting a temporary injunction prohibiting the governor of New York from enforcing a poorly drafted, over-bearing and constitutionally defective executive order has been misrepresented by the media to the American public. The Executive Order under legal attack issued by Governor Cuomo restricted religious gatherings to 10 persons in so-called “red zones“ and 25 persons in so-called “orange” zones where Covid-19 infections were increasing, and was mostly directed against...
The out-going Trump administration has implemented many policy decisions regarding the Middle East during its term in office that have resulted in a paragon shift in the Arab World’s perception of Israel from non-recognition and enemy to recognition and alliance. While the Trump Deal of the Century has been summarily rejected by all Palestinian factions and their terrorist partners, Hamas and Hezbollah, the Abraham Accords entered into between Israel and respectively, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and subsequently Sudan has revealed a m...
In the aftermath of a close election and the improbability of the nation coming together, irrespective of who finally wins the presidency, one thing is certain: The existing sharp political divisions in the American Jewish community must be reconciled, and a major effort must be made by all factions in our community to establish mutual respect for all members despite the divergent views on so many issues each may hold. If we are to be a significant player in continuing our outstanding record of contribution to American society in every field...
By Mel Pearlman As America limps toward completion of the 2020 election campaign this coming Tuesday, it has become increasing clear that a majority of Americans are frustrated, angered and fatigued by the American political process. A major factor for this emotional negativism among the American people is their realization that they are being corralled by the Democrat and Republican parties into choosing a president who is the lesser of two evils. Whether by design or happenstance, the two parties have combined to enshrine into law a...
In just a few days time the Senate Judiciary Committee and then the Senate will convene to begin its constitutional mandate to debate and vote on the confirmation of President Trump’s nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, for the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This will be the third nominee to come before the Senate during the Trump Administration. Two previous confirmation hearings have been held by the Senate Judiciary Committee, respectively for Associate Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. K...
The strength and survivability of the Jewish people has always been their ability to simultaneously exist in three time “dimensions.” Not un-coincidently, the Torah’s narrative also speaks to us in the past, the present and the future. The Torah begins with a history of the evolutionary creation of the universe and our planet Earth (time frame of six biblical days); including the creation of primitive humans. God “rested” on the seventh day, which suggests creation is a work still in progress. These early humans evolved into curious, intellige...
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, of which the United States is a member, adopted a non-legally binding “working definition of antisemitism” at its plenary on May 26, 2016, in Bucharest, Romania. Since then IHRA’s 42 member and observer states and many nonmember countries throughout the world, as well as non-governmental international organizations, have adopted the definition; and have used it in legislating hate crimes and in formulating public policy dealing with antisemitism. As a member of IHRA, the U.S. State Depar...
The last few weeks have witnessed a landmark development in Arab-Israeli relations upon which all fair-minded Jews can finally agree. I am of course referring to the agreement reached on Aug. 13, 2020, between the government of Israel and the government of the United Arab Emirates to establish diplomatic normalization with and recognition of the Jewish state. The anticipated peace treaty and ancillary agreements covering cooperation and collaboration in the fields of medicine, security, transportation and trade are not yet formalized as of...
The pandemic has brought about extreme modifications to our everyday living and how we relate to family, friends and community. Government at every level is scampering, and for the most part failing to find effective policy initiatives and to implement programs in order to blunt the disastrous health, economic and social effects brought about by the complete disruption of our normal way of life. The pandemic has also exposed and laid bare the fact that what once was a resilient, respectful, resourceful and thoughtful American population has...
Last week, I received an e-mail from a reader of my Everywhere column of July 10, 2020, titled “Black lies matter,” criticizing me for an attempt to be cute with the title by playing on the words, “black lives matter,” and suggesting that the title was “insensitive.” Since I appreciate feedback of all kinds from readers I went back and reviewed not only the title, but the column itself, and deeply reflected on the criticism that the title was insensitive; and that I was attempting to be “cute” with the title’s wording. Interestingly, th...
By Mel Pearlman As America wrestles with the issue of finding its way to racial equality, we must be careful not to destroy the constitutional foundation of our nation, which in reality is the only path to reach that much-desired goal. The events of the past, highlighted by events of the last few months have laid naked the ugly reality of police brutality in many communities across the country, inflicted by law enforcement officers in their encounter with black men, women and teenagers. There is justified anger in the black community in seeing...
I know it is late in the game for a courageous national political leader to emerge and challenge Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden for the presidency. However, a survey of states with registration deadlines to be on the Nov. 3, 2020, ballot reveals that except for about three minor electoral-vote states the registration deadline has not passed, with most states having qualification dates in July, August and in one case September, to be on the printed ballot. Since January, the somewhat mercurial president has descended into increasing...
On May 5, 2020, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, the body that governs the lives of more than 95 percent of the Arab population living In Judea and Samaria, made a speech in Arabic before an Arab audience. That speech was made in the presence of the international media and was posted to the Facebook page of Palestinian TV. Memri TV provided the English translation. While a significant part of the speech was devoted to the pandemic and other issues, Mr. Abbas did use the opportunity to condemn the United States for...
By Mel Pearlman In the May 11, 2020, edition of Time Magazine, a mother eloquently writes in an essay titled, “The pandemic has put our dreams of another baby on hold,” about her fears and concerns of conceiving g another child during this era of the coronavirus pandemic. She and her husband, already the parents of a 2-year-old, the essayist continues, “Remembering how special it had been for both of us to grow up with a sibling close in age and wanting the same kind of companionship for our son, we had planned to try for another child this...
The Jewish community in America finds itself in a dilemma concerning the 2020 presidential election. On one hand, President Trump has been a strong ally and friend of Israel. He understands the necessity of Israel moving forward in consolidating its security position and normalizing its relationship with the Sunni Arab world. In the face of Iranian aggression and Palestinian intransigence regarding the peace negotiations, the Trump administration realistically recognized the nuclear and security threat posed by Iran and the implausibility of a...
These past few weeks have not been good for the American people or for the rest of the world. The coronavirus pandemic has wrecked havoc on not only the general health of the world’s population, but has had devastating effects on all aspects of the human condition, from our economic well-being to our social, religious and personal behaviors. While the pandemic has for the moment quieted our political divisions at home, it has focused and brutally demonstrated our government’s three fundamental policy shortcomings. At the same time, it has hig...
No group in America is more sensitive about religious freedom than the Jewish community. Although we have many differences of opinion concerning public policy issues I think it is fair to say we speak with one voice when it comes to defending religious freedom. Government’s non-interference in how, when or with whom a person prays or otherwise expresses his religious beliefs and convictions is a cornerstone of American pluralism. The 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is clear and unambiguous; the very first words of the 1st Amendment a...
Most columnists dread the well-known malady of “writer’s block,” particularly when their editor’s deadline for submission edges ever closer and closer. My problem, as I worked on this week’s column was not “writer’s block” but too many current topics that interfered with my ability to focus on any one of them. If I had to compare this virtual smorgasbord of subjects to a physical phenomenon it would be like trying to listen to many conversations at once, each interfering with another, leaving me unable to hear anything but combined gibber...
Having made it through the stress of our border crossing into Jordan (described in my previous column of Feb. 28, 2020), my son and I now found ourselves standing in the Jordanian night with our Jordanian greeter no where in sight. We watched as the Jordanian workers, numbering in the hundreds, were returning to Jordan after their workday in Eilat; and were being picked up to return to their homes in Aqaba. Finally, a sketchy looking fellow drove up in an unmarked van and approached us inquiring whether we were the Pearlmans. We hesitantly...
The next morning, having arrived in Israel the evening before, my son and I began our trip to Jordan. Our route to Aqaba would take us south through downtown Tel Aviv on freeways that made me feel we were in Los Angeles during morning rush hour traffic. We then continued south to pick up Highway 40 that would take us into Beer Sheva where we stopped for lunch. From Beer Sheva we headed east on Highway 25, past Dimona, the site of Israel’s nuclear facility. At the Arava Crossing we turned south onto Highway 90 to Eilat. Highway 90 runs along t...
A few years back when my son was working toward his MBA at Tel Aviv University, he and I decided to do a father/son trip around Israel over a break in his studies. It was about this time of the year when the temperature was mild and Israel was relatively past its major winter storms. Having survived the flight, I was met by my son carrying a hand made cardboard sign with my English name emblazoned in Hebrew letters. I speak, read and write a little Hebrew, but for me the hardest Hebrew words to read are those that phonetically spell out English...
Betty is a very ordinary American name. The Betty I am writing about was born more than 92 years ago in the small scenic town of Ruskova, nestled in the Carpathian mountains in the Southeast corner of Romania. Ruskova was for the most part a peaceful town where Jews and their gentile neighbors got along very well. Betty’s father worked for the railroad in the next town down the road, where the railway station was located. Life was pretty uneventful for Betty and her family in her early childhood days. Then beginning in 1940, Betty and her f...
On Jan. 3, 2020, as their motorcade was exiting the Baghdad Airport, Major General Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, along with other high ranking members of the IRGC were killed by an American drone missile attack. Also killed in the attack was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chairman of one of Iraq’s notorious non-state militias, the Popular Mobilization Forces, a group controlled and armed by Iran. Not unexpectedly, the left has been in an uproar, calling the attack and resulting f...
The horrific attack at the Jewish market near Newark a few weeks ago was intended to be a massacre of Jewish children in a Jewish Day School next door to the kosher market. Because of some courageous police work the actual scene of the carnage was restricted to a kosher market adjacent to the Jewish Day School, saving the lives of dozens of children, but unfortunately resulting in the loss of life of a policeman pursuing the terrorist and two Jews and an Ecuadorian immigrant store worker in the store. Make no mistake about it. This was an act...
