Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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According to Biblical law, there is a seven-year agricultural cycle, concluding with the Sabbatical year. When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, on years one, two, four and five of this cycle, farmers were required to separate a tenth of their produce and eat it in Jerusalem. This tithe is called Maaser Sheni, the Second Tithe, because it is in addition to the (two percent which must be given to the Kohain, and the) ten percent which is given to the Levite. On the third and sixth years of the...
(JNS) - "My heart is split in two," said Zvika Mor, whose 23-year-old son Eitan remains captive in Gaza. As Israel on Sunday marked 100 days since Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks, Mor said, "On the one hand, we feel the concern and longing for Eitan, and it's very painful. We miss him so much and want him to be safe with us again." But there's another part of the situation he and the families of captives are trying to come to terms with, he continued. "The other half? The national interest. We are very h...
(JTA) - Ron DeSantis' decision to end his presidential campaign leaves Nikki Haley as the only serious Republican challenger to Donald Trump, potentially consolidating her support among Jewish voters and donors in the party who seek an alternative to the former president. Trump responded to DeSantis' exit by ramping up his attacks on Haley, the former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations who has close ties to the pro-Israel establishment and has been a favorite among Jewish and pro-Israel donors who want to avoid a...
(JNS) — As the Israel Defense Forces battles Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the country’s Judea, Samaria and Jordan Valley regions are experiencing a parallel rise in terror incidents, according to data published by Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) on Tuesday. Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 15, Rescuers Without Borders first responders recorded more than 2,600 attacks targeting Israeli civilians and soldiers, including 760 cases of rock-throwing, 551 fire bombings, 12 attempted or successful stabbings and nine vehicular assaults. Amo...
Rabbi Yanky and Chanshy Majesky, in partnership with the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute through Chabad of North Orlando, are excited to announce a unique opportunity for the community. They will be leading a Solidarity Trip from April 1st to April 7th, 2024. This exclusive seven-day experience aims to foster unity and connection, leaving a lasting impact on participants' hearts, minds, and souls. Rediscover Israel in a new light • Show Solidarity: Stand in solidarity with Israel by visiting sold...
The Jewish Pavilion partnered with The Jewish Academy of Orlando to bring the Theater Department's Variety Show to the residents of Brookdale Lake Orienta. The students showcased their skills in acting, singing, gymnastics, dancing and more. After an afternoon ice cream treat and the show, the residents got to mingle with the stars of the show. Jewish Pavilion sees the importance of intergenerational programming and building new relationships. Both The Jewish Pavilion and The Jewish Academy of...
Venturing into the heart of South Africa, Veronica Quinones embarked on a two-week journey of discovery, seeking to unravel the tapestry of culture, cuisine, and most importantly, the people. In a land known for its rich and diverse heritage, the elderly population stands as a testament to wisdom, experience, and invaluable contributions. A Tapestry of Tradition: South African Elderly Culture Respect for Elders: Picture a society where reverence for elders is not just a tradition but a way of life. In South Africa, this respect runs deep....
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces will keep fighting in the Gaza Strip until Hamas’s “significant military and governing capabilities” are eliminated and the 130-plus hostages held captive by the terror group are returned, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday, mere days after announcing a significant reduction in military operations in Gaza. “If the fate of Hamas is not complete dismantlement, we will not be able to live in the State of Israel,” Gallant told members of the Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 naval commando unit...
(JNS) — Marc Tracy’s New York Times article on Jan. 14 refers to “left-wing” Jews and a “left-wing” Jewish publication, and a “far-right” Israeli government and its “extreme-right ministers.” The avian metaphors add up to the culture reporter to implications for human appendages as well. “If I forget you, O’ Jerusalem,” states Psalm 137:5, “let me draw a blank on my right hand.” The Times article headline has a different notion of the Jewish faith than does Jewish scripture. “Is Israel part of what it means to be Jewish?” the article asks, n...
(JNS) — The European Council, which represents the national governments of all 27 European Union member states, agreed on Tuesday to impose sanctions on Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar in response to the Islamist group’s Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel that claimed at least 1,200 lives and wounded thousands. The terrorist leader was already placed under sanctions by the United States and the United Kingdom in 2015 and 2023, respectively. Effective immediately, Sinwar will be “subject to the freezing of his funds and other financial asset...
(JNS) — Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday launched over 50 rockets into southern Israel, according to local authorities. The barrage, one of the largest launched from Gaza in recent weeks, appeared to target the southern city of Netivot, setting off sirens there and other nearby towns. Footage shared to social media showed some two dozen interceptions by the Iron Dome air defense system. The rate of rocket launches from Gaza has dropped significantly amid the Israel Defense Forces’ ongoing ground operation in the Strip. On...
(JNS) — The mutilating of the bodies of Jews, beheading and amputating of their organs were known in the 1948 War of Independence. Ilana Hadani-Danieli recalls the destiny of her brother, Amos Danieli, one of eight soldiers whose bodies were left on the battlefield when Battalion 52 of the Givati Brigade had retreated from the Arabic village of Tel Arish near Holon (April 28, 1948): “Many days passed until the extent of the atrocities were discovered—remains of bodies and severed limbs of five soldiers. Due to the vandalism, they could not b...
(JNS) — This is a tough time for American Jews. Antisemitism has erupted to an unprecedented extent. We thought we were at home in America, but no such luck. A few months ago, following the Oct. 7 massacre, a friend who is a major donor to Jewish, Israeli and American organizations said to me that Jews might have to leave America, just as we have left—willingly or unwillingly—many countries in the past. Another friend told me that he and all of his liberal friends are being forced to rethink what it means to be a liberal Jew in America. At th...
(JNS) —When Biden decided to take the Houthis off the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, under the false flag of a “famine” that (like the Hamas Gaza “famine”) was a propaganda ploy by the Iranian-backed terrorists themselves, he helped pave the way for the current Red Sea crisis. And even now, rather than putting the Houthis back on the FTO list, he’s moving them to the specially designated global terrorist list. Most people don’t know the difference, but it’s a huge one; It’s illegal to fund FTO terrorists. The Biden administration ha...
(JNS) — One of the characteristics of Arabists is that they are incapable of admitting or learning from mistakes. Secretary of Arabism (U.S. Secretary of State) Antony Blinken, continues to be the poster adult for their obliviousness. In the latest example, he channels his equally clueless predecessor, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. For those with short memories, like journalists covering the Middle East, here’s what Kerry said in 2016: I’ve talked to the leaders of the Arab community, there will be no advanced and separate peace...
There are many areas of agreement between Jews and Christians. For example, both emphasize the foundational importance of loving God and loving one’s neighbor, as well as the importance of living by the ethical ideals of the Torah and the Prophets. Both emphasize a final Day of Judgment where we give account for our lives before God. There are many more. Since Oct. 7, there have been obscene and outrageous lies and slander, along with tangible and genocidal threats against Israel and the Jewish people all over the world. One would be f...
(JNS) — Last week, South Africa formally accused Israel before the United Nations’ International Court of Justice of committing “genocide” against the Palestinian people. While it will be years before any final decision is rendered, the court does have the power to issue an injunction against Israel’s war effort and demand a ceasefire. Of course, it has no ability to enforce any such injunction. That would require action from the U.N. Security Council, where the United States would—one hopes and presumes—exercise its veto power over such a r...
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, 9 a.m., 407-647-3...
(JNS) — Israeli forces continued to target terrorists and infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, over the past 24 hours eliminating a Hamas interrogation chief and destroying a launch site used to fire rockets at Netivot. Bilal Nofal, a Hamas operative responsible for interrogating individuals suspected of involvement in espionage activities against the terrorist organization in the southern Gaza Strip, was killed in an airstrike, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Nofal also played a role in advancing Hamas’s research and...
(JNS) - Speakers at a "March for Gaza" in Washington on Jan. 13 promised that Israel would cease to exist and, to the cheers of thousands of attendees, accused U.S. President Joe Biden of supporting genocide against Palestinians. Osama Abuirshaid, executive director of American Muslims for Palestine and the final speaker of the nearly four-hour event, promised that Palestine would be "victorious" and accused Biden of fueling Jew-hatred by supporting Israel. "We're not the antisemitics [sic]...
On a beautiful, chilly January morning, my family and I made our way up the path in Muir Woods National Monuments. As part of a planned family reunion, our children had made early morning reservations. A weak sun shone through the trees, a small creek caught the light, the redwoods soared above us. I was in the woods again - an absolutely pristine national monument that had survived fires and earthquakes to awe us with its beauty. Muir Woods, managed by the National Park Service, is located on...
(JNS) - An extremely rare silver coin dated to the Persian period (6th–5th centuries BCE) was recently discovered during an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in the Judean Hills, providing evidence for the earliest known use of coins in the area. The excavation also exposed a building from the First Temple Period, with even earlier evidence for commerce in the form of a shekel weight. The coin, found intentionally broken, was minted with a square stamp embedded in one face; later, more s...
(JNS) — More than 85 percent of his city has been evacuated as Hezbollah continues to launch rockets across the border from Lebanon, but Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern is, without a doubt, calm, cool and collected. “Hezbollah’s Radwan Force is right here on the fence. You can see it from the town. When I see them start to leave their positions, I understand that something must be happening in a short while and there will probably be a rocket attack,” he said matter-of-factly. “They fire anti-tank missiles at our houses, since it is so clo...
(JNS) - Palestinian laborers from Judea and Samaria should not be allowed to return to work across the Green Line inside Israel's pre-1967 territory, a dozen Likud lawmakers wrote in a letter to Cabinet members made public on Wednesday. "The time has come to say explicitly that no more Palestinian workers will be allowed to enter Israel," read the letter, which received backing from Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli. "Besides our security...
By Andrew Bernard (JNS) — The United States plans to re-designate the Yemen-based Houthi militant group as a terrorist organization following its repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping that have wreaked havoc on international trade, Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, said. That designation of the Iran-backed group will take effect 30 days from the announcement in order to allow for “humanitarian carve-outs” intended to ensure that the sanctions do not harm the Yemeni population, according to Sullivan. The Houthis control 70 perce...
