Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles from the February 2, 2024 edition


Sorted by date  Results 26 - 39 of 39

Page Up

  • 'Fauda' star Idan Amedi recounts Gaza blast

    Feb 2, 2024

    By Sveta Listratov (JNS) - Israeli actor-singer-songwriter Idan Amedi, best known for starring in the hit Netflix show "Fauda," recounted to reporters on Thursday his experience fighting in Gaza and the blast that had him hospitalized for over two weeks. "We are dealing with an enemy that doesn't care about anything. This is a just war and the enemy we are facing is beyond Hamas, we have found weapons in schools, assorted institutions and private homes. The world needs to know that," said...

  • Hamas is weakening, but the campaign against it will be lengthy

    Yaakov Lappin|Feb 2, 2024

    (JNS) — While the Israel Defense Forces is gaining ground against Hamas by the day, destroying it as a military force will take time, according to former IDF officers. Professor Gabi Siboni, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and who holds the rank of colonel (res.), told JNS that the Israeli campaign will be “very long.” In Gaza, Hamas has built up the most fortified terror base in the world, he said, both above and below ground. With so many homes in Gaza containing weapons and being linked to under...

  • A prepared letter from a soldier killed in action

    Ilya Egorov|Feb 2, 2024

    (Israel Hayom via JNS) - Among the 21 soldiers who died in the building collapse in Maghazi, the central Gaza Strip, was Master Sgt. (res.) Elkana Vizel, 35, a resident of Bnei Dekalim in southern Israel. Vizel, married to Galit and a father of four, worked as a teacher at the Naom School in Bnei Dekalim, where his wife also works. On Tuesday, just hours after he was killed, it emerged that he had prepared a letter ahead of time for the event of his being killed in action. "If you are reading...

  • Gaza children protest against Hamas

    Pesach Benson|Feb 2, 2024

    (JNS) - Dozens of Palestinian children in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah held a rare protest against Hamas on Wednesday, calling on the terrorist organization to release Israeli hostages and end the war so they can return to their homes. Outside Deir al-Balah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the children held white pieces of paper reading, "Yes to giving back the prisoners" and expressing wishes to return to homes in Jabalia and Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. "Will these cries and d...

  • The IDF's systematic approach to dismantling Hamas

    Yaakov Lappin|Feb 2, 2024

    (JNS) — On the eve of the war, Hamas possessed an estimated 30,000 armed terrorists, divided into five territorial brigades and 24 battalions across the Gaza Strip. It had a sprawling weapons production industry, much of it underground, and distributed the weapons through hundreds of miles of tunnels. It had an estimated rocket arsenal of some 15,000 projectiles, and death squads on the border preparing to conduct the worst mass murder of Jews since the Second World War. More than 100 days into the fighting, the Hamas war machine has sustained...

  • Obituary - THELMA SLAIMAN ALEXANDER

    Feb 2, 2024

    Mrs. Thelma Slaiman Alexander, 91, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at her home in Lake Mary with loved ones by her side. Thelma was born Jan. 10, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York to the late Abraham and Beatrice (Mandel) Lehrman. Thelma was a graduate of Brooklyn College, Class of 1954 where she earned her bachelor's degree in education. She moved to Altamonte Springs in 1972 with her husband, Herbert Slaiman z"l and her children. She was a teacher at The Hebrew Day School in its...

  • Obituary - KENNETH (KEN) SERULNECK

    Feb 2, 2024

    Mr. Kenneth (Ken) Serulneck, 87, formerly of Orlando, Florida passed away Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, at his Boca Raton home following a brief illness. Mr. Serulneck was born Dec. 15, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York to the late Abraham & Pauline (Glassman) Serulneck. Mr. Serulneck retired as the owner and operator of an insurance agency. He is predeceased by his brother Harry and sister Gladys both of blessed memory. Mr. Serulneck is survived by his loving children; sons, Robert (Barbara) Serulneck, Michael (Emi) Serulneck of Evergreen, Colorado, Marc...

  • Smotrich: Qatar 'largely responsible' for Oct. 7 massacre

    Joshua Marks|Feb 2, 2024

    (JNS) — Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich fired back at Qatar for supporting Hamas terrorism after the Arab Gulf state attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for alleged remarks about Doha’s role as a mediator in hostage talks. “Qatar is a country that supports terrorism and finances terrorism. It is the patron of Hamas and is largely responsible for the massacre committed by Hamas of Israeli citizens,” the Religious Zionism Party leader tweeted in response to an earlier tweet from Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs o...

  • 'Barbenheimer,' 'Maestro' and 'The Zone of Interest' lead large crop of Jewish-inspired Oscar nominations

    Andrew Lapin|Feb 2, 2024

    (JTA) – The year’s biggest movie phenomenon was a one-two punch of blockbusters with Jewish roots — and they both came up big at Tuesday’s Oscar nominations. “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the Jewish “father of the atomic bomb,” led the year’s nominations with 13, including best picture and director, and is favored by many prognosticators to win the big prize. The film’s rendition of J. Robert Oppenheimer covers a fair amount of Jewish ground, including his personal animus toward the Nazis; his recruitment of expelled European...

  • Weekly roundup of world briefs

    Feb 2, 2024

    Accused killer of Samantha Woll charged with first-degree murder (JNS) — Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, faces multiple charges for allegedly stabbing to death Detroit Jewish leader Samantha Woll on Oct. 21. In a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Kenneth King set an arraignment date for Jan. 30 and added an additional charge of first-degree premeditated murder. Prosecutors had already charged Jackson-Bolanos with murder, home invasion and lying to police. Woll had served as president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and worked on multiple p...

  • Picture book about family that celebrates Rosh Hashanah and Lunar New Year nabs book award

    Penny Schwartz|Feb 2, 2024

    (JTA) — A lavishly illustrated children’s book about a Chinese Jewish family who celebrate both Rosh Hashanah and Lunar New Year is among the top winners of this year’s Sydney Taylor Book Awards for Jewish children’s books. Meanwhile, the publisher of the imprint behind the popular Sammy Spider Jewish holiday books won an award for her lifetime of contributions to Jewish children’s literature. Both prizes were revealed Monday as part of the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. Michelle Margolis, president of the Association...

  • Hamas denies it slaughtered civilians on Oct. 7

    David Isaac|Feb 2, 2024

    (JNS) — Hamas on Sunday released a statement denying its members committed atrocities on Oct. 7. The denial is a complete reversal for the terrorist group and a total disavowal of its own footage, after it supplied GoPro cameras to its operatives so that they could capture for posterity their horrific deeds on that day. “Avoiding harm to civilians, especially children, women and elderly people, is a religious and moral commitment by all the Al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters,” Hamas stated in the 16-page document, claiming it only targeted Israeli...

  • 15 Jewish House Democrats blast Netanyahu for rejecting two-state solution

    Ron Kampeas|Feb 2, 2024

    WASHINGTON (JTA) — Fifteen Jewish Democrats, including some pro-Israel stalwarts, slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he rejected the idea of creating an independent Palestinian state after the Israel-Hamas war. “We strongly disagree with the prime minister,” said the brief statement released Friday morning by the office of Rep. Jerry Nadler, the New York representative who is the unofficial dean of Jewish House Democrats. “A two-state solution is the path forward.” The statement — which comes amid rising calls from some Jew...

  • UNRWA staff took part in Be'eri massacre, kidnapping

    Joshua Marks|Feb 2, 2024

    (JNS) — Israeli intelligence material handed to the United States reveals the extent of United Nations Relief and Works Agency staff participation in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. The New York Times on Sunday published details regarding the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees in the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel—10 Hamas operatives and one affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Wall Street Journal also reviewed the dossier, publishing additional findings from the Israeli intelligence reports on Monday, including that aro...