Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 39
Jewish National Fund's Women For Israel recently sponsored an event featuring a presentation about the "Special In Uniform" program on Feb. 6 at the Vue at Lake Lily in Maitland. Founded in 2014, Special In Uniform is an Israeli Defense Force program that incorporates young adults with special needs to work in the Israeli military. In Israel, citizens are required to join the Israeli military. Similar to attending a university before starting adult life in other countries, serving in the...
Shalom Orlando received a grant for $17,400 at the Orange County ACT Awards. Shalom Orlando was one of five new recipients this year. The money will be used for cultural arts programming in the upcoming year. Shown here are (l-r) Ashley Samuels, Jason Venning, Rachel Greenspan, Samantha Taylor, and Stan Rubins....
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - Negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and of hostage deal began in Washington with a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. As stipulated in the initial agreement, talks on the second phase were set to begin on the 16th day of the deal and it now appears that this is about far more than just another stage in a temporary agreement. Israel seems to be on the path to...
At the recent Jewish Chamber Breakfast on Feb. 6, a brief news clip was shown highlighting the opportunities available to Jewish business owners, including newly available minority grants. The news clip explained that the U.S. Department of Commerce has now officially recognized Jewish-owned businesses as minority business enterprises. This designation will enable Jewish entrepreneurs access to federal programs, contracts, loans and grants that previously were not available to them. In the past, Jewish businesses were not eligible for minority...
IDF unveils portable Torah scrolls for field conditions (JNS) - Israel's Military Rabbinate this week unveiled a portable Holy Ark containing a Torah scroll that army rabbis designed to be worn like a backpack and which 0can be converted into a small podium, or bimah, for reading scripture. The rabbinate developed the gadget for use in field and combat conditions in connection with the outbreak of war on Oct. 7, 2023, the news site Srugim reported on Sunday. "When it comes to transporting a...
On the morning of Feb. 6, the Jewish Chamber of Commerce hosted a free breakfast at One Senior Place. The event, led by Board President Harrison Shames, who also serves as the executive director of the Jewish National Fund, celebrated the holiday of Tu B'Shevat, a time for reflection on nature and growth. Guests were treated to a delicious breakfast prepared by Chris Shepherd, manager of One Senior Place. The spread included fresh fruit, bagels with cream cheese, muffins, and yogurt. A special...
Raise Your Glass 2025 will take place on Sunday, April 6 from 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz of Orlando located at 810 N. Orlando Ave., Maitland. This annually occurring event raises money in a unique way to help fight all those touched by cancer. Jason Mendelsohn said he was thrilled that Advent Health is once again their presenting sponsor. “Their cancer care is saving lives and truly impacting families,” Mendelsohn said. Purchase tickets and place names on the Mercedes-Benz car wrap to honor those touched by any type of cancer by going...
Sunday, Feb. 16 — Film Screening of “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days,” 2 p.m. at the Winter Park Library, 1052 West Morse Blvd. The film is a dramatization of the last six days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German WWII anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose. RSVP at hmrec.org. Thursday, Feb. 20 — Orlando Shakes! presents “Cabaret” at 6:30 p.m. The performance is an exclusive fundraising performance benefiting the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida. Tickets include a pre-show reception w...
Five women, Debby Gendzier, Laurie Shader Smith, Danielle Krise, Michele Fischer and Aliza Nabatian, will be honored at Shalom Orlando’s Choices 2025. This year, Barbara Weinreich will be presented with a special Lifetime of Service Award in recognized of her extraordinary contributions and unwavering dedication to the Jewish community. The annual event will be held at Congregation Ohev Shalom, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by dinner, catered by Crafted Gourmet, and the program at 7 p.m. Register by Feb...
(JTA) — Reactions from partisan American Jewish groups to President Donald Trump’s proposals for Gaza — that “all” Palestinians leave and the United States “take over” the territory — began flowing in just as soon as their leaders picked their jaws up off the floor on Tuesday night. The proposals — the latter of which was reportedly secret to even many in the Trump administration before the president aired it at a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — elicited sharp revulsion from liberal Jewish grou...
(JNS) — U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that a better life is not necessarily tied to a given piece of land. In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff emphasized that peace means improving financial conditions and opportunities. “Peace in the region means a better life for the Palestinians. A better life is not necessarily tied to the physical space that you are in today,” he said. “A better life is about better opportunity, better financial condition...
(JNS) — Over the past month, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) agents, working alongside the Israel Defense Forces, have thwarted 90 major terrorist attacks, including 75 in Samaria, as security sources warn that Iran is fueling violence in Judea and Samaria. A security official identified Tehran as a central force escalating tensions by supplying weapons and financial aid to terrorist networks, significantly increasing the security threat, Channel 12 News reported on Wednesday. The IDF and Shin Bet have expanded “Operation Iron Wall,” now i...
(JNS) — Several American Jewish groups congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance on his inauguration on Monday and stated that they look forward to working with him on a variety of issues, including fighting Jew-hatred. B’nai B’rith International cited collaborating on “combating antisemitism, safeguarding Jewish communities, ensuring Israel’s security, strengthening the vital U.S.-Israel alliance and other key policy priorities.” The American Jewish Committee mentioned working together “to strengthen Is...
In the past days, I have received a flurry of inquiries asking my thoughts regarding President Trump’s recent statements on Gaza, Israel, and Iran, each asking for my insight: friends, donors to Genesis 123, and journalists. So, what do I think of Trump’s statements and actions on the Middle East? My thoughts reflect that of many Israelis, ranging the gamut from foolish, dangerous, and impossible, to brilliant, bold, and about time. In the Middle East, nuance is like salt, needed to make most things taste a little better. Another dif...
(JNS) — In late February 1945, among the first reports on the horrors of Auschwitz was one by a Polish officer, Lt. Wacław Lipiński, who wrote in the Polpress Bulletin, “Those who have survived don’t look like human beings, they are mere shadows.” Decades later, those words find a chilling echo in the images of three Israeli hostages — Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy — freed on Feb. 8 from Hamas captivity. Emaciated, pale and visibly broken, they emerged as specters of their former selves as they were forced onto a stage in Deir al-Balah...
(JNS) — I have a confession. I know—I’m not Catholic, and you’re not priests, but I’ll share it with you anyway. Each year, when we come to last week’s Torah reading of Beshalach, I am guilty of passing judgment on the people of Moses’s generation. And over the years, many congregants have asked me the same question. They were eyewitnesses to the greatest biblical miracles of all time. They saw the 10 plagues strike Egypt and completely spare the Israelites. They experienced the Exodus from Egypt, a superpower where not a single slave had eve...
(JNS) — Say what you will about former President Joe Biden’s policies, but he was the most knowledgeable U.S. president on the Middle East. Donald Trump, on the other hand, may be among the least informed. Ironically, he is now proposing the one move Biden should have made after the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023—relocating Gaza’s civilians to Egypt and Jordan—that could have saved thousands of Palestinian lives and averted the humanitarian issues. The problem? Trump’s plan is too late, and if implemented...
(JNS) — On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas and other jihadist organizations (what I refer to as “Hamas-plus”) initiated a war against Israel. Shortly thereafter, Israel declared that its military would promptly retrieve the hostages and eradicate those responsible. These goals were not achievable because the actions of Hamas and others were based on a belief system that only the followers of their radical branch of the Muslim religion are entitled to live on this planet. Recent polls indicate that 60 percent of the citizens of Gaza support jihad...
(JNS) — Big if true, as they say. “The Trump administration is considering three potential areas for the absorption of refugee Gazans after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. plans to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate those currently there to rebuild the area, N12 reported on Wednesday. “According to the report, the areas being considered are Morocco, Puntland, and Somaliland. “The report noted that what these three countries share in common is a strong need for U.S. support, as Somaliland and Puntland seek international recogni...
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 Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare a plan to facilitate the voluntary departure of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The statement comes in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal this week that Gaza’s population be relocated to Egypt, Jordan and additional countries. “The plan will include exit options at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air,” said Katz. “I welcome U.S. President Donald Trump’s bold plan. The res...
(JTA) - JERUSALEM - In the haredi Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Geula, a newly renamed pizzeria advertised a special just for Monday: Customers who bought two slices would get a free order of fries. The timing wasn't random. The shop's new name is Pizza Trump, and the special was pegged to the inauguration of its namesake, who returned to the U.S. presidency on the day the deal was offered. The restaurant's slogan: "Make pizza great again." Did the shtick bring in more customers? "Maybe," s...
(JNS) — “I refuse to think about the Palestinian terrorist prisoner release,” said O. as she lifted weights at the Karnei Shomron gym. “It’s more stress than I can handle. I don’t carry a gun, my husband does. But I refuse to let these terrorists change my routine in any way. They don’t get to win!” While it was business as usual for O., other area residents are more concerned. Some are even distraught. According to the Israeli Justice Ministry, Jerusalem will release 1,904 Palestinian terrorists in the first stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire...
(JNS) — It will take at least a decade to rebuild Gaza, Mike Waltz, the U.S. national security adviser, told reporters on Feb. 4, per the White House pool report. Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Jordan and Egypt to accept Palestinian to “clean out” Gaza—a move that both countries have rejected—Waltz told reporters that “President Trump is looking at this from a humanitarian standpoint.” “You have these people that are sitting with literally thousands of unexploded ordinance and piles of rubble,” he said. “At some point, we...
