Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Last November, circumstance connected the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Orlando and Central Florida Hillel. On Feb. 9, 2024, that connection was solidified in the traditional Jewish manner — over Shabbat dinner. The connection was, in fact, prompted by shared outrage. In November, local U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost, to the surprise and dismay of the local Jewish community, voted against a congressional resolution condemning the rise of antisemitism on college campuses in t...
This March, Marilyn Shapiro will be celebrating a milestone in her writing career: the tenth anniversary of her blog, There Goes My Heart. Wait! You don't know she has a blog? And if you knew, you have never typed www.theregoesmyheart.me into your browser? Well, you don't know what you have been missing! In 2014, with only about 10 stories published in the Capital Region, New York's The Jewish World, Shapiro decided that she needed a blog as another way to share her stories and to appease her...
When Arnold Bierman first saw his future bride, he noted that she was "cute, short and possibly Jewish." Susan Reva Cohen Bierman was definitely cute and short and very Jewish. And although she was short in stature, she was a giant powerhouse in the Jewish community. It was with great sadness, her family announced that Susan, beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and known to this community as Susie, passed away peacefully on Feb. 15, 2024, at the age of 84. A granddaughter of...
The attitude about antisemitic groups in Central Florida used to be “if you ignore them, they will go away.” Not anymore. Now people hold to “if you see something, say something.” On Saturday, Feb. 17, a group of neo-Nazi demonstrators stood on the corner of Lee Road and Orlando Avenue waving a Nazi flag and a Confederate Flag, while holding signs that read “Jews love genocide,” “The ADL protects pedophiles” and “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” The protesters drew the attention of Sen. Rick Scott,...
Joe Buchanan, a convert to Judaism inspired by the traditions of Americana music and his faith, will be Artist in Residence on March 1 and 2 at Congregation Ohev Shalom. It was just after a harrowing 2011 visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., that Buchanan listened with astonishment as his wife of 13 years, April, revealed something she hadn't yet told him: she was born Jewish because her mother was Jewish. He knew she had been raised in Texas by a Christian father and a...
The St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society will host Dr. Isaac Amon, director of Academic Research at Jewish Heritage Alliance, at its meeting Feb. 29 to begin at 2 p.m. The one-hour presentation in which Dr. Amon describes "An Extraordinary Odyssey: The 3,000 Year Story of Sefarad," will take place at the Main Library, 1960 North Ponce De Leon Boulevard in St. The Jewish Heritage Alliance is an educational organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Sefarad, Jews of the...
(JTA) — Was the first antisemitism-themed ad to air at the Super Bowl tactful or tasteless? How much did it have to do with Israel? And what is “Jewish hate,” anyway? Those are some of the questions that have arisen after the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, the group founded in 2019 by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, placed a 30-second ad during the game titled “Silence” that featured Clarence B. Jones, the longtime advisor and speechwriter for Martin Luther King Jr. (The organization also replayed a different ad it produced...
(JNS) — The National Library of Israel has embarked on a massive project to collect and archive all published materials about the Oct. 7 massacre, both the good and the bad. While scholars and the curious public explore the new library building in Jerusalem and its Israel, Judaica, Humanities, Islam and Gershom Scholem collections, Chaim Neria is quietly gathering more recent—and sometimes painful—printed and digital items associated with the murder by Hamas of some 1,200 people. “The significance of this project to Israel and the Jewish...
(JNS) — During his call on Sunday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the U.S. administration’s move to sanction four residents of Judea and Samaria over purported “settler violence,” Axios reported. Netanyahu’s protest signaled his belief that the sanctions, allowing the imposition of penalties on Israeli officials directly or indirectly involved in vaguely defined “settler violence,” could have implications for the entire country, including the political and defense establishment...
(FLAME via JNS)— Refugee crises have afflicted millions of innocent war victims in the last century, but only one has stretched for a record-breaking seven decades — a problem precipitated and perpetuated by Israel’s Arab enemies, including Palestinian Arabs themselves. In 1948, following Israel’s declaration of independence, five Arab nations launched a genocidal war to destroy the nascent Jewish state and annihilate its Jewish population. Despite overwhelming odds, Israel managed to repel the Arab invasion and preserve its indepen...
(JNS) — The media defies satire. “Palestinians in Rafah Describe ‘Night Full of Horror’ During Israeli Hostage Rescue”—New York Times “Dozens reported dead in Rafah strikes as Israel rescues two hostages”—Washington Post “Israeli military says it’s rescued 2 hostages during Rafah raid; Palestinian officials say dozens of Palestinians killed”—CBS News “Israel frees two hostages in Rafah under cover of air strikes, Gaza health officials say 67 killed”—Reuters How bizarre is this coverage? Here’s what normal coverage of a hostage rescue look...
(JNS) — I once heard a story about two Jews back in Russia who got into a terrible argument. Their blood pressure was rising fast. One fellow got so incensed that he shouted, “I am so angry at what you’ve done to me that I… uh… I uh… I know: I won’t go to your funeral!” Whereupon the other guy very calmly replied: “I don’t take revenge. I will go to your funeral.” While other cultures sanction and may even encourage revenge, in Judaism revenge is explicitly forbidden (Leviticus 19:18). Some Muslim countries still practice amputation as a punis...
(JNS) — It is time that the Jewish establishment infrastructure worldwide—and Israel’s government, in particular—recognizes that at this time, the “pro-Palestine resistance” campaign we now witness seeks to terrorize Jews. It is not the “normal” type of antisemitism that we have studied, polled and prepared for. It is the extension of the war of extermination against Israel by eradicating the support of the Jews, and their allies, for the State of Israel. In a recent tweet I saw, Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll expressed her understanding o...
(JNS) — Nick Ut, a Vietnamese American photographer, snapped the Pulitzer Prize-winning picture on June 8, 1972 of nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc, burned by napalm, running naked down a road. She has been known throughout her life as “the girl in the picture.” That war correspondent’s poignant image both captured the brutality of the Vietnam War and greatly influenced American attitudes. A Feb. 8 article in The Wall Street Journal describes the accomplished Sheryl Sandberg “… and Her Mission to Make Sure Oct. 7 Horrors Aren’t Forgotten.” T...
(JNS) — Staffan Tillander, a retired Swedish diplomat, wrote an assessment of terrorist-stronghold territories published by the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune. XX is only estimated to have perhaps 4 to 5000 fighters, but it thrives on rifts and conflicts in society … threatening (the people) into obedience and forcing them to supply the group with support and people. It extorts “taxes” from businesses and individuals and kidnaps children and forces them to become fighters. As long as XX controls land in YY, peace and development will remain...
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 in Gaza recently found a secret document written by a senior Hamas official detailing the terrorist group’s psychological warfare strategy against the Israeli public, Channel 12 reported on Monday. Furthermore, the document was discovered at a site visited by Hamas’s senior leader in the Strip, Yahya Sinwar, according to the report. However, it was unclear whether the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre had penned the paper. The document orders that photos and videos of the Israeli hostages continue to be published “due...
(JTA) - Jewish billionaire businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein has reportedly agreed to purchase the MLB's Baltimore Orioles. Rubenstein, a Baltimore native who is best known as the co-founder of the private equity firm The Carlyle Group, is leading a new ownership cohort that includes Jewish former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Orioles Hall of Fame player Cal Ripken Jr. Rubenstein's group will initially purchase a 40% stake in the franchise, taking over from the Angelos...
Last month, Natalie Sopinsky, spokesperson for Hatzalah Y'osh, Rescuers Without Borders, spoke at The Roth Family JCC as well as at Fellowship Church in Winter Springs. It was clear to all that she really didn't want to be away from Israel. This attitude seems to be that of most Israelis. When there is danger brewing, Israelis run to the source of the danger while so many others run away from it. Sopinsky came on the insistence of the Hatzalah director who said she needed to tell Americans what...
(JNS) - "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David is ending a decade-long gig as a "social assassin," making audiences howl with laughter and squirm with embarrassment at the outlandish predicaments he created for the fictionalized version of himself in 11 seasons of the show "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The 12th and reportedly final season debuted on HBO and the streaming platform Max on Sunday. Nine more episodes will run weekly, concluding with the series finale on April 7. The pop-culture site Vulture...
(JNS) — A controversial “Muslim civil-rights and advocacy” organization experienced a major blow to its reputation last week after the Florida House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution to denounce the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The rest of the county should follow suit and permanently blacklist this Hamas-linked Islamist group. Introduced by State Rep. Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay), House Resolution 1209 encourages all state and local government agencies in Florida to “suspend contact and outreach activit...
Transfer Pants are high quality unisex pants designed to move disabled persons safely, easily and comfortably. They have patented handles sewn into the pants and the liner to prevent falls and injuries to mobility challenged individuals. They have been specifically designed with caregivers in mind and have handles on the front, side and back, front zippers, pockets, etc. They are machine washable and durable. Transfer Pants were created by Dr. Rennie O’Brien, a chiropractor in San Francisco who was transferring his 91-year-old mother from a w...
(JNS) - The Israeli Defense Ministry has approved the purchase of more than 200 armored vehicles for civilian security squads in parts of the country facing increased security risk, including Judea and Samaria, the Gaza envelope and the Lebanon border. The purchase is estimated to be worth around 150 million shekels ($41 million), the ministry announced on Tuesday. The project is "intended to strengthen the resilience of the localities and the standby units" and provide a "quick response during...
(JNS) — France banned 28 Israelis from entering the European country, accusing them of attacking Arabs in Judea and Samaria, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.‘ One day earlier, the U.K. announced similar measures. The statement did not name the 28 individuals who allegedly carried out acts of violence against Palestinians but urged Israeli authorities to “put an end to it and prosecute its perpetrators. “These measures come at a time when violence perpetrated by settlers against the Palestinian population has been increasing in recent...
(JNS) - The western German city of Aachen, which has awarded an annual Charlemagne Prize for nearly 75 years, has recognized Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt and European Jewry with the 2024 prize, named for the medieval Frankish king. "With this accolade, the Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors wishes to broadcast the message that Jewish life is a natural part of Europe, and that there is no place for antisemitism in Europe," the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen stated. "Jewish life is an...
