Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The U.N. has passed yet another anti-Israel resolution denying historical and archaeological evidence proving a long-existing Jewish presence on the Temple Mount. In blatant disregard of history, archaeology and plain common sense, the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted a resolution on Friday that ignores Jewish historical ties to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. With 33 votes in favor, six against, and 17...
By Caleb R. Newton Families from the Druze community of Israel came to the Jewish Academy of Orlando late after Shabbat on April 16, to share their stories of loved ones who died while serving in the Israel Defense Force throughout the past decades in several different conflicts. The families wanted to share their experiences with Central Florida to help build bridges between our communities and to recognize the bridges that are already present. "This...demonstrates the high level of...
When Alex Kahn, son of Valerie and Dr. Bernard (Bernie) Kahn of Maitland, joined Startup Institute Chicago's web development course in fall 2014, he'd already been a technologist at heart and was ready to take this passion to the main stage. With a degree in economics and prior experience in market research, growth-strategy, and IT for his dad's dental practice, Kahn came to Chicago ready to immerse himself in both tech skills and the tech community. A quick study, it wasn't long after...
By Caleb R. Newton The University of Central Florida (UCF) community has been hit a few times recently with anti-Semitic or otherwise racist incidents. The incidents include anti-Semitic vandalism at the end of last year, and, according to police, personal attacks on African-American students. In this light, the Anti-Defamation League, working in concert with the UCF Office of Diversity and Inclusion, hosted on Monday, April 18, a forum called "The Power of Symbols: When Hate Visits Our...
JERUSALEM (JTA)-At least 21 people were injured in a bus bombing in Jerusalem, police said, in the first such attack in Israel in years. A city bus exploded and went up in flames Monday evening, April 18, on a major thoroughfare in the southern end of the capital. The blast set a second bus and a car nearby on fire. Two people were seriously injured in the attack, with seven moderately injured and 12 lightly injured. An explosive device was planted in the rear half of the bus, which was stopped...
Ninety percent of Congress sent a clear message to President Obama—back Israel. House Republicans and Democrats united in urging President Barack Obama to reject any one-sided actions by the United Nations attempting to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that are biased against Israel, a move Obama is reportedly considering. In a letter sent to Obama on Thursday, authored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and signed by 394, including Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, House members warned that one-sided initiatives may come up at the U.N. in the c...
JERUSALEM (JTA)-During the five-plus years of Syria's civil war, Israel has striven to stay neutral-supporting neither the government of President Bashar Assad nor the rebels, and certainly not the Islamic State. But on one issue, senior Israeli politicians have gladly taken sides: Israel keeping the Golan Heights. Facing reports of an international call for Israel to leave the territory as part of a settlement of the Syrian crisis, the Israeli Cabinet met Sunday on the Golan. The unprecedented...
The Holocaust Center in Maitland will host the traveling exhibit "Who Am I? Young Minds Forced to Choose." The exhibit chronicles the life of young Jehovah's Witnesses who faced Nazi terror but who refused to give in to it. Created by the Arnold-Liebster Foundation, the exhibit will be presented from June through August in conjunction with the exhibit "Jehovah's Witnesses: Faith Under Fire." One of the co-creators of the exhibit, Simone Arnold Liebster, whose story of wartime resistance is...
Orlando Hadassah is delighted to pair with Mary Kay Cosmetics to present a “New You.” The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah invites all women to join us for a day of beauty and a buffet lunch on Tuesday, May 3 at 11:30 a.m. at Ohev Shalom. Yvonne Williams, a representative of Mary Kay Cosmetics will present a program, featuring product information for the mature woman, a makeover for a lucky audience member and a goody bag for all attendees. Because skin changes many times as we mature, it is important to know each one’s skin type. Williams will...
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando presents, “How to Create an Informational and Entertaining Family Video Biography” on Tuesday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at The Roth Family JCC in Maitland. Video and documentary producer Walter Schlomann will explain how to produce family video biographies and relate the excitement and satisfaction that come from documenting one’s family history in this way. Mr. Schlomann will share insights on recording family history and stories, covering topics such as research and preparation, conducting the inter...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2016 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando on Aug. 17. “For almost 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Berny Raff. Former recipients have inclu...
Israelis of a certain age have a saying that translates from Hebrew as, “We’ve already seen that movie.” It’s the approximate equivalent of, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” It came to mind after seeing the most recent full-page ad in the New York Times that was sponsored by advocates of a Palestinian state. At the top was photo of Jimmy Carter, Menachem Begin, and Anwar Sadat, next to the headline, “Israel Made Peace With Egypt—and Got Peace.” That was followed by a photo of Bill Clinton, Yitzhak Rabin, and King H...
It is difficult to determine what is most offensive: the Jewish candidate for president condemning Israel’s actions, exaggerating by five times the deaths in Gaza during the military operation in 2014 without anything like an appropriate weighing of chronic attacks on Israel from Gaza; his emissary to Jews describing Gazans’ deaths as “murder”; or UNESCO’s resolution condemning Israel’s violation of Muslim holy places, without any consideration of their central place in Jewish history. We shouldn’t forget the even greater offense to good sense...
Bernie Sanders drew a reported 28,000 people to a rally in Brooklyn. That’s a lot of folks for a 74-year-old man to draw to a speech. But, it doesn’t seem to translate into wins in primaries. Bernie has struck a chord with unhappy Democrats (and Socialists) who feel the odds stacked against them in the present system of politics and big business. And, pretty much they are right. The five biggest financial institutions issue 75 percent of the credit cards in this country as well as most of the car loans and mortgages. So, what to do about it?...
A lie conceals the truth. And ugly but hidden truths never have a chance of being acknowledged, addressed, and ultimately ameliorated. Because of this simple truism, one of the greatest lies of our age—that violence committed in the name of Islam has nothing to do with Islam—has made an intrinsically weak Islam the scourge of the modern world, with no signs of relief on the horizon. One of the latest manifestations of this lie took place in Pakistan. On Easter Sunday, March 27, a suicide bombing took place near the children rides of a pub...
Silly me. When I heard reports throughout Israeli national media about three Palestinian Arab youth missing for nearly two weeks, I was concerned on two parallel levels. First I was concerned that because if Israeli media was reporting the missing youth, there must have been serious concern that something bad had happened to them: Something so bad that it was even relevant to Israelis and noteworthy in our media. It’s rare that Israeli kids go missing as in other western countries making the notion of Amber Alerts quite foreign. We have other c...
ELKINS PARK, Pa. (JTA)—The Conservative movement’s leadership must drop its ban on Conservative rabbis officiating at interfaith weddings—before it’s too late. The Rabbinical Assembly’s unequivocal rule is that a Conservative rabbi may not officiate at an intermarriage. But after 42 years as an active rabbi, during which I abided by that prohibition, I now believe it is no longer in the best interests of Conservative Judaism or the Jewish community. Reality has overtaken us. Sixty percent of Jews who wed marry someone from another faith. Th...
MORNING AND EVENING MINYANS (Call synagogue to confirm time.) 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 I...
JTA invited supporters of the five leading Republican and Democratic contenders for their parties’ presidential nomination to submit opinion pieces in support of their candidate....
(JTA)—I am executive vice president and chief legal officer of The Trump Organization. I have been working with Donald Trump for over 19 years. I am an observant, committed Jew. What comes to my mind when I think of Donald Trump? Inspiration. He inspires people of all kinds to work hard and do their best. He inspires people to dream and fosters an environment where people can advance their dreams. He will not take no for an answer, and he crafts creative solutions to problems. Loyalty. Many of his employees have worked for him for 20 to 30 y...
NEW YORK (JTA)—On April 19, in the New York Democratic primary, I voted for Bernie Sanders. I’ve got three good reasons for doing so. Sanders is incomparably better on fighting for social equality. He’s more pro-Israel than Clinton. And he’s more electable. Since the late 1960s, the distances among the rich, middle class and poor have grown wider. The power of the small economic elite has also surged. And the growing gap has concentrated alarming levels of political influence and social isolation in the hands of the very few. Senator Sanders...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Today, Israel is surrounded by more turmoil than ever, and the world also presents great challenges to the United States. Iran is developing missile technology that can reach Israel, and providing ever-more-sophisticated rockets to Hezbollah and Hamas. Russia is making aggressive military movement from Ukraine to Syria. China is claiming new territory and seeking to militarize the South China Sea. At such a perilous time for the Jewish state and for the U.S., supporters of Israel in the Democratic Party—both Jews and non...
SILVER SPRING, Md. (JTA)—I want to tell you about the person I have worked with closely for the past two years. Sen. Ted Cruz is not just my boss, but has become my mentor and my friend. There is no greater friend of the Jewish people and of Israel. We started together in the summer of 2014, a very bitter and difficult summer, with a war raging between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Early that summer three innocent Israeli teenagers were kidnapped in the West Bank. Senator Cruz took to the Senate floor and spoke passionately about the boys in order...
COLUMBUS, Ohio (JTA)—There are many opinions as to what criteria should be used in deciding who gets my fellow Republicans’ vote as their nominee for president of the United States. But I think the only valid question should be this one: Which candidate can actually beat Hillary Clinton in November? Do Republicans really want to be sitting here next year asking ourselves how we could have nominated someone who all the polls show was trailing the Democratic candidates by double digits? This is all the more painful for those of us who recognize t...
Through the generous grants and donations from its many supporters, Jewish Family Services Orlando has recently expanded its Counseling, Growth and Development Program and is building on its foundation of licensed professional counselors. The team of five therapists, overseen by JFS Orlando's Clinical Therapist Supervisor Teresa Brown, MSW, LCSW, provide couples, family, children/teen and group mental health counseling. JFS Orlando also has increased the number of insurance panels it can...
