Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Jerusalem, Israel - "Unprecedented." "Monumental." "Timely." "Powerful." These are just some of the words describing the upcoming Global Prayer for Israel, bringing thousands of Jews and Christians together from all over the world to pray for Israel. With Israel at war, and Christians standing with Israel and the Jewish people at levels that are unprecedented in history, Christians are experiencing the hate and persecution toward Israel and the Jewish people that's more than vicarious, but...
(JNS) - The Biden administration is considering a plan to allow some Gaza residents to resettle in the United States, CBS News reported on Tuesday, citing internal federal government documents. According to the documents, senior officials from various U.S. federal agencies have discussed options for bringing Gazans to the country who have immediate family members who are either American citizens or permanent residents. One option under discussion is the United States Refugee Admissions Program,...
The Jewish National Fund-USA’s Hub and Resource Guide gives a list of organizations fighting anti-Jewish hate on college campuses. The link is https://www.jnf.org/our-work/education-and-advocacy/college-campus-resources. JNF Reporting Tool Kit The site also offers an antisemitism reporting tool kit where you can report any incident of antisemitism straight to your college campus administrator. Local College Chapters JNF also suggests joining your local college chapters to help make a difference: AEPI Students Supporting Israel Israel on C...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In his first address about the pro-Palestinian protests rocking campuses nationwide, President Joe Biden said “order must prevail” but rejected proposals to bring in federal troops. “Dissent must never lead to disorder, or to denying the rights of others so students can finish the semester and their college education,” Biden said Thursday in the four-minute speech. “It’s basically a matter of fairness. It’s a matter of what’s right. There’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos.” Biden did not announce conc...
Within our community, the Jewish Pavilion and Orlando Senior Help Desk stand as vital pillars of support and assistance for seniors and their families. Together, they offer a wealth of resources and services tailored to meet the diverse needs of elderly individuals, ensuring they receive the care and companionship they deserve. The Jewish Pavilion is dedicated to enriching the lives of seniors in senior living communities and nursing homes through volunteer-led programs and activities. From friendly visits and holiday celebrations to cultural...
A native of Maitland, Florida, Jackie Ossin Hirsch founded Crowne Atlantic Business Brokers in 2004 after selling companies locally since 1998. Her brother Lee has been her business partner for 20 years. "We typically sell companies with EBIT of $1,000,000+ in Florida, Alabama, and the Carolinas," Hirsch explained. In the past weeks, Crowne Atlantic Business Brokers received two prestigious awards. Crowne Atlantic was honored by the Business Brokers of Florida as one of the Top 50 Business...
Express yourself, May 15 The Holocaust Center will present “Expression Through Art” on Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m. Here is an opportunity to embark on a journey of self-discovery through art. Bring personal photos and keepsakes to the Center and facilitators Kelsey and Maddie will help transform your works of art into a “canvas of memories and meaningful connections. Whether you are seeking healing, self-discovery, or an outlet for expression, this session offers a nurturing space to explore and connect with others on a deeper level. Masks a...
(JNS) — Saudi Arabia has decided to normalize relations with Israel and is debating the timing of the announcement, a foreign diplomat familiar with the details told Haaretz on Monday. According to the source cited in the article by the daily’s diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Lis, Riyadh is discussing whether to make the move in the coming weeks or after the U.S. presidential election this November, in which either Democrat Joe Biden will continue to lead the country or his challenger Republican Donald Trump will return to the White Hou...
A new Israeli relocation company, Belong, is offering free concierge support services to 500 Jewish students at Columbia University and at other campuses nationwide embattled by anti-Israel protests and growing antisemitism and violence to help them study in Israel instead. Belong, which opened its doors last month, provides a range of concierge relocation services to immigrants to Israel and to those seeking temporary Israel experiences including study abroad and post-graduate degrees. Belong’s services generally range from free online r...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A group of fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina are being celebrated for safeguarding a giant American flag from an anti-Israel mob intent on raising the PLO colors. A GoFundMe page launched for the Pi Kappa Phi students has raised over $485,000 from more than 14,800 donations as of 8:30 p.m. on May 2. The fund aims to “throw this frat the party they deserve” for their stand at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus this week, according to the fundraising site. “Extremists across the country have invaded college...
(JNS) — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) shared his “disgust” over antisemitic protests on campuses during a meeting with pro-Israel and Jewish students at George Washington University’s Hillel on Wednesday. The senator’s daughter attended the school, located just blocks from the White House and U.S. State Department. “What I am seeing on that campus today is something I never could have imagined,” he said. “Our Jewish students deserve to have a place where they can live and learn without fearing for their safety—starting with university leader...
Antisemitism is on the rise across America and all over the world. What are Orlando Jews feeling and what can we do about it in these tumultuous times? I’ve realized since Oct. 7, with the massacre in Israel and the terrible war raging in the Middle East, I’ve been living with terrible feelings of disbelief, anger, frustration, depression and angst. These emotions are all related in a vicious cycle. First disbelief. It’s difficult to conceive of the level of evil perpetrated by Hamas on Oct 7 and painful to witness the death of civilians in Ga...
(JNS) — U.S. President Joe Biden’s approach to Israel since the start of the Oct. 7 war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has my head spinning. His approach has been marked by a delicate balancing act that attempts to support a key ally on one hand while addressing humanitarian concerns faced by Gazan civilians on the other. However, this balancing act—some might call it “nuanced”—has led to contradictions that impact the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Remember that it began after a horde of Hamas terrorists invaded Israeli communities along the G...
As I sat down to write this opinion, I realized that there are four things really bugging me. Number one. I have not read one single article that puts the blame on Hamas for the inhumane conditions in Gaza — food and water shortages, destroyed homes with refugees everywhere, etc. Hamas was elected by the people in Gaza to be their governing body. All the money sent to Gaza since 2007 has not been used to build a prosperous area that, I’m told, could have been like Dubai or Singapore. Hamas used the money to build tunnels and stockpile wea...
(JNS) — Back in December, the eminent historian Niall Ferguson wrote an essay in The Free Press that, it’s now apparent, presaged the tidal wave of demonstrations now inundating college campuses around the country. It was called “The Treason of the Intellectuals,” which also was the title of a 1927 publication by French philosopher Julien Benda. Ferguson noted that while that piece was written six years before Hitler came to power, German universities—then the world’s best—already were transitioning from scholarship to “the intellectual or...
Dear Editor: I am appalled that someone has not taken up an organized move to get George Soros out of this country. I am aware he has been thrown out of six countries already for doing exactly what he is doing now, destroying the economy, destroying civil rights, and attempting to destroy religion. He needs to go. Also, Blinken works for him and the Blinken family has worked for Soros for years and this is a conflict of interest. I can only assume people are afraid of what will happen to them. — Anonymous...
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...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel’s war cabinet unanimously voted to approve an invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, shortly after Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire deal with Israel. The announcements were two landmarks in a whirlwind — and confusing — day of diplomacy and warfare following months of speculation and negotiations. As of Monday night Israel time, both the fighting and diplomacy were ongoing. Israeli officials said the proposal Hamas accepted was different from the one Israel had agreed to. In its statement, the war cabinet said th...
(JNS) - "It all started after I joined the fight on Oct. 7 against Hamas terrorists invading the Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip," says Nimrod Palmach, CEO of Israel-is, which partners with producer Stephen D. Smith in the virtual reality "Be the Witness" initiative. Israel-is is an NGO dedicated to improving Israel's image. Part of the "Survived to Tell" project, "Be the Witness" features the stories of five survivors of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre. Participants in the project wear...
(JNS) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli leaders as part of his Middle East tour to Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, his seventh trip to the Jewish state since the current Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7. Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, where they "discussed ongoing efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal and emphasized that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire...
Craig and Nancy Ludin of Maitland, Florida are delighted to announce the engagement of their son, Daniel Ludin, to Michelle Plavnik, daughter of Eugene and Lilia Plavnik of Atlanta. Daniel is a graduate of the University of Florida – Business and Georgia Tech- Masters in Business Administration. Michelle is a graduate of Emory University- Chemistry and Georgia State- Masters in Chemistry. Daniel is a business consultant with Morgan Franklin focused on project management for IT & Tech and Michell...
(JNS) — Israeli security forces arrested a Palestinian suspect in the April 12 terrorist murder of 14-year-old shepherd Binyamin Achimeir following an overnight raid in the Binyamin region of Samaria. “Overnight, in a joint operation of the Shin Bet, the Israel Police and the IDF, Ahmed Duabsha, 21 years old, a resident of the village of Duma in the Binyamin Brigade [area of deployment], was arrested by the soldiers of the Yamam [Border Police National Counter-Terrorism Unit] and the Shin Bet,” said the statement. Achimeir’s body was found by a...
By Dor Malul (Israel Hayom via JNS) — Amid a wave of protests by pro-Palestinian students across the United States, Jewish students have decided to launch a counterattack against displays of antisemitism. Liat (not her real name), a doctoral student at Harvard University, together with other students, entered the anti-Israel lion’s den on campus—the protest encampment from which calls against Israel emanated, and where students expressed solidarity with Hamas’ terrorist acts. “Feeling that the administration was abandoning the Jewish and Israe...
Written by her daughter, Jacqueline Dubowsky Irma Dubowsky (née Manecofsky) passed away on Saturday, March 23, 2024, of natural causes at her home at Allegro, in Winter Park, Fla. She was 98. Irma was born on Nov. 15, 1925, in Dorchester, Mass., the first child of Joseph and Bella Manecofsky (née Linsky). Irma loved fashion, and she continued to dress impeccably all her life. Even at 98 she still dressed for dinner every night, put on make-up, and had her hair and nails done every week. Irma h...
Mrs. Edith Fenster, 94, passed away Sunday, April 28, 2024, at her Lake Mary home following a brief illness. Mrs. Fenster was born May 22, 1929, in New York, New York to the late Abraham & Bella (Lifschitz) Krochek. She and her husband, Charles Fenster of blessed memory, moved to the Orlando area in 1959 from New York. Mrs. Fenster is survived by her devoted sons, Mark (Lynn) Fenster of Longwood, Florida and Bruce Fenster of Massapequa, New York; and brother, Barney Krochek of Long Island, New York. Funeral Services for Mrs. Fenster were held...
