Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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As of Monday, May 15, this was the status of the onslaught by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza against Israel. Let's hope it holds as Heritage goes to press. (JTA) - Fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza ended after five days, as a ceasefire took effect and appeared to hold late Saturday night. Over the course of the fighting, 33 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including civilians and combatants. Two civilians were killed in Israel - a woman in the central Israeli...
(JNS) - Israeli forces are "fiercely attacking the Gaza Strip and exacting a heavy price from the terrorist organizations," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address on Wednesday night in Israel. "I would like to reiterate: Whoever harms us, whoever sends terrorists against us, will pay the price," he stated. Netanyahu said that developments in Israeli technological abilities, coupled with new operational tactics, have created "a new equation" seen in "Operation Shield and Arr...
(JNS) - On Wednesday, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews placed five bomb shelters in areas of Ashkelon identified by local authorities as lacking ample protection. The locations included residential neighborhoods where homes had no shelters as well as commercial zones where people had no safe place to go when incoming Gazan rockets are detected. The latest installation comes in addition to numerous other safety projects made possible by the IFCJ across Ashkelon, including a...
(JTA) - Tom Nides, the gregarious U.S. ambassador to Israel, is resigning this summer, at a time of unresolved tensions in the U.S.-Israel relationship he strove to uphold. An administration official confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Nides would be gone by this summer. The report first appeared in Axios on Tuesday morning. Axios quoted Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying that Nides wanted to spend more time with his family. "Tom has worked with characteristic energy and...
Over 120 golfers hit the greens for the Jewish Pavilion's Charity Golf Tournament on Monday, May 8, at Heathrow Country Club. More than $20,000 was raised to benefit the Orlando Senior Help Desk at the Jewish Pavilion. Special thanks to committee members, golfers, sponsors and advertisers. The golf supporter's book can be found on the Jewish Pavilion website where it will remain for the year. The board encourages patronage of their businesses. Anyone (all races and religions) can call the...
Recently Dr. Edward Zissman brought a soferet to The Jewish Academy of Orlando to restore their sefer Torah. Soferet Linda did the restoration and fixed everything that needed to be fixed. All the children from K to fifth grade had the opportunity to watch the soferet work. She checked the entire Torah and used the traditional techniques for different issues: re-wrote some letters, patched a tear, and cleaned the parchment....
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2023 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer. “For more than 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 Dr. Edward Zissman. Former recip...
The Tenth Annual Commemoration of the largest mass arrest of rabbis in U.S. history will take place outdoors at the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront, 32 Avenida Menendez, St. Augustine, at noon, Sunday, June 18. This 30-minute event sponsored by the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society, is free and all are welcome. On June 18, 1964, 16 rabbis and a Reform Jewish administrator, in St. Augustine at the request of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., were arrested and held in the St. Johns County Jail. Overnight, they wrote a letter...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — After being thwarted by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Rashida Tlaib succeeded in spotlighting Palestinian perspectives on Israel’s founding in an event on Capitol Hill — with help from one of Congress’ most powerful Jewish members, Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Palestinian-American Democrat from Detroit also introduced a congressional resolution calling on the suspension of some aid to Israel. Tlaib’s event on Wednesday, called “Nakba 75 & the Palestinian People,” featured the Arabic word for “catastrophe” that Palestinians u...
(JNS) — Israel is prepared for a multi-front conflict against Iran and its terrorist proxies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday after the Jewish state launched “Operation Shield and Arrow” against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. “It’s clear that 95 percent of Israel’s security problems come from Iran,” the prime minister said in a Zoom address to a conference organized by the Israel Defense and Security Forum. “We are dealing with an attempt by Iran to start a multi-front campaign against us. I instructed the IDF [I...
(New York Jewish Week) — New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who spread a series of falsehoods about being Jewish and other parts of his life story, was arrested Wednesday on federal criminal charges on Long Island. The indictment said that Santos — who has also gone by other names, including the last name Devolder — used donations to a fraudulent political fund for personal expenses, such as buying designer clothes and paying off his credit cards. He was also accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and receivi...
(JNS) — We know it’s coming. We can write the script in advance. Yet it never fails to sicken and to shock. Israel was once again forced to take military action to defend itself against increasingly deadly attacks. As ever, Western media presented this as if Israel wakes up in the morning and decides to bomb Gaza through some insatiable lust for violence. Once again, such media outlets omitted or downplayed the crucial context for this military action. Once again, questions asked by some interviewers were framed through a maliciously dis...
(JNS) — In addition to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, many Palestinians live in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Roughly 98 percent of Palestinians in the disputed territories are ruled by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Palestinian human-rights advocates, NGOs, international bodies, the media and campus activists focus on Israeli policies. The principal abusers of Palestinians, however, are their fellow Palestinians and other Arabs. For example, Bassam Tawil noted in just the last week, the media widely reported on the death of a senior m...
(JTA) — With the conclusion of Passover last month, we now find ourselves in the period of the Jewish calendar known as the Omer, the 49-day span between the Exodus from Egypt marked on Passover and the giving of the Torah celebrated on Shavuot, which begins this year on Thursday evening, May 25. Jewish tradition considers these two holidays inextricably linked, the seven weeks between them seen as an incremental process of purification from the defilement of slavery to a state in which the Israelites were able to receive the Torah. In this sen...
On May 15, Palestinian Arabs and their supporters commemorated what they call the “Nakba,” the catastrophe. This year, sadly, it was even commemorated in the halls of the U.S. Congress. Indeed, Palestinian Arabs have suffered many catastrophes, although what they are commemorating and what the reality is are miles apart. What are the real catastrophes we need to recognize? Despite having declared statehood, and dozens of countries recognizing if not even having diplomatic relations with the “State of Palestine,” rather than celebrating their in...
(JNS) — The assassination of three senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists is a welcome change of tactics against those who incessantly fire rockets at Israel’s south. Named “Operation Shield and Arrow,” this latest operation appears to be in response to more than 500 missiles fired at Israel. It is my hope that this is just the opening gambit in a much wider operation. The Israeli military and political hierarchy should look further than the most recent skirmish and see the wider war, with a fuller understanding of the long-term battle...
MORNING MINYANS Chabad of North Orlando and Chabad of Altamonte Springs are holding in-person 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...
(JNS) — Israel on Wednesday continued making preparations for rocket attacks and the threat of a wider conflict following the air force’s targeted killing of three top Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in strikes across the Gaza Strip. The IDF identified the targets of the operation as Khalil Bahitini, PIJ’s commander in northern Gaza; Jahed Ahnam, a senior member of the terror group’s military council; and Tarek Azaldin, who directs its activities in Judea and Samaria. Israel also struck 10 sites in Gaza belonging to PIJ, including weapons...
(JNS) — Among all the tales of heroism and death during the Holocaust, how many of us are aware of the rescue of nearly 50,000 Jews by the citizens of Bulgaria? In 1943, despite the planned and already commenced deportation of Bulgarian Jews to the Nazi death camps, thousands were released from the trains bound for Auschwitz and allowed to go home. The newly released “Acts of Resistance” by Dominic Carrillo is a fictionalized account of the actions of Bulgarian citizens that succeeded in stopp...
If a book were a candy store and I was a kid, "Every Generation's Story: 75 Years of American Christian Engagement with Israel" would be my kid in a candy store scenario. As I read page after page, I couldn't help but be inspired and drawn into one author's story after another, wanting more and more. As an Orthodox Jew called to build bridges between Jews and Christians, I am blessed by many, many deep friendships with Christians who love and support Israel unconditionally. Biblically. Even...
MELBOURNE (JTA) - Jews in Australia have seen their community prosper in many areas, from business to the arts to the highest levels of government. But there is one arena that Aussie Jews have not featured prominently in: Australia's biggest sport, Australian Rules Football. AFL, referred to colloquially as "footy," is a uniquely Aussie sport, which has been played in some form since teams from Melbourne and Geelong first came together in a paddock in East Melbourne in 1858. Professional footy...
Caregiver burn out is real and can be very harmful. How can you take care of a loved one if you are exhausted or not feeling well. Consider options such as support groups, adult day care and hiring a part-time companion. There are many free resources for caregivers. The Jewish Pavilion has the Orlando Senior Help Desk; a free information and referral service 407-678-9363. AARP recommends the following: Create the Good, createthegood.org CaregiverAction Network, 855-227-3640, caregiveraction.org Family Caregiver Alliance, 800-445-8106,...
Standing in front of the Bielefeld, Germany, railroad station in June 2018, Harry Lowenstein traced his fingers over the all-too-familiar names etched into the Holocaust memorial: His father, David. His mother, Bernhardine. His sister, Klaere. Aunts and uncles and cousins. Friends and neighbors. During the Nazis' reign of terror, his family and hundreds of Jews from surrounding areas had stood on the station's platform before being herded onto railroad cars for the thousand-mile journey to ghett...
Bernie Marcus grew up dirt poor. Now he's giving away his fortune. Bernie Marcus is passionate about giving all his money away. The Home Depot founder is a signatory of "The Giving Pledge," a group of billionaire philanthropists who have committed to giving the majority of their money away to charity, during their lifetime or posthumously. Bernie has established a foundation which works tirelessly to support various causes. After he dies, he wants it dissolved and all his money to be given away...
(JNS) — Many see the creation of the modern-day State of Israel as part of a historical narrative, in which Israeli independence was a reaction to the Holocaust. “The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people—the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe—was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz-Israel the Jewish State,” the provisional government of Israel declared on May 14, 1948. But when JNS interviewed nearly 30 veterans of the 1948 War of Independe...
