Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 29
NEW YORK (JTA) - "Pray for the welfare of the state," Rabbi Hanina writes, "for if it were not for the fear thereof, people would swallow each other alive." As cities around the nation burn with righteous indignation over yet another horrific incident of police brutality directed against a black man, Jewish leaders must reflect on our own long and ambiguous history with police as we grapple with our role in what is unfolding today. Historically, Jews have had an ambiguous relationship with the...
(JNS) - Amid the rise in anti-Semitism in the United States and abroad, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Never Again Education Act into law as part of Jewish American Heritage Month, one month after the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. The story behind the passage of this landmark legislation is one that transcended the usual partisan politics of Washington, D.C., bringing together Jewish and Christian groups, and liberal and conservative lawmakers in a rare display of bipar...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — May saw the highest number of American and Canadian Jews requesting to make aliyah through the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization since it was founded in 2002, according to numbers obtained by Israel Hayom. The figures indicate that the number of aliyah files opened doubled in May, with most applicants seeking to move to Israel in the next few months. More than 800 households applied online in May to make aliyah, compared to 424 in May 2019. The reason? The coronavirus. “Coronavirus has caused a lot of U.S. Jews to rethi...
(JNS) — The annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., has been canceled for 2021 due to issues concerning the coronavirus, announced the pro-Israel lobby’s president, Betsy Berns Korn, in a mass email on Sunday. “On behalf of the AIPAC Board of Directors, I’m writing to let you know that given the continued uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and without a predictable avenue to safely bring together thousands of pro-Israel Americans, we have been forced to cancel the 2021 AIPAC Policy Conference,” she wrote. “While we...
Combatting racism The Holocaust Center is announcing a multi-faceted approach to educating and empowering all people to combat prejudice and bigotry. The main vehicle will be the unveiling of a new exhibit called, "Uprooting Prejudice: Conversations for Change." Opening in September, the exhibit focuses on the hope-filled activism of Daryl Davis. As a legendary blues musician, he devoted his life not only to the power of music, but also to the power of peace building via courageous and...
The Roth Family JCC is hosting a unique virtual tour through Jaffa, one of the oldest port cities in the world. Led by tour guide Rotem Bazar, stroll the alleys of Jaffa and talk about the city's biblical links and the transformation that made it what it is today. There will be two live tours on June 18: 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. To register, visit orlandojcc.org....
ORLANDO, FL — As Jewish National Fund-USA continues to support Israel’s immediate needs in response to the global health pandemic, the organization is preparing to phone thousands of supporters in Northern Florida as part of its June 14 Spectacular Sunday telethon. In addition to a world-class line up of online entertainment, the day of giving will also feature a $1 million match enabling donors to double the value of their gift for the land and people of Israel. “I have always admired the Jewish National Fund for its unwavering commi...
Last week, President Trump signed into law the “Never Again Education Act,” which expands the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s education programming to teachers nationwide and requires the museum to develop and disseminate resources to improve awareness of the Holocaust. The first week in June, the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center in Orlando held on Zoom the first ever online Dr. Norman M. Wall Teacher’s Institute on Holocaust Education 2020 (previously titled the Summer Teachers’ Institute). Some 40 teachers took part, lea...
WASHINGTON (JTA) - Israel's announcement last week that an Israeli consortium would build Sorek 2, the world's largest desalination plant, surprised many who had been watching the deal: The contract had been expected to go to a Hong Kong-based company. But that was before the Trump administration ramped up pressure on Israel to diminish its ties to China. For years, Israel has been working to dramatically expand trade with China, one of the world's largest markets. That push is suddenly running...
(JNS) — Jewish and pro-Israel organizations have expressed outrage over the death of African-American George Floyd, 46, who died on May 25 in the custody of Minneapolis police. Police officer Derek Chauvin put his left knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25, according to the criminal complaint against the officer, causing Floyd physical distress to the point where he lost consciousness and needed medical attention. Three other police officers were also on site. The incident, filmed on civilian phones, went viral. Floyd was acc...
(JTA) — Right-wing conspiracy theorists are increasingly claiming that George Soros is funding recent protests and riots across the United States in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “aggressive language towards Soros has exploded on social media” this week. Negative tweets about the billionaire Jewish philanthropist rose from 20,000 per day on May 26 to 500,000 per day on May 30. The posts, according to the ADL, mostly allege (without evidence) that Soros is funding riots across the country, an...
By David Bornstein It’s been a long time since the last Good Word column, but I find myself driven — compelled — to write something during these painful, difficult days. I don’t want this to be another “jump on the bandwagon” proof of conscience statement, or another in the long litany of “we are not racist but can do better” epiphanies of the moment. And the truth is, I wouldn’t be writing were it not for a confluence of incidents that swirled around me recently that provoked me and forced me...
On May 5, 2020, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, the body that governs the lives of more than 95 percent of the Arab population living In Judea and Samaria, made a speech in Arabic before an Arab audience. That speech was made in the presence of the international media and was posted to the Facebook page of Palestinian TV. Memri TV provided the English translation. While a significant part of the speech was devoted to the pandemic and other issues, Mr. Abbas did use the opportunity to condemn the United States for...
By Daniel Greenfield After the end of Shavuot, the holiday in which Jewish people joyfully commemorate the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, the Jewish community of Los Angeles concluded it by the new ritual of going to clean off the hateful graffiti from their houses of worship while picking up the broken glass from the black nationalist and radical leftist night of broken glass in Los Angeles. One small business owner described a “late Saturday night with people driving down the Fairfax district streets screaming, ‘effing Jew...
ATLANTA (JTA) — I’m a black reverend whose grandfather marched with King and Heschel. A lot of my Jewish friends are asking me how they can help and what needs to be done regarding the killing and lynching of individuals and families in the black community, most recently George Floyd. To put yourselves in our shoes for a moment, imagine what the response of the Jewish community would be if George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery or Breonna Taylor were Jewish? No doubt it would reach biblical proportions. One of the main challenges to interfaith col...
By JFGO We at the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and its Jewish Community Relations Council are heartbroken and outraged over the death of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer. Floyd’s pleas for his life as he lay handcuffed and helpless on the ground were met with silence by the police officer. This death is yet another in a disturbingly long list of inexcusable injustices that have been perpetrated against African Americans across the United States. We call on people of all races, e...
Dear Editor: The June 3, 2020, statement from the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Relations Council regarding the murder of George Floyd, does not speak for me. There is no question George Floyd was the victim of gross police brutality by four Minneapolis police officers. The murder of Mr. Floyd was a travesty, and justice was served on the four police officers, according to the Rule of Law. All four officers were immediately taken off the street while an internal investigation commenced. Less than 72 hours later, the investigation deter...
MORNING MINYANS (Please note, because of the coronavirus, all minyans have been canceled or held virtually.) 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...
By Maytal Yasur Beit-Or (JNS) — According to a new study by Tel Aviv University in conjunction with Magen David Adom and the Israeli Health Ministry’s Center for Disease Control, some 2.5 percent of Israel’s population, or some 200,000 people, have had COVID-19, most of whom may not have developed symptoms. As of Tuesday morning, the official number of Israeli COVID-19 cases was 17,219. The numbers are based on tests for coronavirus antibodies conducted among 1,700 people throughout Israel. The tests examined data from samples of blood donat...
By Marilyn Shapiro Every Friday afternoon since the corona virus has turned our world upside down, I have been baking fresh challah. I revel in the process: the measuring, the gradual rising, and especially the eating. But it has become so much more. As Roche Pinson wrote in her book, "Rising: The Book of Challah," "We make challah from a place of commitment to nourish ourselves and our families in a way that goes beyond mere physical feeding and watering." Even though I can't remember ever...
By Lenore Richman Roland Thirty-two years ago, I watched "The Impossible Spy," a 90-minute film, released on HBO On Demand. It introduced to the Western world the real story of Eli Cohen, an Israeli hero, who had become a legend in the Mideast. An extraordinary Israeli spy from 1961-1965, he infiltrated the high command of Syria's socialist Ba'ath Party and gathered military information that enabled Israel to win the 1967 Six-Day War against Syria, Egypt and Jordan. In 2019, I viewed Netflix's...
Here We Go Again! (Written by me.) Oh heavens No! Another poem! Enough already with staying home, I'm tired of cooking my own dinner, (A meal at Outback is a winner!) Amusement Parks are open now, As Press, I go for free (and how!) And seeing friends I've hung around, I miss so badly, I'm loony bound. Thanks to SNL and Dr. Phil, So many hours they did fill, Without my TV I'd go bats, Except for my sweet dog (and cats), They kept me happy up till now, I learned to speak "woof" and "meow", I even...
By Joanna O'Leary Don't you dare call them Jewish sticky buns. This rolled pastry laced with sugar, raisins, and ground nuts so named for its spiral shape (schnecken is German for "snail") is possibly the perfect accompaniment to your warm caffeinated beverage of choice. Unfortunately, schnecken is harder to find than its more popular sweet sister rugelach (also rolled with similar fillings). But the sweet story behind this underappreciated confection will leave you salivating and game to try a...
(JNS) - Using DNA technology, Israeli researchers have uncovered new clues about the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls, providing a new glimpse into Jewish life during the final days of the Second Temple period. Researchers from Tel Aviv University, led by Professor Oded Rechavi of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Professor Noam Mizrahi of the Department of Biblical Studies-working with colleagues from Sweden's Uppsala University, the Israel Antiquities Authority and Cornell Univers...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2020 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando in August. “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 Dick Weiner. Former recipients have inclu...
