Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA) - A Jewish arts group. A Jewish high school. A Jewish newspaper. A synagogue network. A major Jewish philanthropy that directs funds to mental health, homelessness prevention and refugee resettlement initiatives. These are a few of the locations on a dense interactive map of "Zionist leaders and powerhouse NGOs" in Massachusetts created by an activist group that says it aims to expose "local institutional support for the colonization of Palestine" and reveal how support for Zionist causes...
(JTA) - Amid controversies concerning the Vatican's Holocaust-era record, Pope Francis and the head of Israel's state museum on the Holocaust, Yad Vashem, met for a first-of-its-kind talk. Yad Vashem Director Dani Dayan met with the pope Thursday at his office in the Vatican. During their 30-minute talk, they spoke about ways to "bolster collaborative activities" in areas of "Holocaust remembrance, education and documentation, and to discuss efforts to fight antisemitism and racism worldwide,"...
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas failed to show up for a press conference in Ramallah on Wednesday morning, where he was expected to make a public appearance in order to dispel rumors that he is dead or very ill. Although the reports cannot be independently confirmed, the Palestinian street is buzzing with rumors that the wildly unpopular octogenarian, whom the vast majority of his constituents believe should resign, is in poor health. Last week, Arabic-language media reported that...
(JNS) — If the West does not stop Iran’s nuclear program in its tracks then the mullahs will soon get the bomb, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told The Telegraph in an interview on June 11. So, where do negotiations stand and how close is Iran to crossing the nuclear threshold? In March, efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal—from which the Trump administration withdrew in 2018—appeared within reach. “Our view is that we are close. We have been close for some time...
It’s never been a better time to join the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation.The Hardoon family, long-time members of SOJC, are offering free religious school tuition for kindergarten to second grade for any new members to SOJC. This generous offer aligns with SOJC’s commitment to Jewish children’s education. The SOJC Religious School has been serving this Conservative Jewish community for over 20 years. Students not only learn to read Hebrew but also grow up chanting Torah and Haftarah. The religious school curriculum focuses on learn...
Do you withhold emotions rather than express them? People often swallow their feelings because they fear others will not accept them if they are expressive. However, stifled emotions can have a negative influence on your well-being long-term. Acknowledge and constructively express your emotions when they occur, and your mental health can improve. If you don't want to talk about how you feel, try writing your thoughts in a journal. By bringing them out in the open you'll be in a better place to...
No one likes a dirty house, where stuff is chaotically piled on top of each other just like in a flea market. The situation isn’t helped by the fact that retirees can turn into ‘hoarders’, filling every free space of their home with old junk because ‘it might come in handy one day’. Many older folk tend to hold on to useless items that may become room obstacles, which increase their chance of tripping and falling. Dirt and dust buildup and other unsanitary living conditions may also have serious health consequences. Hoarding tends to get worse...
(JTA) — Massachusetts’ two Democratic Senators have joined at least four Democrats in Congress, including one vocal critic of Israel, in speaking out against a Boston pro-Palestinian activist group’s initiative mapping “local institutional support for the colonization of Palestine,” saying the map, which includes the names, addresses and staff members of many Jewish organizations, could incite violence against the Jewish community (See page 1 article). “At this moment of rising antisemitism, racist attacks, and political violence, this ‘mapping...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A bipartisan slate of lawmakers launched a bill that would establish an “integrated air and missile defense capability” joining the United States, Israel and Arab countries in a bid to deter Iran. Senate and House members of the Abraham Accords Caucus rolled out the bill, called the DEFEND Act, in a press conference Thursday outside the Capitol and described it as means of advancing the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab countries that collectively bear that name. “The full potential of the...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A bipartisan slate of 25 Congress members, including a number who are close to the pro-Israel community, called on the Biden administration to pressure the Palestinian Authority to release the bullet that killed a Palestinian reporter for an independent investigation. “We urge you to ask the Palestinian Authority to provide access to the forensic evidence in [Shireen] Abu Akleh’s death for an independent investigation so that all parties can reach a definitive conclusion about the events leading to her death, and hold all p...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas hosted a U.S. delegation on Saturday led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf. Her three-day visit comes amid a degree of uncertainty surrounding U.S. President Joe Biden’s first trip to the region, scheduled for July. Leaf met with Abbas “to discuss the U.S.-Palestinian relationship, U.S. assistance to Palestinians, deepening ties, and how Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of freedom, security, and prosperity,” the U.S. St...
(JNS) — It was in 1896 that Theodor Herzl published his groundbreaking book, “The Jewish State,” which launched the modern Zionist movement. Though his project was, as he noted in his book, “very old” and indeed rooted in the prayers of Jews for nearly 2,000 years, it would only be 52 years later that his vision was brought to life with the birth of modern-day Israel in May 1948. That state turned 74 years old this week, and as Israelis observe Yom Ha’atzmaut — Israel Independence Day — they have much to celebrate. The country that came to li...
(JNS) — The United Nations has declared an existential war on the state of Israel. Last year, the U.N. Human Rights Council contrived a unique “Commission of Inquiry” after Israel responded to another round of Hamas rocket attacks. The Inquiry has just issued its first report. Now emanating from the U.N.’s top human-rights body is a brazen attempt to resurrect the old 1975 lie that a Jewish state is a racist state. The report’s allegation that discrimination by Jews against non-Jews lies at the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict is actually at t...
(Jewish Journal via JNS) — “Zionism is racism” is indeed a pernicious lie. Propagation of this lie has led to both random and organized violence against Jewish people and the marginalization of Jews in their respective nations, from the Soviet Union to Great Britain. Should the claim that Zionism is akin to racism, white nationalism and Nazism penetrate mainstream American circles, it would be a crisis for our community. It would be used to justify hatred against us, isolate us from progressive movements and imperil our status as prote...
(JNS) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) recently tweeted to her eight million Twitter followers that the U.S. should cut aid to Israel. “It has to stop,” she said, claiming without evidence that the IDF killed Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh “with U.S. funding.” It is worth pointing out that a large number of war reporters — including some from Al Jazeera — have been killed or wounded on the job. It’s a risky career path. But few have been mentioned in such fervent terms by congressmen and congresswomen. When Israel is involved, it...
MORNING MINYANS (Please note, because of the coronavirus, some minyans have been canceled or held virtually.) 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. Congr...
We can thank members of the tribe for many wacky, wonderful, important, life-changing inventions of the past 120 years. 1. The Teddy Bear Did you know that the teddy bear owes its existence to a Jewish couple? Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy shop owner, and his wife, Rose, created a stuffed toy bear in honor of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. It all began when Roosevelt went on a hunting trip in 1902 but failed to locate a single bear. His assistants reportedly cornered and tied a black bear to a tree for the American president to shoot. A big...
(JNS) - As European and American negotiating teams continue to convene in Vienna in an attempt to sign a new nuclear deal with Iran, the Iranian people have taken to the streets to protest the rising cost of living. Food and gasoline prices have risen, and clean water is scarce. Unemployment is high, and prices of goods have skyrocketed. Western media outlets will have readers believe that Iran's economy is tanking due to United States-led sanctions only, but there is more to the story; in...
(The Nosher) — While cheesecake may seem as American as, well, apple pie — and as Jewish as the New York deli — the truth is that cheesecake has been around for nearly 3,000 years and has traveled the world in many different forms, from savory to sweet, pie and pancake to pastry, tart to mousse. Cheesecake’s roots are in the ancient world, where it was fed to athletes at the first Olympic games in 776 BCE to boost their energy for the competition. That might also explain why it became a wedding...
Blintz souffle is synonymous with easy, classic Ashkenazi-Jewish-American comfort food. The ingredient list isn't long, the steps are very simple but the result is pure, creamy indulgence. Plus, this dish calls for frozen blintzes for extra ease. Many American Jewish families serve this for Yom Kippur break fast, but I think its also a great dish for a meal train, brunch or even Passover, as there are several brands that sell kosher-for-Passover frozen blintzes. Ingredients 6 eggs 2 tsp vanilla...
What did you say? Oops, speak louder! ... Deaf since she was 18 months old, MARLEE MATLIN made her acting debut in the romantic drama, “Children of a Lesser God.” She won an Academy Award for best actress for her performance. She is the first deaf performer to win an Oscar! She also had many successful television roles and she also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for her outstanding work. Marlee was born in Illinois. She and her siblings were brought up in a reform Jewish household. Her family roots are the same as mine … Russia and Polan...
(JNS) - A U.S. State Department report on June 2 features research by a Jerusalem-based monitor of educational material in Palestinian Authority textbooks and their systematic messaging regarding the promotion of violence, martyrdom and jihad. Research by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Culture Tolerance in School Education found that textbooks made for "all grades and subjects" in Palestinian schools contained such incitement. The report also discussed IMPACT-se's critique of the Georg E...
(New York Jewish Week) - After she finished her compulsory military service as a singer in an IDF performing arts troupe, Israeli folk singer Bat Ella wasn't sure how she would incorporate music into the rest of her life. That is, until she met Debbie Friedman, the American singer-songwriter who revolutionized Jewish prayer services by translating popular prayers and setting them to unforgettable melodies. "She wrote melodies that are simple, catchy and touch your heart right away," Bat Ella,...
(JNS) — Jewish organizations are responding with outrage over what they consider a flawed and biased report on the 2021 conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip after the report’s release by the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday. The report blames the root of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians on the “occupation of Palestinian territory and discrimination against Palestinians.” Other contributing factors identified by the report include forced displacem...
Alan Moss, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on June 4, 2022. He was born in London, England, on Feb. 18, 1931. Alan immigrated to the U.S. At the age of 16 and became a naturalized citizen in 1953. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and later graduated from Bryant University, where he met his loving wife of 65 years, Sandra. Alan was a certified public accountant, an artist, and enjoyed playing soccer and tennis. His passion was cheering on the Tottenham Hotspurs, an English soccer team he followed since...
