Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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By Hal Simonds On March 31 Chabad of North Orlando' s Rabbi Yanki Majesky led a local contingent to Israel for one week to take part in JLI's Solidarity Trip to show love and support to the Israeli people. As stated, the trip was to show support to the Israeli people; so that perhaps they could draw strength to help them carry on through the horror of a heinous attack and the ongoing war against evil. It turns out the people of Israel provided us with strength. At each stop, with every speaker,...
By (JTA) — Ten Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza on Saturday in one of the bloodiest days for the Israeli military since the beginning of its war with Hamas. An additional soldier died of wounds sustained in battle earlier in the week. The casualties came as Israel is negotiating with Hamas over a potential ceasefire that would see the release of hostages held by the terror group. Israel reportedly expects Hamas to reject the ceasefire offer, made with U.S. support. The incidents also came on the first day of a pause Israel announced that w...
(JNS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed members of his government of his intent to dissolve the War Cabinet set up after Hamas's Oct. 7 attack. The premier told ministers on Sunday that the powerful forum, which was established when National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz joined the wartime government in October, had become obsolete following the latter's June 9 decision to return to the opposition. Discussions on the war will continue to take place in a small forum with...
(JNS) — Jerusalem will not commit to ending the war in Gaza until Hamas releases all of the hostages held by the terrorist group, according to a senior Israeli official. The official told the Ynet website that the captives must be freed in the first and second phases of the proposed ceasefire agreement approved by the United Nations Security Council on June 10. The U.S.-drafted resolution is aimed at reaching a three-phase ceasefire deal to end the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Noting that Israel has accepted the ceasefire proposal, t...
(JTA) - Taylor Swift's detachment from contentious global conflicts is a hallmark of her superstardom. For some fans in Israel, it's also a selling point. Michal Paz-Klapp, the Young Adult editor at Israel's prominent Modan Publishing House, snatched the opportunity to publish a Hebrew-language edition of "Who Is Taylor Swift?," by Kirsten Anderson. The U.S. children's book came out in April as part of Penguin Workshop's bestselling "Who Was?" and "Who Is?" series, a range of illustrated...
Dementia profoundly impacts daily life for both individuals and their loved ones. Recognizing this, it’s crucial to comprehend its effects and take steps to create a supportive living environment. This guide aims to empower caregivers and individuals by transforming living spaces into safe and comfortable havens for those dealing with dementia. Challenges of dementia at home Living with dementia presents unique challenges within the home environment. Simple adjustments like decluttering and ensuring clear pathways can enhance safety and r...
(JTA) — Morrie Markoff, who was born to Jewish parents in an East Harlem tenement in 1914 and lived to become what was believed to be the oldest man in the United States, died June 3 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 110. Markoff’s remarkable lifespan was matched by his remarkable lucidity: After he turned 100, Markoff became an avid blogger and author and saw his scrap metal sculpture exhibited at a Los Angeles gallery. His memoir, “Keep Breathing: Recollections from a 103-year-old,” was published in 2017. The Brain Donor Project, a nonprof...
(JNS) — Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, a key figure in the global Jewish community and pioneer of Jewish life around the globe, died on June 4. He was 74 years old, just days shy of his 75th birthday. As vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch (the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement), he played a crucial role in the growth of the Chabad network worldwide. Entrusted by the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson—Kotlarsky oversaw the establishment of thousands of Jewish centers, guiding shluchim (or “emissaries”) through the...
(JNS) — Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., recently announced plans to eliminate 60 employees due to financial difficulties. “These decisions have not been made lightly,” the academic institution’s senior leaders wrote in an email to staff. “We have examined spending across the university to find savings. Unfortunately, it was not possible to identify sufficient savings without needing to reduce positions.” The cuts may hit non-tenured faculty the hardest. “The need for contract faculty will be reviewed as contracts come up for renewal,...
(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) — Alpha Epsilon Pi International, the world’s largest and leading Jewish college fraternity, has launched an innovative new virtual fraternity chapter – AEPi’s “Chapter Without Walls” – for men looking for the specific brand of Jewish leadership development and advocacy training that AEPi provides but attend colleges at which there is not an active AEPi chapter. The AEPi Chapter Without Walls currently has members from schools such as Clemson University, The New School, Savanah College of Art and Design, Furman University an...
(JNS) — The unbearable images of the war in Gaza have shaken the world, prompting urgent calls for an end to the suffering. However, neither calls for an immediate unilateral ceasefire, nor incantations, nor grand speeches, nor votes at the United Nations will be enough to bring about peace or stop the violence. Yet somehow, this approach seems to prevail in much of the international community. To think that a solution can magically emerge—where hostilities cease overnight without the release of hostages or a significant weakening of Hamas’s mi...
In a poll from last year, the Muslim occupiers in West Bank and Gaza gave Hamas a 76 percent rating. Islamic Jihad was at 84 percent. The UN was at only 9 percent. And America was at 0 percent. Maybe the latest $400 million check will turn things around. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced an additional $404 million in new aid to Palestinians, while attending the “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza” Conference in Jordan on Tuesday. This is in addition to “the more than $1.8 billion in development, econo...
Since when did terrorism enter the lexicon of valid political or diplomatic debate? Since when did intellectual up become intellectual down and the real targets of intended genocide, Israel and the Jewish people, become the accused perpetrators of genocide? In a recent interview with the foreign media, a Hamas terrorist was asked, “How is it that most of your missiles fall in open areas to such an extent that they are predominately inaccurate?” In response he allegedly replied simply that “our missiles are accurate, but the God of the Jews move...
(JNS) — The blatant antisemitic act regarding the 2024 edition of the East Brunswick High School yearbook recently made headlines. The action resulted in a picture of Muslim students replacing the original photograph of the Jewish students who are part of the Jewish Student Union club. In addition, there is a complete absence of the names of the Jewish students. JSU, a division of NCSY, stands in unwavering support of our students, advisers and parent community at East Brunswick High School in New Jersey. For more than a decade, our club at t...
(JNS) — There is much room to improve international law in order to deal with terrorism and the use of force by non-state actors. But that is not essential to fighting terrorism. The law matters but is not always either the problem or the solution. It was not the lack of applicable law that resulted in the Oct. 7 massacre and the international criticism of Israel’s response has nothing whatsoever to do with the law. International law already prohibits the terrorism and genocide being waged by the Palestinian Authority and Iran (directly and...
(JNS) — The creator of the universe has given humankind the ability to forget. This is both a gift and a curse. Without the ability to forget, how can we forgive? Our ability to forget gives us room to heal. But the necessity of remembering is also of great importance. By remembering, we can help ensure that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. When we remember too long and too hard, we don’t allow room for forgiveness, rebirth and growth. When we forget, we allow others to fill the void with half-truths and outright lies. When we forge...
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., 407-647-30...
(JNS) — Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said on Tuesday that should military operations on the country’s northern front be expanded, the IAF will “enable a change in the security reality in the north.” Speaking at a ceremony for the re-establishment of Battalion 139 of the Air Defense Array, Bar said: “Alongside the iron defense, we are acting offensively and denying Hezbollah’s capabilities, shoulder to shoulder with the Northern Command. Together, we will also know how to expand and intensify the attack if required....
(JTA) - They wanted to capture a growing Jewish generational divide over Israel. The Jewish makers of "Israelism" accomplished that - and then some. Over the last seven months, the documentary critiquing the American Jewish relationship to Israel has become something closer to a foundational text for the campus pro-Palestinian movement. It's been screened at more than 100 colleges, including several encampments. It has toured overseas and won support from an array of Jewish groups on the left,...
David Isaac (JNS) - While Israeli security officials have requested that the four hostages rescued by the Israel Defense Forces on Saturday keep their experiences secret, some details have nevertheless emerged. The four - Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40 - appeared to be in good health when first seen on camera on June 8, the day of the raid. But two days later, Dr. Itay Pessach of the Sheba Medical Center revealed they were in a "state of severe...
(JTA) - BERLIN - The success of German extremists in Sunday's European Parliament election has mainstream Jewish leaders and politicians worried. Some say they fear the country is veering into political territory that resembles the era just before the rise of the Nazis here nearly a century ago. The strong showing for far-right parties reflects worries about increasing numbers of Muslim refugees since 2015 in Germany. The Alternative for Germany Party stresses isolationism, takes an anti-EU and...
(JTA) — An exhibit about Jews in Hollywood that launched at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles following an outcry from Jewish critics is now getting a revision — following another outcry from Jewish critics. The museum opened its first-ever permanent exhibit, a deep-dive on the Jewish pioneers that laid the groundwork for Hollywood, on May 19. “Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital” launched two and a half years after the museum opened without the history of the industry’s Jewish beginnings. Designe...
(JNS) — In his first meeting with the new Palestinian Authority prime minister on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the PA’s plans to pass a series of administrative reforms. Blinken stressed “the need for full and consistent implementation of those reforms to achieve the aspirations of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza” in his meeting in Sweimeh, Jordan, with Mohammad Mustafa, the P.A. prime minister, per a U.S. readout of the meeting. The U.S. secretary also reaffirmed the Biden administration’s “support...
(JNS) — Hamas has rejected the Israeli hostage-ceasefire deal, claiming that it is fundamentally different than the one presented by U.S. President Joe Biden on May 31, the Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday. The Gaza-based terror group sent a clarification memorandum to the Palestinian terror factions on Wednesday, the text of which was seen by the news outlet. It claims that the current proposal “does not promise a permanent ceasefire, the occupation’s forces will remain in Gaza, and when they receive the hostages, they will...
(JNS) — Messages sent to mediators by Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar show that as far as he’s concerned, the more civilians die in Gaza the better. He sees such deaths as working “to his advantage,” The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The Journal reviewed “dozens of messages” Sinwar sent to ceasefire negotiators and others in which “he’s shown a cold disregard for human life and made clear he believes Israel has more to lose from the war than Hamas.” “We have the Israelis right where we want them,” said Sinwar in a message sent rec...
