Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 33
(JTA) - Since April, all eyes following the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were glued to July 1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had negotiated the date into his government coalition deal with his rival Benny Gantz. On July 1, as stipulated in the agreement, Netanyahu could put the topic of annexing the West Bank - a move that would have enormous political repercussions well beyond the Middle East - up for a vote in his Cabinet or in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. But on Tuesday,...
Les Kramer, Ph.D., designed and developed a prosthetic foot that is more flexible than any other prosthetic on the market. Because of this unique prosthetic, Kramer recently was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. The actual ceremony to induct Kramer, along with seven others, was originally set for Sept. 11, 2020, at the Tampa Hilton, but it has been delayed until next year because of the uncertainty with COVID-19. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame honors and celebrates those...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate conveyed their unequivocal support for the U.S.-Israel relationship at day three of Christians United for IsraeI’s 15th Annual Summit. CUFI’s Summit, being conducted virtually this year, featured numerous legislators from both chambers of Congress reassuring their strong commitments to stand with Israel to CUFI members across the country. Speaking to thousands of dedicated CUFI members, some of Israel’s strongest congressional allies delivered impactful message...
(JNS) - A double stamp impression on a bulla and a seal made of used pottery shreds discovered in the City of David may indicate that despite the plight of Jerusalem after the destruction of the First Temple, efforts were made to restore the stature of the administrative authorities. The archaeological evidence revealed in excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the Givati Parking Lot Excavation of the City of David may provide evidence of the restoration of...
Jewish Academy of Orlando is using Violet Defense, a patented germ-killing technology to fight COVID-19. The UV operated products are designed to prevent the spread of illness-causing germs on any surface. “When our students return to school,” commented Alan Rusonik, JAO’s head of school, “each parent will have the comfort and confidence that every morning their child is entering a facility that has been treated by a state-of-the-art technology designed to irradiate all bacteria as well or better than any school in Orlando.” This technolog...
Many in the community remember Beth Schafer as the former cantor at Congregation of Reform Judaism and Temple Shir Shalom. She now resides in Atlanta and is the Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair at Temple Sinai in Atlanta. However, Schafer is also an inspired Jewish composer, arranger and producer with hundreds of original songs, compositions and arrangements. Recently she took to the streets in Atlanta alongside her black brothers and sisters to protest the multitude of crimes against black people....
The Jewish Pavilion wishes to thank Faye Novick for her two successful years as the chairman of the Jewish Pavilion Board. For all her hard work, she was presented with a custom Woman of Valor plaque designed by local artist Judith Segall. Segall specializes in Judaica and Hebrew lettering. Recently, one of her art works was gifted to the new embassy offices in Jerusalem. The Jewish Pavilion feels fortunate to have an artist of her caliber in Central Florida. To contact Judith Segall for...
The pro-Israel organization StandWithUs screened the premiere of “Minority of One” on June 22 with 9,000 viewers. The documentary is about Hussein Aboubakr’s eye-opening experiences as he transitioned from hating what he was taught were the “bloodthirsty Zionists,” to becoming a Hebrew teacher and loving Israel and the Jewish people. “I believe ‘Minority of One’ illustrates the crucial importance of education. No one is born evil,” Aboubakr said. Since its initial screening, more than 35,000 have tuned in to watch the video, which can be seen...
(JTA) - With the passing of Carl Reiner, who passed away of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills on June 29, 2020, at the age of 98, we lost one of the comedy greats, Jewish or otherwise. His obituary recalled a show business career that dated to the infancy of television in the 1950s. Reiner gained success starting in his late 20s as a writer and performer on "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour," sketch comedies that one might broadly consider precursors to "Saturday Night Live," san...
(JNS) - A federal judge expressed concerns on Friday that New York governmental leaders violated the rights of residents when it sought to limit the number of individuals who could gather for prayer services during the coronavirus pandemic. Judge Gary L. Sharpe of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, issued a preliminary injunction against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, preventing them from enforcing any limitations on outside gatherings...
JERUSALEM (JTA) — With the date set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin annexing West Bank territory days away, the Palestinians appear ready to restart peace negotiations with Israel. A four-page letter from the Palestinian Authority sent to the so-called Quartet — the diplomatic grouping of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia — said it was “ready to resume direct bilateral negotiations where they stopped,” according to AFP. The French news agency reported that it saw the text on Monday bu...
I don’t know why I’m still surprised, after 3+ years and countless lies, that Trump’s followers have done more than swallow the poisonous stew he spews. They have become the stew. And nothing could be a better example of this than the recent article in the Heritage, “Time For Trump To Be Trump,” written by columnist Caroline Glick. Here’s a few of the falsehoods and exaggerations Glick stated so vehemently in her article: “America had become the laughingstock of its enemies and the worst nig...
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (JTA) — Over seventy years ago, Temple Beth El and Temple Israel in Charlotte were approached by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to support the placement of a monument dedicated to Judah P. Benjamin, a Southerner and a Jew, who played an important role in the Confederacy. While our respective Boards voted to participate, there were almost immediate misgivings. At the time of the monument’s installation in 1948, the Daughters of the Confederacy were in an open dispute with the national and state-wide chapters adv...
By Mel Pearlman As America wrestles with the issue of finding its way to racial equality, we must be careful not to destroy the constitutional foundation of our nation, which in reality is the only path to reach that much-desired goal. The events of the past, highlighted by events of the last few months have laid naked the ugly reality of police brutality in many communities across the country, inflicted by law enforcement officers in their encounter with black men, women and teenagers. There is justified anger in the black community in seeing...
In 1994, I attended, along with a number of my colleagues from the Capital District Educational Opportunity Center, an Office of Special Programs conference in downstate New York. After the opening night’s dinner, I wandered over to the venders’ tables that had been set up in an adjoining room. The items included many that reflected the African-American population which OSP served: Kente cloths, African artwork, Maasai beaded bracelets. I stopped dead in my tracks, however, when I saw, among a group of books, including “The Autobiography of Ma...
(JNS) — It turns out The New York Times has lower standards when it comes to those who spread anti-Semitic canards than even Britain’s controversial Labour Party. Tweeting an anti-Semitic blood libel about Israel being responsible for teaching American cops the tactics that led to the killing of 46-year-old George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer led to the firing of a member of parliament from the opposition party’s leadership. Yet tweeting a similar lie about Israel training American cops to commit human-rights abuses was no bar to a...
(JNS) — More than 200 legal scholars have signed a letter on the prominent international law blog, Opinio Juris, condemning Israel’s prospective annexation of West Bank settlements. While this sentiment is backed by many United Nations resolutions, there’s a critical issue that like-minded jurists and institutions refuse to address: Their underlying reasoning leads to the curious conclusion that little, if any, Israeli territory actually belongs to Israel. We’ve been told numerous times that territory cannot be acquired by force. The West Bank,...
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...
(JTA) — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins scored a touchdown with his congratulatory message to the graduates of a Jewish student program. Cousins wished the graduates of the Jewish Student Union, a program of the Orthodox Union’s youth group NCSY, a “mazel tov” on Monday in a video address and mentioned the Torah several times. “Many of you might not know that I am a huge fan of all things Jewish,” he said. “I have a mezuzah in my office. I take very seriously the Torah, the word of God. I believe it’s an inherent word of God tha...
This is the fourth article in a four-part series about the Puerto Rican Jews living in Central Florida and their history. In an attempt to atone for the Inquisition, Spain has been offering citizenship to the ancestors of the Jews whose families were expelled in the 15th century. In 2015 and by unanimous vote, the Spanish Parliament sought to make amends. The law invited Sephardim Jews who trace their roots to Spain the ability to return. The law stated that after "centuries of estrangement,"...
(JNS) — As the debate over whether or not Israel should apply sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria intensifies as the proposed July timeline for instituting the decision approaches, a new report by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) says that the extension of Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley would actually “advance” U.S. national security interests. “Our conclusion is that the Jordan Valley is of immense strategic importance to Israel’s security, Jordan’s security and to the stability of the Middle East...
My first story is about Italy. I went to Italy a few years back. It was one of my favorite places. I visited Pisa, Venice, Florence, Rome, etc. I loved the scenery, the people, the culture... and especially, the FOOD! More about Italy... I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you: "The WJC and its affiliate, the Union of the Italian Jewish Community, welcome the Italian government's adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition...
BERLIN (JTA) - They date back to the late Middle Ages and irritate to this day: The Judensau (literally "Jewish sow") is a Christian folk image that depicts Jews sucking on the teats or peering into the anus of a pig. Mostly found in the form of reliefs or gargoyles on the exterior of German churches, some of them major historical landmarks, the images have been the subject of increasing public debate in recent years. And now Germany's highest court will weigh in on the matter when it hears the...
(JTA) — For Orthodox Jewish advocacy groups, the last day of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 session brought a big win. On Tuesday, the high court handed school voucher proponents a victory in ruling that a state-run scholarship program funded by tax-deductible gifts could not exclude religious schools. The court split 5-4 in the Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue case, with Chief Justice John Roberts providing the swing vote by joining the conservative justices. “A State need not subsidize private education,” Roberts wrote. “But on...
Alejandro Enrique “Golan” Herstig, age 70, of Orlando, passed away on Monday, June 22, 2020, at AdventHealth Kissimmee from COVID-19. He was born on June 26, 1949, in Buenos Aires, Argentina to the late Menachem Mendel and Regina Gutman Herstig. The family made their way to Israel and later to the United States. They moved to Florida from San Diego in 1999. Alejandro served in the Israel Defense Force. In the U.S., he owned and operated a charter bus service. He is survived by his wife, Gladys Herstig, of Orlando; his daughters, Maor Her...
