Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles from the September 4, 2020 edition


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  • Rabbis, family, arguments and anxiety: All the Jewish scenes from the Democratic convention

    Ron Kampeas|Sep 4, 2020

    WASHINGTON (JTA) - There were rabbis, there were arguments, there was fretting over the future, there was mishpacha, but snacks you had to bring yourself. The first virtual convention, held by Democrats online because of the coronavirus pandemic, had many of the same Jewish moments as real-life conventions of the past. They included both rabbinic invocations from the main stage and side rooms with hobnobbing among Jews from across the country, even if those rooms lacked kosher nosh this time aro...

  • Rabbi recovering after 4 months on a ventilator

    Penny Schwartz|Sep 4, 2020

    (JTA) - At a moment when the world could use a dose of hope, along comes Rabbi Yehuda "Yudi" Dukes. In late March, Dukes was hospitalized in New York with COVID-19, a week after the otherwise healthy 38-year-old rabbi took ill at his Long Island home. Dukes spent a whopping four months on a ventilator, including nine weeks on an artificial lung machine. He endured four collapsed lungs, experienced a stroke and underwent a liver biopsy, among other challenges. He is believed to be among the...

  • Obituary - SUSAN LOIS VESHAPIDZE

    Sep 4, 2020

    Susan Lois Veshapidze, age 68, of Orlando, passed away peacefully on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, at VITAS Suites in Winter Garden. Susan was born on April 12, 1952, in Hornell, New York, a child of Joseph L. and Edith Elaine Cohen Katz. She was a college graduate and worked in the construction industry earning additional certifications in Product Quality Control. Susan was the mother of Elianne Klein and Joseph Charles Gokey. A private family burial was held at DeLand Memorial Gardens with Rabbi Maurice Kaprow of VITAS officiating. In memory of...

  • 'We are here,' not in Israel: The new Berlin Jewish museum director on Jewish life in Germany, beyond BDS

    Joe Baur|Sep 4, 2020

    BERLIN (JTA) - The previous director of the Jewish Museum Berlin left in the wake of a tweet. In May, after the German parliament declared the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel anti-Semitic, the museum tweeted a critique of the decision, arguing that it was undemocratic, and shared an article featuring several Jewish scholars who agreed. Public pressure mounted against the director, Peter Schafer, and a debate about the role of Jewish museums and the legality of the BDS...

  • Kenosha's rabbi on graffiti at her synagogue: 'What's happened these last few days is not about us'

    Ben Sales|Sep 4, 2020

    (JTA) — In early June, as anti-racism protests swept the country in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, Beth Hillel Temple in Kenosha, Wisconsin, signed onto an interfaith letter supporting peaceful protest and condemning “a broken societal system which disproportionately affects communities of color.” This week, Kenosha became an epicenter of renewed protest after a police officer shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back. And on Wednesday night, the 93-year-old synagogue’s driveway was graffitied with the words ...

  • Weekly roundup of world briefs

    Sep 4, 2020

    Biden campaign appears to walk back apology over condemning Linda Sarsour By Jackson Richman (JNS) — The Biden campaign has been sending conflicting messages over whether or not it regrets comments directed at Linda Sarsour, a prominent pro-BDS activist. On a private call on Sunday with dozens of prominent Arab and Muslim activists, the Biden campaign expressed regret over how it construed a statement condemning former Women’s March leader and Bernie Sanders surrogate Linda Sarsour. Sarsour was featured last week at the Democratic National Con...

  • Israel's 'Light Blade' laser system said to have near-perfect interception rate

    Tal Ariel Amir|Sep 4, 2020

    (Israel Hayom via JNS) - In just 10 days, Israel's "Light Blade" laser system, deployed on the Gaza border, downed 150 explosives-laden balloons launched toward Israel from the Hamas-controlled territory, according to Israel's Border Police, which operates the system. However, Israel's only deployed Light Blade system covers just a small part of the Gaza Strip, and while it's interception rate stands at close to 100 percent, Palestinians in other parts of Gaza continue to launch balloon-borne...

  • Ukraine's Jewish president thinks Jews especially should invest in his country

    Cnaan Liphshiz|Sep 4, 2020

    (JTA) - If you're looking for a good investment, you should put your money on Ukraine – especially if you're Jewish. That's the message from the office of the country's Jewish president, Vlodymyr Zelensky, about a new campaign that aims to attract new investments to help grow Ukraine's stunted economy. The first video of the campaign, featuring Zelensky speaking in English with a heavy Ukrainian accent, does not mentions Jews. The one-minute film focuses on Ukraine's touristic potential and 5 p...

  • The top 10 Jewish stories on 'Drunk History'

    Emily Burack|Sep 4, 2020

    Drunk History, the beloved Comedy Central show where comedians get drunk and tell a story from history, was just canceled after six seasons. In honor of the show's fantastic run, we decided to highlight 10 of our favorite Jewish histories to grace the screen. 1. Rachel Bloom on the capture of Adolf Eichmann What's so great about Rachel Bloom's re-telling in Drunk History is, honestly, everything. A Jewish comedian telling the story of the capture of Eichmann? We can't get enough. As Bloom...

  • A Jewish prayer for the start of this pandemic school year

    Rabbi Sari Laufer|Sep 4, 2020

    Scrolling through all the open Safari windows on my phone is like a virtual tour through the months of this pandemic. It starts in the early spring with online gardening tips, funny memes about the shift to virtual schooling, and recipes for banana bread, cookies, and Marzipan bakery's legendary rugelach (though I still haven't tackled that one). Then there are long-form reads about grief and loss, data-driven pieces about decision making, and funny memes about doomscrolling. And now, as we...