Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA) - WASHINGTON - For decades, President Joe Biden has called himself a "Zionist." But in the waning days of his reelection campaign, he wondered aloud if anyone knew what the term means anymore. Speedy Morman, a podcaster, had asked Biden in a July 12 whether he was a Zionist. Biden answered that yes, he was. "Now, you'll be able to make a lot out of that because people don't know what a Zionist is," Biden said. Nine days later, Biden dropped out of the presidential race - and he may have...
(JNS) — The current circumstances in the Galilee and the Golan “will not continue,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. He called for a “change in the balance of forces on our northern border,” amid daily attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, while pledging to do “whatever is necessary” to return evacuated residents safely to their homes. Netanyahu spoke days after he ordered the military to prepare for a broad campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed terrorist army. His instru...
“Please join us at Congregation Ohev Shalom on Oct. 6th as we come together as a community to commemorate the tragic and horrific events of Oct. 7,” commented Tracy Hilbert, COS executive director. “‘Remembering the Darkness, Rising with Hope’ will be an impactful program that brings all Jews together in unity to remember and reflect. This interactive experience and exhibition, in partnership with the IAC and cosponsored by a host of Jewish organizations, will also serve as a beacon of hope f...
(JNS) — The U.S. should halt federal funding to universities that back antisemitism and incitement against Jewish students, and professors who voice such hate in their classrooms should be ousted from campus, the lieutenant governor of Texas said. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke as the academic year opened in the United States after months of often violent and antisemitic anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses the previous year that stunned the American Jewish community in ways not seen World War II. “There is no room for terrorizing Jewish stu...
On Wednesday, Sept. 11, Jewish Pavilion Senior Services hosted a Sponsors Breakfast at Allegro Winter Park, bringing together 40 attendees, including sponsors, board members, and staff. Nancy Ludin, CEO of Jewish Pavilion Senior Services, began by acknowledging the significance of the date - 9/11 - reflecting on the tragic events of that day and the ongoing threat of terrorism worldwide. She also addressed the recent terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, where innocent lives were lost at a...
On Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, at 8:30 a.m., the Jewish Chamber launched its first free monthly networking breakfast, drawing a diverse group of 20 participants. The event was hosted by Chris Shepherd, director of One Senior Place, who welcomed attendees and provided an insightful overview of the resources and services offered by One Senior Place, a comprehensive support center for seniors and their families. During his presentation, Shepherd highlighted the mission of One Senior Place, emphasizing its...
Ensuring that your financial affairs are in order is a crucial step towards providing security for your loved ones in the event of your passing. Here are some important tips to consider: 1. Designate Beneficiaries: One of the simplest yet most effective steps you can take is to designate beneficiaries for all your financial accounts including checking, savings, CDs, life insurance, and investments. By doing so, your designated beneficiaries can access these funds with just a death certificate, bypassing the need for a will. Make a handwritten...
(JNS) — Elected local officials in Israeli community throughout Judea and Samaria do not have the legal right to block Palestinian laborers from entering their communities if the military allows their employment, Israeli courts have confirmed in a series of recent cases, Israel Hayom reported on Sunday. In a case brought by a group of Arab workers against the city of Efrat in Judea’s Gush Etzion region, a judge ruled that the municipality’s blanket ban on the entry of Palestinian Authority residents was illegal. “Starting next Tuesday, in accor...
(JNS) — An order issued by the Israel Defense Forces this month drastically expands the authority of civilian security guards in Judea and Samaria, allowing them to conduct searches at entrances to Jewish communities even on individuals who do not arouse suspicion. IDF Central Command head Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed the order earlier this month but it only became public this week. Saying that his action is “necessary for the security of the region, good governance and public order,” Bluth amended IDF Order No. 432, which defines the role of ci...
(JTA) — WASHINGTON — Less than two months before he hopes to be reelected president, and shortly before the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Donald Trump will address the Israeli American Council’s national convention. The IAC conference, which Trump also addressed as president in 2019, is one of the relatively few Jewish venues in the United States where he can expect to get a friendly reception. The group is led by Elan Carr, who served as the envoy to combat antisemitism during Trump’s presidency. Its lead do...
The question was wrong, but the answer was wronger. Upon returning to the White House from his vacation, a reporter asked President Biden, “Mr. President, do you think it’s time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this issue? Do you think he is doing enough (to free the hostages)?” Biden responded, “No.” The timing of the question, and Biden’s response, were significant. This was the day after the funeral of American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin in Jerusalem. Hersh was one of more than 250 people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists...
(JNS) — Israel devotes a larger proportion of its GDP to arms and security exports than any other country on Earth. That devotion makes it unique in another way. More than 80 percent of Israel’s arms exports support the world’s democracies, including small democracies that need to deter much larger tyrannical regimes. By acting as these democracies’ armory and their intelligence shield, Israel plays an outsized role in the Western world’s defense against threats that become more palpable by the day. Israel is David confronting the world’s G...
(JNS) — Why is Amalek considered the archenemy of Israel? We’ve had no shortage of vile and murderous enemies in our time. What makes Amalek so fiendishly unique that even the Nazis were symbolically referred to as Amalekites? In last week’s Torah reading, Ki Tetze, we find no less than 74 biblical commandments, the highest number of any parshah. It represents some 12 percent of the 613 commandments of the Torah in this one weekly reading. The final item on the agenda is about the nation of Amalek—specifically, the obligation to remembe...
(JNS) — Israel is bringing light to the world when it is out front confronting evil, as it is doing with its war with Hamas. The ultimate future of the Middle East rides on Israel not only winning the war in Gaza but successfully battling the demonic leadership of Iran which controls every move of its surrogates as a well-trained puppeteer. Let’s be clear, this is a regional war. The complexity of that confrontation may well override the immediate demands of individuals and transform the horizon. Israel faces an existential threat to its ver...
As an Iranian American, having lived most of my life under the misogynist evil extremism of the Islamic regime, there are many things that bring me back to the traumas in the land of my birth. Waking up to the news this week of six Israeli hostages being executed by Hamas in cold blood reminds me of the period I served a death sentence in Evin prison when Islamic regime agents massacred thousands. The solution for peace in Gaza is not negotiating with the terrorists, but to cut off the head of the octopus in Iran, and to eliminate its...
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., 407-647-3...
(JNS) — Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asserted on Monday that the Hamas terror group is no longer capable of maintaining an organized fighting force in the Gaza Strip after more than 11 months of war. “Hamas as a military formation no longer exists. Hamas is engaged in guerrilla warfare and we are still fighting Hamas terrorists and pursuing Hamas leadership,” he told foreign journalists at his office at Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv, according to AFP‘s account. The remarks were released for publication on Tuesday...
(JTA) — The legend of Masada is etched into Jewish lore: For years, the story goes, ancient Jews held out in a desert fortress against their Roman foes. Now, researchers from Tel Aviv University have determined that the first-century siege on Masada in southern Israel lasted just weeks, upending a long-held narrative about Jewish perseverance against steep odds. The main account of the siege comes from the Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who described extended anticipation as the Romans prepared to attack, then a drawn-out resistance b...
(JTA) - Lee Yaron was in New York on Oct. 7, doing a fellowship at Columbia University, when news broke of an unimaginable attack on southern Israel by Hamas. Like many Israelis living abroad, she felt helpless and frustrated. Unlike most Israelis, she is a journalist, a longtime contributor to the Israeli daily Haaretz, and she had an outlet for her fear and anger. Within days, she was on a plane to Israel, where she spent the next four months interviewing survivors, first-responders and...
(JTA) - A lot has changed since the last time Michael Solomonov released a cookbook back in 2018. The celebrity chef has opened several new restaurants. He has expanded his empire beyond Philadelphia to New York City. And of course he has watched his native Israel, the flavors of which have defined his career, come under attack. After Solomonov raised money for emergency services in Israel following Hamas' Oct. 7 invasion, pro-Palestinian protesters in Philadelphia took aim at him. They staged...
(JNS) - For hundreds of years, a mosaic lay hidden in Megiddo in northern Israel until, in 2005, it was found and preserved as a local prison sought to expand. The mosaic recently made the trip, in nearly a dozen pieces, across the ocean to Washington, D.C., where it is on exhibit at the Museum of the Bible. At an opening reception for the exhibit on Sunday afternoon, Carlos Campo, CEO of the museum, said that the mosaic, which dates to around the year 230, like an Impressionist show that...
(JNS) — Hamas and the Houthis have recently established offices in Iraq. The offices, which opened in June, testify to Iraq’s shift towards the Iranian camp in Tehran’s conflict with Israel and the United States. Since the U.S. military invasion to remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein 21 years ago, the country has maintained an “uneasy balance” between its Iranian neighbor and America, The New York Times reported on Sunday. That balance has increasingly turned in Iran’s favor as Tehran has funded sympathetic forces inside Iraq as part of its...
(JNS) — The Israeli government will finance Jewish educational tours on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount for the first time, “to strengthen and stabilize the Old City,” Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on Monday night. According to the report, the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Security Council approved the Heritage Ministry’s plan to provide state-funded guided tours of the holiest site in Judaism. A total of 2 million shekels ($543,338) will be allocated for the program from the budget of the office of Heritage Minister Amichai Eliy...
(JTA) - In 1993 the film critic Shawn Levy was working on a biography of Jerry Lewis when, sitting down with the comedian on his yacht, Levy gingerly asked him about "The Day the Clown Cried." Levy knew the film, Lewis' unreleased Holocaust movie, was likely to be a touchy subject for the legendary funnyman. Even so, the response was apoplectic. "I've never been yelled at like that in my entire life," Levy recalled to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency three decades later. He recited the string of...
