Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - Syrian President Bashar Assad has fled the country after a coalition of rebel groups stormed Damascus, ending his family's five-decade rule over the Arab Republic, Reuters reported on Sunday morning. Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that the regime had fallen, an officer who was informed of the move told the press agency. A Syrian airplane took off from Damascus International Airport as the capital was being taken by the rebels. Reuters said it could not immediately...
Several community members from Orlando and Central Florida united with 2,500 proud Zionists at Jewish National Fund-USA's Global Conference for Israel in Dallas, fueling torches of light that continue to shine brightly even in these darkest of times. The delegation included philanthropists, pro-Israel community members of all faiths and from 10 different countries, long-time Jewish National Fund-USA partners (donors), rabbis, clergy, and cantors who attended the conference's Rabbinical Summit,...
(JNS) - Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu, visiting the Syrian border on Sunday, hailed the collapse of the Assad regime, "a central link in Iran's axis of evil," describing it as a "historic day in the history of the Middle East." Netanyahu said the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who fled the country after a coalition of rebel groups stormed Damascus on Sunday, was the direct result of blows Israel inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, "the main supporters of the Assad regime." U.S. National...
(JNS) - The earliest known Chinese inscription in Israel from about 500 years ago has been uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday. (Spoiler alert: It didn't say "Made in China.") The rare 16th century CE Chinese inscription, unearthed in a dig on Mount Zion and discovered on a porcelain bowl fragment, reads: "Forever we will guard the eternal spring," the state-archaeological body said. Ancient Chinese porcelain vessels were previously found in Israel, but...
Temple Israel Adult Education is hosting a Virtual Travel Series that continues in January. This is offered to the community by Temple Israel. Places to visit include Jewish Mexico, Jewish Ireland and Jewish Jamaica. There is no cost to enjoy this series that can be enjoyed from the privacy of your own home. Register at templeisraelevents.com to get the zoom link. Jan. 30, 2025 — 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. “Jewish Mexico” with Monica Unikel-Fasja This will be a visual tour to get to know the origins of Jewish life in Mexico at the beginning of th...
On Tuesday, December 3, the Jewish Chamber hosted a festive Hanukkah breakfast at One Senior Place in Altamonte Springs, welcoming 25 attendees from diverse backgrounds to celebrate the Festival of Lights. The event featured a vibrant display of holiday décor and a delicious spread of homemade Hanukkah favorites creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Guests enjoyed classic treats like latkes, sufganiyot, and other traditional holiday dishes while connecting with fellow attendees. The...
Join with Temple Israel Sisterhood for these upcoming events. To register for each event, please go to templeisraelevents.com Dec. 15 — Hanukkah Market open to the public, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Jan 12 — Zumba with Miritza Aguilar in the Roth Social Hall, from 10 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. The cost is $5. Jan 26 — Book Club – “The Hebrew Teacher” by Maya Arad, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. All are welcome. Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 30, April 27 — Yoga at 9 a.m. Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 30, April 27 — Paint by Numbers with Yaela,10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Cost is $5 per session for Si...
The St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society will screen the award-winning documentary film “Xueta Island” at the St. Augustine Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084 on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. The 4 p.m., 63-minute screening will be followed by a commentary and discussion with Andrea White PhD, City Archaeologist for St. Augustine. Call the Waterworks at (904) 808-7330 for best directions. All are welcome, there is no charge. No advance arrangements are necessary. For further information contact SAJHS at www.sajhs.com, saj...
(JNS)— Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced legislation on Thursday that would ban the federal government from using the term “West Bank” and instead use Judea and Samaria, the terminology preferred by Israel. Formally titled the “Retiring the Egregious Confusion Over the Genuine Name of Israel’s Zone of Influence by Necessitating Government-use of Judea and Samaria (RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria) Act,” the bill would prohibit government funds from being used to describe “the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War...
A synagogue in suburban Melbourne, Australia, was set ablaze on Friday, causing congregants to flee and injuring at least one person. The fire before dawn on Friday at Adass Israel, a haredi Orthodox synagogue in the town of Ripponlea, sent congregants gathered for morning prayers into the streets at 4:10 a.m. Those who fled the fire reported assailants breaking windows and throwing firebombs into the building. The damage from the fire appeared to be extensive and was brought under control by 5 a.m. by a team of 60 firefighters and 17 trucks,...
(JTA) — WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat, is ready to relinquish his title as Senate majority leader, but the most senior Jewish elected official in U.S. history will get to remain the leader of what will be a minority caucus in the next Congress. Senate Democrats reelected Schumer as their leader on Tuesday, a validation after a tough election for the party, which lost control of the White House and the Senate and failed to regain the U.S. House of Representatives. Schumer was unopposed and the vote was unanimous. As of...
(JNS) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told representatives of hostages’ families groups on Sunday that the fall of the Assad regime, weakened by Israel’s determined stand against Hezbollah and Hamas, could help advance a deal for the return of the hostages. Netanyahu held two separate meetings in Jerusalem, one with the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum and the other with the Tikva Forum. The two groups differ on the best way to free the hostages, with the right-leaning Tikva Forum opposing the former’s call for a deal at any cos...
(JNS) — The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for a “High-level International Conference” to be held in June to push forward the establishment of a state of Palestine. The conference will advance implementation of U.N. resolutions regarding “the question of Palestine,” reads the resolution, one of three passed on Tuesday concerning the two-state solution. The conference will take place in New York on June 2-4, with a preparatory meeting to be held in May. It will adopt an “outcome document” that will out...
(Investigative Project on Terrorism via JNS) — Anti-Israel students have always sought convenient, effortless ways to demonstrate their hatred for Israel. In the past, this has meant trying to remove Sabra brand hummus from campus food services. Starting at DePaul University in 2011, efforts to embargo Israeli-made food spread quickly to other campuses (the University of Ottowa in 2014, Swarthmore College in 2018, Dickinson College in 2019 and Harvard University in 2022), but after Oct. 7, student boycott demands grew more expansive. It’s no...
(JNS) — With the ink dry on the International Criminal Court’s phony arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the chorus of European village idiots is already clamoring for more. In addition to imprisoning Israel’s prime minister, they wish to expand France’s Oct. 5 arms embargo of Israel to all of Europe. The effort is gaining traction. The ICC’s endorsement of “war crimes” gives cover to supporters of terror, antisemites and the willfully ignorant. A crescendo is coming. This is not the first French embargo of Israel or...
(JNS) — As soon as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Sebastian Gorka to the post of senior director for counter-terrorism in his new administration, the anti-“Make America Great Again” crowd dusted off an old smear campaign against the former West Wing staffer. One enduring attack centers on his association with Vitézi Rend, a Hungarian merit organization established in 1920. Critics have sought to tie the group to Hungary’s fascist Arrow Cross regime, despite the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry...
By Orit Arfa (JNS) — Since the Amsterdam pogrom of Nov. 7, in which Arab and North African youth chased and assaulted Israeli soccer fans who came to the Dutch capital for a game, I’ve heard more calls for Jews to leave a dying Europe. Dedicated Zionists warn us: Time to come home! They bemoan how the Dutch police ignored warnings about the attacks. To make matters worse, the Amsterdam mayor resents calling the Jew-hunt, which injured several dozen Jews, a “pogrom” because it fosters “Islamophobia.” Aayan Hirsi Ali, an ex-Muslim from Somali...
(JNS) — They say that the definition of a successful man is one who can earn more than his wife can spend. And the definition of a successful woman is one who can find such a man. It’s been more than a thousand years since polygamy was prohibited in Jewish life. One can only wonder how they managed it. Today, we have difficulty satisfying just one spouse. How on earth did people handle multiple marriage partners? This week in Vayetze, Genesis 28-32, we read of Jacob going off to Haran to find a wife. In the end, due to his father-in-law Lab...
Dear Editor: No one really knows what is going on in Syria. The latest is that Israel has taken over the Syrian part of the Hermon Mountain, which overlooked a great part of Israel. Also in the news is that Assad fled to Russia. The big question is: Will the ICC now declare Assad a war criminal. He murdered half a million of his own citizens, used gas to choke some of them, caused about 7 million people to flee Syria and become refugees all over the world. The answer of course is, it’s not going to happen for two very good reasons: 1) He is n...
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...
Last night in Alei Zahav, a large community in the Shomron, we met with a large group of medics from the region, to distribute equipment. Specifically, medic bags. These were newly trained medics, who went through their three-month training period, which we require after they complete the six-month, 200+ hour course. In the three-month training period, they get supervised real-life experience in the field. We don’t throw anyone into the field fresh and new. Among the attendees at the g...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday for the latter’s “strong statement” calling on Hamas to release the 101 hostages it has held in Gaza for 424 days. “It is a forceful statement, which makes it clear that there is only one responsible for this situation, and that is Hamas,” the Israeli premier said. Netanyahu addressed the president-elect’s remarks ahead of an Israeli government meeting in Nahariya, a northern city that has often been the target of cross-border attacks by Irani...
The ballroom at Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs was abuzz with excitement as 100 guests gathered on Monday, Dec. 2, for Jewish Pavilion Senior Services' Annual JP Connections Hanukah Luncheon. The event delivered on its promise of gourmet cuisine, festive holiday shopping, and a heartfelt celebration of volunteerism. The highlight of the luncheon was the recognition of Joan Walker as Volunteer of the Year. Walker delivered an inspiring speech that resonated deeply with the audience, sharing...
In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of shopping and festivities. Yet, amidst the chaos, there lies a simple yet profound opportunity to bring warmth and joy to the lives of seniors in our communities. A gesture as small as gifting a cozy blanket or an engaging large-print book can illuminate the holiday season for a senior, wherever they may reside. Imagine the smile that spreads across a senior’s face as they unwrap your thoughtful gift, accompanied by a heartfelt, handwritten note exp...
Seven women from Orlando — Sarah Gittleson, Stacey Soll, Shifra Yachnes, Carol Feuerman, Debbie Cohen, Limor Raz and Orly Wilf — were part of a group of 100 women from eight American cities who visited Israel from Nov. 4-11 as part of an eight-day trip organized by the global Jewish organization Momentum. The organization aims to inspire Jewish women to lead a Jewish future by becoming more connected to their identity, heritage, and Israel. The eight-day trip was part of the Momentum year-long program known as the Journey of Growth, an ini...
