Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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If you’re looking for a home-cooked Passover meal, then join Temple Israel for a meaningful second-night Seder filled with fabulous food and friends. The date is April 13, at 5 p.m. Rabbi Joshua Neely includes all ages in this meaningful and participatory Seder that blends tradition with modern-day relevance. “The Seder tells us each year to feel as though we too were slaves in Egypt before our liberation. The last year and a half has made it easier for Jews around the world to empathize with our ancestors and all who are oppressed. To dee...
Chana Ben-Abraham, Gotlib Jewish Academy Head of School, announced that Jacqueline Drazen McGrail will be joining the school as the new Director of School Operations, beginning the week of March 24. In this role, she will oversee business operations, admissions, marketing, fundraising, and school events, taking on responsibilities previously managed by the executive director as part of a realignment of administrative duties to strengthen the school's growth and operations. McGrail brings over a...
(JTA) — Almost one in four U.S. adults raised Jewish do not identify as religiously Jewish anymore, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center. The study, published March 26, surveyed “religious switching” around the world, and found that significant percentages of people raised in religious homes in the United States and internationally are now religiously unaffiliated. Smaller numbers have converted to another religion. Among Americans raised Jewish, 17 percent now describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated. An addit...
(JTA) — Nearly 80 members of Congress from both parties are calling for the Trump administration to end a freeze on security funding for religious institutions. The halt to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, or NSGP, began recently as part of an overall funding freeze on FEMA, the federal disaster relief agency. Synagogues, schools and Jewish community centers have long relied on the funding, which goes to religious institutions of all kinds, to pay for measures like security cameras or bollards to protect their buildings. “At a time whe...
(JNS) — The U.S. Department of Education sent notices to 60 universities on Monday warning that they could face consequences if they fail to meet their obligations, under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, to protect Jewish college students from harassment. Linda McMahon, the U.S. education secretary, stated that university leaders must do more to combat Jew-hatred on campus. “The department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eru...
(JNS) — Representatives from seven countries released a statement condemning the “reprehensible acts of hostage-taking and unjust detention.” The “Joint Statement on Unjust Detention” was released by representatives from the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom at a bilateral meeting in Big Sky, Mont., on Tuesday, according to the U.S. State Department. “These acts are a flagrant affront to human rights. Perpetrators of these practices shatter lives and communities, undermine peace, and threaten gl...
(JNS) — The University of Pittsburgh, a more than 235-year-old public school in Pennsylvania, placed the campus Students for Justice in Palestine chapter on “interim suspension of registration” on Tuesday, the Pitt News, a student publication, reported. “Individuals acting on behalf of SJP” engaged “improperly” in “communications to members of the conduct hearing board,” Jamey Mentzer, associate director of student conduct at the highly-ranked university, reportedly wrote to the student group’s leaders. “This suspension has no specified end dat...
(JNS) — Egg prices remain high in much of the United States following an avian flu outbreak that led to the loss of many egg-laying chickens and has caused an ensuing egg shortage a month before the holidays of Passover and Easter in April, when eggs take center stage. Limited supplies as a result of what is commonly called the “bird flu” are related to the loss of many egg-laying chickens. According to CBS News, more than 148 million birds have been ordered euthanized since the current strain of bird flu was first detected in 2022. Curre...
(JTA) — Days after Yeshiva University announced that it would recognize a club supporting LGBTQ students, its president said the values espoused by a typical “Pride” club are “antithetical” to the school. Rabbi Ari Berman also claimed that the Modern Orthodox school’s decision to allow an LGBTQ club, after years of fighting in court not to recognize one, did not represent a reversal. He apologized for how the school had initially communicated the announcement. “I deeply apologize to the members of our community — our students and parents, al...
Nestled in the heart of Altamonte Springs, Sabbaba Market & Deli is a hidden gem bringing the rich, vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean to Central Florida and beyond. Owned and operated by Rachel and Joel Kirshblum, Sabbaba Market is a culinary treasure of great food served with a smile. Every dish is crafted with fresh, high-quality ingredients and time-honored recipes. From golden, crispy Jerusalem falafel to crispy borekas, creamy babaganoush and hummus, everything is made in-house with love and care. Sabbaba also offers traditional foods...
Anti-Hamas protesters march in Gaza, in rare and risky show of dissent By Philissa Cramer (JTA) — Hundreds of men shouting criticism of Hamas marched in Gaza on March 25, according to footage shared from the territory the terror group has long governed. Protests took place March 25-26 throughout the enclave, including in Khan Younis and neighborhoods of Gaza City. The demonstrations were a rare and risky public display of dissent against Hamas, which began controlling the territory in 2006 and ousted its rivals in a brief civil war the f...
(JTA) - Bruce Pearl, whose Auburn men's basketball team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen this weekend, opened his postgame press conference by calling to "bring the hostages home." Auburn is one of three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament with a Jewish coach. All three made the tournament's round of 16, as has the biggest Jewish star on the court, Danny Wolf. Pearl is known for his outspoken support for Israel, which he put on display Saturday after the Tigers beat...
At the heart of inclusion is RAISE — a work and social skills training program offered by Shalom Orlando for adults with disabilities. This program matches adults with disabilities with local businesses and organizations. RAISE — Recognizing Abilities & Inclusion of Special Employees — is accepting applications for employees and job coaches for the fall. RAISE employees earn a paycheck with the guidance of one-on-one job coaches, and helps employees build self-esteem and independence at home and in the workplace through its training program. RA...
On the morning of March 13, the Jewish Pavilion Senior Services hosted a successful and engaging Sponsors Breakfast at Grand Living. The event brought together dedicated board members, sponsors, and supporters of the Jewish Pavilion, all gathered to share ideas and discuss the future of the organization's impactful work in senior services. One of the key highlights of the meeting was a suggestion made by Jason Mendelsohn, a Jewish Pavilion board member and sponsor from Ashar Group. He proposed...
The Kinneret Council on Aging, an area nonprofit that provides life enhancing resources to the over 300 residents of Kinneret Apartments and to the aging population outside its walls, has formed a partnership with the Rosen JCC to provide engaging programming to seniors in Southwest Orlando. Coined “KCOA on the Road,” the speaker series expands the programming that KCOA provides in the community to a senior population that is currently underserved. Started in January 2025, programming has inc...
(JNS) — The family of freed hostage Yarden Bibas has raised more than $1.7 million via a public fundraising campaign since its launch on Saturday night, exceeding its initial $1,371,086 goal within 24 hours. The campaign, which was launched via the Lehosheet Yad (Lend a Hand) foundation, aims to help Yarden Bibas’s recovery and establish a memorial for his wife, Shiri, and two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were murdered in captivity in the Gaza Strip. As of Monday morning, 30,979 people from all over the world had donated to the cam...
(JNS) — The Tikva Forum of Hostages’ Families on Tuesday called for “all or hell”—meaning the return of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas at once, or the resumption of “massive” Israel Defense Forces pressure on the terrorist group. “The past weeks have proven what we have been saying all along—Hamas will never return all the hostages willingly,” the group said, referring to the terror group’s refusal to agree to a U.S. proposal to extend the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover. “Only massive militar...
(JNS) — Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Tuesday that Hamas will face intensified military action unless it releases all remaining hostages. “The murderous Hamas needs to understand: If they do not release all our hostages, our blows will intensify,” Katz stated in remarks released by his office. The statement came during a high-level security assessment held at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The meeting was attended by Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) with a silver-plated beeper in reference to Israel’s September 2024 detonation of thousands of pagers carried by Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. Meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, Netanyahu explained the difference between the commemorative pager and the genuine article. “The real beeper is like one-tenth the weight—it’s nothing,” the Israeli prime minister told the senator from Pennsylvania. “But it changes history.” Wearing his signature ho...
(JNS) — The Israeli-American Council announced on Monday that it had been unanimously voted into the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, calling it a “historic milestone for our community.” “Of the hundreds of Jewish organizations in the United States, fewer than 50 are officially labeled ‘major’ and allowed to sit at that table where policy is fashioned for the entire Jewish world,” stated Elan Carr, the CEO of the Israeli-American Council. “Whether addressing our shared challenges, combating antisemitism or...
By JNS Staff (JNS) — Nearly three in five Israelis back the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Hamas’s rejection of a U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefire in exchange for the release of more hostages. According to a survey carried out by Israel’s Direct Polls Institute and published by Channel 14 on Monday night—before the Israel Defense Forces launched a campaign of extensive airstrikes in Gaza—59 percent of Israelis support the resumption of hostilities. Some 38 percent said they opposed it, while 3 percent of respondent...
(JTA) - After running as a candidate last time, Abraham Silberstein will not even be voting in this year's election for the World Zionist Congress. In 2020, Silberstein had joined a liberal slate from the United States vying for representation in the congress, a unique legislative body that lets Jews from all over the world have a say in Israeli affairs. A critic of Israel, he agreed to join the Reform movement's list of candidates. Serving in the congress, he felt, meant having a seat at the...
(JTA) — Immigration authorities have arrested a second Palestinian involved in protests at Columbia University, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday. A third person who was involved in pro-Palestinian protests at the school, a current graduate student, “self-deported” earlier this week after having her visa revoked, according to the department. The announcement comes as Columbia reels from both the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian protest leader with a green card, and the loss of $400 million in federal funding as re...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last Wednesday that security officials are aware that a “more intense front” could open in Judea and Samaria amid the resumption of heavy fighting with Hamas in Gaza. “Because while we are waging an intense war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, we are aware of the possibility that a larger and more intense front could open here in Judea and Samaria,” the premier said during a visit to the Border Police’s undercover “Mista’arvim” special forces unit. “They are simply doing holy work for...
Over 60 arrested in counter-terror ops in Judea and Samaria (JNS) — Over the past week, units from the IDF Commando Brigade, including the Duvdevan, Egoz and Maglan units, have carried out operations targeting terrorists across Judea and Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces reported on Saturday. During these operations, more than 60 individuals wanted for security-related offenses were arrested. Israeli forces also confiscated a substantial cache of weapons, including firearms, explosives and ammunition. The operations are part of the IDF’s ong...
