Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Randy Fine, a Jewish Florida state senator whose bruising demeanor has made him a new favorite on the right, easily won the Republican primary for an open House seat. An Associated Press estimate showed that Fine took more than 80 percent of the GOP vote on Tuesday. The district is deep red, making his victory in the April 1 special election all but assured. He would replace Michael Waltz, who left Congress to become Trump’s national security advisor. Fine decided to run in the district, even though he does not currently live there, after r...
On Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m., the Jewish Pavilion Senior Services will host its annual Fashion Show at Dillard’s in the Altamonte Mall. Come enjoy a breakfast provided by sponsors, Dillard’s goody bags, and the chance to win exciting raffle prizes. Following the show, take the opportunity to shop for the fantastic outfits you’ve just seen on the runway. This year’s fashion show will honor Jane Edelstein, an incredibly dedicated professional and volunteer, and someone you will want to meet. Tickets for general admission are priced at $25...
(JNS) — Saudi Arabia’s government on Tuesday contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Ryadh may normalize ties with Israel even without the creation of a Palestinian state. Sitting alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump addressed Saudi-Israeli ties while answering questions from journalists on the subject. “Well, we’re going to see, and we’re dealing with a lot of people, and we have steps to go yet, as you know. And maybe those steps go forward, and maybe they don’t. We’re dealing...
(JNS) — The Trump White House has asked congressional leaders to approve about $1 billion in weapons sales to Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing U.S. officials. The sales would include more than $700 million in 1,000-pound bombs (4,700 in total), along with armored bulldozers worth more than $300 million, the officials said. The 1,000-pound bombs, referred to as “general purpose bombs,” consist of 4,500 BLU-110s and 200 Mk-83s. Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers also are part of the sale. Although they are used to defen...
(JNS) — Israel’s cabinet minister in charge of Jerusalem affairs on Sunday asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to increase security in the city ahead of the release of hundreds of Palestinian hostages in exchange for Israeli hostages in Gaza. Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage Meir Porush made the appeal in a letter he sent to Netanyahu and other members of the cabinet, Israel National News reported. “The regular deployment is insufficient,” Porush wrote, according to the report. “We must ensure that there is an ade...
(JNS) — Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s push in favor of relocating Gaza residents, Israel’s Otzma Yehudit Party on Tuesday said it had introduced a bill that would financially compensate those choosing to leave the enclave. According to a statement by the party, those choosing to leave the Strip would receive a “financial assistance package” determined by the Finance Ministry under the proposed legislation, which is scheduled for a review next week by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. Anyone who accepts the package and later...
President Donald Trump said he is “not confident” that the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war will last, adding that the United States could help rebuild Gaza. Trump, sitting in the Oval Office, made the comments following his inauguration Monday. A reporter asked whether he was confident he could “keep the ceasefire in Gaza and conclude the three phases of the deal.” “I’m not confident,” Trump responded. “That’s not our war, it’s their war. I’m not confident.” Then, presumably referring to Hamas, he added, “But I think they’re very weaken...
(JTA) - The oldest living American-Israeli hostage has exited Gaza, one of three Israelis Hamas released on Saturday in accordance with the terms of a ceasefire deal. Keith Siegel, 65, was released after a seaside ceremony in Gaza City where he briefly walked across a stage and waved, a performance that Hamas has required of the hostages it has recently freed. He was wearing a hat and walked on his own, though he appeared to be supported by two Hamas terrorists as he mounted the stage and...
One of the flight attendants killed in the recent plane crash in Washington, D.C., was an alumnus of a Jewish youth group with a passion for travel and a talent for comedy. Ian Epstein, one of the four flight attendants on American Eagle Flight 5342, was an alumnus of the pluralist Jewish youth group BBYO, the group posted to Facebook on Thursday. He is one of 67 victims of the crash Wednesday night over the Potomac River, in which an army helicopter collided with a passenger plane. "Our hearts...
(JNS) - "We did it," Efrat Machikawa, the niece of redeemed hostage Gadi Mozes, told JNS on Sunday. Mozes, 80, was among the three Israelis and five Thais redeemed from terrorist captivity as part of Hamas's truce with Jerusalem, 482 days after they were abducted during the terror group's Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. Machikawa was reunited with Mozes on Friday. "It's such a relief. It's quite amazing. It feels like my body was all tense, slowly it's allowing itself to calm down. It's a very special f...
Hamas condemns Trump’s Gaza resettlement plan as ‘ridiculous’ By Joshua Marks (JNS) — Hamas on Wednesday rejected as “absurd” U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate Gazans from the war-torn coastal enclave. Speaking to reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump proposed that the U.S. take control of Gaza, resettle its Palestinian population elsewhere and transform the enclave, which he described as a “demolition site right now,” into a developed hub. Hamas official Sami Abu...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked Sunday on a Washington visit centered around a pivotal meeting on Tuesday with President Donald Trump. While the Prime Minister’s Office announced a Friday return to Israel, concurrent preparations suggest a possible extension until the following Sunday. The leadership summit will address all major regional and international issues and their interconnections: the status of the Gaza ceasefire, efforts to liberate the remaining hostages in the Strip, and subsequent phases of the...
(JNS) — Prominent Israeli-American columnist and JNS senior contributing editor Caroline B. Glick is returning to the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem to serve as International Affairs Adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Glick, who worked with Netanyahu over a quarter century ago before becoming a widely read columnist, took up her new position on Sunday. “Life takes you in different directions, and I am going back to the office where I worked nearly three decades ago as the prime minister leads Israel through the most...
(JNS) — Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi ordered the military on Monday to prepare for counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria amid an uptick in terror following the ceasefire in Gaza. “In addition to the intense defensive preparations in the Gaza Strip, we must be prepared for significant operations in Judea and Samaria in the coming days in order to get ahead of and catch the terrorists before they reach our citizens,” Halevi stated following a situational assessment. Halevi’s remarks came hours after one IDF...
Sa’ar hails Trump’s executive order to curb ‘disease’ of Jew-hatred (JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to counter the scourge of Jew-hatred. “Thank you, President Trump, for your executive order to combat the disease of antisemitism. This critical step sends a clear message: the antisemitic support for Hamas’ October 7th atrocities will not be tolerated,” tweeted Sa’ar. “Your important decision helps ensure the safety of the Jewish people on campuses and elsewhere in A...
(JNS) — Seventy-one percent of Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, according to a poll conducted on Jan. 29. The survey comes on the background of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure on Sunday to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. “The findings are public just in time for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit with President Trump. Bibi can now go to the president of the United States with a clear statement that this is the will of the people of Israel,” Avi Abelo...
(JNS) — Israel Defense Forces soldier Liri Albag, who was released on Saturday after 477 days in captivity in Gaza, took to social media on Friday for the first time since being freed. “The people of Israel, I want to thank you again for all your support, love and help,” Albag wrote in her first Instagram post since Hamas terrorists took her hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. “Together, we are a force,” the IDF field observer wrote. “I want to thank the soldiers of the IDF and the security services, who risked their lives and fought for us and for our...
(JNS) — The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles, is “deeply concerned” that Facebook parent company Meta is discontinuing its fact-checking policy and relying more on users to say which posts they deem unfactual. “This decision comes at a time of unprecedented surging antisemitism, particularly following the events of Oct. 7, making the rollback of critical safeguards exceedingly dangerous,” the center stated. “This reckless move disregards the immense responsibility social media companies bear in protecting vulnerable...
(JTA) - Hamas released four hostages on Saturday in a choreographed ceremony in Gaza, making them the second group of captives to go free in the ceasefire. The four hostages released on Saturday are Daniela Gilboa, Liri Albag, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev. All are Israeli soldiers. Before being allowed to return to Israel after nearly 16 months in captivity, they were paraded across a stage in Gaza wearing green fatigues, against a banner with English, Arabic and Hebrew slogans such as "Zionism...
(JNS) — Israel-related issues dominated the Senate confirmation hearing of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Tuesday to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Nearly every senator on the Foreign Relations Committee probed her views on the Jewish state and the region. The congresswoman vowed to use her seat in Turtle Bay to combat antisemitism just as she had done in Congress. “If you look at the antisemitic rot within the United Nations, there are more resolutions targeting Israel than any other country, any other crisis, com...
On Jan. 19, graffiti was painted on the Historic Oviedo Colored Schools Museum. The graffiti included the racist “SS lightning bolts” symbol and hateful, explicit language. Since then, a felony criminal mischief investigation has been launched. Seminole County deputies said they painted over the graffiti. The following is the Holocaust Center’s statement: On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida solemnly honors the 1.1 million victims—most of whom were Je...
(JNS) - The first three female hostages freed by Hamas terrorists during the current ceasefire have been released from the hospital, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan announced on Sunday. Former Gaza captives Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, completed their tests and initial medical treatment at the hospital, according to the statement, which noted that "Sheba Medical Center will continue to support them and their families." The ex-hostages and their...
The Jewish Chamber of Commerce of Orlando invites community members to its free monthly Networking Breakfast, held the first Thursday of the month at One Senior Place, 7157 Lansdowne Blvd, Orlando, FL 32810. This event is free Ffor Chamber members. There is a nominal fee for nonmembers. This monthly gathering is a great opportunity for local professionals to connect, collaborate, and build relationships in a welcoming and vibrant environment. The next breakfast is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6, at 8:30 a.m. The event, designed to foster...
Many Seminole County subscribers received their Jan. 10 and Jan. 17 issues of the Heritage after Jan. 20. Several readers called Heritage to ask what had happened? We don’t know why this only affected the Seminole County papers, but we do know that there were several holidays that delayed delivery of the paper: Christmas day, New Year’s day, former President Jimmy Carter’s death and Martin Luther King day. We aren’t “passing the buck” but in our defense, for over 40 years, through hurricanes and power outages, the Heritage has gone to the prin...
The Israeli American Council Central Florida, in collaboration with Shalom Orlando, is bringing The Anti-Zionism Escape Room to the Roth Family JCC, 851 N. Maitland Ave., on Feb. 4-5, 2025. This Escape Room is an immersive experience designed to address the challenges of anti-Zionism, inspired by the events of the past year and the rising protests on campuses and in public spaces. Through collaboration and critical thinking, participants will learn definitions and ways to identify anti-Zionism and develop strategies for addressing cases of...
