Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - A circle of yellow flags, symbolic of the hostages who remain captive in Gaza, greet you as you enter Kibbutz Nir Am-a painful reminder of that Black Sabbath of Oct. 7. Every so often, the dull boom of combat in the neighboring Strip punctuates the air. The cacophony of war continues. Nir Am is in the northwestern Negev, close to Sderot. The closest point of the kibbutz is less than a mile from the Gaza border. On Oct. 7, as Hamas-led terrorists invaded the communities of the "Gaza...
(JTA) — Israeli troops have rescued an Israeli hostage from southern Gaza, the military announced Tuesday. the eighth captive held by Hamas to be brought back alive by Israeli forces since Oct. 7. Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, 52, a Bedouin Israeli and father of 11 from the southern city of Rahat, worked as a security guard at Kibbutz Magen on the Gaza border and was captured by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 attack. He was one of several Israeli Arabs to be taken hostage. Al-Qadi was rescued Tuesday morning by Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 unit fro...
(JNS) - Qaid Farhan Alkadi, who was rescued from Gaza by Israeli forces on Aug. 27, after 326 days in Hamas captivity, has begun to share details regarding the brutal conditions he experienced since his abduction on Oct. 7. "He spoke about the darkness, not being able to see. But, thank God, he's back with us, alive-it made us all rejoice," Alkadi's cousin Fayez al-Sana told the New York Times after visiting him in hospital. Ata Abu Medigm, the former mayor of Rahat, told Ynet that Alkadi was...
(JNS) — The following is the transcript, translated from Hebrew, of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conversation on Aug. 27 with Farhan al-Qadi, who was rescued after being held hostage in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Farhan, hello to you my friend. Welcome back!” Farhan al-Qadi: “Hello, welcome. Hello Bibi, Abu [father of] Yair!” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Farhan, I am so happy to speak with you.” Farhan al-Qadi: “I am also happy. I have been waiti...
(JTA) - Hersh Goldberg-Polin's mother looked almost as the world has gotten to know her when she took the podium at her son's funeral in Jerusalem. Rachel Goldberg-Polin had her hair pulled back neatly and was wearing a crisp white shirt, the trademark piece of masking tape marking the number of days since her son and 250 others were taken hostage on Oct. 7 affixed to its breast. But the shirt was ripped, in keeping with the Jewish tradition of rending one's clothing upon learning of the death...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - The vibrant Redhead Days Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, known for celebrating auburn-haired individuals worldwide, struck a poignant note this year. Amid the sea of orange locks, participants were urged to remember the Bibas family-Shiri, Yarden and their young sons Ariel and Kfir-who were taken captive from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The event, which ran from Aug. 24-25, drew over 10,000 attendees, was transformed into a platform for raising awareness about the family's plight, with a spotlight on the two redheaded...
(JNS) — Hamas leader abroad Khaled Mashaal called for a return to suicide terror attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria. During a video address to a conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Mashaal said, “Resistance operations in the West Bank are escalating despite the harsh conditions,” according to CNN Arabic. “We want to return to martyrdom operations. This is a situation that can only be addressed by open conflict. They are fighting us with open conflict, and we are confronting them with open conflict,” he continued. “The enemy has opened...
(JNS) — Israel’s United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon on Thursday morning responded to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a halt to IDF activity in Judea and Samaria. “Since Oct. 7, Iran has been working vigorously to introduce into Judea and Samaria sophisticated explosive devices that are intended to detonate in the centers of Israeli cities,” Danon tweeted. “The State of Israel cannot sit idly by and wait for the spectacle of buses and cafes exploding in city centers. The activity of the IDF forces in Judea and Samaria is...
(JTA) — The United States announced sanctions against a nonprofit that has received funding from the Israeli government as well as the civilian security chief of a West Bank settlement. The sanctions are the United States’ latest effort to curb extremism among settlers and come as violence in the West Bank has escalated. The nonprofit, Hashomer Yosh, was founded a decade ago with the stated mission of supporting and protecting farms in Israeli West Bank settlements. In its announcement of sanctions, the State Department accused the non...
(JNS) — According to Hashomer Yosh, an Israeli nonprofit organization that assists farmers and protects agricultural state land in Judea and Samaria, the sanctions the United States imposed against it on Wednesday are based on false information provided by left-wing groups. “We ask, why? And we have an answer,” Meir Bertler, the group’s foreign relations chief, told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster. “The answer isn’t about the activities of Hashomer, which are legal and legitimate and coordinated with the government. It is about false and dis...
(JTA) — The federal government will spend nearly $150 million more this year than it did in 2023 to secure religious organizations, a jump aimed at addressing a rise in antisemitism since Oct. 7. The Department of Homeland Security announced last week that it had allocated $454.5 million this fiscal year toward the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which funds security enhancements at houses of worship and religious organizations. It is the largest sum ever allocated toward the program, and a significant increase from last year’s figure of $305...
Drone downed over southern Kinneret likely came from Syria (JNS) — Israeli air defenses on Monday morning intercepted a drone just south of the Sea of Galilee that appears to have penetrated the border from Syria to the east. The drone set off sirens in several towns in the southern Golan Heights area. The incident occurred well south of the areas usually targeted by Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to Israeli Army Radio, military officials believe the object was launched from Syria, a fairly rare occurrence. Hezbollah has rained thousands of p...
(JNS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Wednesday that the major flare-up with Hezbollah earlier this week wasn't "the end of the story." During a tour of the country's northern border, Netanyahu said, "[On Sunday], we foiled a surprise attack by Hezbollah against the State of Israel. We destroyed thousands of intermediate-range rockets that were aimed at the Galilee and the Golan Heights. We thwarted all of the drones that were directed against the State of Israel, at...
(JNS) - Nearly 30,000 new immigrants have arrived in Israel since the Oct. 7 massacre, according to figures released Tuesday by the World Zionist Organization. The wave of aliyah coincides with the nearly 11-month war against Hamas in Gaza and a surge in global antisemitism, including in North America. The war began when thousands of Hamas terrorists infiltrated southern Israel, slaughtering 1,200 people and abducting another 250. Of these, 109 still remain captive in the Strip. "On Oct. 7, a war erupted not against the state of Israel but agai...
(JTA) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who injected outlandish comments about Jews into the national dialogue and also vocally supported Israel, suspended his campaign Friday and said he would support Donald Trump. Kennedy, who had previously run in the Democratic party and had gained attention in recent years as an anti-vaccine activist, dropped his bid Friday during an extended press conference in Phoenix, shortly before a scheduled Trump rally nearby. Kennedy’s lon...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — The Israeli American Council unveiled its “Hostage Square” exhibit on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, drawing attention to Israeli captives held by Hamas. The political event has been marked by large pro-Palestinian demonstrations. An IAC spokesperson confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the exhibit is situated on private property near the United Center, where the convention is taking place until Aug. 22. By choosing a private lot,...
(JTA) — Israel bombed hundreds of sites inside Lebanon and Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets into Israel early Sunday in a sharp flare of hostilities at Israel’s northern border. Hezbollah has said for weeks that it is planning a significant attack within Israel in response to Israel’s killing in Beirut last month of Fuad Shukr, a Hezbollah commander. Israeli military leaders said they had determined that an attack was imminent and struck against Hezbollah’s rocket launchers in a bid to prevent or blunt the damage. They said that a fleet o...
Dr. Kenneth Hanson has just released a powerful documentary about the Oct. 7 massacre of 1200 innocent Jewish men, women and children in the northwestern Negev. The video, titled "October Shadows: Denying the Day of Despair," brings attention to what exactly happened on that fateful day and covers the almost immediate denial of the evil acts committed by Hamas and Gazan citizens. "... while Oct. 7 is a different kind of Holocaust than what transpired during the dark years of World War II, the...
Participants are in for two very special treats in the Jewish Pavilion Senior Services online auction fundraiser this year. Not only can participants bid on the usual amazing range of items from restaurant gift cards to theme park tickets to unique experiences, but this year’s auction will also feature nearly 75 brand-new, couture fashion items such as purses and shoes donated by a wealthy benefactor in New York City. Even better, everyone who registers for the auction has the chance to win a $500 Visa gift card courtesy of Cornerstone H...
(JTA) — CHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention is denying a speaking spot to a group of pro-Palestinian delegates, a decision it confirmed after the parents of an Israeli-American hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, delivered an address that brought the convention to a standstill. The delegation of activists belongs to “Uncommitted,” the movement that calls for an end to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. They protested the decision by staging a sit-in outside the convention center that lasted into...
(JNS) — Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday in a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that anti-Israel protesters “have a point.” “Those protesters out on the street. They have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides,” the 81-year-old president told the United Center crowd on the first night of the convention after being introduced by First Lady Jill Biden and their daughter, Ashley Biden. Four demonstrators were arrested after anti-Israel protesters breached an outer fence lin...
(JNS) — In a JNS/Direct Polls survey of Israelis conducted on Aug. 19 regarding their view of the presidential race that pits Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump, Harris enjoys the support of 28 percent of Israelis to Trump’s 64 percent, with 9 percent of Israelis professing to have no opinion. In a JNS/Direct Polls survey of Israelis carried out on July 9, 34 percent of respondents supported Biden to 55 percent for Donald Trump and 11 percent had no opinion. In this week’s poll, Harris has virtually no support am...
(JNS) — The Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who has eluded Israeli crosshairs since Oct. 7, is making it a precondition to a ceasefire and hostage release deal that Israel spare his life, according to reporting in Asharq al-Awsat, an Arabic publication in London. Israel media reported, citing Egyptian officials who spoke anonymously with Asharq al-Awsat and other Arabic media, that Cario presented a stipulation to U.S. counterparts on behalf of the Oct. 7 terror attack mastermind. “Should a deal be struck alongside the return of hostages, ‘Si...
(JNS) — Former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani met with top global diplomats on Wednesday to raise the plight of the 109 captives still being held by the terrorist group in the Gaza Strip. “Every night I was falling asleep and thinking, this may be the last night of my life,” the 26-year-old told senior diplomats from G7 countries in Tokyo. “And until the moment I was [rescued] … I just did not believe that I’m still surviving,” she added. “And in this moment that I’m … sitting with you, it’s a miracle that I’m here,” she said. Argamani, Shlomi Zi...
(JNS) - MAGHAR, Israel - After seven months fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza with his elite military reserve unit, 32-year-old Eyal Ghanam is now heading to the country's volatile northern border for a two-month stint. For Ghanam, a member of Israel's small and strongly patriotic Druze community, military service runs deep in the family; his father's 25-year Israel Defense Forces career saw him rise to become infantry brigade commander of the northern Gaza Strip before Israel's unilateral...
