Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1295 - 1319 of 1886
NEW YORK (JTA)—Are Jews too powerful to be considered “victims” of racism? Some progressives think so and have been downplaying accusations of anti-Semitism in light of a debate over prejudice and power. This week, The New York Times took heat for hiring Sarah Jeong, a technology writer, to its editorial board. Some have called her racist against white people, pointing to past tweets in which she proclaimed that “White men are bullshit” and “#CancelWhitePeople.” The debate over her tweets often centered around the very notion of anti-white ra... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congressional candidate and rising progressive star, was cheered at an event at a Jewish museum that did not touch on Israel or the Jewish community. Ocasio-Cortez appeared at a conference here hosted by the Immigrant Arts Coalition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, participating in a panel focused on women in the arts. While politics did frequently come up, none of the panelists-including Ocasio-Cortez, who has been critical of... Full story
(JNS)-A documentary featuring the notorious Louis Farrakhan will not be available to Netflix customers next month after all, with the media streaming giant citing an "internal miscommunication." "This film will not be released on Netflix. Due to an internal miscommunication, it appeared to be scheduled for release on Netflix, but it is not," a Netflix spokesperson told JNS. "We apologize for any confusion this has caused." The 2014 film, "The Honourable Minister Louis Farrakhan: My Life's... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—David Kustoff, running for re-election in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District, had three things in his favor: incumbency, a solid Republican district and President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Kustoff was not taking anything for granted, though: In the Republican primary on Thursday, he faced a challenger, George Flinn, who spent more than twice what he has on the campaign and likes to remind voters that he is a “Christian conservative.” Which is notable because Kustoff is Jewish. “It’s unfortunate that someone would try and... Full story
SAN FRANCISCO (J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA)—Campers and staffers were evacuated from Camp Tawonga in Northern California on Tuesday morning due to potentially harmful smoke from backfires set by firefighters battling the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park. A new crop of 330 campers arrived on Sunday, a day after officials at the Jewish camp were assured by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service that the fire would not impact camp. But on Monday, Tawonga camp officials w... Full story
SAN DIEGO-The Jewish Federation of San Diego County (Federation) has named Michael Jeser as its new CEO. On Aug. 27, Jeser will succeed Michael Sonduck, who retired in June after his 12-year tenure, including six years as CEO, with the organization. Jeser joins San Diego's Federation after serving as director of financial resource development at the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, where he oversaw all aspects of the organization's annual and supplemental fundraising campaigns for three... Full story
(JTA)-Like many heavily Orthodox sections of Brooklyn, Borough Park has been served for decades by an all-male volunteer ambulance corps called Hatzalah. The corps caters to a religious Jewish community with particular needs and customs-including one custom that can increase the tension for patients in already stressful emergency situations. The strict boundaries between men and women are familiar to anyone who has attended an Orthodox synagogue or has read the stories of airplane flights being... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decried the “occupation of Palestine” during a television interview. Appearing July 13 on PBS’s “Firing Line,” Ocasio-Cortez, 28, also described herself as “a firm believer in finding a two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, upset 10-term incumbent Joe Crowley in last month’s primary in New York’s 14th Congressional District, which straddles Queens and the Bronx. Although she has commented... Full story
(JTA)-Kosher observers who pick up their coffee at Starbucks may need to look elsewhere for their caffeine fix. A kosher-certifying agency said it can no longer vouch for the kashrut of many beverages served by the coffee giant. The Star-K agency this week said it was ending a program under which it deemed many Starbucks products permissible without actually certifying them as kosher. Plenty of kosher consumers aren't taking the news lying down: As of Thursday afternoon, more than 7,000 have... Full story
(JTA)—A welcome sign at the Hillel at University of Oregon was defaced with a pro-Palestinian message and obscenities The vandalism at the building on the campus in Eugene was discovered Friday. The Hillel posted a photo of the sign in the parking lot on Facebook. One message read: “Free Palestine you f***s.” No other damage or graffiti was discovered on or around the building, according to the organization. Two other Jewish groups on campus were left untouched. In a message to the campus Jewish community Kevin Marbury, a university vice presid... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-After Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political world by defeating longtime New York Rep. Joseph Crowley in a Democratic primary last month, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez quickly aligned himself with the former political outsider, saying on a radio show that "she represents the future of our party." If so, that future appears to include the kind of sharp criticism of Israel once considered taboo in both major parties. Ocasio-Cortez ran on a platform of... Full story
Criminal complaints are now being filed by students following the belligerent disruption of a May 17, 2018, Students Supporting Israel [SSI] event at University of California Los Angeles. At least a half-dozen students announced they would visit the UCLA police department to file formal complaints reporting criminal disruption of a meeting, as well as disturbing the peace and conspiracy. The move follows media disclosures that UCLA was reneging on the public pledge by two chancellors in the... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Not an hour after Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement as associate justice on the Supreme Court, the National Council of Jewish Women tweeted its dismay. "Justice Kennedy's retirement could drastically shift the balance of the Supreme Court, and threaten the very rights and liberties we've fought so hard to protect," NCJW tweeted Wednesday. "We need a justice who will stand up for all of our rights, not just the wealthy and powerful." NCJW's is a voice of the Jewish liberal... Full story
BOSTON (JTA)-A century-old synagogue in Boston that now serves as a Jewish cultural center will receive $500,000 from the city for historic preservation. On the recommendation of Mayor Martin Walsh, the City Council last week unanimously approved the grant for the Vilna Shul, Boston's Center for Jewish Culture, under the Community Preservation Act. The funding for the multi-story building, once abandoned but now a landmark and tourist destination, will be used to help make it fully accessible... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-It's like finding out that the White House has a mikvah in its basement and no one knows about it. Up an elegant stairway next to the concert hall at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the "Concert Lounge dedicated by the State of Israel." It's a delicate, quiet refuge from Washington that bursts with, well, Israeliness: Paintings and wooden reliefs feature biblical scenes by Israeli artists who were well known in their time. Forty-seven years after it was... Full story
(JTA)-When Mary McCabe explains America's immigration courts to children who have been separated from their parents, she tries to make it interactive. She draws a sketch of a courtroom and asks kids to identify the figures in the room-like the judge or the lawyers-and where they sit. For younger ones, ages 6 or 7, she brings a box of crayons and a sketchpad for doodling. Older kids sometimes play with a toy that drips colored oil into water. Anything to give them a little diversion from her... Full story
Angry parents and citizens dominated the first hour of a scheduled Newton, Mass., Public School board meeting on Monday night, in an effort to show their disgust and rage at the continued teaching of bias against Israel that has been the focus of controversy in this heavily Jewish suburb for more than five years. Waving signs of “Fire Fleishman!” and “Replace!”, 70 angry citizens protested the mistreatment of the Jewish community by city officials the evening of June 11. Ruth Goldman, chair of the Committee, restricted discussion of the con... Full story
TEANECK, N.J. (The Jewish Standard via JTA)-A sociology professor at William Paterson University of New Jersey in Wayne has been recorded on video espousing a series of anti-Semitic beliefs about Jews. They include the ideas that Ashkenazi Jews are not genetically related to the ancient Israelites; that 175,000 German Jews found safe harbor in the German army during the Holocaust; and that Judaism has degenerated from a universal religion, with roots in ancient Egypt, to a racist religion.... Full story
(JTA)-Seven Supreme Court justices sided with a Colorado baker in his legal fight with a gay couple. And seven major Jewish groups weighed in on the decision. Six of the Jewish groups disagreed with the decision. But one Jewish organization, the Orthodox Union, dissented from the rest, calling the ruling a victory for religious freedom. "Too many pundits and politicians have lately engaged in rhetoric that seeks to paint religious liberty in a negative light, especially as they seek to advance p... Full story
(JNS)-Author Michael Chabon ignited controversy in the Jewish world following his May 14 commencement speech at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles with students and prominent Reform rabbis criticizing the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist for his take on Jewish inner-marriage and various Israeli security policies. "Security is an invention of humanity's jailers," he said to the audience of young people. "Anywhere you look, it is and has always been a hand of... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)-Emily Schorr Lesnick and Jamila Humphrie always knew that Judaism would play a part in the life they wanted to build together. But experiences with Conservative Jewish institutions had made the couple feel less than welcome. Schorr Lesnick, 28, remembers encountering homophobia at her Jewish Conservative summer camp. Humphrie, 29, who was raised Christian but does not identify with a religion, felt singled out as a non-Jewish and biracial person when she accompanied Schorr... Full story
(JTA)-Two congressional races have been beset in recent days with charges of anti-Semitism, and each case-in California and in Virginia-uncovers challenges for Jews in the Republican and Democratic parties. For Jewish Democrats, it's about Israel and the party's left wing. For Jewish Republicans, it's about extremists. In both cases, Jews in the respective parties are grappling with old problems made sharper by recent developments. Democrats for years have had a left wing that tended to see... Full story
(JTA)—Mark Wilf, a real estate developer and owner of the Minnesota Vikings football team, is expected to be named the incoming chair of the Jewish Federations of North America. Wilf has held numerous leadership positions, both nationally and locally, including National Campaign chair, National Young Leadership Cabinet co-chair, and president of his community’s Federation. He also has served as co-chair of JFNA’s National Holocaust Survivors Initiative, where he has helped raise millions in funding for struggling and indigent survivors. Wilf... Full story
A few weeks ago a group of 13 Central Floridians went to Crown Heights in Brooklyn, New York, with Rabbi Yanky and Chanshy Majesky of The Chabad of North Orlando to experience Shabbat in the Heights-a weekend trip sponsored by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. This same time one year ago, Orlando resident Rhonda Des Islet went on the trip and shared in the Heritage that she was grateful to experience the Crown Heights lifestyle by living among the Orthodox Jews for the weekend. "I have to... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—If you’re an Orthodox Jew with a mortgage from Quicken Loans, you might be in trouble. Agudath Israel of America, a major haredi Orthodox organization, issued a Jewish legal ruling last month prohibiting Jews from taking out loans from the company because it is majority-owned by Jews. Quicken Loans, which claims to be America’s largest mortgage lender, also owns Rocket Mortgage, the online mortgage agency. Jewish law, known as halacha, forbids Jews from charging interest to other Jews. So Jews are allowed to own mortgage agenc... Full story
