Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Recovered from coronavirus in prison, Harvey Weinstein now faces new charges By Marcy Oster (JTA)—Harvey Weinstein has been charged with a new felony sexual assault count by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. The charge, filed Friday, accuses the former Hollywood producer of assaulting a woman at a Beverly Hills hotel in May 2010, in an incident that falls just within California’s 10-year statute of limitations. Weinstein, 68, is currently serving a sentence of up to 23 years in New York after being convicted in February of rape and s... Full story
(JTA)-Poland's ruling party took a stand on Wednesday against a far-right push to stop the restitution of property owned by Jews and others before the Holocaust. Far-right activists had gathered enough signatures to present a draft resolution to the Sejm, the lower house of Polish parliament, that would prohibit the redistribution of "heirless property"- property that belonged to private individuals, many of them Jews, who were killed in the Holocaust and whose heirs, if they exist, never filed... Full story
(JTA)—A British lawmaker who has said that he supports Zionism will replace Jeremy Corbyn as the head of Britain’s Labour Party. Keir Starmer, who managed the party’s Brexit approach under Corbyn, won 52 percent of the vote in the Labour leadership election, whose results were announced Saturday. His share of the votes was almost double that of the runner-up, Rebecca Long-Bailey, a close ally of Corbyn. In his victory speech Saturday, Starmer apologized for how the party has handled anti-Semitism within its ranks and committed to making chang... Full story
(JNS)-The four men acquitted in the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan have been rearrested and will remain in custody pending prosecutors appealing the ruling in the country's Supreme Court, announced Pakistan's interior ministry on Friday. Three were handed life sentences, and a fourth, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, was awaiting execution. The Karachi court last week reduced Sheikh's sentence to seven years for kidnapping following the hearing of an... Full story
Pop star Pink, having recovered from coronavirus, is donating $1M to fight the disease By Marcy Oster (JTA)—Jewish pop star Pink and her 3-year-old son have recovered from the coronavirus, she announced on Twitter. She and her son Jameson were sheltering at home in Los Angeles when they began experiencing symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago, she wrote in a series of tweets Saturday. A retest in recent days came back negative, she said. She added that she was donating $1 million to fight the coronavirus: $500,000 each to t... Full story
(MEMRI via JNS)—Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar threatened last week that if Gazans start dying of COVID-19 due to a lack of ventilators, the terrorist group would make “6 million settlers unable to breathe.” Speaking with Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV and Shehab News Agency on April 2, Sinwar addressed Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, who he said had a “Merchant of Venice mentality along with the rest of Israel. Bennett should read the prophecies contained in Chapter 17 of Ezekiel, which are “about to come true for the Zionist entity,” said the Hama... Full story
Israelis could face random coronavirus tests at supermarkets By Marcy Oster JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel’s Health Ministry and the Weizmann Institute of Science will conduct random sample coronavirus tests in supermarkets to determine where the virus is spreading. The tests had been scheduled to start Monday in branches of three major supermarket chains, but were delayed after the locations of the tests leaked to the public. That raised fears of people with COVID-10 symptoms rushing to the supermarkets in order to get a test, potentially inf... Full story
(JTA)—There are about 250,000 Jews in the United Kingdom. They account for only 0.3 percent of its population. But the coronavirus has killed 44 known Jewish victims so far—about 2.5 percent of the total U.K. tally. That means British Jews are overrepresented by a factor of eight in their country’s death toll from COVID-19. The statistics are compiled, released and updated periodically by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, an umbrella group representing British Jewry. The stats are unique because they are the first centralized attem... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)—The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed our daily lives. The virus has ushered in economic uncertainty, fear of losing loved ones, and the general anxiety of not knowing how long this crisis could last. Each country facing this threat has adopted different strategies on curtailing the spread of this disease. The global community is still trying to figure how best to “flatten the curve” and save lives. In today’s connected world, other countries can learn from each other’s best practices. It is worth noting and learning... Full story
London rabbinical court allowing some products not certified kosher for Passover due to coronavirus By Marcy Oster (JTA)—Why will this Passover be different from all others? This year, the London Beth Din, or religious court, has created a list of permissible products not made under special supervision for Passover due to difficulties caused by the coronavirus crisis. The Kashrut Division of the court developed the list, titled “Product guidelines in extremis,” from an array of basic goods to help quarantined families and those who are strug... Full story
(JNS)—Iranian officials have stolen more than $1 billion in European assistance to combat the coronavirus pandemic, instead pocketing the funds for themselves, alleges U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iran has the sixth-most confirmed coronavirus cases with 23,049, and the highest number of cases in the Middle East. At least 1,812 people have died from the virus. On Monday, Pompeo released a new list of five allegations of how the regime has handled the outbreak. “In February, Iran’s chief terror airline, Mahan Air, ran at least 55 flights... Full story
(WASHINGTON, DC & WORLDWIDE)—BBYO has introduced a brand-new, first-of-its-kind virtual experience for Jewish youth, akin to an interactive “Jewish Netflix” for teens to access unique online experiences and programs. As “social distancing” becomes the norm for young people around the world, BBYO is offering its global audience an opportunity to connect, learn, have fun, and be inspired in a new digital space. The recently launched BBYO On Demand will serve as a teen curated global engagement platform featuring activities, speakers, and hangouts... Full story
By Simone Somekh NEW YORK (JTA)—The Italian people’s first reaction to the coronavirus was to have a good laugh. Not because they didn’t believe the virus was a real issue, but because that’s just how we like to process big changes in my home country. By Feb. 23, there were 152 confirmed cases in Italy. Yet many people were still skeptical, assuming the virus was probably no different than the regular flu. Thousands of original, hilarious jokes, cartoons and self-deprecating memes regarding the virus started circulating online. We all took part... Full story
By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA)—Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have much in common when it comes to policy and style. They stand together in recommending tough action to contain Iran, and are comfortable dealing with autocracies (Saudi Arabia) and increasingly nationalist democracies (Hungary, India). Netanyahu has fervently embraced idioms identified with Trump, like “fake news” and “deep state.” But when it comes to how they are both handling the coronavirus, it’s night and day. Netanyahu’s public statements have been clear and pac... Full story
Work to secure Western Wall stones in egalitarian area completed By Marcy Oster JERUSALEM (JTA)—Work to secure stones in the egalitarian section of the Western Wall has been completed. The work came after a 400-pound stone dislodged from Robinson’s Arch in July 2018 and crashed down on one of the platforms designated for mixed prayer. A lone worshipper was praying at the site, at the southern end of the wall, when the stone fell. Daniella Goldberg, 79, was shaken up but not injured. Israeli archaeologist Zachi Dvira said at the time that the... Full story
(JNS)—The U.S. State Department has changed its official description of Palestinians living in eastern Jerusalem from “Palestinian residents” to “Arab residents” or “non-Israeli citizens” in the department’s annual global human-rights report released on Wednesday. The majority of eastern Jerusalem’s 340,000 or so Palestinians identify as such. The Palestinians consider the area the capital of a future state. The change in name comes just months after the Trump administration released its “Peace to Prosperity” plan in January, which states... Full story
Netanyahu plans to mobilize students to disinfect public areas By Ben Harris (JTA)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he plans to enlist schoolchildren to help disinfect public areas from the coronavirus. “This virus is sensitive to bleach and we must act in an orderly way to disinfect railway stations, bus stations, etc.,” the prime minister said in a statement. “To this end, over the vacation period, which may be extended, I will mobilize teenagers, both in schools and in youth movements, in a very meticulous way, to help wi... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—The spread of COVID-19, a new coronavirus, is reshaping Jewish communities. We’re collecting the news flowing in from across the globe here. (If you want to skip the minute-by-minute updates and just understand the broad ways that Jewish life is changing because of the coronavirus, we’ve got you covered here.) As always, we want to hear from you. Have questions or tips? Email us. 2:50 p.m. Quarantine tally in Israel rises: After Israel added new travel restrictions, the number of Israelis estimated as being under quarantine becau... Full story
(JTA)—Aboud Dandachi isn’t Jewish. Or Israeli. Or Italian. Or sick with coronavirus. He’s a Muslim from Syria living in Canada. But when he read the Jewish Telegraphic Agency story about an Italian boy whose bar mitzvah was curtailed because of the rapidly spreading virus, Dandachi responded in a way he figured Jews might appreciate: He donated $18 in honor of Ruben Golran to the Canadian branch of the Jewish National Fund to plant a tree in Israel in the teen’s honor. “This is what I know how to do,” said Dandachi, 43, of Toronto. “I’ve had f... Full story
(Tel Aviv)-March of the Living organization's leaders announced today, that owing to the spread of coronavirus, especially in Europe and the United States, this year's March of the Living in Poland will be postponed. The organization's chairman, Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, said, "After consulting with the relevant health bodies and officials, it is with a heavy heart that we are forced to announce the postponement of this year's March of the Living in Poland. Our primary concern is the health of the ma... Full story
(JTA)-A second carnival in Spain has referenced the Holocaust with Nazi and concentration camp prisoner uniform costumes. The theme was "the same." The Holocaust-themed display at the Feb. 23 event in Badajos occurred amid debate on the appropriateness of festive parades apparently making light of the murder of millions of Jews and Romanis by the Nazis. That was spurred by processions the same week in Belgium and in Campo de Criptana, a town about 80 miles south of Madrid. In Badajos, which is... Full story
(JNS)—A member of the advisory council for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei died of coronavirus on Monday, reported Iranian state radio. Iranian Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi is the first top official in the Islamic Republic to die as a result of complications from the virus. Mirmohammadi’s mother also died of COVID-19. Other top Iranian officials, including Iranian Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar and Iraj Harirchi, the head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus, have been infected. Iran has reported 1,5... Full story
‘Judge Judy’ to end after 25th season, but Judy will be on a new bench By Marcy Oster (JTA)—“Judge Judy” will stop banging her gavel after 25 years on the TV bench—but she won’t stop meting out justice. Judy Sheindlin, the Jewish judge on the popular court television series, told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in an interview that aired Monday, March 2, that the series will wrap up in 2021. But she also said a new show, “Judy Justice,” will premiere the next year, Deadline reported. CBS, she said, plans to continue to screen “Judge Judy” in r... Full story
VIENNA-Few events feature both wiener schnitzel and kosher wine, songs from the classic Yiddish "Bey Mir Bist du Scheyn" to the bluesy "Georgia On My Mind," and uplifting Shabbat services and debates about divisive Israeli politics. It was all part of last weekend's Limmud FSU Europe conference in Vienna, which drew a crowd of more than 600 Russian-speaking Jewish participants from at least 25 countries despite mounting concern about the outbreak. They converged on the Austrian capital for... Full story
The first ‘Harry Potter’ book is now available in Yiddish By Gabe Friedman (JTA)—As of today, the first book in the Harry Potter series is available in Yiddish. “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”—or “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” as it is known in the United States—was released in Yiddish by the Swedish publisher Olniansky Tekst Farlag on Friday. (Yiddish is an official language in Sweden.) It was translated by Arun Viswanath, 29, the son of an Indian-American father and Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath, author of the “Comprehensive... Full story
