Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(ISRAEL21c)-Take a journey through the last 70 years to discover how Israel has become one of the most creative and innovative countries in the world. Israel was founded on May 14, 1948. In the Hebrew calendar, it was 5 Iyar, 5708 (which is on April 20 this year). • Israel is founded a few hours before the British Mandate is due to expire. Eleven minutes later, the United States becomes the first country to recognize the Jewish state when it grants Israel de facto recognition. On May 15, E...
(JNS)-The recent missile strike on a military airbase deep in the central Syrian desert looks like the latest installment in a long-standing Israeli campaign to police its red lines against highly dangerous developments to its north. Usually, such strikes are driven by incoming intelligence of threatening activity underway in Syria-activity that breaches Jerusalem's ban on Iran from constructing military bases in Syria, from setting up weapons factories there and from using Syria as a transit zo...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The latest alleged chemical attack on a town in Syria by government forces shows that the international organizations established after the Holocaust to prevent genocides have failed, a Yad Vashem official said. Avner Shalev, chairman of the Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem, also condemned the indifference of the world community to such “crimes against humanity.” “In light of the horrific images emanating from Syria over recent days of the mass killings of civilians, including children, in the chemical attack, it woul...
(JTA)-Israel attacked Syria, just like it (reportedly) has countless times before. The difference now is that Russia is angry about the strike-and showing it. Russia has called out Israel publicly, condemned the attack and summoned the Israeli ambassador to "discuss developments." The alleged strike, which the Israeli government has not acknowledged, came soon after a Syrian chemical weapons attack on civilians. But the two attacks might not be connected. Here's a quick rundown of why Israel is...
The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, came to America last week to meet with President Trump, Secretary of Defense Mattis, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, and other top U.S. officials. With the focus on Qatar, this is thus, the appropriate time to announce the following. The Zionist Organization of America and its president, Morton Klein, are proud and pleased to announce that it was through ZOA's and Klein's efforts, that Qatar agreed to cancel and not allow the release of a...
Madoff victims to receive $500 million more in relief (JTA)—The Madoff Victim Fund began distributing $504 million in funds to victims of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. The funds, whose distribution began on Thursday, will be sent to over 21,000 Madoff victims around the world, according to a statement by the Justice Department. The distribution is the second in a series of payments that will eventually return over $4 billion to Madoff victims. “In one of the most notorious and unconscionable financial crimes in history, Bernie Madoff robbe...
(JNS)-If you've ever been in Israel for Yom Hazikaron-the Memorial Day for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the Jewish homeland-chances are you will never forget it. Even if you somehow miss the official ceremonies honoring the fallen, there's no way to sleep through the siren sounding across the Jewish state at 8 p.m. and then again at 11 the next morning. At that moment, Israelis everywhere freeze in mid-air-mid-bank deposit, mid-math lesson, mid-email or mid-carpool-while traffic...
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (JTA)-At a windswept harbor of this Nordic capital, a bearded man wearing a black hat dips eating utensils into the icy water while hissing from pain induced by the bitter cold. Perplexed by the spectacle, a caretaker helpfully offers to let the man and his three companions use a washing basin to clean their dishes instead of precariously bending over the freezing water. "Thank you, but we need to do it in the sea," one of the men, 27-year-old Avi Feldman of New York, tells...
The Kinneret Council on Aging provided a Passover seder for the residents of Kinneret Apartments that was shared with family, friends and area youth. The seder was celebrated on the second night of Passover with over 50 participants. Partnering with the event was Central Florida Hillel, as well as KCOA staff and volunteers who provided table service that made each resident feel both special and appreciated. Dinner was provided by Kosher Central out of South Florida. "The seder provided our...
(JNS)—As American society has become more polarized in recent years, the debate over gun control has reflected this reality, with leaders and lawmakers on both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Yet the recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which left 17 dead—14 of them teenagers—has transcended the usual debate on gun control as an entire new generation, fed up with violence in their schools, has launched a social movement for change. While school shootings seem to be a uniquely American phe...
In a Twitter post on Wednesday, former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani stated that Israelis have a right to live in their own land, The Jerusalem Post reported. “...Israelis have a right to live in their land in peace and safety, this is my conviction. I’ve had this conviction for many long years, and I still do,” Hamad wrote in Arabic, the Post said. Hamad also called on Qatari leaders to improve its relationship with other countries in the region. “What we need now in our Gulf,” he said, “is to advise each other...
In an interview by Jeffrey Goldberg published Monday in The Atlantic, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Israelis have a right to their own land. Apparently pushing for a two-state solution, he said, “I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.” Ties between Israel and the Gulf states have improved over the past year, triggered by the common Iranian threat. “We have religious conce...
Amid uncertainty over the future direction of US policy in Syria, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley issued a stinging rebuke on Wednesday to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime over its continued use of chemical weapons. “We must not forget that while we sit here debating chemical weapons, there are people on the front lines in Syria who are facing the terrifying reality of those heinous weapons,” Haley declared at a meeting of the UN Security Council marking the first anniversary of the massacre at Khan Sheikhoun in northwestern Syria...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially canceled an agreement made with the United Nations that would have relocated thousands of African asylum seekers to Western countries. The cancellation on Tuesday afternoon came a day after the agreement was first announced and hours after the prime minister said he would freeze the deal in order to consult with members of his government coalition as well as the residents of southern Tel Aviv, where many of the migrants live. “In the past 24 hours, I have held many con...
(JTA)—When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked back an agreement with the United Nations last week to resettle abroad at least half of the African migrants seeking asylum in his country, it did not play well with the majority of Israelis. But don’t assume that means the public wants the migrants to stay in Israel, pollsters warn. While most knocked Netanyahu for a lack of leadership, the Israeli public overwhelmingly rejects the idea of granting residency to all or most of the migrants. “They are not ready to have 40,000 peopl...
Clarence Thomas’ wife says Jews ‘gave up their firearms to Hitler’ WASHINGTON (JTA)—The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shared a Facebook post blaming the Holocaust in part on gun control and attacking survivors of the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The post was one of several identified by The Hill on Monday as posted by Virginia Thomas. They registered strong disagreement with gun control while criticizing the survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting in February that killed 17 students and faculty...
(JNS)-Ahead of Israel's 70th birthday in May, longtime Harvard University law professor, attorney and author Alan Dershowitz announced that he is donating an ambucycle to Israel's volunteer medic organization, United Hatzalah, in honor of his 80th birthday. JNS interviewed Mr. Dershowitz about this gift and to hear his thoughts on Israel at 70-and what the next seven decades might look like. Q: What prompted you and your friends to donate an ambucycle to United Hatzalah for Israel's 70th? A:...
(JNS)-A new report presents, for the first time in Israel, a detailed model for the estimation of food loss in the retail and distribution sectors: in retail chains, open markets, local grocery stores and small retailers. Leket Israel, in partnership with BDO, released its "Third National Report on Food Waste and Rescue in Israel" at a press conference on Tuesday. It reveals that food loss in Israel this year amounts to 2.3 million tons with a market value of NIS 19.3 billion ($5.6 billion). A...
In response to her criticizing the apparent use of anti-Semitic propaganda by a UN official, NGO Monitor Legal Advisor Anne Herzberg was called to order for violating the "sense of respect" during Friday's 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held in Geneva. Herzberg was addressing language in a report by "UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967" Michael Lynk, which characterized Israel as greedy. Lynk referred to Israel...
(JNS)—The United Nations Human Rights Council passed five anti-Israel resolutions at the end of its 37th session in Geneva, under the “Agenda Item 7,” a UNHRC mandate that a discussion of Israeli human rights abuses against Palestinians must be part of every council session. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley expressed America’s outrage at the UNHRC’s treatment of Israel and warned that the U.S. would reconsider its membership in the body. “When the Human Rights Council treats Israel worse than North Korea, Iran, and Syria, it i...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel’s deportation of African migrants will be delayed until after Passover. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court agreed to a government request for an extension on the court’s order for a brief to outline the state’s deportation policy and related issues to April 9. The original deadline was March 26. The state said it needed more time to respond to the court’s request for clarification of the policy and said it will submit classified documents as part of its filing, which are believed to include information on the African n...
(JNS)—The Palestinian Authority has filed official requests this past week to join eight international treaties, including the U.N.’s International Convention against Apartheid in Sports and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty according to a report in Israel’s Hadashot news. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said the latest attempt by the P.A. to raise its status within the international community and delegitimize Israel is a campaign to “establish facts on the ground by making detours and unilateral moves.” In April 201...
Netanyahu backtracks, suspending African migrants deal he praised hours earlier (JTA)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is freezing an agreement made with the United Nations that would have relocated thousands of African asylum seekers to Western countries. Just hours after announcing and praising the agreement, Netanyahu said Monday that he needed to consult with residents of South Tel Aviv before carrying it out. Many of the migrants reside in that region of the Israeli city. In the agreement announced earlier Monday with the U.N. H...
(EJP / Exclusive to JNS via JNS)-The umbrella representative body of French Jewish organizations, known as Crif, has called for a rally on Wednesday in Paris in memory of Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Jewish woman brutally killed in her apartment. Knoll, who lived alone in the 11th district of Paris, was found after her apartment was set ablaze, police sources said. An autopsy showed her charred body also had at least 11 stab wounds. A Holocaust survivor, Knoll had managed to evade as a child...
(JNS)-Since Hamas came to power in the Gaza Strip more than a decade ago, it has built, trained, and armed a terrorist-army and guerilla force, and planted it in high-rise buildings, underground bunkers, and tunnels, in the midst of the civilian population. Israel and Hamas have engaged in three large-scale conflicts and numerous smaller-scale flare-ups over the past ten years, and, as the IDF looks ahead to the future, it is preparing new ways for its units to operate in this urban warfare...
