Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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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
NEW YORK (JTA)—A delegation of members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations visited Saudi Arabia last week, a first for the umbrella body for U.S. Jews, and a move believed to be the first official visit to the kingdom by an American Jewish organization since 1993. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has learned that the visit from Monday to Thursday included meetings with senior Saudi officials as well as with Mohammed al-Issa, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League who recently led a delegation to A... Full story
The Jewish Braille Institute Library provides individuals who are blind, visually impaired, physically handicapped or reading disabled with books, magazines and special publications of Jewish and general interest in audio, large print and Braille formats. The unique services provided by JBI, all of which are free of charge, enable over 35,000 children, adults and seniors from New York to New Zealand to participate fully in the life of their communities. To receive a free large print Haggadah by mail, call 800-999-6476 before March 27, 2020, or... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)-A device developed in Israel that might significantly ease the treatment of coronavirus victims suffering from pneumonia and also reduce the danger of contagion to health care providers could reach the market in China within the next few months. The CoughSync, which was originally developed at Alyn Hospital, a Jerusalem pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation facility, to help children unable to cough for themselves, is now awaiting approval from the National Medical Products... Full story
AMHERST, MA—The Yiddish Book Center announced that it has been shortlisted for The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2020 for The Literary Translation Initiative Award. The awards, held in partnership with the UK Publishers Association, celebrate publishing success in 16 categories, representing the best publishing ambassadors, innovative publishing, and ground-breaking initiatives in the industry. In each award category, the judging panel was comprised of experts in that sector. “We are thrilled to receive the news that the Yid... Full story
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers taken in by Hamas social media scheme featuring fake young women By Marcy Oster JERUSALEM (JTA)—The cellphones of hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been compromised in a Hamas intelligence-gathering scheme that featured fake women on social media networks. The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday in a statement that its Operation Rebound foiled the Hamas honeypot operation, its third since 2017. Hamas created six female characters to lure soldiers, presenting them as new immigrants to Israel to account for their someti... Full story
The United Nations Human Rights Council has released a list of more than 100 companies it says are operating in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. In a report issued on Wednesday, the council said that the activities of these companies “raised particular human rights concerns.” The list is dominated by Israeli companies, including banks and construction firms. However, it also lists a number of international firms, including travel companies Airbnb, Expedia, and TripAdvisor, tech giant Motorola, and construction and infrastructure compan... Full story
(JNS)—The first full review of the Saudi curriculum in more than a decade shows that while improvements have been made, extremist content still exists. For example, Jews are blamed as assassins, described as monkeys, and will be fought and killed in the day of resurrection, according to a new report by IMPACT-se, a research institute that analyzes schoolbooks and curricula in accordance with UNESCO-defined standards on peace and tolerance. Additionally, martyrdom for the sake of Allah remains a “godly gift,” and Christians and Jews are still ca... Full story
Independent Jewish day school in Connecticut to close, cites finances and enrollment By Marcy Oster (JTA)—Carmel Academy, an independent Jewish day school in Greenwich, Connecticut, will close at the end of this school term, citing the “current realities of finances and enrollment.” The school announced on Tuesday that it would join the Leffell School, a Jewish independent school serving about 740 students on two campuses in Westchester County, New York, at the start of the next academic year, according to a Carmel statement. Carmel was found... Full story
(JNS)-The last several months have not been good for Lebanon, as it's been wracked by economic and political instability. Protesters upset over years of government mismanagement, sectarianism and deep-rooted corruption forced the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in October, which led to more political paralysis and put the country on the verge of a financial collapse. Seeking to address these imminent concerns, the country formed a new government in January under Prime... Full story
