Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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$464 million more paid out to victims of Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme By Marcy Oster (JTA)—Another $464 million has been paid out to victims of Bernie Madoff’s $19 billion Ponzi scheme, bringing the total distributions in the case to more than $12 billion. The new payout to 880 former Madoff clients began on Friday with checks ranging from $429 to $66 million, Bloomberg reported, citing the office of trustee Irving Picard. The total distributions equal about two-thirds of each allowed claim, Picard said. Clients who suffered certified losses of... Full story
(JTA)-When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brokered a partnership between the extreme right-wing party Jewish Power, or Otzma Yehudit, and the more moderate right-wing Jewish Home, the late American-born Rabbi Meir Kahane was suddenly all over the news. Kahane, whose extremist Kach party was outlawed in Israel several years after his assassination in 1990, is the ideological father of Jewish Power. By extending a welcoming hand to the party ahead of Israel's April elections, Netanyahu... Full story
At exactly 8:45 p.m. EST a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off the Florida coast at Cape Canaveral carrying the SpaceIL Lunar Lander, named "Beresheet." The night launch was easily seen from Altamonte Springs as it rose into the atmosphere. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watched the lift off with his wife, Sarah, South African philanthropist Morris Kahn and a host of others at the Yehud Command Center. At 9:25 p.m. EST, Beresheet separated from the Falcon 9 rocket, deployed its... Full story
(JNS)-When anti-Israel organization "Combatants for Peace" announced recently that it would protest Israel's alleged annexation of Area C-the Israeli-controlled part of Judea and Samaria-the Sovereignty Movement, an offshoot of Women in Green and headed by Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, immediately responded to the provocation. They mobilized a large group of people to attend a lecture by veteran journalist and Knesset candidate Caroline Glick, of the New Right Party, at the Oz veGaon nature... Full story
(JTA)—With the announcement last month that it had picked Robert Kraft as its 2019 laureate, the Genesis Prize seemed poised for a calmer year. Last year the foundation that awards the “Jewish Nobel,” as it’s called, picked actress and director Natalie Portman as an example of someone who provides “inspiration to the next generation of Jews through their outstanding professional achievement along with their commitment to Jewish values and the Jewish people.” The selection backfired, however, when Portman refused to attend the prize ceremony in... Full story
(JNS)—Jordan has expanded a council that administers Muslim institutions on the Temple Mount, giving Palestinians 40 percent of the seats for the first time in a body previously reserved for trusted individuals close to the monarchy of Jordanian King Abdullah Hussein. According to a report by Haaretz on Monday, the Jordanian government enlarged the Waqf religious trust to include Palestinians, who will now have a significantly larger say on the sight of two Jewish Holy Temples: the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque. The seven P... Full story
(JNS)—Uri Akavia, a researcher at Kohelet Policy Forum, recently published a new paper titled “Is UNRWA’s hereditary refugee status for Palestinians unique?” In it, of course, he details the origins of the issue since 1948, the year Israel was established, and its ensuing state of affairs. “People have finally realized that UNRWA [U.N. Relief and Works Agency], is a very large and important organization that is perpetuating a problem that should not have even existed after 70 years,” he told JNS. When U.S. President Donald Trump announced l... Full story
Thousands protest anti-Semitism in marches across France By Josefin Dolsten (JTA)—Thousands participated Tuesday in demonstrations against anti-Semitism across France. Protesters took to the streets in some 70 marches only hours after nearly 100 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in the eastern French village of Quatzenheim were discovered vandalized with swastikas. Some protesters held posters saying “That’s Enough.” “Whoever did this is not worthy of the French republic and will be punished,” President Emmanuel Macron said at a visit to th... Full story
(JTA)-He's spent eight years trying to land a spacecraft on the moon, but when Yonatan Winetraub stood on the launchpad this month at Florida's Cape Canaveral, he was still in shock. "I stood right next to the rocket, and it's pretty big," Winetraub said in a phone interview Wednesday. "In the video, you don't see how big the rocket is and how powerful it is. But when you stand up close it's pretty powerful." If Winetraub sounds like a kid marveling at the thought of space travel, that's... Full story
(JNS)-The Jewish National Fund was left scrambling to apologize to the son of a former Japanese diplomat who saved the lives of approximately 6,000 Jews during the Holocaust, after a memorial grove of trees planted in his honor was flattened to make way for apartment buildings in Beit Shemesh without any notification. Trees were planted in memory and in honor of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese "Oskar Schindler," who violated orders from his government to issue thousands of visas from Lithuania to... Full story
(JNS)—The United States is expected to recognize a Palestinian state with its capital in eastern Jerusalem as part of its highly anticipated peace plan to solve the 70-year-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an informed source hearing from top Trump administration officials told JNS. The so-called “deal of the century,” which is expected to be released after Israel’s elections on April 9, will include U.S. recognition of Palestine with contingencies, according to the source, who was not provided the specifics behind the conditions. The capital... Full story
Mississippi House passes bill banning boycott of Israel By Marcy Oster (JTA)—The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a bill that would prevent the state from doing business with companies that boycott Israel. Following the 88-10 vote last week in the lower house of the state Legislature, the measure moves to the Senate. It prevents the state retirement system, treasury and any state government entity from investing in a company that boycotts Israel. The bill calls on the state to develop the list of boycotting companies. Existing invest... Full story
‘Schindler’s List’ waffle fries taken off Aussie restaurant’s menu By Marcy Oster (JTA)—A restaurant in Australia removed “Schindler’s List” waffle fries from its menu following a complaint by a Jewish customer. The manager of The Arc at Nobbys, located on the Gold Coast of Australia’s eastern coast, apologized to the customer who brought the Holocaust-themed item to her attention on Friday, and said the restaurant would print new menus. The “Schindler’s List” fries—at $15 an order—were one of several items on the menu named after blockbuste... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-A team of scientists at a biotech company in Israel claimed that they will have a cure for cancer-all cancer-within a year. Sadly, their claims were shot down by fellow scientists. In recent articles in Israel and the United States, Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd., or AEBi, which was founded in 2000 from the ITEK Weizmann technology incubator, announced that a new treatment being developed by the company would offer a complete cure for cancer with "no or minimal... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)-Ten years ago, Dr. Michael Har-Noy, founder and CEO of a Jerusalem-based startup developing an immunotherapy treatment that could potentially cure cancer, lamented that the fight against the dreaded disease "is a battle we are losing." Today, Har-Noy's company is getting closer to turning the tide. In the past decade, Immunovative Therapies has conducted dozens of clinical trials, opened branches in California, Arizona and Thailand, and raised $35 million. But the biggest boost came... Full story
By Yori Yalon (Israel Hayom via JNS)—Birthright Israel reached a new milestone in 2018, with a record 48,000 participants from around abroad and 8,300 Israelis. Birthright Israel, also known as Taglit in Hebrew, brings Jewish youths from around the world to Israel on a 10-day tour free of charge. The tour is aimed at fostering a bond with the Jewish state and increasing awareness of Jewish identity. A number of Israeli students and soldiers usually join each group for a portion of the tour. Since the launch of the initiative in 1999, some 6... Full story
By Marcus M. Gilban RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA)-Less than one month after Benjamin Netanyahu gained pop star status across Brazil for blending in with the locals during the very first visit of a sitting Israeli prime minister, Israel is making headlines in the land of samba once again. A 130-strong Israeli military and search-and-rescue team landed here on Sunday and has been working against the clock to find survivors of a dam collapse last Friday around a mining operation in a rural area of the Minas... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-There's a new political power in team in Israel, and it hopes to defeat longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in upcoming elections. Benny Gantz, a former head of the Israeli army, announced Tuesday that he will combine his new political party, Israel Resilience, with one led by fellow former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Yaalon. This is a significant partnership: Since its formation last month, and before he issued any kind of political platform, Gantz's party... Full story
Jewish National Fund is once again calling attention to people with special needs and disabilities during Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance, & Inclusion Month. As part of its focus on improving quality of life for all in Israel, JNF-USA is dedicated to ensuring that no member of Israeli society is left behind. Observed each February, JDAAIM was founded in 2009 by the Jewish Special Education International Consortium to raise awareness and encourage inclusion for people with disabilities and special needs. People with disabilities make... Full story
By Yisrael Medad (JNS)—A new lawsuit has been filed against Airbnb, this time in San Francisco. It alleges that the company, in its decision to delist accommodations owned by Jews in the geographical area of Judea and Samaria, is engaging in an “anti-Jewish Discriminatory Policy enacted by Airbnb [that] was adopted with the incitement and encouragement of Human Rights Watch and other organizations associated with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement.” This suit was filed on behalf of Efrat residents of Eve Harow and her husband, Earl;... Full story
Israel lawmakers cancel visit to Ireland after parliament passes West Bank boycott By Marcy Oster JERUSALEM (JTA)—The speaker of Israel’s Knesset cancelled an official delegation of Israeli lawmakers to Ireland, after its parliament advanced a bill banning the sale of West Bank goods. Yuli Edelstein cancelled the parliamentary delegation on Monday. It was scheduled to travel in March. The Occupied Territories Bill passed on Thursday would ban the import or sale of goods originating in all “occupied territories,” with lawmakers’ discussio... Full story
In a full-scale ceremony on Jan. 16, Rescuers Without Borders founder and president Arie Levy received the Global Impact Award in Tel Aviv, presented by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Levi, one of eight recipients, was given this honor for his international work in the developing world and Tikkun Olam. Since 2016 Rescuers Without Borders has taken their Israeli knowhow, training local people to be medics, and established 16 first response emergency teams throughou... Full story
(JNS)—Worldwide terror attacks decreased by one-third in 2018 compared to 2017, while resulting non-militant fatalities fell by more than one-quarter, according to the annual Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre Global Attack Index, released today by business information provider IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO). “Over the course of 2018, JTIC recorded a worldwide total of 15,321 attacks by non-state armed groups, which resulted in a total of 13,483 non-militant fatalities,” said Matthew Henman, head of JTIC. “The attack figure represents a signifi... Full story
(JNS)—Israel will revoke permits issued to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency due to accusations that the organization incites terror against Israel. According to a Hadashot television news report on Saturday, Israel’s National Security Council will revoke UNRWA’s permits to operate schools for Arab residents in eastern Jerusalem. Currently, UNRWA operates seven schools with an estimated 3,000 students in the city. UNRWA will reportedly be allowed to continue running the schools for the remainder of the current school year. Start... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel struck Iranian targets in Syria, hours after an Iranian-made ground-to-ground missile was fired by an Iranian force in Syria at northern Israel. The targets struck by Israel Defense Forces warplanes late on Sunday night include munitions storage sites, an Iranian intelligence site, an Iranian military training camp, and a military site located in the Damascus International Airport, the IDF said. Russia’s defense control center in Syria said that four Syrian soldiers were killed and six wounded in the attacks. Syrian mil... Full story
