Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA)—The U.S. Embassy in Poland said it was “concerned about the repercussions” for bilateral relations after the Polish Senate passed legislation that criminalizes accusing the Polish state of the crimes committed by the Germans during World War II. The bill passed Wednesday in the upper house of the Polish parliament days after passing in the lower one, the Sejm. To become law, the president must sign the measure, which prescribes up to three years in prison for “whoever claims, publicly and contrary to the facts that the Polish Nation...
(JTA)—The Louvre Museum in Paris has put 31 Nazi-looted paintings on permanent display in an attempt to find their rightful owners. The works were installed in two showrooms last month, The Associated Press reported. Some 296 Nazi-looted paintings are stored at the Louvre and remain unclaimed. Sebastien Allard, the head of the paintings department at the Louvre, told AP on Tuesday that most of the artworks were stolen from Jewish families during World War II. “Beneficiaries can see these artworks, declare that these artworks belong to them and...
WARSAW, Poland (JTA)—The debate over a Polish law that would criminalize the use of the term “Polish death camps” in referring to Auschwitz and other sites took a nasty turn when a television host joked that they should be called “Jewish camps.” The comment comes amid tensions between Poland and Israel over the legislation, which is meant to assign sole responsibility for atrocities on Polish soil to the German Nazis who occupied the country. Author Rafal Aleksander Ziemkiewicz, during the TVP2 show TVP Info, mocked critics of the legislati...
Republican Party in Illinois rejects Holocaust denier nominee for Congress (JTA)—A Holocaust denier, anti-Semite and white supremacist is about to become the Republican nominee for an Illinois congressional seat. Arthur Jones, a perennial candidate since the 1990s for the 3rd Congressional District representing parts of Chicago and its southwestern suburbs, in a political fluke is the only Republican candidate on the ballot, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday. The primary will be held on March 20. Jones, 70, is a retired insurance s...
(JTA)-The world is about to revolve around PyeongChang, a mountainous county in the northern half of South Korea, for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Jewish fans won't have quite as many standout athletes to cheer for this year as they did in 2016, when multiple American members of the tribe won medals at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. But there are several compelling Jewish stories to catch up on before the action starts. Israel is sending its largest team ever. Before this year, the largest...
(JNS)-Vice President Mike Pence concluded his trip to Israel on Tuesday with a private visit to the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism. Pence arrived at the holy site with a black yarmulke on his head flanked by the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz and Director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation Mordechai "Soli" Eliav. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and the Trump administration's international negotiations representative, Jason Greenblatt,...
Vice President Mike Pence on Monday addressed the Knesset, Israel's parliament, affirming the US' support for the Jewish state, for Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and for Israel's security. The following are excerpts from his speech: ...I am here to convey a simple message from the heart of the American people: America stands with Israel. We stand with Israel because your cause is our cause, your values are our values, and your fight is our fight. We stand with Israel because we believe in...
WASHINGTON (JTA)-When Mike Pence moved to Washington earlier this year, he and his wife took with them a framed phrase they had for years hung over their fireplace in their Indiana home, and then over the fireplace in the governor's mansion in that state. Now it hangs over the mantle at the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. The words, from the Book of Jeremiah, read: "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to...
Israel’s leadership took Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to task on Monday over his hate-filled speech in which he denied Israel’s right to exist and wished President Donald Trump that his “house should be destroyed.” Abbas on Sunday rejected Israel as a Western “colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism.” “Colonialism created Israel to perform a certain function. It is a colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism, but rather used the Jews as a tool under the slogan of the Promised Land,” said Abbas. Providing a war...
VIENNA (JTA)-If Stephan Templ's trial and imprisonment in Austria were meant to silence his criticism of the country's Holocaust restitution system, then his prosecution was clearly a failure. Templ is an Austrian-Jewish historian of the Holocaust who has written critically about his country since 1995. In 2015, he was sent to jail for nearly a year on controversial fraud charges tied to his family's own claim for compensation-and spent his time in prison diving even deeper into his area of...
Western Wall rabbi apologizes to female reporter for discriminatory treatment during Pence visit JERUSALEM (JTA)—The rabbi of the Western Wall sent a letter of apology to the editor of the Israeli business daily Globes for the discriminatory treatment of one of its reporters during Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the site last week. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, writing to Globes editor-in-chief Naama Sikuler, said “I want to express my regret for the anguish suffered by your newspaper’s diplomatic correspondent,” Tal Schneider. He also said...
Leaders of several major American Jewish organizations have told JNS that they are supporting the Israeli government's decision to prevent the entry of foreign citizens who promote boycotts of Israel. Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs on Jan. 7 released a preliminary list of 20 foreign organizations whose "central figures" will not be permitted to enter Israel because they have undertaken "significant, ongoing and consistent harm to Israel through advocating boycotts." There are six...
The Palestinians have announced an escalation of their diplomatic actions against Israel through the annulment of the Oslo peace accords and withdrawal of their recognition of Israel. The Palestinian Central Council on Monday declared that the transitional period stipulated in the peace agreements signed in 1993 in Oslo, Cairo and Washington, and its obligations "no longer stand." The PCC held a two-day conference this week to discuss the ramifications of the US recognition of Jerusalem as...
In a letter, the State Department notified the U.N. Relief and Works Agency that the U.S. is withholding $65 million of a planned $125 million funding installment to the body. The letter also makes clear that additional U.S. donations will be contingent on major changes by UNRWA, which has been heavily criticized by Israel. “We would like to see some reforms be made,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, adding that changes are needed both to the way the agency operates and is funded. “This is not aimed at punishing anyon...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—President Donald Trump denied a claim by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. Embassy would move to Jerusalem within a year. “By the end of the year?” Trump said Wednesday in an interview with Reuters after being told of Netanyahu’s claim. “We’re talking about different scenarios—I mean obviously that would be on a temporary basis. We’re not really looking at that. That’s no.” Trump’s reference to moving the embassy on a “temporary basis” and then saying “we’re not really looking at that” suggested th...
(JNS)-A bomb was found, and then detonated in a controlled blast by IDF forces on Monday night at the Jewish holy site of Joseph's tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus, known biblically as Shechem. The explosive device was spotted during a security check prior to the arrival of 1,000 Jewish worshippers to the site overnight. As the tomb is located within Palestinian-controlled territory, visits by Jewish worshippers are sporadic, take place exclusively during night-time hours, and must be fully...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel’s Knesset by a one-vote margin approved a bill that will keep supermarkets and other businesses closed on the Sabbath. The so-called mini-markets bill passed Tuesday morning in a 58-57 vote on its second and third readings following a 15-hour filibuster by the opposition parties. Under the controversial measure, the interior minister can strike down new municipal bylaws that would allow some businesses to remain open on Shabbat. The current interior minister is Aryeh Deri, head of the Sephardic Orthodox Shas party. Cri...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to India is occurring against the backdrop of a massive and still growing river of defense sales and technology transfers from Jerusalem to New Delhi. Israel's defense industries have been supplying ever-increasing numbers of cutting-edge weapons and platforms to India's military. Last April, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced a $2 billion sale of medium-range, surface-to-air missile defense systems to the Indian Army. IAI's Barak 8 air...
(JTA)-Moshe Holtzberg, who lost both his parents in a 2008 terror attack at the Chabad House in Mumbai, visited his old room accompanied by the Indian nanny who saved his life and by Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Moshe, 11, known even now in the Indian media as "Baby Moshe," found the marks on his wall where his mother had measured his height as a toddler. Netanyahu marked his present height on the same wall during their visit on Thursday. It is the first time that Moshe, who...
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says he will not step down amid blackmail allegations WASHINGTON (JTA)—Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said he will not resign over allegations that he threatened to blackmail a one-time lover despite calls by state lawmakers of both parties. “I’m staying,” Greitens said this weekend in an interview with The Associated Press, his first since the allegations emerged earlier this month. “The mistake that I made was that I was engaged in a consensual relationship with a woman who was not my wife. That is a mistake f...
NEW YORK (JTA)—A new study has some troubling news for Israel and its supporters, who have come to rely on the political and financial support of the 25 percent of Americans who identify as evangelical Christians. “Older American evangelicals love Israel—but many younger evangelicals simply don’t care,” reads the summary of the study released last month by the Nashville-based evangelical research firm LifeWay Research. And while the summary may overstate the case, the survey, underwritten by Chosen People Ministries (which seeks Jewish co...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—President Donald Trump waived nuclear sanctions against Iran for what the White House said was the final time under the current deal. By the time the next waiver signing rolls around in 120 days, Trump wants a new deal in place that removes “sunset clauses” allowing Iran to resume enhanced enrichment of fissile material within a decade, three senior administration officials said Friday. Trump wants the bans to be permanent. “He wants to deny Iran access to nuclear weapons forever and not just for 10years,” one of the officials...
Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs has published a list of 20 anti-Israel organizations that actively support the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement and whose activists will be denied entry into the Jewish state. “These organizations operate consistently against the State of Israel, while putting pressure on other organizations, institutions and countries to boycott Israel,” the ministry stated. “The organizations’ activities are carried out through a false propaganda campaign aimed at undermining Israel’s legitimacy in the w...
In a victory for the Israeli right, over 1,000 members of the Likud party’s Central Committee called unanimously Sunday evening for its representatives in government to formally annex parts of Judea and Samaria and allow unlimited construction in the Jewish communities. The resolution reads: “Fifty years after the liberation of Judea and Samaria, and with them Jerusalem, our eternal capital, the Likud Central Committee calls on Likud’s elected leaders to work to allow unhindered construction and to extend Israeli law and sovereignty in all t...
In 2017 alone, the Palestinian Authority (PA) compensated terrorists and their next of kin to the tune of more than $347 million, reported Israel's Defense Ministry to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday, according to a report by the Jerusalem Post. The figures came from the PA's own records, which also revealed a schedule of payments that increase significantly in proportion to the crime committed. Specifically, terrorists sentenced to three to five years in prison receive from...
