Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(Chabad.org)—As Hurricane Dorian was unleashing its unimaginable devastation on the Bahamas earlier this week, Rabbi Sholom and Sheera Bluming, co-directors of Chabad of the Bahamas, hunkered down in the capital city of Nassau, making phone calls to residents, galvanizing the community, coordinating with government aid officials and rallying volunteers during their country’s time of need. After pummeling the islands for two days with winds in excess of 180 miles per hour and rain pouring down by the inches, Dorian moved on. At least 30 people h... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)-Michal Bar, head of emergency operations for Israeli humanitarian NGOIsraAID, doesn't mince her words. "The level of destruction is shocking," she says. "Since we arrived in the Bahamas last week, we have visited communities in both affected regions-the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Islands," Bar told ISRAEL21c. "In Abaco there are about 17,000 affected people and in Grand Bahama there are about 50,000. People here are waiting for information and for relief." Bar is leading a... Full story
(JTA)-The Israel-based humanitarian group IsraAID, B'nai B'rith International and Chabad are among those pitching in to help the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian's devastation, which has killed at least 20 people. "We are in the midst of a historic tragedy in parts of the northern Bahamas," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at a news conference Tuesday, adding the "devastation is unprecedented and extensive." The hurricane stalled over Grand Bahama Island for nearly two days, leaving... Full story
(JNS)-"We are not strangers in Hebron, and we will stay here forever!" were the climactic remarks made on Wednesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an official state ceremony at the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron commemorating the 90th anniversary of the 1929 Jewish massacre. Netanyahu also said that he was proud that his government approved dozens of additional housing units last year for Jewish residents of the ancient city. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Anti-aircraft missiles were fired from Lebanon at an Israeli military base and at military vehicles. “There are a number of confirmed hits,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Sunday afternoon. It later confirmed that a military ambulance and a military post were hit, but that there were no casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as defense minister, spoke about the incident late Sunday afternoon at a news conference to mark the opening of Honduras’ diplomatic office in Jerusalem. “We are... Full story
(JNS)-While many Israelis might already feel fatigued by the upcoming elections on Sept. 17, former justice minister Ayelet Shaked, who heads the newly formed right-wing Yamina Party, is both making history and surging in the polls. "I am the first female to head a right-wing political party in Israel's history," she told JNS. Heading a party that is polling consistently at 10 mandates, which would make it the fourth-largest party in the Knesset, Shaked has been very open about her nationalist... Full story
(JNS)—Jewish and pro-Israel community leaders and groups reacted to the White House announcement on Thursday that U.S. Middle East special envoy Jason Greenblatt plans to resign within the coming weeks. “Mr. Greenblatt has played a pivotal role over the last two years in strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship and in working on ways to seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” American Israel Public Affairs Committee spokesperson Marshall Wittmann told JNS. “We are grateful for his service to our country, and we wish him well in his fut... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will extend “Jewish sovereignty” over all communities in Judea and Samaria. He made the remarks Sunday to the new first graders on the first day of school at a national religious school in the Jewish settlement of Elkana, located in the northern West Bank, which is Samaria. “We will not uproot anyone here. There will be no more Gush Katif; there will be no more uprooting, and with G-d’s help we will apply Jewish sovereignty over all communities as part of the land of Israel an... Full story
To many, the term “Middle East peace” represents the impossible dream, if not the ultimate contradiction in terms. But there is a place in the region where Jews, Muslims and Christians meet peacefully every day on the basis of shared concerns and a sense of humanity. It’s not a country, though it is older than many of the nations in the vicinity. Nor is it a mirage, though the desert is within view. It’s the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. In the corridors, waiting areas, operating theaters, examination rooms, gardens and cafeter... Full story
(JTA)—As of this writing, Israel has not bombed Iran’s nuclear program. But according to an exposé in The New York Times that dropped Wednesday, it could still happen. And nearly did. The 10,000-word story details how close Israel came to attacking Iran, how Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush tried to deter the Israelis and what actually stopped the would-be bombing raid. It also tells the story of how President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and what that means for the future of the Iran-Israel-U.S. hate... Full story
In case you missed it, Israel will be holding national elections on Sept. 17. Yes, this is the second time this year. Hopefully the outcome will not be a stalemate like last time. Please enjoy this series of articles offering insight to perspectives beyond whether Bibi will be re-elected. These details are probably not understood overseas and ultimately, at least indirectly, is part of answering who will be Israel’s next prime minister. (For background about the electoral system from prior to the election in April, please feel free to c... Full story
Far-right Alternative for Germany party makes large gains in two state elections By Toby Axelrod (JTA)—The head of Germany’s Jewish community is urging democratic political parties to clearly distance themselves from the right-populist Alternative for Germany Party, which made large gains in two state elections. The anti-immigrant party, with some politicians who also have suggested that Germany is too obsessed with the Holocaust, achieved second place in elections Sunday in the former east German states of Brandenburg and Saxony, with 23.... Full story
(JNS)—The big news in Israel is not that Iran attempted to send kamikaze drones into Israeli territory last week or that Israel targeted that terrorist cell in Syria; these are not completely out of the ordinary or even unexpected. Rather, what was quite the unusual occurrence took place in central Israel when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered officials from the security establishment to brief his chief rival, former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, who serves as l... Full story
(JNS)-As the Sept. 17 elections draw here, a flurry of activity among the various political parties continues to be a game-changer. Israel is holding a second round after the April 9 elections because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government, mainly due to Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman's refusal to sit in a government with the ultra-Orthodox parties. Now, those same parties may prove the sleeper of the election and might provide Netanyahu with the 61 mandates... Full story
(JNS)-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the Trump administration is considering allowing U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem to list "Jerusalem, Israel" on their U.S. passports. "We're constantly evaluating the way we handle what can be listed on passports," he told JNS in a wide-ranging interview. "It's something that's actively being looked at." Despite the United States recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017 and relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv... Full story
(JNS)-Israel and South Korea have concluded three years of negotiations on a free trade agreement, officials announced on Wednesday, paving the way for a major boost in bilateral trade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the agreement-the first with an Asian country-calling South Korea a "global leader." "Israel is a vibrant, advanced economy, and I think our partnership will do tremendous good for both our economies. I'm sure it will multiply our trade, which already stands at... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)-In its 10 years of placing young Palestinian and Israeli leaders with Congress members, no lawmaker asked New Story Leadership for one of each-until Jamie Raskin did. This summer, Eran Nissan and Mohammed Ahmad have been interning in the office of the Maryland Democrat, bonding over constituent work. No one knew until well into the summer, however, that the two young men had a deeper connection than they realized: When Ahmad described the unsettling nightly intrusions by... Full story
(JNS)-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended a memorial ceremony on Monday for the Ukrainian Jews murdered at Babi Yar during World War II. The two leaders laid wreaths at the menorah monument of the site, where an estimated 33,771 Jews were massacred in September 1941. "Babi Yar is endless pain. In this grave, the mass grave here behind me, tens of thousands of Ukrainian Jews and many non-Jews were murdered," said Netanyahu. "As prime... Full story
Jerusalem, ISRAEL—Masa Israel Teaching Fellows, a Masa initiative in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Education, is set to launch its ninth year of programming. Two hundred English-speaking young Jewish professionals will arrive in Israel from around the world at the start of the academic year. Three of the fellows are from Oviedo, Maitland and Sanford. This program testifies to the growing commitment of world Jewry to Israel with the number of participants increasing five-fold over the last eight years. Fellows will teach English in ele... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Twenty-one right-wing Israeli lawmakers rebuffed a House bill that endorsed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while rejecting efforts to boycott the Jewish state. In a letter addressed to U.S. Reps. Brad Schneider, Lee Zeldin, Jerry Nadler and Ann Wagner, the co-sponsors of the bill and staunch supporters of Israel, the Israeli lawmakers asserted that a Palestinian state is “far more dangerous to Israel” than BDS. House Resolution 246, which passed 398-17 last month, condemned the Boycott, Dives... Full story
(JNS)-Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas avoided answering whether or not he believes that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state and seemed "aggressive" in talks with U.S. lawmakers regarding the Trump administration's policies, according to members of Congress who just returned from a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank. Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), told JNS that she "didn't walk away from the meeting with Abbas feeling particularly... Full story
(JTA)—When Israel announced that it would deny entry to Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the decision struck many as an unprecedented step. But Israel has blocked multiple lawmakers from coming in recent years. The difference this time is that it’s lawmakers from the United States who are being declared persona non grata. That’s a significant difference, given the closeness of the U.S.-Israel relationship—a link so crucial to Israel that the country’s diplomacy vis-à-vis the United States is often conducted according to its own set of rul... Full story
IDF thwarts third infiltration attempt from Gaza in a week (JNS)—Israeli troops on Monday arrested an armed Palestinian man attempting to infiltrate into Israel from the Gaza Strip, according to the Israel Defense Forces. “A short time ago, IDF soldiers arrested a suspect crossing the security fence into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip in the south,” the IDF said in a statement on social media. “The suspect was captured and found carrying a knife along with two bullets.” The attempted breach marked the third time in a single week that... Full story
(JNS)-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed his condolences to the American people on Sunday night after back-to-back mass shootings rocked the cities of El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend. "In the past 24 hours, we have witnessed two murderous attacks in Texas and Ohio," he wrote on Twitter. "On behalf of all government ministers and all citizens of Israel, I send condolences to the bereaved families, best wishes for recovery to the injured, and solidarity with the... Full story
(JTA)-Those close to Dvir Sorek, the 19-year-old student who was murdered Thursday in a West Bank terrorist attack, described him as a unique young man. One of his friends from the West Bank settlement of Ofra, where Sorek's family lives, described him to Ynet as "an upstanding person, a poet, a musician with a special connection to nature." This is perhaps the reason that he chose to give an unusual goodbye gift to his teachers at the West Bank religious seminary, or yeshiva, he attended:... Full story
