Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Dear Editor: Thanks to Jeff Gaeser for publishing the Heritage since 1982 in a manner that was in the best tradition of news coverage in this free country. All the news of Jewish interest was reported without prejudice providing opposite views on the same subject on the same page. I wish the enthusiastic new publishers success in their new ventures, building on what we have become accustomed to in looking forward to in weekly Jewish news. I need to comment on one item in a recent issue of the Heritage which is of much concern at a time when we...
(JNS) — Lebanon stands at a pivotal crossroads. For decades, Hezbollah, fueled by Iranian patronage and bolstered by Syrian support, has held the nation’s destiny in its iron grasp. Yet with the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the recent elimination of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s once-charismatic leader, that seemingly unbreakable hold is weakening. Stripped of vital supply lines, cut off from Tehran’s backing and now led by an unremarkable successor, Hezbollah’s dominance is at its most tenuous point in living memory. The question...
(JNS) — If there was one terrorist whose life epitomized the Arab war against Israel and shattered the illusions fostered by the Oslo Accords, it was Fuad Shubaki, who died this week at the age of 83. Shubaki was born in Gaza in 1940. Note that the Jews didn’t rule Gaza in those days (the British did), so Gazans didn’t demand a Palestinian state and didn’t organize any movement for independence. The next occupier was Egypt. The Egyptians illegally occupied Gaza in 1948 and ruled it for the next 19 years—yet still, there was no uprising...
(JNS) — If it’s Tuesday, then it must be time for more cries of a fake famine in Gaza. Gaza, as you know, has been starving to death now since Oct. 2023. A year later, Gaza is notable for having some of the fattest starvation victims around. The Biden administration, its congressional allies and the media have continued to lambast Israel for “blocking food” from entering Gaza despite undeniable evidence of a constant flow of food into Gaza. But that only matters so much when the United Nations refuses to deliver it. Again. Staggering images...
(JNS) — Every year, as Hollywood shuts down for the winter holidays, an unassuming list makes its way into executive inboxes. “The Black List,” as it has been known for the last two decades, ranks the most popular unproduced screenplays of the year, according to the executives and producers who read them. Getting a screenplay on this list can be a career-defining moment for a screenwriter. Ranking near the top of the list can fast-track a project to production. Many “Black List” screenplays have been produced, and a notable percentag...
(JNS) — The International Federation of Journalists was disturbed last month when the Israeli Cabinet voted to cut all financial ties with Haaretz, the country’s self-described “paper of record” with a proud, far-left bent. “We are extremely concerned over Israel’s authoritarian drift that undermines media pluralism and the public’s right to know,” Anthony Bellanger, the IFJ general secretary. responded to the move. “The IFJ urges the government to review its decision and stop damaging press freedom in the country by boycotting a news...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on trial for allegations of bribery and/or requests for better press coverage, which could be interpreted as normal official actions of a democratically elected leader. He is certainly not the first leader to be accused of bribery or corruption while in office. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a similar case back in 2016 when it found, in a unanimous 8-0 decision, in favor of former Virginia Gov. Robert (“Bob”) McDonnell. The U.S. Justice Department had charged McDonnell with corrupt...
(JNS) — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, finds himself at the center of a prosecution that borders on absurdity. Amid a war for more than a year now that has placed Israel under fire from multiple fronts, he is being targeted for alleged corruption involving champagne and cigars. The very notion of prosecuting Israel’s most formidable and successful wartime leader over such trivial matters not only undermines his leadership but also raises serious questions about the priorities of the Israeli legal and polit...
(JNS) — Following revolutions, we Americans have a touching inclination to ask: “Are the new leaders like us? Are they moderates who believe in tolerance and peaceful coexistence?” Generally, the answer is no. Take the revolution that just occurred in Syria. It was led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani. He runs Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebel group with roots in both Al Qaeda and Islamic State. He and HTS have been officially designated as terrorists by the U.S. government. Al-Julani is no moder...
(JNS) — I am writing these lines from the United States, where I am nearing the end of my latest speaking tour. I’ve been to New York, Toronto, Detroit, Philadelphia, and now Miami. Coming from South Africa, where we suffer one of the highest murder rates in the world—more than 70 people per day are killed throughout the country—I was nevertheless shocked by the most recent school shooting here in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” In what is stated by CNN to be “the 83rd school shooting in the USA this year,” 15-year-old Nat...
(JNS) — In the past year, we have witnessed Hezbollah become obliterated, Hamas destroyed and the Assad regime in Syria collapse. Even Iran has become significantly weakened. These entities have been exposed as the paper tigers that they are. Their economies are propped up, their people are oppressed, and there is no freedom. What makes them paper tigers is that their societies are built on lies. Similarly, the forces in the West that protest, riot and attack in support of Hamas and Hezbollah will be exposed as the paper tiger that they are. T...
(JNS) — Obituaries for journalist Lance Morrow, who passed on Nov. 29 at the age of 85, heaped praise on his “elegance” and “beautifully constructed” essays. They neglected to mention the antisemitic essay he once wrote—and the award it received from a prominent liberal Jewish organization. Morrow was part of the wave of American journalists and columnists in the 1980s who specialized in accusing Israel of having lost its soul and betrayed its moral obligations. From his longtime, self-righteous perch at TIME magazine, he frequently...
(JNS) — The gunman who shot two Christian kindergarteners in Oroville, Calif., earlier this month wrote a note stating that his actions were in response to America’s perceived role in the conflict in the Gaza Strip. This is a stark reminder of how unchecked hatred can spread and mutate, striking innocent victims across religious lines. This tragedy, coupled with the tragic shooting this week at a Christian school in Madison, Wis., demands our immediate attention and action. When left unchecked, hatred becomes a contagion that knows no boundarie...
(Jewish Journal via JNS) — President Theodore Roosevelt is known for the saying, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” The presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be remembered for a very different aphorism: “Speak in apologetic whispers and defund your sticks; you will go backwards in retreat.” Those are two very different approaches to diplomacy and the realities of international affairs. It explains why both Obama and Biden were among the least capable foreign policy leaders our country has ever known. A good exam...
(The Forward) — The prospect of President-elect Donald Trump return to power has unsettled many American Jews, who traditionally vote Democratic. Memories of his first term — marked by polarizing rhetoric, controversial policies, and the perception of flirtation with extremist elements — still loom large. Please, let’s all take a deep breath. American democracy is tough and resilient, and the fears about Trump himself, and his policies, are vastly overblown. Nobody is saying Trump’s second term will be a cakewalk — politics never is. But rea...
(The Forward) — Many pieces have been written comparing the story of the hit-Broadway musical “Wicked” — a riff on the backstory of “The Wizard of Oz” — to that of the Jewish people. The musical, which was just adapted into a blockbuster film by John Chu, explains how Elphaba, who was born with unnaturally green skin, came to be known, unjustly, as the Wicked Witch of the West. And since the movie came out, numerous writers have argued that Elphaba’s story of persecution and discrimination is particularly Jewish. However, the similarity goes...
(JNS) — Do you remember when universities were institutions that taught us how to think critically rather than telling us what to think and when journalism schools emphasized ethics and the importance of truth-seeking? If those days ever existed, they seem long gone, particularly regarding coverage of the Middle East. Amnesty International is mistaken for a human-rights organization when it is nothing more than a media whore engaged in National Enquirer-like sensationalism. It has mastered the art of generating headlines and stirring outrage w...
(JNS) — Strong winds are blowing around us — to the north, south, east and west. Regimes are wavering or collapsing, and new ones are rising. We must not be passive because what they all have in common is a fervent hope for our destruction. Protecting our lands and stabilizing our borders is a clear and present necessity. We must immediately apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, Gaza and the Jordan Valley, and broaden our hold on the Golan Heights and Lebanon. Thank God, while writing these lines, we have been informed of Israel’s liber...
(JNS) — As chaos envelops Syria — with one gang of terrorists overthrowing the other gang of terrorists who ran the government — the question needs to be asked: Can you imagine the danger Israel would now be facing if it had surrendered to U.S. demands in the 1990s to give up the Golan Heights? This isn’t some theoretical what-if scenario. During the first Clinton administration, a team of State Department negotiators led by Dennis Ross spent several years trying to pressure Israel to give over the Golan to Syrian dictator Hafez Assad (father...
(Investigative Project on Terrorism via JNS) — Anti-Israel students have always sought convenient, effortless ways to demonstrate their hatred for Israel. In the past, this has meant trying to remove Sabra brand hummus from campus food services. Starting at DePaul University in 2011, efforts to embargo Israeli-made food spread quickly to other campuses (the University of Ottowa in 2014, Swarthmore College in 2018, Dickinson College in 2019 and Harvard University in 2022), but after Oct. 7, student boycott demands grew more expansive. It’s no...
(JNS) — With the ink dry on the International Criminal Court’s phony arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the chorus of European village idiots is already clamoring for more. In addition to imprisoning Israel’s prime minister, they wish to expand France’s Oct. 5 arms embargo of Israel to all of Europe. The effort is gaining traction. The ICC’s endorsement of “war crimes” gives cover to supporters of terror, antisemites and the willfully ignorant. A crescendo is coming. This is not the first French embargo of Israel or...
(JNS) — As soon as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Sebastian Gorka to the post of senior director for counter-terrorism in his new administration, the anti-“Make America Great Again” crowd dusted off an old smear campaign against the former West Wing staffer. One enduring attack centers on his association with Vitézi Rend, a Hungarian merit organization established in 1920. Critics have sought to tie the group to Hungary’s fascist Arrow Cross regime, despite the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry...
By Orit Arfa (JNS) — Since the Amsterdam pogrom of Nov. 7, in which Arab and North African youth chased and assaulted Israeli soccer fans who came to the Dutch capital for a game, I’ve heard more calls for Jews to leave a dying Europe. Dedicated Zionists warn us: Time to come home! They bemoan how the Dutch police ignored warnings about the attacks. To make matters worse, the Amsterdam mayor resents calling the Jew-hunt, which injured several dozen Jews, a “pogrom” because it fosters “Islamophobia.” Aayan Hirsi Ali, an ex-Muslim from Somali...
(JNS) — They say that the definition of a successful man is one who can earn more than his wife can spend. And the definition of a successful woman is one who can find such a man. It’s been more than a thousand years since polygamy was prohibited in Jewish life. One can only wonder how they managed it. Today, we have difficulty satisfying just one spouse. How on earth did people handle multiple marriage partners? This week in Vayetze, Genesis 28-32, we read of Jacob going off to Haran to find a wife. In the end, due to his father-in-law Lab...
Dear Editor: No one really knows what is going on in Syria. The latest is that Israel has taken over the Syrian part of the Hermon Mountain, which overlooked a great part of Israel. Also in the news is that Assad fled to Russia. The big question is: Will the ICC now declare Assad a war criminal. He murdered half a million of his own citizens, used gas to choke some of them, caused about 7 million people to flee Syria and become refugees all over the world. The answer of course is, it’s not going to happen for two very good reasons: 1) He is n...
