Week of April 3, 2026
Week of April 3, 2026
(JNS) — At the 14th annual commemoration ceremony on Thursday for the murder of four French Jews at a Jewish school in Toulouse, participants booed representatives of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, forcing them to leave. The incident occurred at the city’s Capitole square, where hundreds had gathered for speeches and a wreath-laying tribute, Sud Radio reported. When LFI lawmakers François Piquemal and Hadrien Clouet laid their wreath, dozens of people began booing them, calling them “far-left fascists” and...
Several people were lightly wounded in an Iranian missile barrage on Tuesday morning, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service was cited as saying, as local media reported damage to buildings at impact sites in the Tel Aviv area. MDA said its teams were dispatched to search several locations in the central region following the barrage and that further updates would be issued. Police said Tel Aviv District officers, Border Police and bomb disposal experts were handling “several scenes of falling munitions parts,” and urged the public...
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces should establish the Litani River as the Jewish state’s “new border with the Lebanese state,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared on Monday. The ongoing campaign against Hezbollah “must end with a radical change” beyond the vanquishing of the Iranian-backed terror group, the senior Cabinet minister told reporters during a faction meeting of his Religious Zionism Party at the Knesset in Jerusalem. “The Litani [River] must be our new border with the Lebanese state, just like the...
In neighborhoods across Central Florida, a quiet crisis is unfolding—one that often goes unseen but is deeply felt at kitchen tables every day. Families are being forced to make impossible decisions: rent or groceries, medicine or meals, gas to get to work or food to feed their children. These are not distant realities—they are happening right here, in our own community. At the center of this urgent need is the Pearlman Food Pantry, a cornerstone of compassion operated by Jewish Family...
(JNS) - The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved on Wednesday the Cabinet's decision to extend the nationwide emergency situation until April 14 amid the ongoing war with Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces' Home Front Command guidelines currently restrict educational and work activities, as well as gatherings of more than 50 people outdoors and 100 people indoors. National forests, parks, hiking trails and roadside recreation areas across the country have...
(JNS) — The University of Washington is reviewing and revising its student conduct code amid rising Jew-hatred on campus since Oct. 7, Robert J. Jones, president of the Seattle public university, said at a town hall at an Orthodox synagogue on Sunday. “Our student conduct code was not written for this moment in time,” Jones said at Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath in Seattle. “It just absolutely was not written to deal with the contemporary issues.” “We don’t have to wait for a mandate from the Department of Justice or the...
(JNS) — Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister said on Thursday that his country reserves the right to act militarily after Iran launched an attack against a Saudi oil installation. Speaking after a meeting in Riyadh which brought together the foreign ministers of 12 Arab and Muslim countries, Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Iran “doesn’t believe in talking to its neighbors. It tries to pressure its neighbors.” Iran’s tactics won’t work, he said. “The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure. On the contrary, this pressure...
The JOIN Center in College Park was transformed Wednesday evening, March 25, into a vibrant hub of Torah study and connection. In a landmark collaboration, JOIN Orlando and the Orlando Community Kollel joined forces for an event that quite literally bridged the gap between North and South Orlando, bringing together Jews from across the city ahead of the Passover holiday. From the moment participants arrived, the atmosphere was electric. Tables filled quickly with community members eager to...
Homecomings are always meaningful. Some are ancient, even biblical. It is the theme of modern films and music, depicting the draw we all have and feel towards home. Until this week, I was caught up in my own attempts to come home, stranded in the United States amid the unfolding war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. My trip started surpassing one million miles on United, and ended after six canceled and changed flights, finally arriving home, one of hundreds of thousands doing so amid the...
The Jewish Heritage Festival, taking place April 12, is a phenomena in itself. Who knew it would be so successful from the get-go? What began in 2007 as a suggestion by 80-year-old Murray Steinberg to the Temple Presidents’ Council for Volusia and Flagler counties that Volusia County would become the largest Jewish heritage and cultural event in the state. Held in 2008, it had more than 10,000 visitors! Since its beginning, the event has been held every two years with a consistent attendance...
Chabad of Orlando is hosting Jewish Heritage Night at the Orlando Magic game for the local Greater Orlando community on Monday, April 6. Watch the Orlando Magic play the Detroit Pistons and enjoy entertainment by Howie Mandel and singer Nissim Black. Throughout Jewish Heritage Night, everyone will experience many Jewish moments throughout the game such as: • At 6:20 p.m. – pre-game show with artist Nissim Black • National Anthem performed by the Jewish Day School • Sponsors of Jewish Heritage Night will present the ball to the players...
On March 19, 2026, Iran’s regime publicly hanged 19-year-old Saleh Mohammadi, a rising wrestler on Iran’s national team and a bronze medalist at the 2024 Saitiev Cup in Russia. He was accused by Iranian authorities of killing two police officers during the January anti-government protests in Qom. Mohammadi was charged with moharebeh (waging war against God), and executed with two other young men, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi. Human rights groups say the proceedings were grossly unfair,...
(JNS) — Israel has once again ranked among the world’s happiest countries, placing eighth in the 2026 World Happiness Report, even as the country continues to grapple with war, instability and national trauma. The data, published on March 19, highlight a striking paradox: While Israelis face ongoing emotional strain, trauma and uncertainty, overall life satisfaction remains among the highest globally. One of the most notable findings is the strong showing among young Israelis. Those under 25 rank as the happiest age group within the...
Sara Netanyahu calls for stronger child protections online at global summit (JNS) — Sara Netanyahu called for stronger safeguards for children navigating the digital world on Tuesday, speaking at Fostering the Future Together, an international summit organized by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. According to the White House, 45 member nations and tech entities gathered at the U.S. Department of State to “collaborate on practical solutions that expand access to educational tools while strengthening protections for children in digital...
Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation welcomes women to a special Rosh Chodesh women’s series. This online offering, titled “Sacred Cycles: Women, the Moon, and the Wisdom of Jewish Time,” is open to all women — SOJC members and nonmembers alike. The series will include three sessions, held on Zoom, presented by Na’amah, also known as Mama Mazel. Na’amah is a life coach, educator, and creator of the Mama Mazel framework. Her work focuses on helping women understand their natural rhythms — emotional, energetic, and spiritual ...
(JNS ) — As Michigan’s Jewish community counts its blessings following a nearly catastrophic terrorist attack last week on Temple Israel, a cherished synagogue in my hometown, a political takeover is quietly underway in the state. It’s one that doesn’t just tolerate Jew-haters; it elevates them, dressing antisemitism up in political rhetoric and calling it progress. The Michigan Democratic Party will hold its State Endorsement Convention on April 19. Any registered Democrat who attends the convention in person can help decide who the...
(JNS) — The war against Iran is having a most clarifying effect. It’s shining a light on those who are prepared to stand with civilization against barbarism and flushing out those who are not. The usual suspects—those who hate Israel, despise America and stick pins into effigies of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—are willing Iran to win, or more to the point, willing Trump and Netanyahu to lose. Those who get news of the war only from mainstream media outlets in America and Britain have little...
(JNS) — The “State of World Jewry” speech given by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens at the 92nd Street Y on New York City’s Upper East Side in February sparked some intense debate over whether the Jewish community should focus on fighting antisemitism or invest its resources into Jewish culture and education. This debate, though important, obscured a point Stephens made about the sources of Jewish strength and survival: the Jewish imperative of saying “no” to a majority culture when its demands encroach on Jewish...
(JNS) — They file in gradually, descending the two flights of steps leading to the bomb shelter. Some remain silent, heads down. Others exchange knowing glances, shrugging as if to say, “Here we go again.” Newcomers to this particular space follow veterans, learning the rhythm, the corners, the spots where cell reception is best. The last one to enter when the air-raid siren stops wailing pulls the heavy door shut and lifts the handle until it clicks—a required act to stave off blast-damage. The room has white walls, dingy from...
(JNS ) — “Operation Epic Fury” is a watershed moment in the moral and geopolitical realignment of the Middle East. It is the execution of a strategy that has been forming for years. Beneath the headlines about strikes and sorties lies a coherent framework aimed at reshaping the region by distinguishing governments that terrorize and destroy from those willing to cooperate in a new regional order anchored in stability, economic growth and peace. The military dimensions of the operation focuses on breaking the mechanisms through which...
(JNS) — Every year at the Passover seder, we recite the description of “The Four Children.” The Haggadah describes each one with his own characteristic quality of learning and, especially, questioning. But upon a deeper reading, what appears to be a lesson about children’s queries is really an insight into the importance of our response as parents and educators. At Hidden Sparks, our work is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: When we actively try to understand a child’s needs, we unlock their potential to grow and thrive. We...
On the surface, "Ethan Bloom" looks like a familiar coming-of-age story: a 13-year-old nervously preparing for his bar mitzvah. But in this warm, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt film, the path to growing up takes an unexpected detour - straight through a Catholic church. At the center is Ethan, played by newcomer Hank Greenspan, a boy who secretly finds comfort inside a Catholic church while his family prepares for his bar mitzvah. Father Diaz (Carlos Ponce) becomes an unexpected guide, while...
Reprinted with permission from the Forward For weeks, I lived in Tel Aviv as missiles streaked across the sky overhead. I heard sirens day and night, disrupting sleep and leaving me constantly bracing for the next alert. I ran to dozens of shelters across the city, waiting tensely as interceptions echoed overhead. And yet, when I decided to leave Israel amid the ongoing war with Iran, I expected to feel relief. Instead, I felt a quiet, disorienting grief — as if I were stepping away from a moment I had spent my entire life waiting for. For...
(JNS) - Every Passover, we ask the same question: Why is this night different from all other nights? This year, for the first time since Oct. 7, the answer is freedom. Real, hard-won and finally ours. Every living hostage is home. Every murdered hostage has been given the dignity of a Jewish burial. After 738 days that felt like lifetimes, the circle has closed. For two-and-a-half years, my heart broke on a rolling basis. Not a dramatic, one-time shattering, but a daily, quiet, relentless...
One of my friends, Robin Asher, wrote: “Myrna, Myrna. What can I do? I can’t eat anything. That’s why I’m writing you. No sugar, no yeast, no milk, no dairy. I think I need a food fairy.” The Internet offers many recipes that substitute allergy producing symptoms. Gluten-free oats, pulverized to flour, in the food processor, almond flour, coconut flour or measure-for-measure flours are now easily available for gluten intolerance. Unsweetened applesauce, monk sugar, coconut sugar, brown rice sugar, agave, and honey can be used as...
I went to the dermatologist today to have the first of two skin cancers removed — one on my face, the other on my neck. As she worked, I asked whether I should finally spring for tinted windows in my car. She smiled gently and said, “You can, but the roots of these growths go back more than 20 years.” That sentence landed like a rock. Twenty years? I had thought of all the times I had driven lately with the Florida sun blazing through my window or walked the dog “just for a minute” without a hat or sunscreen. The damage, my...
Many remember Beth Schafer when she was the cantor soloist at the Congregation of Reform Judaism back when it was the Congregation of Liberal Judaism. She has just released a new album, stating, "After months (years?) of dreaming, shaping, re-shaping, recording, listening, second-guessing, and ultimately trusting, "Sinai" is out in the world. "This album feels different to me," says Schafer. "Not just because it is entirely in Hebrew, but because of the musical landscape it travels. These...
Pearl C. Metz of Maitland passed away on March 21, 2026. She was 94 years old - almost 95. Pearl was born in New York City on April 22, 1931, to the late Sol and Eva (Lindenberg) Cohen of blessed memory. She graduated from Hunter High School and Hunter College in New York City with a degree in art education. After graduation she worked as a middle school art teacher. Pearl moved to the Orlando area in 1960 from New York with loving husband of 59 years, William Metz, of blessed memory. She is... Full story
Arlene Cotton, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away on Friday, March 20, 2026, at AdventHealth Winter Park following a brief illness. Arlene was born June 23, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York to the late Louis & Sarah (Schwartz) Kroll of bless memory. Arlene was a former member of Temple Israel Orlando. A lifelong educator, Arlene's greatest lessons were taught through the way she lived: with strength, devotion, and an unwavering commitment to her family. She was a woman... Full story
MORNING MINYANS Chabad of Altamonte Springs — Sunday morning minyan, 8 a.m. Weekday morning minyan 6:30 a.m., 407-720-8111. Chabad of South Orlando — Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. and 10 minutes before sunset; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m., 407-354-3660. Congregation Ahavas Yisrael — Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-644-2500. Congregation Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Daytona — Monday, 8 a.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m., 904-672-9300. Congregation Ohev Shalom — Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-298-4650. GOBOR Community...
