Week of April 11, 2025
Week of April 11, 2025
After rebuffing U.S. President Trump’s requests to absorb Palestinian civilians from Gaza, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has said he is willing to temporarily absorb half a million Gazans, according to the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper. Sisi made the remarks during meetings with other Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. After Sisi and King Abdullah of Jordan rejected Trump’s request that they absorb 2 million Gazans during a planned reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Egypt formulated its own proposal for rebuilding and...
Delta resumes flights to Israel By JNS Staff (JNS) — Delta Air Lines is restarting flights to Israel on Tuesday, becoming the latest major carrier to renew service suspended due to the Israel-Hamas war. The moves comes two weeks after chief rival United Airlines resumed service to Tel Aviv, and ahead of the busy Passover and Easter travel season this month. The Atlanta-based Delta said it is restoring its daily flights to Tel Aviv from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The daytime service on Delta will add nearly 2,000...
(JNS) — Avida Bachar, who lost his wife and 15-year-old son in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist assault on Kibbutz Be’eri near the Gaza border, called on the Israeli government to extend “full sovereignty” over Judea and Samaria to prevent another Oct. 7-like attack. “We must have full sovereignty here. If we don’t, another Oct. 7 is just a matter of time,” said the farmer, who lost a leg when a Hamas terrorist shot him during the cross-border assault. Bachar made the comment during a tour of Samaria with Yossi Dagan, head of...
(JNS) - The Western Wall Heritage Foundation removed tens of thousands of prayer notes from Judaism's second-holiest site on April 2 in preparation for the Passover holiday, which starts on April 12. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, oversaw the annual extraction of prayer notes, which will be buried alongside disposed sacred writings according to Jewish customs. "The removal was carried out according to halachic guidelines, using gloves and disposable wooden...
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces is seizing territory in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’s refusal to release the remaining 59 hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday. “Last night in Gaza, we switched gears,” the premier said in a Hebrew-language video statement. “The IDF is seizing territory, striking the terrorists and destroying the infrastructure.” “We are also doing something else. We are seizing the Morag Corridor,” he said, calling the security strip “an additional Philadelphi...
(JTA) — The Nova music festival, where more than 350 people were murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, has quickly become one of the most visited tourist destinations in Israel. More than 200,000 people per month visited the site, at Kibbutz Reim near the Gaza border, on average over the last six months, according to Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund. If sustained, that pace would put Nova on track to draw more visitors than the Dead Sea or Tel Aviv’s Anu Museum, which focuses on the...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A deeply concerning trend has emerged in Norway, where Jewish community members fear seeking medical care due to growing anti-Israel sentiment among healthcare workers. In an unprecedented letter to health authorities, Jewish leaders warn that community members are hiding their identities in medical settings—a situation not experienced “since World War II.” The letter, signed by Marius Gaarder, chairman of the Jewish community in Oslo, and John Arne Moen from the Jewish community in Trondheim, raises alarming...
(JNS) — The United States opposes the candidacy of the Palestinian Authority for the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly. Riyad Mansour, the authority’s longtime “permanent observer” to the global body, is mounting a bid to helm the assembly presidency in 2026-27, despite the authority holding non-state “observer” status. The 22-member, U.N. Arab Group, which passed the nomination onto the 55-member Asia Pacific Group, backs the nomination. The latter group holds the rotating slot for the presidency in two years,...
Temple Israel Sisterhood has recently taken their sense of camaraderie and creativity to new heights by organizing a series of exciting crafty events, including glass blowing at the Orlando Glass Blowing Center, pottery painting, and painting by numbers. These activities offered members a unique chance to come together, tap into their artistic side, and enjoy some much-needed relaxation. Glass Blowing at the Orlando Glass Blowing Center: A Spark of Creativity One of the most exciting and...
(JNS) — The European Union presents itself as a defender of democracy, fairness and human rights. It claims to promote peace and cooperation among nations. However, when it comes to Israel, the European Union shows a clear bias that contradicts these ideals. Israel is a strong democracy yet faces unfair treatment. In March 2024, Israel declared more than 1,900 acres of land in Judea and Samaria (commonly called the West Bank) as state property. The European Union strongly criticized this action, calling it “illegal” and threatening...
By Mike Wagenheim (JNS) — Former hostage Amit Soussana was decorated with an International Women of Courage Award by the U.S. State Department on April 1 as she called for a global effort to free the remaining captives held in Gaza. Soussana, who was sexually assaulted after being taken from her Kibbutz Kfar Aza home during Hamas’s rampage through southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was the only one of the eight award recipients asked to give a keynote speech. “While I am here, my friends remain in the darkness, 543 long days and...
(JNS) — America’s youngest adults continue to be an outlier in their views of Hamas and Israel, according to a poll released on Monday. The Harvard Harris poll for March found that 48 percent of American 18- to 24-year-olds say they support Hamas over the Jewish state, making them the only age demographic for which Israel did not enjoy at least double-digit support over the terrorist group in the Gaza Strip. By contrast, 93 percent of Americans 65 and older say they support Israel compared to just 7 percent who say they support Hamas....
(JNS) — Chocolate bars under the three-year-old snack brand Feastables, founded by YouTube star MrBeast, are now certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. Jimmy Donaldson, 26, who goes by MrBeast, boasts the most-subscribed channel on YouTube, with 375 million followers as of March 2025. The Orthodox Union certification of the bars as kosher and dairy began in February stateside. The company expects to roll out kosher bars in Canada and Mexico this spring and in Europe and Australia in the fall. “As the fastest-growing global chocolate...
(JTA) — As Sen. Cory Booker broke the record for the longest Senate speech and made clear he was going for 25 hours, Jewish social media lit up with jokes. “This is the closest Cory Booker will get to experiencing Yom Kippur,” tweeted Sami Sage, the co-founder of Betches Media, in one representative post. As Jews do on Yom Kippur, Booker fasted during his entire Senate speech, consuming only a few sips of water. He also apologized for his and his party’s errors that allowed Donald Trump to retake the presidency. And with the help of...
(JNS) — A 2,200-year-old pyramid-shaped structure from the days of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid rulers is being unearthed in the Judean Desert in one of the richest and most intriguing archaeological excavations in the area, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday. The mammoth structure discovered just north of Nahal Zohar near the Dead Sea is made of hand-hewn stones, each one weighing hundreds of kilograms, the state-run archaeological body said. Two millennia old historical documents written in Greek on papyrus, bronze coins,...
(JNS) — Hundreds of Palestinians rallied last week in Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, chanting, among other things: “Out, out, Hamas out!” This is the first time masses of Gazans have openly called for the terrorist group to be removed from power. Protests against Hamas rule have since spread throughout the Gaza Strip. Good news, right? But wait: Why have no pro-Palestinian protesters in the West stepped up to support these brave demonstrators? Why have no mass protests been held echoing Gazans’ demands that Hamas relinquish power? No...
(JNS) — Among those who forcibly occupied Trump Tower recently to protest the deportation of a violent antisemite, were members of the Jewish Voice for Peace, who, along with other far-left groups like IfNotNow, have been parading support for Hamas since its Oct. 7 attack. The scene was a chilling reminder of the giant rift splitting American Jewry. On one side of this rift are American Jews of all denominations, including secular ones, who love Israel as our ancestral homeland and the United States as the greatest country on earth. On the...
(JNS) — Among my various occupations, I am a tour guide, primarily for Christian groups. On Oct. 7, 2023, I was with a group of Christians from Norway and African countries. It was supposed to be the second-to-last day of their trip. At breakfast in a hotel in Tiberias, I turned on my phone and started seeing WhatsApp videos, mostly of white pickup trucks driving through the streets of Sderot. I knew something unusual was happening, but I still didn’t grasp the magnitude of the event. Slowly, more and more reports started coming in amid...
(JNS) — Passover is here, and I will be so presumptuous as to suggest that you may have opened your favorite Haggadah to have a look and start preparing for the big seder night. Seder means “order.” And one of the items in the order of the seder agenda is yachatz. Well, what is yachatz? It’s one of the first things we do on seder night, even before anyone says the “Ma Nishtanah.” We break the middle matzah of the three matzahs on our seder plates. The larger part is put away for the afikomen and the smaller part remains inside the...
(JNS) — Many in the media have spent the last few days debating the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and activist who led tension-filled campus protests in the past year that targeted Jewish and Zionist students and faculty. Much of the discussion has been on the First Amendment and free-speech rights. Surprisingly, the elephant in the room has been largely ignored. After the December 2023 congressional hearings that saw three university presidents grilled over their inaction to protect Jewish American students...
(JNS) — Harvard University’s decision to “pause” a research partnership with Birzeit University, a Palestinian university near Ramallah, was long overdue. In 2023, Israeli security forces arrested eight students from Birzeit University who were planning what was described as “an imminent terror attack.” That apparently meant that the plan wasn’t just theoretical; it was on the verge of becoming operational. Birzeit should be known as “Terror U” for its students’ active support of Hamas. For instance, a basketball...
(JNS) — Gal Gadot joined luminaries like William Shatner, Jodie Foster and even Godzilla when she was honored with a star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame — a first for an Israeli actress. The mood at the tented, star-studded ceremony, held on Hollywood Boulevard outside of the El Capitan Theatre, was celebratory, and Hollywood icons heaped praise on her. Vin Diesel, who co-starred with Gadot in several “Fast & Furious” franchise films, spoke during the ceremony of her “strength and empathy.” “I just love her so much,” the...
Rabbi Majesky noted this mission was the largest group to go to Israel this year and the Orlando delegation was the largest within the Jewish Learning Institute – Land and Spirit group. This was my third consecutive trip to Israel with JLI's Land and Spirit. Two years ago, the trip was focused on the land. Last year, the focus was on the people. This year, the focus was on unity with our people and with our land. Am Yisrael Chai! Day 1 (Monday, March 17): Caesarea – Built by King Herod in...
From the formulation of contemporary Zionism, the concept of the “Two-State solution” has been a cornerstone obligation. From both legal and historical perspectives, that obligation has not changed. However, today’s realities beg the question: Does Israel’s survivability and longevity depend on implementation of the Two-State Solution? And, if so, how can a parallel Palestinian Arab state be formulated? With the goal of providing an historical perspective and assessment, Heritage will present a 6-part exposition on this timely, but...
(JNS) — A Hebrew manuscript, which experts have dated to the eighth century making it the earliest known such object, is on view in New York City after being the centerpiece of an exhibition in Washington, D.C., at the Museum of the Bible. The Afghan Liturgical Quire, which is part of the Washington museum’s collection but which has uncertainty in its provenance history, is part of the show Sacred Words: Revealing the Earliest Hebrew Book, which opened on March 19 at the Jewish Theological...
This year, as we prepare for Passover, my thoughts are not only on the upcoming holiday but also the memories of a very special Passover 47 years ago. At this time in 1978, Larry and I were anxiously awaiting the birth of our first child. My mother and my older sister had delivered their babies early and easily, and I was expecting the same experience for me. It didn't turn out that way. After I had gone through several hours of unproductive labor, our baby was delivered on his due date,...
Ingredients 2 large egg whites, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 tsp. cream of tarter 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup semisweet Passover chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled 3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste for Passover 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) If chips contain milk, the recipe is dairy. Heat the oven to 325 F. In a medium-size oil-free bowl, place two egg whites. Mix in sugar and allow mixture to sit for 1/2 hour at room temperature. The whites...
Traveling when you’re caring for someone in a wheelchair requires planning ahead. Here are some tips to make traveling with someone in a wheelchair just a bit easier. Hotel Tips When booking a hotel, ask if they have accessible rooms available. This may require booking over the phone, because sometimes you can’t select a disabled room online. Confirm with the hotel that their accessible room has the features you need. Road Trip Tips If you’re driving very far, rest stops are inevitable. Not all of them are handicap accessible, so...
(JTA) - The Passover Haggadah is one of the few sacred Jewish texts that has a long history of including illustrations, and among the most remarkable are detailed images of rabbit hunts that often appear in the opening pages, even before the text of the Seder really begins. The images, which are varied in style and can be found in editions dating back to medieval and early modern Germany, often present hunters and dogs chasing rabbits, the latter of which are generally depicted escaping over a...
Westgate Resorts announced with great sadness the passing of its founder and executive chairman, David Siegel, on April 5, 2025. He was 89. Siegel was born May 3, 1935, to Sadelle and Sid Siegel, a grocer, who moved the family and grocery business to Miami in 1945. Siegel grew up in Florida where he graduated from Miami Senior High School in 1953, and later studied marketing and management at the University of Miami, before dropping out. Siegel established Westgate Resorts in 1982 with its...
Mr. Alexander C. Morton, 92, Davenport, Florida, passed away peacefully Thursday, March 13, 2025, at AdventHealth Hospice Kissimmee following a brief illness. Mr. Morton was born Dec. 10, 1932, in Bronx, New York to the late Jay and Gladys (Orth) Morton. As a teen he moved to the Miami, Florida area and in 1994 moved to the Orlando area. He was a retired newspaper publisher and a proud United States Army veteran having served in the Korea War. Mr. Morton is survived by his devoted children — son, Sascha (Lisa) Morton and daughter Marlissa...
Submitted by the family Arnold Marcus passed away on March 15, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. He was born Aug. 1, 1931, in South Philadelphia to William and Mary Marcus. At an early age he developed a love for airplanes, classical music and opera. Some of you might be wondering when and why he began eating the way he did. He began eating this way around age 18. The reason is simple, as a child he ate a standard diet and was always sick ... always. It was his Uncle Albert who introduced him to a...
Alvina (also known as Alla Alekseevna) Listengarten passed away on March 28, 2025, at the age of 88. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Leonid Listengarten, with whom she shared 57 beautiful years of marriage. Alvina is survived by her daughter, Julia; son-in-law, Alex; and her cherished grandsons, Philip and Frank — all of whom were the greatest joys of her life. Alvina was an extraordinary wife, a loving mother, and a deeply devoted grandmother. She was also a gifted musician...
Dr. Steven C. Roberts, 78, passed away Saturday, March 29, 2025, at his Largo, Florida home following a brief illness. Dr. Roberts was born March 27, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York to the late Sol and Adele (Barnette) Roberts of blessed memory. Dr. Roberts moved and practiced in the Largo, Florida area for more than 40 years. Dr. Roberts is survived by his loving sister, Karen Roberts of Coconut Creek, Florida; cousin, Mark Barnett of North Palm Beach, Florida; and niece, Aimee Barnett of Orlando, Florida. Graveside Service for Dr. Roberts were...
Sandra Moss was born in Westfield, Mass., on Aug. 25, 1934, and raised in Clinton, Conn. She passed away on March 30, 2025, in Maitland, Fla. She was a graduate of Bryant College, class of 1956, where she met her husband of 64 years, Alan z”l, at a party. Sandra and Alan, along with their children, Jeff and Linda, moved to Maitland, Fla., in 1972. Sandra was an active member of Temple Israel and served as their Sisterhood president. She was also a lifetime member of Hadassah and a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow. In 1988, after many years in...
Mrs. Bernice (Pervin) Shapiro, 98, of Longwood, Florida passed away peacefully March 27, 2025, at AdventHealth Altamonte following a brief illness. Mrs. Shapiro was born November 3, 1926, in Toledo, Ohio to the late Joseph & Bertha (Rader) Pervin of blessed memory. Mrs. Shapiro and her husband Wilbur (Bill) Shapiro of blessed memory moved to the Orlando area in 1993 from Walled Lake, Michigan and she was a retired Home Economics teacher. Mrs. Shapiro is survived by her loving children — Susan (Dr. Steven Sable) Shapiro of Longwood, Florida;...
MORNING MINYANS 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 Minyan at Jewish Academy of Orlando — Monday – Friday, 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Temple Israel — Sunday,...
