Week of January 10, 2025
Week of January 10, 2025
(JTA) — Israel is closing its embassy in Dublin in response to the Irish government’s criticism, Israel’s foreign minister announced on Sunday. The move does not end diplomatic relations between the two countries. Still, it offers a dramatic illustration of how Gideon Saar, who became foreign minister last month after a rapprochement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is approaching ties with countries that are critical of Israel. In a statement on social media, Saar cited Ireland’s recognition of a Palestinian state, its support...
Stop ‘incendiary’ remarks about Israel, Conference of Presidents tells pope (JNS) — The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations appreciates and shares the pope’s “concern for the suffering of innocent civilians and desire to spread peace and compassion around the world.” But Pope Francis has gone beyond that and said troubling things about the Jewish state, Harriet Schleifer and William Daroff, chair and CEO respectively of the umbrella Jewish group, wrote to the pontiff on New Year’s Eve. “We write in...
(JNS) - A rare prehistoric ritual complex has been uncovered in the depths of the Manot Cave in the Western Galilee, Israel. The study of this complex, published in the journal PNAS, was led by Dr. Omry Barzilai from the University of Haifa and Israel Antiquities Authority, Prof. Ofer Marder from Ben-Gurion University and Prof. Israel Hershkovitz from Tel Aviv University. "The rare discovery provides a glimpse into the spiritual world of Paleolithic hunter-gatherer groups who lived in our...
(JTA) - Jewish groups are mourning Jimmy Carter, the former president and broker of Israel's peace deal with Egypt who died Sunday at 100. In statements issued following his death, many of the groups are citing the peace deal and other landmark moments in Carter's presidency, which stretched from 1977 to 1981, as examples of Carter's legacy. Several of them are also acknowledging that in his post-presidency, the longest in American history, Carter aggrieved some American Jews by aggressively...
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces is carrying out engineering operations aimed at setting conditions for the safe return of the some 60,000 Israeli civilians displaced from their homes in the country’s north, the army said on Monday. “As part of efforts to create the conditions for the return of the northern residents to their homes, the IDF is conducting a wide-ranging operation to restore and clear up communities in northern Israel,” the IDF stated. IDF engineering squads and other units are operating in more than 40 communities to...
(JNS) — Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced his resignation from parliament in a national address on Wednesday evening, almost two months after being fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This is a stop on a longer journey that has not yet been completed. As on the battlefield, so is the public service: there are moments when you have to stop to assess the situation and choose the direction of action,” the Knesset lawmaker began. Although he was leaving the Knesset, Gallant stressed that he was staying within...
It’s been 458 days since the Oct. 7, 2023, inhuman massacre of 1200 people in Israel by Hamas terrorists, and kidnapping of 251 people, 100 of whom are still being held in captivity in Gaza. 458 days of unimaginable terror, pain, abuse, loss, grief, and suffering, especially for those most directly impacted. But all of Israel has been experiencing trauma since, something that I describe as Present Traumatic Stress Disorder. For most of us, Post Trauma is still far off. Today a step toward that may have been taken. A list of 34 hostages to...
The Jewish Chamber of Commerce in Orlando, led by Board President Harrison Shames of the Jewish National Fund, continues its mission of fostering community connections and providing networking opportunities to individuals from all backgrounds. Each month, the Chamber hosts a free networking breakfast at One Senior Place in Altamonte Springs, welcoming both members and non-members, regardless of faith or affiliation. Held every first Thursday morning at 8:30 am, the networking breakfast offers a...
(JTA) — Two Israelis were among those injured in Jan. 1’s truck ramming attack in New Orleans, which authorities are investigating as the work of a terror cell tied to the Islamic State. The attack, perpetrated in the first hours of the new year, killed 15 people at a crowded celebration in the city’s French Quarter, and wounded dozens. The attacker, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, was killed in a firefight with police. Jabbar, 42, had an ISIS flag in the car with him, and authorities are...
(JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called for an emergency meeting to prepare for an expected spike in immigration as antisemitism rises globally in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. In a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday evening, Sa’ar said that a wave of worldwide antisemitism has eroded Jews’ sense of security in the Diaspora and has already generated a greater demand for immigration to Israel. “A broad national plan is required that will also include optimal absorption of the expected...
(World Israel News) — Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters descended onto Times Square to mark New Year’s by calling for an intifada against Jews. They carried signs with slogans like “End Zionism,” “No War on Iran,” and “End All Aid to Israel.” The Palestinian Youth Movement, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the People’s Forum organized the protest. Members of the crowd, many wearing keffiyehs and face masks, chanted, “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution,” “We will honor all our martyrs,” and...
The list, obtained by the BBC from a Saudi outlet, includes 10 women, 11 men over the age of 50, 11 young men that Hamas designated as sick and the two Bibas children, Kfir and Ariel – whom Hamas claimed were killed in an IDF airstrike more than a year ago. The names of the hostages on the list are: Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, Arbel Yehud, Doron Steinbrecher, Shiri Bibas, Liri Elbag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy; 11 men over the age of 50: Ohad Ben-Ami, Gadi Moses, Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon, Eli Sharabi, Yitzhak...
(JTA) — TEL AVIV — Ilana Decker, who moved from Israel to New York three years ago, says she doesn’t agree often with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Arguing, as he does, that the government should not make health mandates, she said, makes her “sound like an anti-vaxxer, which I’m not.” But there is one issue, she said, where she and Kennedy do line up: The man whom Donald Trump has picked as the next secretary of health and human services has publicly floated ending the decades-long policy of encouraging cities to inject fluoride into the...
(JNS) — In a New Year’s Eve statement, U.S. President Joe Biden proclaimed January to be National Stalking Awareness Month. Earlier in the day, the U.S. Justice Department charged Forrest Kendall Pemberton of Alachua, Fla., with a count of stalking for allegedly planning to attack an AIPAC office in Florida. Family members told the FBI that Pemberton, who went missing from his Gainesville, Fla., home apparently with multiple firearms, appeared to have left a note stating that he would “close the loop,” “stoke the flames” and say...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Birthright Israel commemorates its quarter-century milestone, with approximately 6,500 young participants scheduled to arrive this winter to support the recovery of Israel’s tourism sector. More than 300 international groups will engage in volunteer programs and diverse internships across Israel. Since November 2023, all tours have incorporated war-related elements, including visits to “Hostage Square,” tours of Gaza border communities, volunteering initiatives, and encounters with Oct. 7 survivors. In...
(JNS) — Throughout its millennia-long history, the Jewish people have endured relentless persecution, a reality that has forged a tradition of resilience and leadership. From biblical figures such as Moses—the liberator of the Israelites and a lawgiver whose influence shaped modern civilization—to more modern heroes like Judah Maccabee, Tuvia Bielski, Mordecai Anielewicz and Hannah Senesh, Jewish history is marked by individuals who have led their people through adversity. To this list, contemporary history now adds Benjamin Netanyahu,...
Ok, Jimmy Carter died. Many will fill volumes writing now that he was a good guy, honest, smart, did some good things as president and in his post presidency. Despite many of these things being true, to me Carter was an unrepentant antisemite who made excuses for Arab aggression and terror against Israel. For that alone and using the pulpit of his presidency in exile to spread these messages, I say good riddance. As a failed one-term president despite some achievements including helping to broker the Camp David peace agreement with Israel and...
(JNS) — The burning of a Christmas tree by gunmen in the Syrian city of Hama is a sinister portent of what minorities might expect under the evolving situation in the country. The dominant group in charge, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has sent out messages reassuring religious and ethnic groups that they will be protected. It blamed “foreign fighters” for the tree burning, but can HTS be trusted? Its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has jettisoned his nom de guerre and his Kalashnikov rifle, preferring to be known by his real name of Ahmed...
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...
(JNS) — I remember growing up as a kid in Brooklyn, N.Y., singing the chant “Am Yisrael Chai” with great excitement and pride. Much later, as a young adult who was growing into my career as a professional Jew working for various nonprofits, I remember always ending my talks and social-media posts, leading the audience by saying “Am Yisrael” and having them respond, “Chai.” Friends and colleagues thought it was cute—reminiscent of a time when they, too, may have sung the song as kids, and they’d chuckle. That’s what I was...
(JNS) — As we make our way through Chanukah, it’s impossible not to reflect on the holiday we experienced last year. My husband was in the Israel Defense Forces reserves, and I lit the first candle alone with our four children. There was a sense of uncertainty and disruption of the stability we once knew. This year, like then, many mothers will stand before the burning candles without their partners—some due to reserve duty, and others, sadly, because their husbands fell or were murdered in the past year. Our hearts break for the new...
(JNS) - Last August marked the centennial of the birth of author Leon Uris, yet it passed with little commemoration in the Jewish cultural sphere. This absence is understandable as world Jewry is likely facing its greatest challenges since the end of World War II or, at least, since 1967. Many of us felt despair before the turning point in Israel's war with Hezbollah. Even now, we grieve for the hostages, and for family members and friends who served in Gaza or Southern Lebanon. Still, it is...
(JTA) - Some Jewish stories of the last year have been impossible to miss: Israel at war, antisemitism around the world, a U.S. presidential election featuring Jewish politicians. Others may have slipped under the radar, drowned out by the drumbeat of breaking news. Here, we draw your attention to eight such stories, starting with one we published at the very beginning of the year. The magical life of Albert Levis, a scholar of storytelling who has his own improbable tale Albert Levis, in his...
THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, has gained attention for its potential in pain management, particularly in the form of THC-infused gummies. These gummies offer a convenient and discreet way to consume THC, potentially reducing pain without the harmful effects associated with smoking. However, it’s crucial to approach edibles with caution, starting with a low dose and gradually increasing to avoid adverse effects. Unlike smoking, which delivers almost instantaneous effects, edibles can take one to two hours to kick in. This...
My day starts at the crack of dawn. I hear the rooster across the street at 5 a.m. My alarm goes off after I open my eyes. I push “snooze” until 5:05. Then again until 5:10. At 5:15 I swing my legs over the side of the bed and drag myself up. Bathroom, teeth, get dressed, lace up walking shoes. At 5:25 I walk downstairs. The dogs have galloped into the “stairs room” and are waiting for me on the other side of the gate. We have two gates, to keep them downstairs. They’ve jumped over them a few times, but generally they stay put. They...
The St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society will screen the award-winning documentary film "Xueta Island" at the St. Augustine Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084 on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at 4 p.m. The documentary is about the crypto-Jews among the Balearic Islands. Evidence is strong that crypto-Jews came to St. Augustine from New Smyrna Beach along with many other Menorcans in 1777. Descendants of those crypto-Jewish Menorcans live in St. Augustine to this very day. The...
No, we didn’t have Santa Claus come down our chimney this year. First of all, we don’t HAVE a chimney. And, being Jewish, Santa doesn’t usually visit our home anyway. Instead, as we awaited the first night of Chanukah, which fell on Christmas Day this year, for only the fourth time in the last 100 years and the first time since 2005. Instead, we had another not-so-lovely visitor to our home. The week before the holiday, while driving ‘my” Kia Sportage, Larry and I noticed that the windshield wiper fluid wasn’t coming out when we...
(JTA) - WASHINGTON (JTA) – Jimmy Carter, the one-term president who brokered the historic Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt but earned pariah status in some corners of the Jewish community for his criticisms of Israel, has died. Carter, who had remained active into his final years despite a 2015 diagnosis of liver cancer, died Dec. 29, 2024, at 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia, his nonprofit announced. Carter's work at Camp David in 1978 led to the first peace treaty between...
Written by the family James Joseph Shipley, z”l, passed away peacefully in Los Angeles on Dec. 28, 2024, at the age of 94, leaving behind a legacy of love, inspiration, and profound impact on the lives of his family, friends, and community. A devoted husband, loving father of four, and cherished grandfather and great-grandfather, Jim’s vibrant spirit, wit, humor, and positive energy inspired everyone he encountered, and he had an absolute gift for storytelling. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a natural talent for entertainment and...
Judith J. “Judi” (Paul) Featherston died peacefully on Dec. 26, 2024, in hospice care at Advent Health in Altamonte Springs. Her health had been in decline in recent years. Judi was born March 3, 1951, in Wilmington, Delaware and graduated from PS DuPont High School. She had an enjoyable and fulfilling career as a message center representative, and through her work met Roger Featherston. They were married for over 30 years. Judi had a very close relationship with her parents, Grace and Sidney Paul, her sister, Sallie Kanofsky Rietmann;...
Mrs. Carolyn Raphaelson, 84, Winter Park, Florida passed away Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, following a brief illness. Mrs. Raphaelson was born Feb. 4, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois and came to Orlando in 1947 from Chicago, Illinois. Mrs. Raphaelson is predeceased by her parents, former Orange County Property Appraiser Ford Hausman and Ruby Virginia (Wilson) of blessed memory. She is also predeceased by her son Greg Walsh of blessed memory. Mrs. Raphaelson is survived by her loving husband of 22 years,...
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,...
