Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles written by Heather Johnston


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  • 'Epic Fury' is a war for peace

    Heather Johnston|Apr 3, 2026

    (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 radic...

  • Iron Dome can change how Congress governs

    Heather Johnston|Jan 2, 2026

    (JNS) — I looked at then-Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) like he had a screw loose. We were on a congressional delegation in Israel in 2011, and he kept asking to see Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system. At the time, Iron Dome was new, highly classified and very much not on our itinerary. Each time he raised the question, I wondered how on earth I could possibly make that happen. But Lamborn, bless him, did not let it go. A few days later, our delegation met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During his briefing, the prime min...

  • What's in a name?

    Heather Johnston|Apr 18, 2025

    (JNS) — The name “West Bank” conjures up visions of a complex and contentious region of the Middle East. As Mike Huckabee’s nomination to be ambassador to Israel nears confirmation and his unapologetically Christian point of view comes to the fore, there’s increasing discussion of the label itself. The time has come to return to the true, historical, biblical names of Judea and Samaria — names that reflect the deep, millennia-old connection between the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland. Last month, House Foreign Affairs Committee c...