Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles written by Judy Lash Balint


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  • Four little miracles

    Judy Lash Balint|Jan 13, 2023

    (JNS) — Seven months ago, following years of aggressive cancer treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, Ayelet Rosenberg, 35, gave birth to her fourth child, Yishai, making history as the first woman in the world to give birth to four children through cryopreservation of her eggs. The successful treatment was made possible by the innovative work of the Fertility Preservation Center at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan. The experimental method performed by Prof. Dror Meirow, head of the center, i...

  • Wander among the ancients at an Israeli world heritage site

    Judy Lash Balint|Jun 3, 2022

    (JNS) - Remnants of an ancient city, mysterious inscriptions, caves and catacombs, gorgeous scenery - all are to be found in Bet She'arim, one of Israel's most impressive UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the rolling hills of the Lower Galilee between Haifa and Nazareth, Bet She'arim makes a great day out for families, nature lovers and history buffs. The site has been recently updated, and a stop at the well-equipped Visitor Center to pick up a free map will orient visitors to the best pe...

  • In PA-controlled Bethlehem, Christmas is no longer the celebration of yesteryear

    Judy Lash Balint|Jan 3, 2020

    (JNS)-On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Manger Square in Bethlehem was filled with people, but local Christians were few and far between. The majority of those milling around in the sunshine appeared to be local Muslims, along with a smattering of tourists. In previous years, visitors waiting to step into the tiny opening of the Church of the Nativity could expect to stand in line for up to an hour. This year, despite the completion of a four-year, $18 million restoration project at the... Full story

  • What's that huge white bridal dress floating over the Tower of David?

    Judy Lash Balint, JNS.org|Oct 16, 2015

    That's what visitors to Jerusalem's Old City asked last week. The wedding gown, created by leading Israeli artist Motti Mizrachi, is part of the second Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art, an event that blew into town as the Sukkot holiday got underway. Mizrachi, who lives and works in Tel Aviv, created the dress that floats majestically over the Tower of David, the main exhibition site of the Jerusalem Biennale, as part of an installation called "Betrothal." It's just one of many... Full story

  • Two women who work to shift public opinion on Israeli sovereignty

    Judy Lash Balint, JNS.org|Jul 4, 2014

    Almost every day, Nadia Matar, 48, steers her battered white SUV along the hilly roads between Jerusalem and Gush Etzion to visit the soldiers stationed at Shdema. The revival of the small former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) army base located on Israeli-controlled land is one of the concrete achievements of Nadia and Yehudit Katsover, 66, her co-chair in the activist Women in Green movement. But Shdema is just the tip of the iceberg in what the women hope to achieve in the larger battle to shift... Full story

  • Where remembrance meets celebration

    Judy Lash Balint, JNS.org|Apr 12, 2013

    Hundreds of Israeli flags are in place; the Air Force has been rehearsing its formation fly-by routine for days; platforms and sound systems stand ready in the main squares in town; groups of tourists mill about and there’s a discernible festive air. But before Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations of the nation’s 65th birthday take place on April 16, Israel has to pay tribute to those who fell in battles and terror attacks that continue to claim lives even until today. Officially known as Fallen Soldi... Full story

  • Passover-Israel style

    Judy Lash Balint, JNS.org|Mar 22, 2013

    JERUSALEM—Not every Israeli observes Passover, but every Israeli knows Passover is coming. Preparations for the seven-day holiday are impossible to ignore and encroach on almost every facet of life in the weeks leading up to Seder night. Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reveals that 88 percent of Israelis will take part in a Seder and 47 percent will eat only kosher for Passover items during the holiday. As for Israel’s army, some 200 IDF chaplains, including reservists, are pressed into... Full story

  • Taking Passover back to its roots

    Judy Lash Balint, JNS.org|Mar 22, 2013

    JERUSALEM—When most Israeli Jews sit down for the Passover seder on the night of March 25, the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nissan, they’ll wait for the kids to recite Mah Nishtana, the four questions; pucker up to inhale the bitter herbs; relish the sweet Charoset; dip herbs in salt water; sing rousing renditions of Dayenu and Chad Gadya; and knock back four cups of wine. But none of these rituals are part of the Passover observance of Israel’s Karaite and Samaritan believers, who observe the b... Full story