Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(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 cou...
(JNS) - In a quiet art gallery on George Washington Street, a short walk from Jerusalem's bustling city center, color fills the walls with scenes of weddings, musicians, Jerusalem landscapes and Biblical figures bathed in radiant light. For the London-born Robert Elisha, the owner and curator of Huvy's, these are not simply paintings. They represent memories, faith and history-preserved on canvas in his art gallery and reflecting his family's own warmth and hospitality. In an interview at the...
(JNS) - Mati Caspi, one of Israel's most influential and innovative musicians, died oFeb. 8, 2026, at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital) following a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 76 years old. "With aching hearts and deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved husband and dear father," Caspi's family said in a statement. "His love and the creations he left behind will always remain a part of us." Born on Nov. 30, 1949, in Kibbutz Hanita, Caspi was widely regarded...
(JNS) - Israeli model and actress Tal Berkovich was killed in a traffic accident Thursday on Route 40 outside Telalim, a small community in the Negev. Relatives said they had been on their way to celebrate their mother's birthday at the time of the crash. She was 41 years old. Berkovich, who was visiting family in Israel, was traveling with her brother, Gil, 40, when their vehicle collided with a truck, police said. He was listed in critical condition at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva. The...
(JNS) - When award-winning journalist and author Yardena Schwartz began researching the 1929 massacre of Jews in Hebron, she had no idea she was uncovering what she now calls "ground zero" of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Nor did she imagine that nearly a century later, the patterns she identified would reemerge with devastating clarity on Oct. 7, 2023. Her book, "Ghosts of a Holy War," explores how the murder of 67 Jews in Hebron-once considered one of the safest Jewish communities in Mandatory...
(JNS) - Four English-speaking Israeli writers convened in Jerusalem on Sunday night for a candid discussion on spirituality, creativity and resilience, reflecting on how Oct. 7, 2023, transformed their inner worlds and their work. The panel, one of several, was part of the first-ever "Book Shuk" at the Nefesh B'Nefesh Aliyah Campus in Cinema City, a literary fair featuring more than 50 "olim" (immigrant) authors who have written and published their own books since making aliyah, the majority...
(JNS) - U.S. President Donald Trump warmly welcomed a delegation of former hostages and family members to the White House on Thursday. In a message shared by the White House, he told them: "You're not a hostage anymore ... today you're heroes." The delegation consisted of 26 former hostages, including 17 of the 20 living captives who were released in the Gaza ceasefire deal that Trump brokered in October. Trump handed each member of the delegation a special presidential coin. In his remarks to a...
(JNS) — A high-level delegation of South African Christian leaders visited Israel in mid-November with a clear mission: to witness the reality on the ground, strengthen long-standing ties with the Jewish state and return home as “ambassadors for truth” at a time when diplomatic ties between Jerusalem and Pretoria are under intense strain. Three members of the delegation—Shaun Zagnoev, chairman of the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI); Pastor Bert Pretorius, founder and president of the South African Coalition for Families and Faith (...
(JNS) — As Israel continues to seek renewal and unity more than two years after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, a growing number of Jewish Israelis are turning to Shabbat as a source of strength and spiritual connection, according to South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein. “There’s a spiritual revolution happening in Israel, an outpouring of people wanting a deeper connection to Shabbat, and we’re feeling it on the ground with this year’s record participation in the Shabbat Project across the country,” Goldstein told JNS. The Shabbat Project, l...
(JNS) — On the 84th anniversary of the notorious Babi Yar massacre, the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center revealed the names of more than 1,000 newly identified victims, announced publicly for the first time at a ceremony at the site on Monday. In Jerusalem, BYHMC and March of the Living hosted a parallel memorial at the National Library of Israel, where the newly discovered names were also read out. Speakers included BYHMC Chairman Natan Sharansky, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan. “Me...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday marked two years since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, pledging that Israel “will prevail” and reaffirming his commitment to achieving all the war’s objectives — the return of hostages, the elimination of Hamas and ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to the Jewish state. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu recalled the immense suffering caused by the attacks, in which some 1,200 people were murdered and 251 were abducted into the terror...
(JNS) — World leaders reacted swiftly and largely positively to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Monday of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza war and secure the release of the remaining hostages. French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first to respond, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “I welcome President @realDonaldTrump’s commitment to ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages. I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis. Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow...
(JNS) - According to Steve Rubin, director of Tourism in the Jerusalem Development Authority, Jerusalem is the capital and most populous city in Israel as well as being holy to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As the current war passed the 21-month mark, Jerusalem is also starting to bounce back as "a world leader in tourism and most certainly as the epicenter of culture in Israel," he said. In an interview in the JNS Studio in Jerusalem on July 7, Rubin said, "Since Oct. 7 [2023], Jerusalem...
(JNS) - Israeli cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen, whose iconic daily cartoons were published by JNS over the last several years, died at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba on Monday after a lengthy illness at 87. After making aliyah in 1971, the Brooklyn-born Kirschen began sketching his trademark "Dry Bones" cartoons in 1973. The cartoon was internationally syndicated and published in The Jerusalem Post for 50 years, after which Kirschen moved to JNS. The name of Kirschen's comic strip referred to the...
