Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 39
(JNS) - A sheriff in Central Florida made it loud and clear that white supremacists are not welcome following a series of antisemitic incidents in Volusia County and adjacent areas. "When you are trying to crush a radical group of cowardly scumbags, unity and sunshine destroy it," said Sheriff Mike Chitwood of Volusia County in Central Florida on the eastern coast, which includes the popular resort cities of Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach, at a press conference on Feb. 27. "We stand beside one...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met separately on Tuesday with U.S. Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), stressing to them the importance of the bilateral relationship and that America is the Jewish state’s “greatest friend.” Netanyahu told the lawmakers that despite any disagreements between Jerusalem and Washington, such meetings were an expression of the strength of ongoing bipartisan ties with Israel. Among the topics discussed were the Trump administration-brokered Abraham Accords and their possible expa...
(JNS) - An historical marker will be dedicated on Sunday, March 12, in Casselberry to recognize and honor Jewish American actress Hedy Lamarr. Lamarr is considered by many Hollywood historians as one of the most beautiful and best actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She made multiple films opposite some of the greatest Hollywood male talents-Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon and Spencer Tracy, to name a few. She was a Jewish refugee from Austria who escaped the Holocaust after having known...
Following up on his promise made to Rabbi Konikov of Chabad of South Orlando and the entire Central Florida Jewish community, Rep. Darren Soto reached out to the United States Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to seek an investigation into the antisemitic actions committed by the Goyim Defense League a couple weeks ago in southwest Orlando, the Lake Nona area and Volusia County. “I write to express my concern with incidents perpetrated against the Jewish community in Central Florida by the ‘Goyim Defense League.’ I respectfully request your...
Jewish Heritage Night was an ideal evening for the Jewish Chamber to partner with the Eatonville Chamber to enjoy a Solar Bears Game together in the Silver Suite. Participants had the opportunity to network, meet Shades the mascot and chat with Chris Charmichael, VP of Sales for the Solar Bears, along with his leadership team. Pictured are many of the participants....
Kick off the spring season by booking Saturday Night Out at the Rosen JCC. The Rosen JCC offers Saturday Night Out as a way for parents to take a break and plan a night out without the kids. Kids have the opportunity for their own night of fun and games. The kids can play games; do art projects, read and playground time. The highlight of the night is a movie and pizza. This is open to the entire community and not just JCC members. Book your spot for infants – 6th graders. This month it will run on March 25, 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Register early b...
A grand opening reception will be held on March 23, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. for the newest exhibition, “The Memory Project: Finding Kalman and Never Again - Again.” The program will feature Roz Jacobs and Laurie Weisman. The two exhibits combine video imaging, paintings, and survivor testimony to evoke the life of a child killed during the Holocaust and spirits of six individuals who survived the genocide in Rwanda. The exhibition demonstrates the power of creativity and connection in the face of tragedy. The exhibits, presented in part by Unite...
Registration is open for the White Rose Essay Contest, offered by The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center. This year’s I nspiration draws from the PBS Documentary by Ken Burns, “The U.S. and the Holocaust” to answer the question “did the U.S. have a responsibility to intervene during the Holocaust?” The deadline for submissions is March 20. The Top Student prize is $1,000; Top Teacher prize is $500. The top finalists for each category will be recognized at the Yom HaShoah Commemoration on April 18. For more information and to re...
(JTA) — Judging from the photos and the tweets, it looked like a set of normal Congressional delegations to Israel: Senators posing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S. ambassador declaring that “Bipartisanship is alive and well in Israel!!” Pledges of mutual support amid external threats. Sen. Chuck Schumer standing arm-in-arm with Netanyahu, grinning. But these are not normal times in Israel, where the Netanyahu government is advancing legislation to sap the power of the judiciary, drawing hundreds of thousands of peopl...
(JTA) — Ohio’s department of education is investigating a homeschooling network that claims public schools are run by “Zionist scum,” teaches kids to say “Sieg Heil” in class and instructs fellow parents not to give their kids “Jewish media content.” These are the more than 2,500 members of the “Dissident Homeschool Network,” a channel on the social network messaging app Telegram. The “dissidents” are a group of Nazi parents who share homeschooling lesson plans extolling the virtues of Hitler and white nationalism — while relying on a popula...
(JTA) — Roger Waters, the Pink Floyd bassist who is a leading proponent of the movement to boycott Israel, has been blocked from performing in Frankfurt after the city called him “one of the world’s most well known antisemites.” Waters had been scheduled to perform May 28 at Frankfurt’s Festhalle, which during the Holocaust was the site of the deportation of 3,000 Jews to their deaths just after Kristallnacht. The city of Frankfurt noted the historical significance of the concert hall, which it partly owns, in announcing that it was canceling...
(JTA) — My synagogue sent out a cautiously anxious email yesterday about an event coming this Shabbat, a neo-Nazi “Day of Hate.” The email triggered fuzzy memories of one of the strangest episodes that I can remember from my childhood. Sometime around 1990, in response to local neo-Nazi activity, some Jews from my community decided to “fight back.” I don’t know whether they were members of the militant Jewish Defense League, or perhaps just sympathetic to a JDL-style approach. When our local Jewish newspaper covered the story, it ran on its...
(JNS) — One of those Palestinians who the U.S. State Department keeps telling us wants a two-state solution murdered yet another Israeli, this time an American citizen. Elan Ganeles, a 27-year-old in town to attend a friend’s wedding, was shot dead by a Palestinian terrorist on a highway between Jericho and the Dead Sea. I’m not sure how many people are aware of the number of American victims of Palestinian terror. Since 1970, at least 80 Americans have been killed and 87 wounded in Israel and the disputed territories. During that time, nearl...
(JNS) — Several days ago, I returned from attending the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (“CoP” or the “Conference”) leadership mission in Israel, along with the leaders of approximately 20 other American Jewish organizations that are Conference members. The mission’s sole purpose was supposed to be to learn directly from Israel’s key elected leaders about vital and serious issues that confront Israel so that American Jewish leaders can be better informed when they address their communities, the media and Con...
(JNS) — King David’s plaintive and eternally mysterious question ad matai? (until when?), which we recite daily with heads bent or in deep self-contemplation, has a particularly searing relevance when I look at the recent terror attacks unleashed upon our innocents. The murder of two young children invokes the exact inverse of the Talmudic wisdom that he who saves a life has saved the world. With these murders, the world has been destroyed; the world of decency, of compassion, of any kind of empathy—gone. Furthermore, the murder of the Yaniv...
(JNS) — Elan Ganeles of Connecticut was murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists this week, thus becoming the 147th American citizen to be killed by Palestinians since 1968. Yet not a single Palestinian Arab terrorist has ever been brought to the United States to stand trial for any of those crimes. Think about that: 147 dead Americans and not one prosecution. The problem is not that we can’t find the suspects. The whereabouts of some of them are already known to the authorities. In fact, the Israeli government has publicly identified some of...
MORNING MINYANS Chabad of North Orlando and Chabad of Altamonte Springs are holding in-person 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...
(JNS) - A mysterious hand imprint carved into a thousand-year-old rock-hewn moat that was part of the ancient fortifications of Jerusalem has been uncovered next to the Old City's northern wall, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday. The discovery, which is part of a defensive moat that surrounds the city walls and is likely to date to the 10th century CE or earlier, was made along Sultan Suleiman Street ahead of planned city infrastructure work, the state-run archaeological...
(JTA) - As children in upstate New York, twin sisters Julia DeVillers and Jennifer Roy went to Hebrew school three days a week, spent their summers at a JCC summer camp and got to know local Holocaust survivors through their father, who survived the Nazis as a child in Poland. They also celebrated Christmas with their mother's family. Aware of their dual religious and cultural backgrounds from a young age, DeVillers and Roy personally sent their public elementary school principal a letter...
(New York Jewish Week) — American Eagle Outfitters now has a mezuzah on the front door of its flagship Times Square location, courtesy of Chabad, the Hasidic outreach movement. The parchment with Jewish holy text in an oblong metallic case, traditionally a marker of a Jewish home or establishment, was affixed on the apparel brand’s door as part of the recently concluded convention of CTeen, Chabad’s youth group. At a concert in Times Square on Saturday night, thousands of teens from more than 30 countries gathered to sing Jewish songs — and...
If you’re a caregiver, knowing how to evacuate a loved one or how a loved one can take shelter during an emergency may not be as easy as just stepping out a door, or crawling out a window, especially if your loved one has mobility challenges and physical issues. It is important for a caregiver to have a safety plan. Once a safety plan has been created, it is wise to rehearse it, making sure that there are no other problems that arise during an emergency. It’s also a good idea to discuss a finalized evacuation plan with other family members who...
The annual Pavilion Golf Society golf tournament will be held on Monday, May 8, at Heathrow Country Club. Hosted by the Jewish Pavilion and benefiting the Orlando Senior Help Desk, this popular tournament offers golfers a breakfast followed by a round of golf on a beautiful, private golf course. After completing the 18 holes in teams of four, participants will be treated to a gourmet luncheon and can win raffle prizes and bid on exciting gifts in a silent auction. The money raised helps support the Orlando Senior Help Desk, a free hotline...
Chatting over breakfast is a great way to get to know people in the community. Networking is ideal for business and also good for friendship. The Jewish Chamber offers both with monthly programs that attract a wide variety of ages and professions. Pictured from Coffee Connections on Feb. 15 at Panera Bread in Altamonte Springs are board members Michael Brodsky; Mike Brown; Bree Goldstein, president; and Cindy Horowitz. On March 2 the Jewish Chamber participated in Jewish Heritage Night at the Solar Bears. March 7, the group met for a Purim...
(JTA) – Less than a hour after a terror attack in eastern Jerusalem on Friday killed three people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a succinct message: Destroy the Palestinian attacker's home. "Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided to take immediate action to seal and demolish the home of the terrorist," said the statement from Netanyahu's office. Home demolition orders have almost become a matter of course following Palestinian attacks. They don't usually make headlines, n...
(New York Jewish Week) - In 1955, a group of musicians gathered in a Manhattan recording studio and committed to tape 16 tunes. When the LP, "Tanz," was released the following year, it barely made a splash. Over the years, however, the recording would gain a reputation as a landmark klezmer album, especially during the klezmer revival of the 1970s and '80s. Recorded by the klezmer virtuoso Dave Tarras and a handful of respected New York jazz players, including brothers Sam and Ray Musiker, the...
