Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
Walking in the front row, arm-in-arm, of the march against terrorism were (l-r) Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali, French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President of the European council Donald Tusk, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and, not in the picture frame but there, the King Abdullah II of Jordan. Noticeably not in attendance was U.S. President Barack Obama or Vice President Joe Biden or Secretary of S... Full story
The Jewish Pavilion will honor two are very special couples-Marty and Emily Glickstein and Susie and Mark Stone-at their annual Gala on Sunday, Feb. 22 at The Westin Lake Mary at 5 p.m. The gala will include a silent auction, a gourmet meal, and the musical sounds of Paul Stenzler and his band. "This year's gala invitation featured four special words: cherish, love, adore, and share. These carefully selected words highlight our commitment to the elder-care community, and are reflective of the... Full story
Psalm 137 is a hymn expressing the yearnings of the Jewish people in exile following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 607 BCE. "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning," the psalmist wrote, expressing the desire of the Israelites to return to Jerusalem. This heart-stirring pledge has resonated in the minds and souls of the Jewish people since that time. Through the narration of scholars such as Ruth Wisse of Harvard, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of the UK,... Full story
(JNS.org) The White House admitted that it made a mistake by not sending a higher-ranking official to Paris for Sunday's unity rally against terrorism. More than 40 heads of state attended the rally and marched together through the streets of Paris in solidarity with France after three Islamist terrorist attacks, which killed a combined 17 people. America was represented by U.S. Ambassador to France Jane Hartley, rather than President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, or Secretary of... Full story
The four bodies were wrapped in Jewish prayer shawls and laid out on stretchers. All of them should have lived for many years before they were buried. The victims of the synagogue attack were all killed in the kosher supermarket in France, and their bodies brought to Jerusalem for burial. Relatives of each of the dead lit a torch and said a few words. One of the victims, Francois-Michel Saada, a businessman, had already bought an apartment in Israel and was preparing to move here.... Full story
In the wake of Islamist terror attacks that killed a combined 16 people at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a kosher supermarket in Paris, the leader of a prominent Christian-Jewish aid group told JNS.org that he is exploring ways to help French Jews immigrate to Israel. Brothers Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi, the two Muslim terrorists suspected to have carried out the Charlie Hebdo shooting, were killed Friday in a police raid on a printing shop in the Paris suburb of... Full story
The students of the Jewish Academy of Orlando, Leaders Preparatory School (Muslim) and the Geneva School (Christian) came together on Jan.13 for the first of three multi-faith programs this year. In the first program, held at the Jewish Academy, the students learned about the upcoming Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish New Year for the Trees. This session was led by Rabbi David Kay of Congregation Ohev Shalom. The students also participated in an art project focusing on the Garden of... Full story
Blue Star camps owner/director, Seth Herschthal, will be in Orlando tomorrow, Jan. 24,to talk about 68-year-old Blue Star camps, a Jewish summer camp for boys and girls, located in Hendersonville, N.C. Keith and Julie Levitt will host the meeting in their home, 4146 Anissa Ave., Orlando, on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Levitts are long-time supporters of Blue Star camps. Keith was a Blue Star camper many years ago, their son went there for six years, and this summer will be... Full story
The Jewish National Fund’s Women for Israel will host a free Tu B’shevat seder at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Roth JCC. The seder is a great way to appreciate Israel’s bounty and includes sampling foods from each of the seven species: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. The evening will also include Israeli music and dancing. Members of the event committee are Dr. Susan Drukman, Brenda Faiber, Terri Fine, Fabienne Kaplan, Dr. Robin Katzman, Debbid Meitin, Charlotte Schwartz and Pam Skipper. RSVP is reque... Full story
On Monday, Jan. 26, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., mention JFS Orlando when purchasing a meal at Italio and 50 percent of the proceeds will benefit JFS. Not only will Italio customers enjoy a good meal, they will be making a donation to help people in need. JFS Orlando provides vital, high-quality and innovative services to people in need so they can overcome challenges and lead fuller, more meaningful lives. Italio is located at 276 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, Fla....
This January, Temple Shir Shalom of Oviedo celebrates a special b’nai mitvah: its own. January marks its 13th birthday, and they are excited to celebrate that special milestone with their congregants and the entire Jewish community. In 2001, six area families had a vision to build a congregation where everyone felt part of a larger family. TSS is a Reform, family-oriented congregation. Its membership is built from people with varied backgrounds—from a traditional Jewish experience with knowledge of Hebrew and ritual to interfaith marriage partn... Full story
Lest anyone think, even for a moment, that there is even the slightest link between Islamic terror against Jews in Paris and Islamic terror against Jews in Jerusalem, the New York Times has rushed in to disabuse us of that notion. The Times’ Jerusalem bureau chief, Jodi Rudoren, authored a half-page article on Jan. 10 mocking the idea of such linkage. The editors helpfully added a huge color photograph of a scowling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The image of the mean, angry Netanyahu is important to trying to discredit any sympathy for h... Full story
There has been widespread condemnation of attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Kosher market in Paris, with interesting differences between the condemnations. There are Muslims condemning both as deviations from true Islam, while other Muslims praise both as appropriate defense measures for the sake of Islam. And some Muslims condemn the attack on Charlie Hebdo but praise the attack on the Jews. A recent YouTube featuring an ambassador from the Arab League assigns much of the blame for Middle Eastern ferment to Jews who control the media and... Full story
It was an electrifying moment: in a voice crackling with anger and pain, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls denounced the rise of anti-Semitism in France before the country’s National Assembly on Jan. 13, pointedly observing, “We haven’t shown enough outrage.” Valls was speaking following the funerals of seven of the victims of the recent Islamist terrorist attacks in France, in which a total of 17 people, including four Jews trapped in a siege at the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in eastern Paris, were murdered in cold blood. Though his spe... Full story
PARIS (JTA)—The kosher supermarket was chosen deliberately. Men, women and children were shopping and preparing for Shabbat. Only two days before the attack, terrorists had left 10 of the best-known satirical journalists and cartoonists dead at Charlie Hebdo. Three French police officers were also struck down, one of them a Muslim. Each Islamist terrorist attack targeted a symbol of the French Republic, seeking to bring the country to its knees. That Jews were targets of radical Islam was, alas, unsurprising. Four of the hostages—Yoav Hat... Full story
Sunday’s solidarity event in Paris was, for this viewer, a day full of anomalies and disappointments. First there was the march of world leaders itself. There, in the front row was Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu with, to his left, the President of Mali, French President Hollande, German Chancellor Merkel, the head of the European Union, Palestinian Authority President (seemingly for life) Mahmoud Abbas and, next to him, the King of Jordan. Firstly, one wonders how Mahmoud Abbas got there and why? Is he really among the ranks of world l... Full story
By Stephen M. Flatow JNS.org Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas denounced as “heinous” the attack on French satirists who mocked Islam. That must have come as quite a surprise to the Palestinian satirist of Islam who Abbas recently jailed, tortured, and forced to publicly recant. The massacre of the staff of the Charlie Hebdo magazine was a “heinous crime, condemned by morality and religion,” Abbas declared in a telegram to French President Francois Hollande. Abbas never uses such language when commenting on Palestinian terrori... Full story
Preliminary report: No others involved in gunshot death of AMIA special prosecutor (JTA)—There was no sign of intervention by others in the shooting death of Alberto Nisman, the special prosecutor in the AMIA Jewish center bombing, according to preliminary autopsy reports. “There was no intervention from third parties in the death,” Buenos Aires Prosecutor Viviana Fein said Monday afternoon in a statement, citing the report given to her by the head of the judicial morgue, the Argentine media reported. Fein also said in the statement that she w... Full story
