Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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The flowing robe, turban, and thick dark beard of Imam Mohamad Tawhidi recalls the ayatollahs he studied under in Iran, his birthplace. Although he immersed himself in Islamic studies in the Iranian Al-Mustafa International University, the similarity ends there. An Australian citizen since 1998, Tawhidi is known as the self-proclaimed Imam of Peace, the celebrated cleric turned Islamic reformer. As a Shia imam, Tawhidi is proud of his lineage of scholars and grand ayatollahs of Iraqi descent, which he says stretches back to the companion of...
Dr. Edward Okun, 87, a world-renowned retina specialist, gallery owner and artist, died from complications of cancer on June 14, 2019. He was the beloved husband of Barbara (Braham) Okun, to whom he was married for 53 years, until her death in 2007. He was also a wonderful father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, doctor, professor, colleague, and friend. Born in Springfield, Mass., in 1931, Ed attended Dartmouth College, and earned his medical degree at the University of Vermont....
(JNS)—Traveling two hours from Haifa to Ramat Gan, Liza Kouniavsky, 16, arrived at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan for the second “Youth Sovereignty Conference” to date on June 13, telling JNS that “I’m here because I love my country. I love the nation of Israel.” She added that “once the world understands and accepts that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish nation, we will quell those who issue threats against us.” Kouniavsky was joined at the conference by nearly 800 like-minded youth from different parts of the country who believe tha...
Jewish identity has been the subject of many artists’ work. Chagall used color and light to illuminate the journey of the Jewish people. Nevelson’s sculpture paid tribute to the six million Holocaust victims. Today, artist Marc Bennett continues this tradition by asking the question, “What if the Star of David could speak?” Bennett created The History of the Star of David artwork to serve as a time capsule that invites us to discover the centuries-long evolution of Judaism’s iconic star, which bore witness to the depths and heights of Jewish...
Palestinian village council head fired after Jews attend son’s wedding By Marcy Oster JERUSALEM (JTA)—The council head of a West Bank Palestinian village was removed from his office after video from his son’s wedding showed that four Jews participated in the party. Radi Nasser, head of the Deir Qadis Village Council was dismissed from the Fatah Party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Haaretz reported. Nasser also was fired from his position in the Palestinian Education Ministry. The four Jewish men reportedly arrived with invit...
(JNS)-A new project called "Brave" is bringing together veterans of the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. military with Jewish students to share stories, learn about the Jewish state, stand up against hatred and combat anti-Semitism on campus. The initiative, organized by Hillel at Baruch College in New York City and launched this past semester, is also organizing trips for America vets to visit Israel, as well as Shabbatons for Jews and non-Jews to interact with one another-all with the goal...
(JTA)—Women served as combat soldiers during Israel’s War of Independence, when the fledgling country needed all the fighters it could get. But following the 1948 war, it took half a century before they were allowed back in combat. Since the late 1990s, when some units started allowing female recruits, the number of women serving in combat has rapidly increased. Last summer saw a record 1,000 female combat soldiers inducted. Debbie Zimelman, a U.S.-born photographer who has lived in Israel for 30 years, spent five years with young women ser...
