Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 38
By Alex Traiman (JNS) - In August, barely a month ago, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "war hero" over the near-perfect 12-day war in June that thoroughly neutralized Iran's illicit nuclear program. Now in September, Netanyahu received less than a hero's welcome at the United Nations. While the entire world obsesses over nearly every Israeli military and diplomatic action, nations of the world collectively walked out as Israel's prime...
Jewish Family Services’ annual Hope Challenge kicked off Sept. 15 and will be open until Oct. 15. The community’s need for help with food, mental health counseling, transportation and family stabilization has soared by over 30 percent since 2023. Right now, every dollar donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Pearlman, Minkow and Bolton families up to a total of $25,000. A donation of $55 will feed a family of four for a week through the Pearlman Food Pantry; a gift of $200 sponsors a family in the Family Stabilization Program; $15...
(JTA) — French President Emmanuel Macron formally announced his country’s recognition of Palestinian statehood on Monday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. “True to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this is why I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine,” Macron said, receiving a loud applause from the more than 140 leaders in attendance. During his announcement, Macron also outlined his vision for a “renewed Palestini...
On too many college campuses today, Jewish students aren’t asking for special treatment — they’re asking to be able to study in peace. Recently, that basic expectation has been shattered. Into that breach stepped Mothers Against College Antisemitism — a parent-led network that rocketed from a Facebook group to a national force almost overnight, now with more than 63,000 members. Their premise is simple: If universities won’t protect Jewish students from harassment and open calls for their eradication, parents will. Elizabeth Rand, attorney...
Many people are aware of Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremors, but few are aware that psychosis is also a symptom that may occur. As Parkinson’s disease progresses, up to 40 percent of the approximately one million Americans living with the illness will develop symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. These symptoms can be an indication of Parkinson’s disease psychosis, but unfortunately, many patients are not diagnosed. Psychosis generally means “loss of reality testing.” Psychotic symptoms may be brought on by infections or by medica...
Shalom Orlando will host an Author Meet & Greet, sponsored by Writer’s Block Bookstore, at the Roth Family JCC on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. Leland Vittert will discuss his newly released book, “Born Lucky,” about how he stood firm and refused to be defined by an autism diagnosis. Register at Eventbrite.com...
(JNS) — Most House Democrats signed a letter on Thursday warning the Israeli government against trying to annex territory in Judea, Samaria or Gaza. Led by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and joined by the entire Democratic House leadership, the 178 congressmen told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar that Israeli annexation of any territory would “plunge the region” into “further chaos and violence.” “We are convinced that unilateral steps by eith...
(JNS) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday emphasized that there is no Palestinian state, despite recognition by several Western countries this week, and said the diplomatic initiative led by France and Saudi Arabia had actually derailed efforts to end the Israel-Hamas war. “There is no Palestinian state, no matter how many papers they put out, and the only time there’ll ever be one is if there is a negotiation with Israel — which right now is impossible because they have a war going on with Hamas,” Rubio told CBS News in an interv...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a peace plan for Gaza and the Middle East to leaders of several Muslim-majority countries during a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. “We had a very productive session. We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza. I think it addresses Israeli concerns and, as well, the concerns of all the neighbors in the region,” Reuters quoted U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff as saying at the 15th annual Concordia globa...
(JNS) — The U.S. Justice Department announced on Monday that it filed a civil complaint against those who “engaged in a coordinated effort to intimidate and disrupt Jewish worshipers” on Nov. 13, 2024. The department filed the suit under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which former President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994 to protect those seeking abortions and attending religious services and abortion clinics and houses of worship. The federal complaint alleges that the defendants—including Party for Sociali...
(JNS)— More than one million scans of the QR code worn by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech at the U.N. General Assembly annual general debate in New York have been recorded in the last 24 hours—with about 30 percent of them from Iran and Gaza, the prime minister’s spokesperson said on Saturday. The QR code leads to a website documenting the Hamas-led atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel’s northwestern Negev. In addition, the Prime Minister’s Office released Netanyahu’s U.N. address with Arabic overdubbing...
(JNS) — At first glance, the surge of support by Democratic elected officials for recognizing Palestinian statehood seems an act of moral clarity: After decades of suffering, political displacement and human tragedy, isn’t it overdue for Palestinians to receive the diplomatic recognition so many world powers already afford them? Beneath the veneer of humanitarian concern and lofty rhetoric, however, lies a host of practical, ethical and strategic problems that Democratic politicians seem to gloss over—and that deserve a harder look from voters...
(JNS) — As the U.N. General Assembly meets, leaders from across the globe are lining up to announce recognition of a Palestinian state. French President Emmanuel Macron has led the charge, urging the Saudis and others to enshrine the two-state solution as the only path to peace. Governments from Canada to Australia to the United Kingdom have already followed suit, formally recognizing Palestine. It may feel historic to those in the room. Palestinian activists will post triumphant slogans. Supporters will believe their governments have b...
(JNS) — It is astonishing and sometimes discouraging to see how history echoes itself in the formative events of our time. Recent statements by various Western countries expressing their intention to recognize a Palestinian state coincide with an escalation in jihadist terrorism, mass demonstrations and the growing influence of anti-Israel lobbies in key European capitals and decision-making centers. This familiar dynamic, which we have seen recently in Spain, France and the United Kingdom, illustrates the way in which pro-Palestinian o...
As world leaders attended the UN General Assembly, several Western nations marked this annual gathering with an act of treachery of global proportion. France, the UK, Canada, and Australia led the pack of those who made a mockery of international diplomacy, doing something sad and even illegal in recognizing the “State of Palestine.” The mockery would be funny if it weren’t so obscene, propagating a fake reality as if such an entity ever existed, or has the standing and legitimacy to exist as a state. Canada and the UK have raced to lead the p...
(JNS) — Some may view a vote this week in the United Nations on a resolution to recognize a Palestinian state as a long-awaited step toward peace. In reality, it is profoundly misguided. It rewards terrorism, abandons American hostages, undermines Israel—our strongest ally in the Middle East—and emboldens adversaries who threaten U.S. national security interests. For U.S. policymakers, the stakes could not be higher. The Palestinian leadership has rejected every serious peace initiative that required compromise, going back to the Peel Commi...
(JNS) — If you are Jewish or a friend of the Jewish people, this is your wake-up call. We are living in a time when silence equals surrender. The lies and propaganda against Jews and against Israel grow louder every day. If we sit back, if we hesitate, if we think that others will carry the burden for us, then we fail not only ourselves but also the generations who came before us and those who will come after. This Rosh Hashanah is not just a holiday — it is a summons to action. Here is the reality: Jews make up less than 16 million out of a w...
MORNING 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 of Orlando — Monday – Friday, 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Temple Israel — Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-647-3...
(JNS) — Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on Sunday expressed his gratitude to New York Mayor Eric Adams, after the latter announced he was bowing out of the city’s mayoral race. “Eric Adams chose NYC over his ego, trying to save it from the crazy communist,” Ohana said on X, referring to front runner and anti-Zionist Zohran Mamdani. Adams was polling fourth after Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, according to the New York Post. Thus his exit from the race improves the chances of Cuomo and Sliwa, conside...
Let me introduce you to Athena Reich-a woman whose life is as dazzling and dynamic as the pop icon she impersonates. A single mother of two, Reich is a second-year medical student, music teacher, award-winning performer, and Lady Gaga impersonator. Yes, you read that right. Dr. Gaga is in. Or should we say, Hello, Dr. Lady Gaga Glam. Voted the world's top Lady Gaga impersonator by Chatelaine Magazine, Reich blends brains, performance, passion, and purpose in a life that has taken her from...
(JNS) - As I walk into the still relatively new school year, I find myself reflecting on an honor I received this summer, the Bernie Marcus Award, and on the journey to Israel that helped me see what it truly means to be a pro-Israel advocate. They both came at pivotal moments, offering me fresh eyes and a renewed sense of purpose for the year ahead. The Bernie Marcus Award is given to young leaders who demonstrate a deep commitment to strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship. For me, that...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he was working with U.S. officials on a 21-point Gaza peace plan put forth by Washington and hopes to finalize it in coordination with U.S. President Donald Trump. In an interview on Fox News ahead of his White House meeting on Monday, Netanyahu said the proposal is not yet complete, expressing “hope we can make it a go, because we want to free the hostages, we want to get rid of Hamas rule and have them disarmed, Gaza demilitarized and a new future set up for Gazans and Isr...
(JNS) — Oziel Vatik, the mayor of the Samaria village of Kedumim, was subjected to harassment and threats in New York while visiting the city as part of an official Yesha Council delegation on Sunday, he told JNS. Vatik told JNS he was holding security consultations by phone following the deadly terrorist attack near Kedumim on Sunday when a woman came up to him and started shouting. “She shouted at me: ‘You’re Israeli, you piece of…’ and other curses in English,” he said, adding: “Out of respect for you, I won’t repeat them.” “Just as i...
Makes 32 cookies 3 cups flour 1/3 tsp. ground cloves 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup olive oil 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup water 1/3 tsp. baking soda in 1/4 cup orange juice 1 tsp. brandy 1 tsp. orange zest Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. 1 /2 cup chopped walnuts, plus 1/2 cup to garnish cookies Roll cookies in oblong 2” x 1” shaped cookies and prick a design on each cookie using fork tines 5 times. Place rounded side up on a greased baking tray. 325 F. for 20 min...
