Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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There was singing and dancing, Israeli and American flags flying and messages from the rabbis of four Chabad Centers at the Walt Disney amphitheater at Lake Eola on Sunday, Oct. 15, as hundreds of people from the Jewish and non-Jewish communities gathered in unity to show their love and support for Israel. Rabbi Sholom Dubov of the Chabad of Greater Orlando encouraged the Jewish community to stay strong during an emotionally taxing time. "There's a fundamental core [at] the very heart of what...
By Christine DeSouza The film "Matchmaking" opens this year's Jewish Film Festival, and what a wonderful way to begin the series with Israel's biggest box office hit of the year! In this tale, love is blind - almost literally. The age-old matchmaking tradition in the ultra-Orthodox community now at least allows the future bride and groom to have some say in the arrangement. There are still rules to follow and staying in one's "class" (Ashkenazi, Sephardic, rich, middle class, physical imperfecti...
The Shalom Orlando Board stated that Keith Dvorchik is “no longer with the organization,” effective immediately. Craig Polejes, Shalom Orlando Board of Director’s chairman, did not give any information as to the reason for this action. “We are deeply committed to the Central Florida Jewish community and its mission to serve our community,” said Polejes. “This change in leadership is an opportunity to embrace new possibilities and fresh perspectives while upholding the traditions and values that...
(JTA) - When Rome lit up a landmark this week in blue and white following Hamas' deadly invasion of Israel, it joined many other cities and countries across the globe that have bathed their most prominent buildings in the colors of the Israeli flag, including the White House, the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House. The landmark Rome chose, however, isn't its most iconic building, nor its biggest. But it does hold a special resonance for Jews. The Arch of Titus, in the city's historic...
The tragic events unfolding in Israel are leaving not just Jewish people but many people in our community wondering how they can help. The Rosen JCC in Orlando, Florida has compiled a list of organizations that are working to help those impacted. Rosen JCC CEO, Ofira Bondorowsky, says “On Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, a surprise terrorist attack on Israeli civilians and soldiers resulted in over 1,000 dead and thousands more injured. As the war progresses, many more men, women, and children will likely be killed or injured. Like us, you may be w...
Most people pay into Medicare through their payroll for their employment years, thinking that once they turn 65, the coverage will be free. Medicare has several expenses. High-income earners pay more in terms of copays, deductibles, and premiums. Eye Examination and Optician-Original Medicare covers ophthalmologic costs like cataract surgery, but doesn’t cover contact lenses and glasses or routine eye checkups. Some people may opt to purchase a vision insurance policy, which costs several hundred dollars annually. Hearing Aids-Medicare covers a...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center will host the Kristallnacht Commemorative Program on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Holocaust Center, 6:30 p.m. Kristallnacht was a turning point in history marked by violence against Jews. It is also known as the “November Pogrom.” Kristallnacht owes its name to the shards of shattered glass from the windows of synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses that lined German streets. Keynote speaker Dr. Susan Benesch will shed light on “Da...
(JNS) — Rhea Law, president of the University of South Florida in Tampa, received a letter from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) warning about potential chaos prior to an anti-Zionist event on campus at the end of the month. The Tampa Bay BDS Conference is scheduled for Oct. 27, organized by Students for Socialism and Students for Justice in Palestine. It is being billed as an inaugural event. “I was proud to lead an effort as governor to implement Florida’s anti-BDS law, which prohibits public entities from entering into contracts with compa...
(JNS) — In January, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said during an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event that the international body was “founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust. It was established to ensure such darkness would never be felt by humanity again,” but “when it comes to fighting antisemitism, sadly, the U.N. ignores its purpose.” António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, was present at the time, and the U.N. point man on antisemitism, Miguel Moratinos, later told JNS that “Israel and...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Joe Biden said he is designating experts to help in the effort to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. The announcement came following U.S. confirmation that there are Americans among the more than 100 captives the terror group took back to the Gaza Strip in its invasion of Israel. “We’re working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel including deploying experts to advise on assist and recovery,” Biden told a round table of Jewish leaders invited Wednesday to the White House for a briefing on what...
(JTA) — Hours after Saturday’s deadly surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, the Israeli protest group Achim le’Neshek (Brothers and Sisters in Arms) was helping arrange transportation for army reservists being called to the front. “Brothers and Sisters in Arms call on everyone who is required to stand up for the defense of Israel without hesitation and immediately,” the group tweeted early Saturday. “Right now the most important thing is the safety of the country’s citizens.” It was an abrupt turnabout by a group of military veterans and re...
WASHINGTON — The leadership of Christians United for Israel, the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, issued the following statements concerning the Hamas attack on Israel. “The scenes we are witnessing today in Israel are heart-wrenching. Our prayers are with the people of Israel as they expel the invaders and work to save their countrymen. In the coming days, we’ll no doubt hear from those who wish to draw a moral equivalence between Hamas and the Israeli military. Make no mistake, anyone who would seek to undermine Israel’s response...
In the summer of 2014, my 17-year-old daughter knocked on my bedroom door late one night shortly after my wife and I had gone to sleep. She asked us not to come downstairs, saying that she had just brought two guys home. This was not an announcement I ever expected, except she didn’t use the word “guys.” She said soldiers. Israel was embroiled in what became known as Operation Protective Edge which began a few weeks after the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, one of whom was our neighbors’ nephew. The seven-week-long battle saw the Isl...
(JNS) — President Joe Biden’s address yesterday on Israel’s war was almost everything you could have hoped for. It was tough. By naming Hamas as the enemy of civilization and condemning their acts of evil, it was unambiguous. It pledged unconditional support for Israel. In retrospect, it seemed like the most pro-Israel speech that an American president has ever delivered. Yet these incredibly strong and supportive words were uttered by the same man who, despite Israel’s vehement protestations, did his best to restart the Iranian nuclear...
I am writing this because I have to. I am writing this for myself. If it gets read or answered, that’s fine. If it does not, I care not. I am writing this, but I have no words. I am writing this because I have not lived a day like this in my 93+ years. I was 11 years old when Pearl Harbor was struck by the Japanese. I was sad, felt somewhat scared — but not angry, sorrowful and helpless as I feel now. I am writing this because while September 11 was a “one off” what happened in Israel this week has been going on for thousands of years. No Jew...
(JNS) — Originally published on July 31, 2015. “The flagbearer of Jihad to liberate Jerusalem.” This is how the blurb of “Palestine,” published by Islamic Revolution Editions last week in Tehran, identifies the book’s author. The author is “Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Husseini Khamenei,” the “Supreme Guide” of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a man whose fatwa has been recognized by former U.S. President Barack Obama as having the force of law. Edited by Saeed Solh-Mirzai, the 416-page book has received approval from Khamenei’s office a...
Dear Editor: As an associate professor of Judaic Studies, I cannot speak officially on behalf of my university, but as a private citizen I can express my deepest solidarity with the State of Israel (where I resided for several years) during this perilous time of unprovoked atrocities against its civilian population. Mere words seem insignificant in the face of such brutality, enacted by the terrorist organization called Hamas. However, there is little doubt that every thought, every sentiment, every prayer offered on behalf of the people of...
Dear Editor: I am angry, disgusted, and most of all not surprised. The silence is deafening. The comparisons are gruesome, and the justification is just, well, I don’t have the words. If you believe that speaking about what is happening in Israel is “too political” and “you don’t share about politics” you are part of the problem. If you identify with groups whether on the left or right that say “let’s look at the context” you are part of the problem. There is no context in this scenario. If you are staying silent when you speak out about everyt...
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...
(JTA) — On a visit to Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged American support for the country as it ramps up its war on Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza. Israel is reportedly preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, its first in nearly a decade, five days after hundreds of Hamas terrorists stormed Israeli towns and killed more than 1,300 people, wounding thousands and taking more than 100 captive. Israel has formed an emergency unity government to carry out the war, which will be led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin N...
(JNS) - "You're not going out. You are not going out." Those were 63-year-old Vivian Roitman's fateful words to her 72-year-old husband Menachem on the morning of Oct. 7, after the Hamas terrorists who had ransacked their home in southern Israel and failed to open the door to the safe room in which they were hiding had left the house. She didn't know it then, but the terrorists would be back less than two hours later for another attempt to murder or kidnap them, and then again for a third...
(JNS) - "Stars of David, they took your life, they could not take your pride," sang U2 lead singer Bono. The Irish band was performing at the Las Vegas Sphere, and Bono dedicated the song "Pride" to "those beautiful kids at that music festival," speaking and singing about the hundreds of dead, missing and captured participants in the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im close to the border with Gaza. At least 260 of the 3,000 festival participants were murdered by Hamas terrorists on...
(JNS) - It was partly a celebration of life and partly an outpouring of anger. Several hundred Israel supporters-religious and secular, Israeli and American born-joined together in tight, barricaded quarters at the corner of Second Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan on Monday afternoon, countering an ugly pro-Hamas rally across the intersection outside the Israeli consulate. A rally supporting the terror group's massacre of Israelis and foreign nationals turned violent in Times Square on...
(JNS) - Israel's National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz paid a visit to Washington, D.C., this week for meetings with top Biden administration officials, the opposition politician revealed on Thursday. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gantz confirmed he met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday, while Hebrew press reported that he also sat down with other senior officials. "In the meeting [with Sullivan], we discussed advancing the vital security interests of the...
(JTA) - On a night when Dean Kremer became the first Israeli-American to start an MLB playoff game - while his parents' country was at war, no less - fellow Jewish player Alex Bregman drew a Star of David on his Houston Astros hat for his own Tuesday night playoff game. Kremer, who holds dual citizenship, did not fare so well in his historic start: the 27-year-old surrendered six earned runs in just 1.2 innings, and his Baltimore Orioles lost 7-1 to the Texas Rangers in a game that ended their...
