Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Like most synagogues, Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey added new rituals after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that killed 1,200 in Israel, saw another 251 taken hostage and launched a grinding war between Israel and Hamas. The Conservative congregation hung a "bring them home now" sign out front on behalf of the hostages. Rabbi Jesse Olitzky added the "Acheinu" prayer for redeeming captives to the weekly Shabbat service, and each week read the biography of a hostage. As the war raged...
A new teaching and religious organization was recently incorporated in DeLand, Fla. The nonprofit is called The Center for Jewish Discovery of Central Florida, and was developed by Rabbi Michael Asher, who was ordained in June 2025 by the Jewish Spiritual Leadership Institute. A kickoff Shabbat dinner was held in early September with nearly 30 people attending. "We offer meaningful classes, open conversation, and spiritual exploration for Jews of all backgrounds," Asher told Heritage. "Through...
(JNS) — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and former U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman took to the stage on Saturday in Jerusalem to perform a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s hit rock song, “Sweet Home Alabama.” American comedian and actor Elon Gold led the ensemble, singing “Sweet Home Yerushalayim” (“Jerusalem” in Hebrew) over the catchy chorus. Huckabee expertly pulled off the song’s funky bass line on electric bass, with Friedman accompanying the group on electric guitar. The performance was shared on X by Eli Beer, president a...
The Torah is direct: eat this, not that; separate milk and meat, based on the verse “Do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21); and remove leaven from the home before Passover. Leviticus and Deuteronomy do not say “to prevent parasites” or “to avoid food poisoning.” Rabbis treated these as chukim — decrees beyond human reasoning. To follow them was to show trust in God’s wisdom. Over the centuries, rabbis of old cautioned against searching for purely practical motives in these laws. They feared that if pe...
For seniors looking to maintain independence, explore the realm of online delivery services. These services offer more than just groceries; they cater to the specific needs of aging adults, regardless of their level of tech proficiency. What started as a niche market has now become a growing trend. Delivery has a long history, from the milkman in Britain in the 1860s to the emergence of pizza delivery for Italian royals in 1889. Mail order catalogs like Tiffany’s Blue Book and Montgomery Ward paved the way for remote shopping, while c...
(JNS) — Hamas terrorists must give up their weapons, or “all hell breaks loose,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS on Tuesday. Netanyahu spoke in response to a question on whether Israel’s two-year war against Hamas in Gaza was over. He replied that Israel was giving a chance to the ceasefire agreement forged by U.S. President Donald Trump, which includes “both demilitarization and disarmament,” which are “not the same thing,” the prime minister said. “Well, we agreed to give peace a chance,” Netanyah...
“If we have to, we’ll disarm [Hamas],” U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News’ correspondent Maria Bartimoro in an interview aired on Sunday night, in light of the terrorist group’s recent claims that it has not committed to disarmament. Trump said that during negotiations for the Gaza ceasefire that went into effect on Oct. 10, Hamas promised it would disarm but added that “these are very violent people; this is a very violent part of the world.” When asked who would disarm Hamas, Trump replied, “Whether it’s me, the U.S., or a proxy,...
(JNS) — Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) are urging the Trump administration to investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations for possible links to Hamas and other terrorist groups. The Congress members wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, asking him to look into whether CAIR, a decades-old organization that says it advocates for Muslim civil rights, is providing material support for terrorism, based on its history and its conduct following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel. The Tre...
President Donald Trump appeared to threaten violence against Hamas in Gaza on Thursday as he responded to reports that Hamas was executing Gazans following the ceasefire with Israel that Trump brokered last week. “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday, concluding with a trademark flourish: “Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Soon after, he clarified that he did not mean the United States would enter Gaza. “Somebo...
Hours after freeing 20 living hostages to a jubilant Israel, Hamas released the remains of four deceased hostages — far fewer than the 28 it is holding and obligated under the terms of the ceasefire to release. The group had already indicated that it was not prepared to release all of the deceased hostages’ remains immediately, following two years of war in Gaza, and Israel and negotiators had accepted that it could take some time. Still, the small number of bodies released on Monday represented a disappointment for many who had hoped that Mon...
(JNS) — On Oct. 7, 2001, the United States began an ill-fated campaign to “nation-build” Afghanistan. Now, 24 years after that anniversary and two years after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, we may be on the cusp of an even worse nation-building program in Gaza that seems to have learned absolutely nothing from the disastrous nation-building operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Right down to resurrecting former U.K. premiere Tony Blair to head it. Nation-building in Afghanistan and Iraq failed for three reasons: 1. The Bush administration belie...
(JNS) — In his Knesset address on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of his first partner in his great utopian vision—a time of peace for the entire world: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu. In an outpouring of shared enthusiasm at the Knesset during the return of the hostages, Trump placed Netanyahu in the circle of history’s great figures. “Thank you very much, Bibi. Great job!” he declared. “Without him, none of this could have happened. Without his courage and patriotism,” Trump said. “He’s not the easiest person to...
(JNS) — As Israelis continue to debate the release of convicted terrorists as part of the current hostage exchange deal with Hamas, they aren’t the only ones thinking about prisoner releases. American victims of Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups and their families are watching, too. For us, the prospect of seeing the murderers of American citizens walk free is not an abstract policy issue. It is deeply personal. Thirty years ago, my daughter Alisa Flatow, a 20-year-old American college student, was murdered in a Palestinian terror att...
The past few days in Israel have been filled with heart wrenching euphoria mixed with cautious optimism, and foreboding. After two years in unspeakable conditions and captivity, Hamas has released all 20 living hostages who have returned home to begin a long process of physical and emotional recovery. Predictably, Hamas has also violated the terms of the agreement to release all the bodies of the 28 remaining hostages, as of this writing still 21 remain in the terrorists’ clutches. So far, one of the bodies that they have released has not b...
(JNS) — “Israel treats the Palestinians the way Nazi Germany treated the Jews.” Few slogans in modern propaganda are as powerful, emotional and poisonous as this one. In recent years, it has become a rallying cry at demonstrations and across social media. Gaza is depicted as the “Auschwitz” of the 21st century. Israeli airstrikes are labeled “genocide.” “Refugee camps” are likened to the Warsaw Ghetto. The nakba (the “disaster” or “catastrophe” of the State of Israel) is rebranded as the Arab shoah. Israel’s government is accused of pl...
(JNS) — At a time when America is still reeling from the murder of Charlie Kirk and anti-Jew and anti-Israel hatred is peaking, the Anti-Defamation League decided to put Kirk’s Turning Point USA in its crosshairs. Did the ADL think that would reduce Jew-hatred somehow? It seems likely it did just the opposite. As egregious and upsetting as that ADL action was, it was just another horrific misstep in the last decade of its misguided cultural crusades that have nothing to do with its core mission: protecting the Jewish people. The ADL was est...
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., 407-647-30...
(JNS) — One was held in a Gaza tunnel, deep underground, shackled in darkness for nearly two years. Another was kept in total isolation, enduring a process of deliberate starvation at the hands of his captors, losing nearly 40 percent of his body weight. They were tortured and tormented and in constant peril. These were some of the gruesome stories emerging from the 20 living Israeli hostages released two years after Gazan terrorists seized them during the Hezbollah-led invasion of the northwestern Negev. Elkana Bohbot, 36, one of the o...
(JNS) - "My life, my life," cried out Einav Zangauker, embracing her son, Matan, for the first time in one of many emotional moments, as the 20 living hostages embraced their joyful families upon their return to Israel after 738 days in Hamas captivity. Hamas kidnapped Matan and his girlfriend Ilana Gritzewsky from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023. On Dec. 7, 2024, Hamas published a letter that it said was from Matan. "We are still alive. We want to return safely before we go...
As the weather gets cooler, a soup can be the perfect meal. (Rice and beans served together makes a complete protein meal.) Serve with some quality bread and a salad for an easy meal. The recipe makes 4-5 servings. 14 oz. frozen broad beans or a 14 1/2 oz. can of rinsed and drained Northern Beans 6 T. virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, (1 cup) finely chopped and fried in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. 2 medium tomatoes skinned and very finely chopped or 16 oz. can diced tomatoes,...
(JNS) - The Blue Sky Warden aircraft, the result of a collaboration between Israel Aerospace Industries and the U.S. company L3Harris Technologies, embodies an innovative concept in light strike and reconnaissance aircraft. It is an enhanced iteration of the Air Tractor aircraft, which is originally a farming workhorse and an aerial firefighter, and also serves in Israel in the Elad Squadron, the aerial firefighting squadron. The new version of the aircraft will be adapted in Israel for...
(JNS) — The Trump administration is pushing ahead with the second phase of its Gaza peace plan, aiming to rebuild the southern city of Rafah, Israeli media reported on Thursday, citing senior U.S. officials. According to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, the aim is to create a “day-after” model for life in the Gaza Strip. Despite incomplete progress in returning Israeli hostages—only nine of the 28 bodies held by Hamas have been recovered—advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said that the United States plans to begin reconstruction...
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 106 times to 143 laureates in its 125-year history. And yet numerous conflicts and wars rage on. Has the award lost its significance and power to truly motivate people to bring about lasting peace for our planet? Or have we overlooked simple but impactful solutions that may bring about peace and prosperity? What if we could avoid difficult situations and remedy serious problems simply by drinking enough water? Not just to eradicate wars between nations and...
(JNS) — If you hadn’t known anything about the huge crowd that gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square two days before the actual return of the rest of the living hostages, you’d have thought you stumbled into a rally of the Israeli chapter of MAGA. The banners celebrated U.S. President Donald Trump as the godfather of the hostage deal, and Trump’s personal representatives—Steve Witkoff, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner—were warmly welcomed. The atmosphere was festive, even ecstatic. These have been two long years, during which massively lon...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Last Sunday, Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson said in an interview with Sky News that Britain played a “key role behind the scenes” in shaping the Gaza ceasefire agreement, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s presence in Sharm el-Sheikh would be evidence of this “central role.” U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee shared the video and wrote, “I assure you, she’s delusional.” The less-than-diplomatic statement subsequently led to a post by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. “I want to recognize Britai...
