Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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By (New York Jewish Week via JTA) - In January of 1943, Irma Lauscher, a teacher at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, smuggled a tree into the camp so that the Jewish children imprisoned by the Nazis could celebrate Tu B'Shevat in a secret ceremony. The children used their water rations to nurture the sapling. Of the 15,000 children who were imprisoned in Theresienstadt during the Holocaust, fewer than 200 survived. But the tree was still standing when the camp was...
The Netherlands’ far-Left BIJ1 party has called for the cancelation of the country’s annual Holocaust commemoration ceremony, calling the event “inherently racist,” according to a Dutch report picked up by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “The BIJ1 party, which defines itself as devoted to ‘antiracism and decolonialization’ and advocates for ‘official apologies for slavery and colonial occupation and bearing of the legal consequences,’ made the call in a draft of its program in the March 2022 municipal elections in Amsterdam, the news site Jonet....
(JNS) — European diplomats said on Tuesday that if Iran does not demonstrate seriousness in nuclear negotiations with world powers this week, there will be a problem. Andrea Stricker, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on the Iran nuclear program, told JNS that “if Iran comes to talks with maximalist demands for sanctions relief and refuses to resume discussing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the P5+1 will quickly realize that Tehran’s game is one of extortion, and they could pivot to a unite...
(JTA) — After an outcry and a rebuke from the University of Toronto president, the student union at a satellite campus modified a proposed ban on kosher foods in any way affiliated with Israel, but a campus Jewish campus group said the change made matters worse. The board of directors of the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Student Union convened for an emergency meeting Dec. 1 to address the outcry after a Nov. 24 resolution affirming the union’s boycott, divestment and sanctions policy regarding Israel placed restrictions on kos...
(JTA) - One of television's most notorious cartoon antisemites is now an Orthodox rabbi. Eric Cartman, the egomaniacal, hate speech-spouting grade schooler on Comedy Central's long-running adult animated series "South Park," has had a change of heart in a new hour-long special of the show, which is set 40 years in the future. In "South Park: Post COVID," which debuted on Thanksgiving on the Paramount Plus streaming service, Cartman has converted to Judaism, leads a congregation in Colorado Sprin...
Are you already wondering what activities you can plan for your children when school closes for winter break? The Rosen JCC offers Winter Mini-Camps. These camps include art, music, sports and plenty of fun activities. They will run Monday, Dec. 20 – Wednesday, Dec. 22. You can choose the days you want and full or half day options. In addition there are options for extended care. These camps offer different themes and activities to keep kids engaged during the long winter break. To learn more a...
Over a hundred people gathered to honor Gary Becker (l) and Sandi Trainor at the Jewish Pavilions annual luncheon called "JP Connections." The festivities included a tribute to the honorees and their remarks, beautiful awards designed by Sandy Silbert, a holiday shopping bazaar and wonderful raffle prizes. The room was beautifully decorated for Chanukah....
BOSTON (JTA) – Against a backdrop of disturbing revelations of antisemitic incidents, including many in local schools, Massachusetts lawmakers this week approved a bill that will require genocide education in all public secondary schools. “An Act Concerning Genocide Education,” which also establishes a public-private trust fund to support curriculum development and training for educators, is now at the desk of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. Once signed, Massachusetts would become the 21st state to require some form of Holocaust education in sec...
MUNICH (JTA) — Three political parties in Germany presented a coalition agreement which reiterated commitments to ensure Israel’s security and fight antisemitism and, for the first time, also pledged to promote Jewish life. The agreement, whose main focus is addressing climate change, was presented Wednesday by the coalition parties, which include the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Free Democratic Party and the Greens, in Berlin. The coalition agreement determines the division of ministerial positions and major policy themes and mar...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that his government’s goal is to “utilize the window of opportunity” between rounds of the nuclear talks in Vienna to tell Washington that the time has come for a “different toolkit” against Iran’s progress in uranium enrichment. The Islamic Republic “must start paying for its violations,” said Bennett at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, according to a statement released by his office. “The goal of the Iranian regime is the lifting of sanctions,” he said, adding, “For th...
(JTA) — Chelsea Clinton took Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to task Wednesday for allowing groups to use the social network to organize book burnings. Clinton compared the phenomenon to Facebook’s past resistance to banning Holocaust deniers from the platform. “Come for the book burning, stay for the s’mores,” Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, said in a tweet Wednesday. “Not terribly surprising #Facebook would platform book burning events in the image of 1933 Nazi G...
(JNS) — Though Palestinian leaders are sworn enemies of Israel—and have vowed to destroy the Jewish state — they still have many supporters among radicals on the far left in the United States and Europe. Much of this support comes not from a factual analysis of the issues surrounding this hundred-year conflict, but rather from sympathy for the perceived “underdog.” In many cases, Israel’s enemies are misinformed; others cynically support the Palestinians by telling lies about Israel’s “apartheid,” “genocide” or “occupation of Palest...
The major instigators of antisemitism today come from the radical right, radical left and radical Islam. Even though these three major groups despise each other, and would like to destroy each other, they are united in their irrational hate of the Jewish people. These haters of Israel and Jews, are distorting and manipulating the important concepts of advancing human rights, fighting foreign occupations, pursuing peace and equality, in order to make them fit into a new narrative of “intersectionality.” Meaning, antisemites and ant...
(JNS) — Renewed negotiations over a return to or revision of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers from which former President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 — kicked off in Vienna on Monday with feigned fanfare. The Islamic Republic has made it clear that no agreement can be discussed, let alone reached, unless all sanctions hindering the regime’s operations are removed. It has also been engaging in double-speak, bragging about its strides in uranium-enrichment, on the one hand, while i...
(Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security via JNS) — Ahead of the return to nuclear talks in Vienna, the Biden administration declared that the United States would not allow Iran to become a nuclear power and that the preferred way to achieve that goal was through a diplomatic solution. If negotiations fail, the United States has “other means” at its disposal, according to the administration, but unfortunately, it has not elaborated. These statements by the administration have hindered rather than encouraged efforts to block Iran...
(JNS) — When is a terrorist not a terrorist? When he’s a Palestinian Arab, of course. In any other part of the world, under any other circumstances, somebody who, for nationalistic reasons, fires a submachine gun into a crowd of civilians is recognized as a terrorist. But when Fadi Abu Shkhaydam opened fire with a submachine gun into a group of Jewish civilians in Jerusalem earlier last month, murdering tour guide Eliyahu (“Eli”) Kay and wounding four others, the word “terrorist” was nowhere to be found. The opening sentence of The New York Ti...
MORNING MINYANS (Please note, because of the coronavirus, some minyans have been canceled or held virtually.) Chabad of North Orlando and Chabad of Altamonte Springs are holding in-person 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. Congr...
(JNS) — United Kingdom’s Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that she is seeking to declare the entire Hamas organization as a terrorist group. While the military wing of Hamas, known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is currently declared a terror group by the United Kingdom, its political wing is not. Patel said that parliament will add the designation next week, which Jewish groups have long called for. Under U.K. law, it is a criminal offense to belong to or invite support for a proscribed organization or wear clothing which could be...
(JTA) - "Nazisploitation," a pop-culture subgenre that draws on imagery and stories from the Holocaust for winkingly perverse entertainment, is built around the idea that there are bad-taste ways to interpret an incomparable tragedy that can nevertheless prove enlightening. The form reached its apex - or, depending on your vantage, its nadir - with films about forbidden love affairs between Nazis and Jews, or Nazis and other survivors of their brutality. In one notable, and polarizing example,...
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) - Hundreds gathered in Times Square Monday to celebrate the second night of Chanukah, with live music, speeches and, of course, a public menorah lighting. But it wasn't just about feel-good holiday cheer: The event was part of the "Shine a Light on Antisemitism" campaign, which aims to raise awareness about antisemitism in order to encourage individuals and their communities to fight against it. The campaign, which is sponsored by more than 60 North American organi...
What a talented people we are ... I am writing this column in advance as usual. It is actually the first night of Chanukah. I made matzo ball soup, latkes, fried chicken ... all with NO calories! We recently lost the talented and wonderful Stephen Sondheim. He was 91 years old when he expired. He was (as you know) a fabulous composer and lyricist. He was even praised for "reinventing the American musical." He wrote the lyrics to "West Side Story" and his best-known works were many of my...
(Jewish Press of Pinellas County via JTA) - Bobby Entel didn't watch The Beatles' Feb. 9, 1964 performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was seven years old at the time and in bed. Nor did he ever see them in person, visit their hometown of Liverpool, or cross Abbey Road. But he's more than made up for that. When he's not working as a radiologist in Dunedin, Florida, he can often be found at Penny Lane, the free museum he opened in 2018 that features his extensive collection of Beatles...
Elli Mae Goodman, 3, of Orlando, Florida, died Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, in Aurora, Colorado. Elli was born Jan. 24, 2018, in Orlando, Florida. Elli is survived by her parents Michelle Lynn Goodman and Matthew Charles Gales of Orlando; brothers, Hunter Goodman and Ezra Goodman, both of Orlando; sister, Talia Goodman of Orlando; maternal grandparents, Debra and Tom Goodman; paternal grandparents, Wayne and Tina Gales, Laura and Ron Avery. Graveside services for Elli were held in the Pavilion of...
Gary Frederick Roth, Sr., 88, loving husband, father, grandfather and brother passed peacefully on Nov. 26, 2021. Gary was born in Fresno, Calif., on Aug. 10, 1933, to Frederick and Ann (Adolph) Roth. He grew up on the family-owned grape farm in Fresno. At 17, his thirst for adventure and sense of duty led him to enlist in the Navy. Gary was a second-generation Seabee and served one tour in Korea and three in Viet Nam. He retired in 1972 after 21 years of service, achieving the rank of senior...
The family of Chris Schafer notes with sadness his sudden and unexpected passing on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Chris was the father of Temple Sinai members Hannah and Sarah Schafer. Chris will also be remembered by his parents, Linda (Sam) Sampieri, Ron (Suzanne) Schafer; his siblings, David (Liz) Schafer, Kim Hochstetler, Michael (Maryanne) Sampieri, and Nancy (Ruth) Sampieri, and his many nieces and nephews. Those wishing to express condolences may send a note of sympathy to Hannah and Sarah in care of Beth Schafer at 2358 Fairoaks Rd. Decatur,...
