Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles from the December 22, 2023 edition


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  • Pro-Israel groups applaud Senate passage of 2024 defense policy bill

    Dec 22, 2023

    (JNS) — The U.S. Senate passed H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 which outlines how Pentagon’s budget for next year, by a vote of 87 to 13 on Wednesday evening. Six Democrats and six Republicans—including Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio)—voted against the bill, as did Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). “It’s nothing to celebrate,” Hawley wrote of the bill. “Defense contractors get paid billions, while Missourians poisoned by their government get nothing. It...

  • IDF shells launch sites in Lebanon in response to rocket fire

    Dec 22, 2023

    (JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces struck several terror sites in Lebanon on Tuesday in response to ongoing rocket-fire at the Jewish state. The military said that two launches were detected, to which it responded by shelling the source of the fire. The rockets landed in open fields, causing no injuries or damage. Later on Tuesday, IDF air defenses intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” that had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, causing sirens to blare in the Western Galilee. The military said it also shot down several more projecti...

  • Netanyahu: Post-war, PA won't gain control of Gaza Strip

    Dec 22, 2023

    (JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there is no way the Palestinian Authority would be allowed to rule the Gaza Strip in a post-Hamas world during a stormy discussion on Monday in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. “Oslo was the mother of all sins. The difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is only that Hamas wants to destroy us here and now, and the P.A. wants to do it in stages,” the prime minister said. “We cooperate with them against Hamas when it serves their interest and ours up...

  • Knesset passes $7 billion wartime budget

    Dec 22, 2023

    (JNS) — Israel’s parliament on Thursday approved a 25.9 billion shekel ($7 billion) supplementary wartime budget for 2023. The amendment to the 484 billion shekel ($132 billion) 2023 state budget approved last May passed its final vote in the Knesset plenum with 58 lawmakers in favor and 44 opposed. Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel of the ruling Likud Party was absent from the vote and Likud Knesset member Yuli Edelstein abstained after initially voting yes. National Unity Party members led by War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz did not vot...

  • Weekly roundup of world briefs

    Dec 22, 2023

    Maccabi World Union unveils memorial to victims of Oct. 7 By Rolene Marks (JNS) — Maccabi World Union unveiled a memorial to the 1,200 victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre at the Kfar Maccabiah hotel and sports club complex in Ramat Gan on Wednesday. Since the onset of Israel’s war against Hamas, MWU has been active in helping tens of thousands of residents from the south who evacuated their towns and kibbutzim on the border with Gaza. MWU turned Kfar Maccabiah into a small village to accommodate evacuees from Sderot, a city on the Gaza bor...

  • Smart tips to help maximize your charitable giving

    Ellen Smith Israelson|Dec 22, 2023

    As the end of the year approaches, you’ve probably noticed your inbox filling up with requests from charities asking for year-end donations. Giving is important, especially now. Like so many people, you may find yourself stressed as you scramble to locate receipts and track contributions to document your tax deductions for 2023. You may also discover that organizing your giving differently could have resulted in greater tax benefits. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your tax deductions, be more intentional about your giving, and r...

  • Judea and Samaria leaders slam lack of security budget during fiery Knesset debate

    Dec 22, 2023

    (JNS) — Leaders of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria on Monday expressed outrage over the lack of funding for their security, claiming the Israeli government has failed to allocate “a single shekel” to protect the 500,000-plus citizens living in the area since Hamas launched its war against the Jewish state on Oct. 7. During a heated debate in the Knesset Finance Committee, the heads of the Binyamin Regional Council, Gush Etzion Regional Council, Samaria Regional Council, Mount Hebron Regional Council and Beit El Council lashed out at op...

  • The most Jewish moments from Barbra Streisand's memoir

    Stephen Silver|Dec 22, 2023

    (JTA) - Throughout Hollywood history, many stars of Jewish ancestry have soft-pedaled their heritage, changing their names or speaking rarely, if at all, about their Jewishness. No one can accuse Barbra Streisand of either. The singer and actress of the stage and screen - one of the most beloved Jewish American icons of the past half-century - published her long-awaited memoir, "My Name is Barbra," earlier this month. Throughout, Streisand references her Jewish background constantly, often...

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