Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 26 - 33 of 33
Central Florida Hillel recently hosted an event for Israelis in Orlando, a group that strives to bring Orlando's Israeli population closer together. Through its association with the Foundation of Jewish Culture, Central Florida Hillel was able to invite Israeli actor and director Yiftach Klein, who provided a free Hebrew screening of "The Policeman" followed by a question and answer session.... Full story
Bassem Eid, a Palestinian human rights activist, has launched a crusade against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), tasked with providing “assistance and protection” for five million Palestinian refugees around the world. In Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, UNRWA gives food, aid, and runs schools. Eid said a recent study by well-known Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki shows that 70 percent of Palestinian refugees are seeking financial compensation rather than the “right of re... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)-Kirk Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch, the son of an immigrant Russian Jewish ragman, marked his 98th birthday on Dec. 9 by launching his 11th book. The legendary star of 87 movies (who can forget "Spartacus"?) can look back, in happiness and grief, on countless one-night stands with filmdom's most beautiful women, a helicopter crash in which he was the only survivor, a stroke, two bar mitzvahs and the death of a son. He has written about these and many other parts of his life... Full story
A few months after his marriage, young Arik was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, a form of lymphoma, and his heart began to thrash with a confusion of feelings and thoughts. Together with his new wife, Naomi Rivka, they had built their nest and fostered hopes and dreams for a shared Torah home, for a flourishing family life... Indeed, not long before, they had learned that soon, with G-d's help, they would become parents. And now, suddenly-such a blow! But Arik and Naomi did not allow... Full story
ADL: Killing of N.Y. police officers ‘heinous, senseless, shocking’ (JTA)—The Anti-Defamation League called the killing of two New York Police Department officers a “heinous, senseless and shocking assault.” The officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were shot in the head through the window of their patrol car in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon. Shortly before the killings, the gunman, identified as Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, threatened to shoot two “pigs” in retaliation for death of Eric Garner at the hands of police officers in July. “I’m pu... Full story
LUGANSK, Ukraine (JTA)-In an unheated synagogue with no running water, a dozen Jews are trying to keep warm as temperatures here veer toward the single digits. Not moving too much helps keep the warmth under their thick coats, they say, a technique developed as the group gathered at least once a week to maintain a sense of community in a city torn by ongoing conflict between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian army. "We usually stay for about two hours," says Igor Leonidovich, the synagogue's... Full story
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (JTA)-Through the backseat window of a black KGB car, Yosef Mendelevitch could see university students his age hurrying to take their finals. It was June 15, 1970, and the 23-year-old Mendelevitch had just been arrested along with 11 accomplices for trying to hijack a plane to escape the Soviet Union. On the tarmac of an airport outside St. Petersburg-then Leningrad-officers from the Soviets' secret police detained the conspirators before they could board the... Full story
If Ridley Scott's "Exodus: Gods and Kings" left you feeling stood up at the Tabernacle, you're not alone. Rottentomatoes.com indicates that 72 percent of mainstream media critics have panned this CGI leviathan of a film. Whether something seemed missing or you did feel a connection to this latest cinematic biblical epic, here are 10 ways to get your Exodus on-either as an antidote or to get a better sense of what director Scott might have been after. 1. Maimonides on miracles "From Moses to... Full story