Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) — A pro-Israel Christian student organization on Wednesday donated $100,000 to honor the victims of last year’s deadly Hezbollah rocket attack on a soccer field in the Golan Heights village of Majdal Shams, which claimed the lives of 12 Druze children. The donation by Passages, which has been dubbed the “Christian Birthright” for its student tours to Israel, will go to a local foundation that supports community youth pursuing higher education and leadership roles, a memorial soccer tournament and other infrastructure projects. “In bri...
In ordering a preemptive strike aimed at significantly setting back Iran’s nuclear program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was following in the footsteps of two of his predecessors. Menachem Begin ordered an attack in 1981 that destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor. And a quarter-century later, Ehud Olmert gave the green light in 2007 to destroy a nuclear reactor in its last stages of construction in northeastern Syria. But Israel was not in fact the first country in the Middle East to take aim at an enemy’s nuclear facilities. That disti...
In 2017, I interviewed Harry Lowenstein, a Holocaust survivor, and published his story in the Heritage Florida Jewish News. Little did I know that that would begin for me a journey that would span eight years, hours and hours of interviews, research, and writing, and over 40 stories that would culminate in my fifth book, tentatively called “Witness and Legacy: Profiles of Jewish Sacrifice, Survival and Strength,” will be launched this September. What follows is my introduction. “You reall...
One of the best things in life is to have the privilege of taking one’s grandchildren out for ice cream. Even during a war. Perhaps especially during a war. This week, my daughter and son-in-law brought my four grandsons for a visit, partly as a fun outing and partly as a respite for themselves. Since the war erupted with Iran, all school and pre-school programs have been canceled, leaving parents of young children to figure out how to juggle keeping all the kids occupied without pulling their own hair out, and keeping them safe and close to h...
On June 5, 2025, Lt. Leonard M. Keysor was posthumously honored with a historical marker at the location of his London home. It was the first public recognition of him as a Jew. Born in London, Leonard Keysor moved to Australia just before the outbreak of World War I. When war was declared, he enlisted in the Australian Army, joining the 1st Battalion. Serving with Australian Forces in the trenches of Gallipoli during World War I, Keysor was a bomber and a highly skilled grenade thrower. He was...
When we reflect on grief, our minds often turn to the emotions and processes following the loss of a loved one. However, the journey of grief begins long before death, especially when a loved one receives a life-threatening diagnosis. This pre-loss mourning is termed anticipatory grief, a concept illuminated by grief expert Dr. Therese Rando. Anticipatory grief encompasses the mourning of past, present, and future losses, shaping the emotional landscape of both care recipients and caregivers. From different vantage points, care recipients and...
Imam Hassen Chalghoumi of Drancy, near Paris, is astonished by what Israel is currently doing in Iran. He writes: I, a son of Ishmael, an imam, a Muslim, a man of peace, hereby present my sincere testimony about this extraordinary people: I must admit, I believe in religions and miracles. But there is something about this people - the people of Israel - that feels like a living miracle. A people the Pharaohs tried to erase 3,000 years ago... and failed. A people the Babylonians tried to annihila...
Israel was the first target of retaliatory attacks by Iran after Israel launched a massive military campaign against its nuclear program on Friday. But security officials are warning that Israelis and Jews abroad could also face consequences from the beleaguered regime. Iran has a long track record of sowing violence against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad, including over the last two years as its proxies in the Middle East have battled Israel on the ground. Among the many examples: Swedish teens who tried to attack the Israeli embassy in...
(JNS) - The television host Phil McGraw, known as Dr. Phil, has received death threats, been swatted repeatedly and faced an onslaught of hate mail for supporting Israel publicly since Oct. 7. "You get to a point where you have to decide what really matters in life, and right and wrong is not a relative term," he told JNS, shortly before taping an episode of his show about Jew-hatred with Eric Adams, the New York City mayor. "What happened on Oct. 7 was wrong at every level," McGraw told JNS. "I...
Nobody puts Brooklyn in a corner. The heyday of the Jewish Catskills may have come and gone, but this summer, New Yorkers have the chance to party Borscht Belt-style — without time-traveling or enduring a long, traffic-y drive on Route 17. On Tuesday, June 17, The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life, brought the spirit of the Borscht Belt to Brooklyn with “Catskills, BK: Dirtier Dancing,” a rooftop party at the Moxy Hotel in Williamsburg. The evening — which is partially inspired by “Dirty Dancing,” the 1987 hit film that takes place...
By When last year’s hurricane tore through South Florida, the devastation reached far beyond shattered windows and waterlogged furniture. For Jewish Heritage editor Christine DeSouza, it meant the total loss of her cousin’s irreplaceable family photos, records, and keepsakes —family history, gone in a matter of hours. (DeSouza’s cousin lives on Pine Island, where Hurricane Ian made landfall in 2022). After a recent conversation with DeSouza, I found myself thinking: what if it had been me? Over the years, I’ve carefully compiled our family’s...
Heritage columnist Steven Cardonick, who writes the “Give a listen…” column, discovered a “kinahora” moment recently after one of his columns was published. Cardonick submitted his first article, titled “What a blessing — Kinahora!”, on March 17. However, publishing was delayed until after Passover because he wrote an excellent article for the Passover issue, titled “Guess who came to seder,” (published April 4, 2025). The “Kinahora” article came out in the April 18 issue. In the article, Cardonick used the game of baseball, and Alex Bregman sp...
Readers remember well the beloved writer Gloria Yousha who related thousands of stories in her column “Scene Around.” Nearly three years since her passing, the community greatly misses Gloria and how she shared so many different insights and experiences with us. A wonderful article about Gloria was written by Heritage editor Christine DeSouza and published on Dec. 9, 2022. Christine’s tribute column/obit earned a first-place award from the Florida Press Association! There has been talk of introd...
(JNS) - Israel is the only country in the world that has an embassy for indigenous people. Situated in the heart of Jerusalem, the Indigenous Peoples' Embassy pays tribute to clans and tribes around the world - and is a testament to shared heritage. As antisemitism surges around the world, we need to be reminded that Israel and the Jewish people have many friends. Some of them are from indigenous communities, such as the Aboriginal people in Australia. Sydney residents George and Anita Fisher...
The annual North American Jewish Choral Festival brings hundreds of singers together to share their love of Jewish choral music and feel a sense of pride and belonging. The 2025 event will be held from July 20-24 in Stamford, Connecticut. Participants will enjoy five days of a life-changing musical experience with a harmonious choral community. "The Festival is for anyone who wants to celebrate the joy of Jewish music," says Maestro Matthew Lazar, Festival Founder and Director. "The attendees...
(JNS) — The lower house of France’s Parliament on Monday voted to posthumously promote Alfred Dreyfus, amid a surge in antisemitic incidents in the country in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. All 197 lawmakers present at the National Assembly supported the legislation, which was introduced by former prime minister Gabriel Attal of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party, AFP reported. The Senate still needs to pass the bill to promote the Jewish army captain, whose wrongful conviction for treason in 1894 was widely seen as a sy...
The inevitability of life’s final chapter often brings reflection and introspection, particularly when it comes to relationships with family. For many, the regret of estranged relationships can weigh heavily, especially as time runs out. Jewish Pavilion Senior Services addresses this poignant issue by encouraging seniors and their families to reopen lines of communication and heal wounds before it is too late. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, family relationships can sometimes fracture and break down. Misunderstandings, disagreements, a...
As our loved ones age, mealtimes can become more frustrating and difficult. It is important to ensure our loved ones receive proper nutrition, maintain their health, and preserve their quality of life. As people age, they may face challenges like difficulty chewing or swallowing, loss of appetite, changes in taste or smell, or physical limitations that make eating difficult. If not managed properly, these issues can lead to malnutrition, weight loss, dehydration, and increased vulnerability to illness or cognitive decline. To make mealtimes...
There's an endearing scene in the film "Throw Momma from the Train." Owen (Danny DeVito) shows his coin collection to Larry (Billy Crystal ). These are not rare coins with great monetary value. But Owen cherishes them. They are all part of the leftover change from shared experiences with his father. Starting with a nickel, Owens identifies each coin. "This one I got in change when I bought a hotdog at the circus. My daddy always let me keep the change." I had my own coin experience when I was...
(JNS) — An extraordinary moment unfolded the evening of May 26 in Washington when Gene Simmons, the 75-year-old frontman for legendary rock band KISS, encountered Harold “Hal” Urban, a 100-year-old World War II veteran who participated in the liberation of the concentration camp where Simmons’ mother was imprisoned as a teenager. Urban’s memories of liberating Mauthausen remain vivid and traumatic even at age 100. He described the overwhelming stench of burning human remains, emaciated prisoners stumbling in confusion and terror and the psych...
(JNS)- Former Hamas hostage Agam Berger told French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot during a meeting in France that Israel has no choice but to fight the terrorist group. "As soon as there is a war of survival over our land, that's what we will do. They don't want 'togetherness,'" said Berger, referring to Hamas. "Diplomatic solutions won't work because it's either us or them," she added. Berger, 20, an Israel Defense Forces field observer, was released from Gaza on Jan. 30 after 482 days in...
(JNS) - The Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund released a new collection of rare archival photos that capture Shavuot celebrations predating the modern State of Israel during the 1930s and 1940s. The photographs "are far more than historical documentation - they tell the story of the renewal of the Jewish people in their land," said Ifat Ovadia-Luski, chairwoman of KKL-JNF. "These are powerful moments of pride and joy that illustrate how an ancient custom was revived and brought to l...
(JNS) — Paramount+ and MTV Documentary Films told JNS exclusively on Tuesday that they plan to expand access to Montana Tucker’s documentary “The Children of October 7” on a global basis starting on June 2, the first day of Shavuot. The 36-minute film will be available in all of the areas where Paramount+ is accessible: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. “In this documentary, Montana Tucker shined a light on the stories of devastation children experienced on Oct....
(JNS) - On May 19, two weeks before the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, celebrity chef and cookbook author Jamie Geller, who now serves as the spokesperson and chief communications officer of the Jewish educational organization, Aish, set out with her team - including the writer of this article - to taste and rate some of the best cheesecakes in Jerusalem. Jerusalem has a plethora of bakeries, each with its unique style of cheesecake presentation. "We aimed to sample as wide a variety of different...
Some stories must be told, to remember that even in the darkest moments there is hope. On the right in the above photo, is Yuval Raphael, a 24-year-old Israeli woman. When Hamas attacked the Nova music festival in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Yuval Raphael went from dancing with friends to hiding in a bomb shelter, pictured on the left. Yuval, speaking with her father thought she was going to die, he told her hang up and to play dead and she would survive. So after the attackers broke into the...
