Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) — Gilad Erdan, the outgoing Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, has called out the United Nations for a new display that fails to include Israeli victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. In an 85-second video posted Tuesday to his X account, Erdan identified himself as standing inside at the visitor’s entrance to the United Nations. “Tomorrow the U.N. will mark the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to Victims of Terrorism with high-level discussions taking place,” he said in Hebrew with an English transla...
RJC to plant 1,800 trees per DNC speaker who publicly praises Israel (JNS) — The Republican Jewish Coalition has announced a new initiative during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to monitor speakers and see who, if any, advocate for the Jewish state. “Last week, the RJC officially challenged every speaker at the Democratic Convention in Chicago to ‘Praise Israel,’” the group wrote on X on Sunday. “If any speaker from the main stage asks the crowd to cheer if they support Israel, the RJC will donate to plant 1,800 trees in Is...
(JTA) — CHICAGO — In a speech on the Democratic convention floor, President Joe Biden vowed to “end this war” in Gaza and free hostages. But he did not mention Israel by name and gave a nod to protesters outside the convention hall, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered. “We’ll keep working to bring hostages home and end the war in Gaza, and bring peace and security to the Middle East,” he said. “We’re working around the clock — my secretary of state — to prevent a wider war and reunite hostages with their families, and surge humanit...
(JNS) — The parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, along with those in attendance on Wednesday evening at Chicago’s United Center, provided the Democratic National Convention with one of its most memorable moments. Entering to chants of “Bring Them Home,” Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin brought tears to the eyes of many in attendance with the gut-wrenching story of their son and Chicago native, and their broader thoughts on the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Speaking with reporters Wednesday night, Hersh’s...
(JNS) — Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared on Aug. 21during a visit to the Gaza-Egypt border that the IDF has achieved victory over Hamas’s Rafah brigade. “I came here first and foremost to express my appreciation [to the soldiers]. The Rafah brigade was defeated by the IDF’s Division 162,” Gallant said at the Philadelphi Corridor, the 9.7-mile-long buffer zone captured by Israeli forces in May. Since taking control of the area, the IDF has located and destroyed 150 terror tunnels, and Gallant instructed the forces to finish th...
(JNS) - In a sign of the times, billboards have been placed along highways in Los Angeles and Philadelphia to address the rising tide of antisemitism in the United States. "Who's behind this chaos?" reads one. Another says, "Did you miss your flight when this airport was shut down by an anti-Israel mob?" Three billboards were put up in Los Angeles during the last week of July, and two in Philadelphia were erected the first week of August. Both are scheduled to stay in place through most of the month. The nonprofit U.S. Forum for Israel is...
(JNS) - When we discuss Israel's history, we often speak in terms of geography: the partition plan, the 1948 border, the pre-1967 armistice lines, the post-1967 borders and the post-1973 boundaries. Now, we must add the pre- and post-2023 borders. The major difference is that instead of expanding the size of the Jewish state, it has shrunk since Oct. 7 because of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's failure to protect northern Israel. For roughly a decade, he avoided direct confrontation with Hamas, preferring to "mow the lawn" with...
Sam Friedman, Shalom Orlando's chief development officer, left the Central Florida Jewish community on Aug. 2 to begin a new position as the executive director & CEO of the Jewish Educational Alliance and Jewish Federation in Savannah, Ga. He will begin his new job Aug. 26. Friedman moved to Central Florida in 2014 to take the position of director of community relations at Central Florida Hillel, under the leadership of Aaron Weil. In this capacity, Friedman built relationships with off-campus groups. In 2016 he was promoted to assistant...
Two years ago, the two towers comprising Kinneret Apartments were sold to a private developer and manager of low-income housing projects. Having been built 50 and 40 years, respectively, earlier, the apartments needed a more complete renovation. The trustees studied the issue extensively and determined that this transaction represented the best option for financing such a project and thus maintaining the residents’ quality of living. Not long after completion of the Kinneret Two tower at the end of the 1970s, the building’s trustees formed the...
Congregation Ohev Shalom is pleased to offer an outstanding opportunity for schools seeking a well-maintained, move-in-ready educational space in Maitland. This shared space is available for lease, ideal for private, charter, or special needs schools, and is located within a vibrant, active community. COS continues to operate in this space, holding classes on Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings for their successful Hebrew School. This means the space is shared, providing a unique opportunity to occupy the space exclusively during the...
The Jewish Chamber of Commerce has announced a new partnership with One Senior Place, located at 715 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, is a vibrant community hub dedicated to serving the needs of seniors. This collaboration aims to strengthen ties within the business community and foster a supportive environment for local enterprises. Monthly breakfasts to kick off in September As part of this partnership, One Senior Place will host the Jewish Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast meetings, beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 8:30 a.m. These b...
(JNS) — An Iranian attack on the Jewish state “could be this week,” but U.S. President Joe Biden “is confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel should it come to that,” John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, told reporters on Monday. The White House shares Israel’s “same concerns and expectations” about the potential timing of Iran’s reaction to the July 31 assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in a heavily-guarded Tehran guest house complex. Israel has neithe...
(JNS) — The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Defense, notified Congress on Tuesday that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had approved five potential sales to Israel—collectively worth up to $20.3 billion—of tactical vehicles, mortar and tank cartridges, missiles and F-15 fighter jets. The sale of F-15IA and F-15I+ aircraft “and related equipment” costs up to $18.82 billion, according to the agency. Israel has requested to buy 50 new F-15IA jets, which are made by Boeing, the agency said. “The United Stat...
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces said on Monday night that it was investigating a claim made by Hamas that a hostage was executed and two others wounded in separate incidents in Gaza. Al Qassam Brigades spokesman Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, known by the alias Abu Obeida, published a statement on Telegram on Monday claiming that one Israeli male captive had been executed and two female abductees seriously wounded by their Hamas captors. “In two separate incidents, two [Hamas] soldiers assigned to guard enemy prisoners fired at a Zio...
(JNS) — Tehran is advancing its secret nuclear program, bringing the Islamic Republic closer to building atomic bombs, Iran International reported on Wednesday. Three independent sources in Iran told the London-based opposition media outlet that the regime is moving forward with its nuclear weapons program “by restructuring the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), retaining Mohammad Eslami as the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and resuming tests to produce nuclear bomb detonators.” The Biden admin...
(JTA) — A group of 99 Jewish clergy from across the United States signed a statement calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining hostages held by Hamas. The signatories of the clergy statement include well-known rabbis spanning the country and the Jewish denominational spectrum. The list includes Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal and Secular Humanistic leaders. The statement comes as a new round of negotiations is set to begin Thursday in Qatar u...
(JTA) - Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has named Ilan Goldenberg, an Israeli-born former peace negotiator, as its liaison to the Jewish community, sources say. Three people with close ties to the organized Jewish community and the Harris campaign confirmed the pick to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The campaign did not return a request for comment. Goldenberg, who has served as Vice President Harris' adviser on Middle East issues, has previously been an acerbic critic of both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian...
(JNS) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that the current negotiations could be Israel's last chance to secure the return the remaining hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7. Speaking ahead of meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Blinken said, "This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security." "I'm here as part of an intensive diplomatic effor...
(JTA) - Hundreds of mourners gathered in Rishon Lezion, Israel, Tuesday night for the funeral of Jordan Cooper, 26, an American-born "lone soldier" who had died the day before from a severe allergic reaction. His parents, Marla Covin Cooper and Ross Cooper, younger brother Ethan and grandfather Jerry were visiting him in Israel when he died, and ahead of his funeral a request went out to the public saying that they were inviting members of the public to "come and accompany him on his final journey so that he won't be alone in death." The...
(JNS) — U.S., Egyptian and Qatari leaders released a statement on Thursday calling jointly for an immediate conclusion to talks between Israel and Hamas about a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. “It is time to bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families,” the three stated. “The time has come to conclude the ceasefire and hostages and detainees release deal.” The statement, signed by U.S. President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari E...
By (New York Jewish Week) - Vandals defaced the apartment building of Cas Holloway, Columbia University's chief operating officer, on Thursday, splattering red paint around the entrance to the building and painting inverted red triangles, a Hamas symbol, on its facade. The vandals also smashed a glass door, put up threatening posters, and released insects inside the building, according to the New York Post. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the vandalism, saying the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating. "Hateful, antisemitic...
(JTA) — Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar won her Democratic party primary on Tuesday, securing a victory for the hardline-left “Squad” member who is one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress. Omar defeated her challenger, Don Samuels, in Minnesota’s 5th District by a margin of 56 percent to 43 percent with nearly all votes reported. Samuels is a centrist, pro-Israel Democrat who narrowly lost a primary vote to Omar in 2022. This time around, Omar’s campaign said it had learned from the close call and worked harder to shore up support. Omar’s win...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A video from 2018 has surfaced showing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz referring to a Muslim cleric with controversial views as a “master teacher,” according to reporting by the Washington Examiner. The footage, which emerged during Walz’s campaign for vice president, contradicts recent statements from his campaign team. The video, recorded at a Feb. 16, 2018, event hosted by Minnesota’s Muslim American Society, captures Walz praising Asad Zaman, director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota. “I am a teacher, so...
(JTA) — For days, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz has been dogged by criticism — including from the Republican Jewish Coalition — about his ties to a Minnesota imam who praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and once shared a link to a pro-Hitler documentary. Now, the Harris-Walz campaign has responded, saying that Walz has no “personal relationship” with Imam Asad Zaman, the executive director of the Muslim American Society Minnesota, a network of seven mosques, despite appearing together in public events on several occasions....
(New York Jewish Week) — Columbia University restricted access to its campus on Monday, a sign that the university is girding for a renewal of anti-Israel student protests as the fall semester is set to begin. The university’s chief operating officer, Cas Holloway, said in a Friday statement that the campus would effectively be closed to members of the public starting on Monday. The official first day of classes is Sept. 3, though some schools’ orientation activities begin this week. “This change is intended to keep our community safe given r...
