Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1376 - 1400 of 10745
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - Among the 21 soldiers who died in the building collapse in Maghazi, the central Gaza Strip, was Master Sgt. (res.) Elkana Vizel, 35, a resident of Bnei Dekalim in southern Israel. Vizel, married to Galit and a father of four, worked as a teacher at the Naom School in Bnei Dekalim, where his wife also works. On Tuesday, just hours after he was killed, it emerged that he had prepared a letter ahead of time for the event of his being killed in action. "If you are reading...
(JNS) - Dozens of Palestinian children in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah held a rare protest against Hamas on Wednesday, calling on the terrorist organization to release Israeli hostages and end the war so they can return to their homes. Outside Deir al-Balah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the children held white pieces of paper reading, "Yes to giving back the prisoners" and expressing wishes to return to homes in Jabalia and Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. "Will these cries and d...
(JNS) — On the eve of the war, Hamas possessed an estimated 30,000 armed terrorists, divided into five territorial brigades and 24 battalions across the Gaza Strip. It had a sprawling weapons production industry, much of it underground, and distributed the weapons through hundreds of miles of tunnels. It had an estimated rocket arsenal of some 15,000 projectiles, and death squads on the border preparing to conduct the worst mass murder of Jews since the Second World War. More than 100 days into the fighting, the Hamas war machine has sustained...
(JNS) — Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich fired back at Qatar for supporting Hamas terrorism after the Arab Gulf state attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for alleged remarks about Doha’s role as a mediator in hostage talks. “Qatar is a country that supports terrorism and finances terrorism. It is the patron of Hamas and is largely responsible for the massacre committed by Hamas of Israeli citizens,” the Religious Zionism Party leader tweeted in response to an earlier tweet from Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs o...
Accused killer of Samantha Woll charged with first-degree murder (JNS) — Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, faces multiple charges for allegedly stabbing to death Detroit Jewish leader Samantha Woll on Oct. 21. In a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Kenneth King set an arraignment date for Jan. 30 and added an additional charge of first-degree premeditated murder. Prosecutors had already charged Jackson-Bolanos with murder, home invasion and lying to police. Woll had served as president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and worked on multiple p...
(JNS) — Hamas on Sunday released a statement denying its members committed atrocities on Oct. 7. The denial is a complete reversal for the terrorist group and a total disavowal of its own footage, after it supplied GoPro cameras to its operatives so that they could capture for posterity their horrific deeds on that day. “Avoiding harm to civilians, especially children, women and elderly people, is a religious and moral commitment by all the Al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters,” Hamas stated in the 16-page document, claiming it only targeted Israeli...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Fifteen Jewish Democrats, including some pro-Israel stalwarts, slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he rejected the idea of creating an independent Palestinian state after the Israel-Hamas war. “We strongly disagree with the prime minister,” said the brief statement released Friday morning by the office of Rep. Jerry Nadler, the New York representative who is the unofficial dean of Jewish House Democrats. “A two-state solution is the path forward.” The statement — which comes amid rising calls from some Jew...
(JNS) — Israeli intelligence material handed to the United States reveals the extent of United Nations Relief and Works Agency staff participation in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. The New York Times on Sunday published details regarding the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees in the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel—10 Hamas operatives and one affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Wall Street Journal also reviewed the dossier, publishing additional findings from the Israeli intelligence reports on Monday, including that aro...
(JNS) - "My heart is split in two," said Zvika Mor, whose 23-year-old son Eitan remains captive in Gaza. As Israel on Sunday marked 100 days since Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks, Mor said, "On the one hand, we feel the concern and longing for Eitan, and it's very painful. We miss him so much and want him to be safe with us again." But there's another part of the situation he and the families of captives are trying to come to terms with, he continued. "The other half? The national interest. We are very h...
(JTA) - Ron DeSantis' decision to end his presidential campaign leaves Nikki Haley as the only serious Republican challenger to Donald Trump, potentially consolidating her support among Jewish voters and donors in the party who seek an alternative to the former president. Trump responded to DeSantis' exit by ramping up his attacks on Haley, the former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations who has close ties to the pro-Israel establishment and has been a favorite among Jewish and pro-Israel donors who want to avoid a...
(JNS) — As the Israel Defense Forces battles Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the country’s Judea, Samaria and Jordan Valley regions are experiencing a parallel rise in terror incidents, according to data published by Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) on Tuesday. Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 15, Rescuers Without Borders first responders recorded more than 2,600 attacks targeting Israeli civilians and soldiers, including 760 cases of rock-throwing, 551 fire bombings, 12 attempted or successful stabbings and nine vehicular assaults. Amo...
Rabbi Yanky and Chanshy Majesky, in partnership with the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute through Chabad of North Orlando, are excited to announce a unique opportunity for the community. They will be leading a Solidarity Trip from April 1st to April 7th, 2024. This exclusive seven-day experience aims to foster unity and connection, leaving a lasting impact on participants' hearts, minds, and souls. Rediscover Israel in a new light • Show Solidarity: Stand in solidarity with Israel by visiting sold...
The Jewish Pavilion partnered with The Jewish Academy of Orlando to bring the Theater Department's Variety Show to the residents of Brookdale Lake Orienta. The students showcased their skills in acting, singing, gymnastics, dancing and more. After an afternoon ice cream treat and the show, the residents got to mingle with the stars of the show. Jewish Pavilion sees the importance of intergenerational programming and building new relationships. Both The Jewish Pavilion and The Jewish Academy of...
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces will keep fighting in the Gaza Strip until Hamas’s “significant military and governing capabilities” are eliminated and the 130-plus hostages held captive by the terror group are returned, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday, mere days after announcing a significant reduction in military operations in Gaza. “If the fate of Hamas is not complete dismantlement, we will not be able to live in the State of Israel,” Gallant told members of the Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 naval commando unit...
(JNS) — The European Council, which represents the national governments of all 27 European Union member states, agreed on Tuesday to impose sanctions on Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar in response to the Islamist group’s Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel that claimed at least 1,200 lives and wounded thousands. The terrorist leader was already placed under sanctions by the United States and the United Kingdom in 2015 and 2023, respectively. Effective immediately, Sinwar will be “subject to the freezing of his funds and other financial asset...
(JNS) — Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday launched over 50 rockets into southern Israel, according to local authorities. The barrage, one of the largest launched from Gaza in recent weeks, appeared to target the southern city of Netivot, setting off sirens there and other nearby towns. Footage shared to social media showed some two dozen interceptions by the Iron Dome air defense system. The rate of rocket launches from Gaza has dropped significantly amid the Israel Defense Forces’ ongoing ground operation in the Strip. On...
(JNS) — Israeli forces continued to target terrorists and infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, over the past 24 hours eliminating a Hamas interrogation chief and destroying a launch site used to fire rockets at Netivot. Bilal Nofal, a Hamas operative responsible for interrogating individuals suspected of involvement in espionage activities against the terrorist organization in the southern Gaza Strip, was killed in an airstrike, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Nofal also played a role in advancing Hamas’s research and...
(JNS) - Speakers at a "March for Gaza" in Washington on Jan. 13 promised that Israel would cease to exist and, to the cheers of thousands of attendees, accused U.S. President Joe Biden of supporting genocide against Palestinians. Osama Abuirshaid, executive director of American Muslims for Palestine and the final speaker of the nearly four-hour event, promised that Palestine would be "victorious" and accused Biden of fueling Jew-hatred by supporting Israel. "We're not the antisemitics [sic]...
(JNS) — More than 85 percent of his city has been evacuated as Hezbollah continues to launch rockets across the border from Lebanon, but Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern is, without a doubt, calm, cool and collected. “Hezbollah’s Radwan Force is right here on the fence. You can see it from the town. When I see them start to leave their positions, I understand that something must be happening in a short while and there will probably be a rocket attack,” he said matter-of-factly. “They fire anti-tank missiles at our houses, since it is so clo...
(JNS) - Palestinian laborers from Judea and Samaria should not be allowed to return to work across the Green Line inside Israel's pre-1967 territory, a dozen Likud lawmakers wrote in a letter to Cabinet members made public on Wednesday. "The time has come to say explicitly that no more Palestinian workers will be allowed to enter Israel," read the letter, which received backing from Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli. "Besides our security...
By Andrew Bernard (JNS) — The United States plans to re-designate the Yemen-based Houthi militant group as a terrorist organization following its repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping that have wreaked havoc on international trade, Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, said. That designation of the Iran-backed group will take effect 30 days from the announcement in order to allow for “humanitarian carve-outs” intended to ensure that the sanctions do not harm the Yemeni population, according to Sullivan. The Houthis control 70 perce...
(JNS) — A hostile environment toward Jews and Israelis has been growing for years at American University, in Washington, D.C., “but has intensified following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israelis,” according to a 26-page complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Students “have been threatened, marginalized, shunned and made to feel unwelcome in their dormitories, classrooms and social spaces throughout the campus, which has become a hostile environment,” per the complaint, which The Louis D. Brandeis Ce...
(JNS) — Medicines destined for Israeli hostages, but most of which will end up serving the Hamas terrorist organization, arrived in Egypt on Wednesday and are on the way to the Gaza border. “A senior Hamas official said that for every box provided for the hostages, 1,000 boxes would be sent in for Palestinians,” AP reported. Israel also agreed to allow more aid trucks into the Gaza Strip. A controversy has arisen within Israel over the terms of the deal, which allow the shipment to pass through without IDF inspection. According to Chann...
Ebon Moss-Bachrach in ‘The Bear’ wins Emmy for Best Supporting Actor (JNS) — The performance of Ebon Moss-Bachrach as divorced father Richie in the TV series “The Bear” has so far collected the two top entertainment awards of the year. On Monday, Moss-Bachrach, who is 46 and Jewish, received an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy-drama series, repeating his victory at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7. On the program streamed by Disney+, Moss-Bachrach portrays a chef who takes over his brother’s Chicago sandwich restaurant. The show tied w...
An interview with Harold Rhode (Elder of Ziyon via JNS) — The key to discussing the Middle East is understanding the cultures and languages. In Hebrew, you have the root “P-T-Ch,” corresponding to “F-T-Ch” in Arabic. The root has the general meaning of “open.” But in Arabic, there is an additional meaning: opening up a land to Islam. So the leader in battle is called “fatih” and the man who conquered Istanbul was called Mehmed Fatih. Similarly, there is Fatah, the organization. The name is a reverse acronym of the Organization for...
