Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1878 - 1902 of 10941
(JNS) — In the ever-evolving battle against cancer, Israeli researchers have uncovered a previously unknown strategy employed by cancer cells to evade detection by the immune system. The findings may open the door for doctors to increase the effectiveness of current cancer treatments. The research, led by professor Yifat Merbl of the Weizmann Institute of Science, sheds light on the intricate world of cellular waste processing and its role in cancer’s ability to fly under the radar of our immune defenses. The team’s findings were recen...
(JNS) — Cairo announced that humanitarian aid would enter Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, as residents of the Strip continue to move south ahead of a looming Israeli ground invasion. “Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed on the sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah terminal,” announced Egyptian presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy. In a move criticized by families of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organization, Israel’s war Cabinet...
Acting deputy secretary of state to meet with J Street board at State Department (JNS) — Victoria Nuland, acting U.S. deputy secretary of state, was slated to meet with the board of directors of J Street at the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. “Closed press coverage,” a public schedule from Foggy Bottom stated. No more information was available from the State Department schedule. JNS sought comment from J Street but did not hear back. Earlier this month, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, a union, joine...
(JNS) — The numbers are astonishing. More Jews were slaughtered in one day that at any time since the Holocaust—more than 1,400 Jews, mostly civilians. But that is just a number. What is most painful are the pictures. They are killing Jewish babies again. And those pictures will stick in my mind forever. A dead baby in its bed, covered with its own blood. Even more impactful—a bloody pacifier on top of a changing table. No need to show what happened to its owner. We feel pain, anger and frust...
(JNS) — With the advent of COVID-19 came technology to help isolated individuals get together, the most popular being Zoom. Those meeting publicly and privately still use the platform, though it has brought with it another scourge: antisemitism. It turns out that viewers and commentators sometimes use question-and-answer sessions to spread hatred of Jews, as well as conspiracy theories. Early in the pandemic, there was also the case of “Zoom-bombing.” For reasons not yet clear, a number of incidents have clustered around the San Franc...
(JNS) — The Israeli Air Force struck hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza in recent hours, including tunnels with terrorists in them, while infantry and armored corps conducted raids on the ground in the enclave in preparation for a wider ground offensive, the Israeli military stated on Monday. Dozens of operational command centers housing Hamas and PIJ operatives were also hit, according to Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. Strikes were also conducted on targets that posed a threat to f...
(JNS) - The Israeli military has not ruled out the possibility that Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the Jewish state during the devastating cross-border invasion on Oct. 7 remain in the country. "We have not finished scanning [the Gaza border area] yet," IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Thursday. He noted that troops on Wednesday located and captured a Palestinian terrorist-tired and hungry-who was attempting to return to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Hagari stressed that there have...
(JNS) - Israel will fight until it is victorious, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday. During a visit to an IDF staging area near the Gaza border where he met with soldiers, Gallant said: "I see the determination, the spirit of battle, and above all, the motivation to carry out everything needed to defeat Hamas, to eliminate terrorist infrastructure, and to execute the mission as needed." Israel has been attacking Hamas targets from the air since the Oct. 7 massacre that killed more...
(JNS) - Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress since 2007, has told the University of Pennsylvania that it must work harder to counter campus antisemitism to continue benefiting from his philanthropy. He pointed to the recent "Palestine Writes" literary festival the last weekend in September, over the Rosh Hashanah holiday, as a point in case. "The conference has put a deep stain on Penn's reputation that will take a long time to repair," wrote Lauder, referring to the event...
There was singing and dancing, Israeli and American flags flying and messages from the rabbis of four Chabad Centers at the Walt Disney amphitheater at Lake Eola on Sunday, Oct. 15, as hundreds of people from the Jewish and non-Jewish communities gathered in unity to show their love and support for Israel. Rabbi Sholom Dubov of the Chabad of Greater Orlando encouraged the Jewish community to stay strong during an emotionally taxing time. "There's a fundamental core [at] the very heart of what...
The Shalom Orlando Board stated that Keith Dvorchik is “no longer with the organization,” effective immediately. Craig Polejes, Shalom Orlando Board of Director’s chairman, did not give any information as to the reason for this action. “We are deeply committed to the Central Florida Jewish community and its mission to serve our community,” said Polejes. “This change in leadership is an opportunity to embrace new possibilities and fresh perspectives while upholding the traditions and values that...
The tragic events unfolding in Israel are leaving not just Jewish people but many people in our community wondering how they can help. The Rosen JCC in Orlando, Florida has compiled a list of organizations that are working to help those impacted. Rosen JCC CEO, Ofira Bondorowsky, says “On Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, a surprise terrorist attack on Israeli civilians and soldiers resulted in over 1,000 dead and thousands more injured. As the war progresses, many more men, women, and children will likely be killed or injured. Like us, you may be w...
The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center will host the Kristallnacht Commemorative Program on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Holocaust Center, 6:30 p.m. Kristallnacht was a turning point in history marked by violence against Jews. It is also known as the “November Pogrom.” Kristallnacht owes its name to the shards of shattered glass from the windows of synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses that lined German streets. Keynote speaker Dr. Susan Benesch will shed light on “Da...
(JNS) — Rhea Law, president of the University of South Florida in Tampa, received a letter from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) warning about potential chaos prior to an anti-Zionist event on campus at the end of the month. The Tampa Bay BDS Conference is scheduled for Oct. 27, organized by Students for Socialism and Students for Justice in Palestine. It is being billed as an inaugural event. “I was proud to lead an effort as governor to implement Florida’s anti-BDS law, which prohibits public entities from entering into contracts with compa...
(JNS) — In January, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said during an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event that the international body was “founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust. It was established to ensure such darkness would never be felt by humanity again,” but “when it comes to fighting antisemitism, sadly, the U.N. ignores its purpose.” António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, was present at the time, and the U.N. point man on antisemitism, Miguel Moratinos, later told JNS that “Israel and...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Joe Biden said he is designating experts to help in the effort to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. The announcement came following U.S. confirmation that there are Americans among the more than 100 captives the terror group took back to the Gaza Strip in its invasion of Israel. “We’re working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel including deploying experts to advise on assist and recovery,” Biden told a round table of Jewish leaders invited Wednesday to the White House for a briefing on what...
(JTA) — Hours after Saturday’s deadly surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, the Israeli protest group Achim le’Neshek (Brothers and Sisters in Arms) was helping arrange transportation for army reservists being called to the front. “Brothers and Sisters in Arms call on everyone who is required to stand up for the defense of Israel without hesitation and immediately,” the group tweeted early Saturday. “Right now the most important thing is the safety of the country’s citizens.” It was an abrupt turnabout by a group of military veterans and re...
WASHINGTON — The leadership of Christians United for Israel, the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, issued the following statements concerning the Hamas attack on Israel. “The scenes we are witnessing today in Israel are heart-wrenching. Our prayers are with the people of Israel as they expel the invaders and work to save their countrymen. In the coming days, we’ll no doubt hear from those who wish to draw a moral equivalence between Hamas and the Israeli military. Make no mistake, anyone who would seek to undermine Israel’s response...
(JTA) — On a visit to Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged American support for the country as it ramps up its war on Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza. Israel is reportedly preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, its first in nearly a decade, five days after hundreds of Hamas terrorists stormed Israeli towns and killed more than 1,300 people, wounding thousands and taking more than 100 captive. Israel has formed an emergency unity government to carry out the war, which will be led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin N...
(JNS) - "You're not going out. You are not going out." Those were 63-year-old Vivian Roitman's fateful words to her 72-year-old husband Menachem on the morning of Oct. 7, after the Hamas terrorists who had ransacked their home in southern Israel and failed to open the door to the safe room in which they were hiding had left the house. She didn't know it then, but the terrorists would be back less than two hours later for another attempt to murder or kidnap them, and then again for a third...
(JNS) - "Stars of David, they took your life, they could not take your pride," sang U2 lead singer Bono. The Irish band was performing at the Las Vegas Sphere, and Bono dedicated the song "Pride" to "those beautiful kids at that music festival," speaking and singing about the hundreds of dead, missing and captured participants in the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im close to the border with Gaza. At least 260 of the 3,000 festival participants were murdered by Hamas terrorists on...
(JNS) - It was partly a celebration of life and partly an outpouring of anger. Several hundred Israel supporters-religious and secular, Israeli and American born-joined together in tight, barricaded quarters at the corner of Second Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan on Monday afternoon, countering an ugly pro-Hamas rally across the intersection outside the Israeli consulate. A rally supporting the terror group's massacre of Israelis and foreign nationals turned violent in Times Square on...
(JNS) - Israel's National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz paid a visit to Washington, D.C., this week for meetings with top Biden administration officials, the opposition politician revealed on Thursday. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gantz confirmed he met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday, while Hebrew press reported that he also sat down with other senior officials. "In the meeting [with Sullivan], we discussed advancing the vital security interests of the...
PLAINVIEW, N.Y. - Nora Leeds had lived alone for many years in her Long Island home, but it wasn't until the pandemic that she started to feel isolated. She was used to working in a large office with coworkers, but then her work went fully remote. For four months, Leeds, now 69, could not see her daughter. She became increasingly depressed. "I felt like my whole world was falling apart, like I no longer had the skills to interact with people because we were told to stay at home," Leeds said....
(JNS) — The leaders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government endorsed the establishment of an “emergency national government” during a meeting of the party heads on Tuesday. “Every head of the coalition parties, without exception, supported the establishment of an emergency national government and authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act to create it,” a spokesperson for the ruling Likud Party announced. Local media reported that an agreement for Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party to join the coalition is...
