Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1964 - 1988 of 11021
(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...
(JTA) — Argentina is launching an airlift to evacuate its citizens from Israel, four days after Hamas attacked Israel, killing and wounding thousands of people and spurring a war that could be long-lasting. The Foreign Ministry opened a hotline on Saturday, the day of the attack, for Argentinian citizens to request repatriation. Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero said on Tuesday that more than 713 requests had been received. Now, the “Safe Return” program will allow up to 625 people to leave the country. A military Hercules airplane and a Boein...
(JTA) – The Biden Administration’s new point person for combating book bans at school districts and public libraries across the country is a gay, Jewish progressive activist who has served as a government liaison to the Jewish and LGBTQ communities. The appointment of Matt Nosanchuk comes as the thousands of book challenges nationwide have focused on books with LGBTQ as well as Jewish themes, in addition to works about race. Nosanchuk was named a deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Education’s civil rights office earlier this month...
(JTA) — Political leaders from around the globe have condemned Hamas’ sweeping attack on Israel and pledged their support for Israel. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following earlier conversations between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi. The United States “unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians,” National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. There is neve...
Pro-Hamas activists call to ‘gas the Jews’ at Sydney protest (JNS) — Hundreds of pro-Hamas protesters on Monday chanted “gas the Jews” at an anti-Israel rally in Australia. The mob outside the Sydney Opera House also chanted “F*** the Jews” and “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is Great,” as they waved Palestinian flags. The Sydney rally came a day after the Democratic Socialists of America held a similar “pro-Palestine” rally in New York City’s Times Square. Several hundred protesters attended, chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine wil...
(JNS) — The Israeli Defence Forces launched a study this week to analyze the security implications of a normalization deal between Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study is being administered by a number of IDF branches, including intelligence, strategic planning, the Iran department and the air force. It seeks to clearly outline the advantages of the deal, including possible opportunities for partnership, along with the security risks of potential concessions that may be required of Israel to secure such an agreement. The f...
(JNS) — After more than 3,000 Jewish pilgrims visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during the first days of the week-long Sukkot holiday, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s key ultra-Orthodox coalition partners on Wednesday demanded that the holy site be closed to Jews. “The ascension to Temple Mount involves a severe prohibition of karet,” tweeted United Torah Judaism Party MK Moshe Gafni, using the Hebrew religious term for divinely-inflicted premature death. “It pains my heart that 3,000 Jews violated this severe prohibiti...
