Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2555 - 2579 of 10919
WASHINGTON (JTA) — An array of Jewish groups, including the activist arm of the Reform movement, blasted the likely incoming Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, for pledging to remove Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee over past comments he has called antisemitic. The tone of the statement released Monday was unusually combative for Jewish nonprofits, insinuating that McCarthy came closer to to expressing antisemitism than Omar did. McCarthy, a California Republican whose party won a bare majority in U...
(JNS) — With pomp and circumstance and some of his trademark disarming humor, former U.S. President Bill Clinton was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Haifa in New York City on Monday night. The degree was bestowed upon Clinton for his longtime commitment to the State of Israel, for promoting coexistence in the Middle East and for the Clinton Global Initiative’s involvement in social and economic sustainability. Clinton’s friend New York University President Emeritus John Sexton also received an honorary doctorate, with the e...
(Boynton Beach, Florida/Netanya, Israel, JNS Wire) - Though there are numerous streets in Israel named November 29, there has never been in Israel or the world a historical memorial for the most famous event in the birthing of the modern state of Israel. On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations voted, by a 71 percent majority, to partition the strife-riven British Mandate for Palestine into two entities, one Jewish and one Arab. As the 75th anniversary of the U.N. vote neared, legitimate historical...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Top Biden administration officials launched a roundtable on antisemitism on Wednesday by describing a “rising tide of antisemitism” and likening the atmosphere in the United States to that of Europe, where Jewish worship is held under lock and key. “Right now, there is an epidemic of hate facing our country,” said Douglas Emhoff, the Jewish second gentleman, who convened and chaired the 90-minute session. Jewish officials represented at the meeting were impressed by how comprehensive the meeting was, saying it went beyond th...
Inflation is at an historic high. There is plenty of uncertainty in the world at the moment, but one thing we can rely on is our community,” said Ian Tasman, owner of Pharmacy on the Park. “For this reason, it’s more important than ever to shop small this Chanukah season and support your local economy even beyond the holidays.” A new Jewish-owned pharmacy and gift shop, Pharmacy on the Park is located on the outskirts of Oviedo on the Park (hence the name). Tasman and his staff pride themsel...
Over 100 people enjoyed the Jewish Pavilion’s annual JP Connections Chanukah-themed luncheon. There were over 30 vendors and dozens of amazing raffle prizes. The Jewish Pavilion was pleased to honor Lori Slutsky for her service to elders in our community. Pictured left to right are Marlene Adler, event co-chair; Lori Slutsky, honoree; Nancy Ludin, CEO; and Sudan Livingstone, event co-chair. The award was designed by Sandra Silbert....
(JNS) — Even before taking power, Benjamin Netanyahu has found himself on the defensive over his prospective coalition’s “fringe elements.” During an NBC interview on Sunday, Netanyahu felt obliged to declare, “I’m going to safeguard Israeli democracy.” However, legal analysts told JNS the danger to democracy may come from another corner, namely the actions of outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who called on local authorities to flout the incoming government’s directives. In a Dec. 1 open letter, Lapid urged Israeli municipalities...
(JNS) - Israeli researchers recently discovered a lead projectile dating from the Hellenistic period in the ancient palace at Yavne, an archaeological site in central Israel. The 4.4 centimeter (1.7 inch) long projectile was designed to be launched from a sling. It is estimated to be 2,200 years old, placing it at the time of the battles between the Hasmoneans and the Seleucid Empire. The story of Hanukkah, celebrated this year between Dec. 18-26, commemorates the recapture of Jerusalem from...
(JNS) - Now that the shock has worn off, the question for Birthright is who will step up. Last week, Miriam Adelson, Birthright Israel's most generous donor, addressed a board meeting of the organization known for bringing tens of thousands of young Jews to Israel each year. She and her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, through the Adelson Family Foundation, have contributed nearly $500 million to Birthright over the past 15 years, but, after slashing the foundation's annual commitment nearly in...
(JNS) - The Israel Defense Force's Paran territorial defense brigade is in charge of defending 170 kilometers of the Israeli-Egyptian border and large sections of the Negev desert. As such, dealing with the constant efforts of narcotics smugglers from both Egypt and Israel to push drugs across the border is an inevitable part of its duties. The brigade includes two co-ed infantry battalions that specialize in protecting the Egyptian border against terrorism and drug smuggling-the Caracal...
(JNS) - A new sculpture commemorating the life of writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was dedicated on Thursday at a moving ceremony on the Mt. Scopus Campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The extraordinary sculpture, situated in a campus garden area, was created by French artist and sculptor Denis Chetboune. Among his numerous accomplishments, Wiesel authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Lee Zeldin, the Republican Jewish congressman who mounted a stronger-than-expected but failed bid to be New York’s governor, says he has decided not to run to be the chairman of the Republican National Committee. But in a sign that he expects to have continued influence despite exiting Congress, Zeldin, who has been the top-ranked Jewish Republican in the country, this week joined the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition. That means he will play a key role in animating political giving by Republican Jews at a time whe...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Biden administration will base its relationship to Israel’s incoming government on the actions it takes, not the people installed in positions of power, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a speech Sunday. Blinken’s speech, to the conference of the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group J Street, was notable because it offered the first official response to deepening questions about how the White House would work with a Israeli government that includes far-right parties. Until now, sources close to the a...
Iran executes four convicted of working with Israel’s Mossad (JNS) — Iran on Sunday executed four men convicted of cooperating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Reuters reported. Three other people received prison sentences of between five and 10 years. “This morning, the sentences of four main members of the gang of mobsters related to the Zionist intelligence service were executed,” the Mizan Online website reported. Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported last week that those sentenced to death had been charged with “the crime...
Orlando Torah Academy will launch its annual 36-hour online matching campaign on Dec 13 at 10 a.m. OTA has grown to almost 170 children from more than 70 families this year. The OTA campus has grown as well and now includes 2 buildings. The growth of the school has also necessitated the need for additional scholarship funds. OTA prides itself on its mission and responsibility to accept all Jewish students regardless of their ability to afford tuition. Every Jewish child deserves the right to learn about and feel proud of our beautiful...
Max Curtis is a valuable employee at both Dick and Dottie’s Cafe and Kinneret Senior Living Apartments. At Dick and Dottie’s Max has learned how to be a barista making a variety of delicious hot drinks. Last week Max was excited to make a new drink — a Turkish coffee. At Kinneret Max is a favorite of all of the residents. Max has shown flexibility and is willing to do any task asked of them. Max is helping serve food at the resident run cafe and is wonderful in their interactions with the elder...
(JNS) - On September 16, 2018, Israel lost one of its fiercest defenders when a knife-wielding Arab stabbed Efrat resident Ari Fuld in the back at the Gush Etzion Junction, south of Jerusalem. Fuld used his last breaths of life to chase down and shoot the attacker, wounding him and saving the lives of other Israelis in the terrorist's path. Fuld, 45, not only defended Israel on the battlefield in the IDF's Golani Brigade, and as a reservist in the Second Lebanon War in an elite paratrooper...
(JTA) — Nearly seven months after they were denied boarding in Frankfurt, a group of more than 100 Hasidic Lufthansa passengers are getting paid for their troubles. The airline is paying each passenger $20,000 plus giving them $1,000 to reimburse them for expenses incurred during the May incident, according to Dan’s Deals, the discount travel website that first reported the incident at the time. After legal fees and some other expenses, each passenger will net approximately $17,400, the site is reporting. Lufthansa would not confirm the dol...
(JNS) — Conservative American commentator Ben Shapiro on Sunday tacitly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for hosting a dinner last week attended by Ye and Holocaust denier and white supremacist Nick Fuentes, sparking a Twitter war-of-words with the artist formerly known as Kanye West. “A good way not to accidentally dine with a vile racist and anti-Semite you don’t know is not to dine with a vile racist and anti-Semite you do know,” tweeted Shapiro. He was referring to Trump’s claim that he had not known anything about Fuentes, whom Ye h...
(JTA) — In a supermarket here, Ohad David made a beeline for the most expensive olive oil in the store. He took three bottles of the award-winning Midnight Coratina brand, which goes for about $3 per ounce. It has “medium potency, green fruitiness and a green-leaf, grassy bouquet,” according to its description on the website of Ptora, the boutique olive oil factory that makes it. But David, a 40-year-old insurance agent and father of five, did not buy the oil for its taste. Like thousands of Ort...
Q. Does the Zionist Organization of America still believe that President Trump deserved ZOA’s Theodore Herzl Gold Medallion Award for being the best president ever towards Israel and the Jewish people? A. Absolutely, yes. He earned it and deserves it because of his fabulous, unparalleled beneficial policies toward the Jewish State of Israel and toward the Jewish people. As we stated at the ZOA Gala, where we gave this rare award to President Trump, he also deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his numerous great accomplishments, such as the Abraham...
IRONMAN Israel competition draws 2,500 competitors (JNS) — Patrick Lange of Germany took first place in the IRONMAN Israel-Middle East Championship in Tiberias on Friday, with a personal best time of 07:42:00. In the women’s pro category, Ruth Astle from Great Britain finished first, with a time of 08:41:13. The event featured two races: a full distance one and a shorter race. The full distance race included a 2.3 mile swim in the Sea of Galilee, a 111-mile bike ride and a 26-mile run. More than 800 Israeli and 400 international athletes com...
(JTA) - Two bombs rocked bus stops at crowded entrances to Jerusalem early Wednesday morning, killing a teenager and sending about 20 people to the hospital, some in serious condition. The fatality was a 16-year-old yeshiva student named Aryeh Shtsupak from Har Nof, a largely Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. He may have held Canadian and American citizenship, according to local media reports. The attacks represented the first time in years that terrorists used bombs in a deadly assault...
LAS VEGAS (JTA) - For Republican Jews looking for an alternative to Donald Trump in 2024's presidential race, Ted Cruz presented a tantalizing choice on Saturday - at least for a few minutes. "When I arrived in the Senate 10 years ago, I set a goal to be the leading defender of Israel in the United States," the Texas senator said during his chance to address the Republican Jewish Coalition conference last weekend. The crowd packed into a ballroom deep in the gold lame reaches of the Venetian...
Keith Dvorchik sent via email a statement from Shalom Orlando on the recent Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs in which five people were murdered and 25 wounded. The statement went out to all members of the Federation, but it needs to be shared on as many venues as possible. Here is the statement: Sunday morning the Jewish Community Relations Council, a committee of Shalom Orlando, published an op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel about the rise of anti-Semitism and the threat to the Jewish community. That same morning, many of us woke up to the...
