Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 10458
(JNS) — Eighty years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt lifted the immigration quotas for the only time during World War II and allowed almost 1,000 European refugees to enter the United States. The 982 men, women and children—874 of them Jewish—were housed behind barbed wire in Fort Ontario in Oswego, N.Y., about 40 miles north of Syracuse. They remained there for 18 months until Roosevelt’s successor, Harry S. Truman, allowed them to become American citizens after first crossing into Canada and then returning to the United States. Now leg...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump shared a video message to him from American-Israeli Keith Seigel, who was freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza on Feb. 1, urging further efforts to release the remaining hostages. In the message, Siegel also expressed his gratitude for Trump’s ongoing support. Speaking in front of a ruined home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, from where the 65-year-old was taken during the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, Siegel described the massive destruction caused during the attack. “It’s hard to believe and comprehend what I...
(JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday hailed the island nation of Fiji’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem. “I commend the Republic of Fiji’s government for its historic decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Thank you, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, friend of Israel. Thank you, Fiji! tweeted Sa’ar. I commend the Republic of Fiji’s government for its historic decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Thank you, Rabuka had confirmed...
(JNS) — Legislation to fund an account that pays compensation to American victims of terrorist attacks was reintroduced Tuesday. The American Victims of Terror Compensation Act, which has Democratic and Republican sponsors in both houses of Congress, is designed to guarantee that victims who win judgments against Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Syria and other state sponsors of terror can be compensated. “While we can never bring back the loved ones lost in state-sponsored terror attacks like 9/11, we must ensure they have the support they need to...
(JNS) — The surviving member of the Bibas family, Yarden, shared a poignant eulogy at Kibbutz Nir Oz for the burial of his wife, Shiri, and their two children, Ariel and Kfir who were murdered by the hands of Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Yarden recalled his deep love for Shiri, remembering their first moments together and their bond as best friends, a wife, and a mother. He expressed deep sorrow and regret for not being able to protect them, especially during the tragic events on Oct. 7 when Gazans snatched them from their home. “I remember the...
(JNS) - "Looking at their scared frightened faces, begging to come out, wanting to be like their friends who got released, it is very hard to see your son begging for his life, asking to come out," Ilan Dalal, the father of Guy Gilboa-Dalal, told JNS. On Saturday, Hamas published a propaganda video showing Israeli hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David at their friends' release ceremony from captivity in Gaza. Hamas compelled the two to watch the ceremony from inside a vehicle as Israel...
(JNS) - The Empire State Building was lit orange on Wednesday night in memory of Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel and Kfir, whom Hamas killed in captivity and who were buried earlier in the day in Israel. Some four-and-a-half miles north in Manhattan, anti-Israel Barnard College students took over an administrative building on campus. Classes were canceled, and a Barnard staff member was assaulted and hospitalized, Jewish Insider reported. Kassy Akiva, a reporter for Daily Wire, wrote that Barnard spokesperson told her that “a small group of m...
Winter storm Coral: Hermon turns white, rare snow in Mount Carmel (JNS) — The winter storm “Coral” peaked in Israel on Monday morning, covering Mount Hermon in snow and bringing light snowfall to northern and central Israel. Light snow fell in the Galilee, the Jerusalem area, and, for the first time in nine years, Mount Carmel. The last time Israel’s capital saw the white stuff was in January 2022. Unusually cold temperatures were recorded nationwide, dropping below freezing in the north and reaching 32 degrees Fahrenheit in Jerusalem. The coa...
(JNS) — The New York State Education Department wrote in English and Yiddish to two Chassidic schools in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb. 11, notifying them that they will no longer receive public funding and directing the schools to tell parents that the institution “is no longer deemed a school, which provides compulsory education fulfilling the requirements of Article 65 of the Education Law.” According to section 3204 of state law, “instruction given to a minor elsewhere than at a public school shall be at least s...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A pro-Israeli Hollywood collective known as “The Brigade” has issued a strongly-worded response to a campaign urging Oscar attendees to wear red pins in support of Gaza. In a statement shared on Monday night, the collective—comprising approximately 700 producers, actors, agents and filmmakers—criticized the symbolism and timing of the Artists4Ceasefire initiative, which was sent to Hollywood celebrities on Feb. 20, the same day Hamas returned the bodies of the Bibas children. “In 2000, Palestinian terrorists...
(JNS) - Kibbutz Nir Oz announced early Saturday morning that resident Shiri Bibas was murdered while held captive in Gaza, after Hamas said it returned her body to Israel late the previous night. "With pain and deep sorrow, Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the murder of Shiri Bibas, may her memory be a blessing, who was kidnapped from her home," according to a statement from the community. On Thursday, Hamas returned the bodies of the Bibas children, Kfir and Ariel, along with that of octogenarian Oded Lifshitz. However, the fourth body freed from...
In March 2014, RAISE (Recognizing Abilities and Inclusion of Special Employees), a Federation of Greater Orlando program, was launched with five employees who worked part-time, two days a week for three hours at The Roth Family JCC and JFS Orlando. Ten years later, RAISE launched its program in Teaneck, New Jersey, which is now beginning its second year with four employees, and this year RAISE officially launched at Shalom Orlando in Austin, Texas. Interestingly, the launch is during Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month....
(JNS) - Israel on Saturday, Feb. 22, redeemed six living hostages from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip: Eliya Cohen, 27, Avera Mengistu, 39, Hisham al-Sayed, 36, Omer Shem Tov, 22, Tal Shoham, 40, and Omer Wenkert, 23. Cohen, Shem Tov, Shoham and Wenkert were all abducted during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, while Mengistu and al-Sayed were taken captive over a decade ago. During the release of the hostages, Israeli hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David were forced to watch...
(JNS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night ordered the military to conduct a "massive" counter-terrorism operation in Judea and Samaria, after three buses exploded near Tel Aviv and bombs were found on two others in what is being investigated as a coordinated attack. Netanyahu also instructed the Israel Security Agency and Israel Police to step up "preventive activities" against possible additional attacks across the country. Following a situational assessment on...
Shalom Orlando Come in costume to the Orlando Solar Bears hockey game on March 9. The Solar Bears will take on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at the Kia Center, 3 p.m. Schedule of events include: 1:30 – 2:50 p.m., snacks and children's activities; 2 p.m., doors open, 3 p.m. the game begins, and at 5:40 p.m. the Jewish Academy of Orlando Choir will perform and there will be a parade on the ice. Tickets are $22 each. For more information email Zipporah.Hruby@shalomorlando.org. Southwest Orlando J...
Every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. fresh Challah is available for purchase (only $10 each) in the JCC lobby and on Wednesday evenings from 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in the Congregation Ohev Shalom lobby. The Challah is made by RAISE employees taught by Ben Breslauer from B&K Bakery. RAISE n’ Challah is mission driven to provide meaningful work experiences to adults with disabilities. The Challah may also be pre-ordered. If you have any questions or issues with pre-ordering, contact Robin Merkel at 407-621-4036 or robin.merkel@Shalom...
(JNS) — It is for Israel to decide whether to resume the war in Gaza or continue into the second round of talks with Hamas to free more hostages, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 21. Asked by Brian Kilmeade on Fox News whether he was “okay either way,” Trump answered, “I am.” Hamas is “so violent and vicious,” the president continued, “it’s a decision that has to be made; it’s a rough decision. One group [of hostages] came in so bad, it looked like [they came out of] a concentration camp in Germany,” Trump said in reference to Eli Shar...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — French fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent has ignited a firestorm of controversy by selecting Palestinian rapper Marwan Abdelhamid, notorious for his antisemitic statements, as the face of its latest restaurant campaign. This has prompted calls for a boycott from Jewish organizations and customers worldwide. Abdelhamid is known by his stage name Saint Levant. YSL’s new campaign, which debuted Monday evening, promotes “Saint Laurent Sushi Park,” the brand’s new Japanese dining venture in Paris, developed in partnersh...
(JNS) — The nation’s chief law enforcement officer threatened Thursday to expel foreign students engaging in antisemitic protests on college campuses. “All of our students deserve to be safe,” Pam Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, said at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 20. “These students, who are here on visas who are threatening our American students, need to be kicked out of this country,” Bondi added. Many college campuses erupted in protests...
(JNS) — The American comedian Jerry Seinfeld swiftly shot down an anti-Israel activist telling him he doesn’t “care about Palestine” when the online personality attempted to ambush him this weekend with a video, according to a clip posted on social media on Sunday. Instagram provocateur “Subway DJ” requested a selfie with Seinfeld outside an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live.” “Free Palestine,” the activist then said as he flashed a peace sign in the selfie with Seinfeld in the backdrop as the video rolled. “Mayb...
(JTA) — Most American Jewish adults are altering their behavior due to fears of antisemitism, according to a new survey commissioned by the American Jewish Committee and published Tuesday. When asked in late 2024, about 56 percent of respondents said they changed their behavior in the preceding 12 months, up from 46 percent in 2023 and 38 percent in 2022. This figure includes respondents who said they avoided wearing clothing or displaying items that might identify them as Jewish, such as Stars of David; chose not to post content on social m...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - The family of Hamas hostages Gali and Ziv Berman has received the first sign of life from the twin brothers in nearly 500 days. The brothers were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023, along with Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher and Amit Soussana, who have since been freed. "On one hand, we can breathe a little easier, but we also know whose hands they are in and the grave danger to their lives," said the twins' aunt, Makabit Meyer. "They are alive, and we must...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Intelligence gathered from hostages released from Gaza suggests Alon Ohel, 24, abducted from the Supernova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, may lose his vision. According to information disclosed Sunday morning on Kan Reshet Bet radio, reports from captives freed from Gaza indicate Ohel has sustained shrapnel injuries to an eye and can’t even detect shadows with it. Medical sources indicate that based on survivor testimonies, he risks losing vision in both eyes. As discussions continue over the future of the hostage/ceas...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - The purported remains of Oded Lifshitz, 84, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, were returned to Israel on Thursday, as part of the first phase of the hostage deal after his death has been all but confirmed a day earlier. Lifshitz was abducted from his home during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack alongside his wife, Yocheved. The body was handed over to Israel on Feb. 19 as part of the latest swap in the hostage deal with Hamas, after which confirmation of its identity...
