Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 11488
A couple of hundred French Jewish doctors interested in moving to Israel gathered in Paris on Sunday in a major immigration fair for medical professionals. The event was held during a time of global turbulence in the Jewish Diaspora, which is especially noticeable in the 450,000-strong community in France that is also home to the largest Muslim population in Europe, and where a recent survey showed that nearly four of five French Jews feel unsafe. "It is becoming more and more difficult to live...
(JNS) — Lindsey Boylan, whom New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed and who has called the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal and a danger to Israel” and accused the Jewish state of “genocide,” conceded the special election in the New York City Council’s third district on Tuesday night. The New York Times reported that Boylan, a Democratic Socialist, called Carl Wilson, a former chief-of-staff to Erik Bottcher, who resigned the council seat to join the state Senate, to concede the race. With 99 percent of votes counted, Wilson appe...
(JNS) - The U.S. State Department approved a possible sale of $992.4 million worth of laser-guided rockets, or "advanced precision kill weapon system" and relevant equipment, Foggy Bottom said on Friday. Israel sought 10,000 of the APKWS equipment, which is made by BAE Systems, the State Department said. "The secretary of state has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to Israel of the above defense articles and defense services...
(JNS) — Air-raid sirens blared across the Western Galilee on Monday morning, sending thousands of civilians scrambling for bomb shelters as Iranian-backed Hezbollah launched a drone attack from Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it fired an interceptor missile toward a “target that was launched from Lebanon,” but said it subsequently lost contact with the UAV. “No injuries were reported,” the military stated, adding that additional missile alerts in the north were activated “due to concerns of falling interception debris.” La...
(JNS) — Air-raid sirens blared across the Western Galilee on Monday morning, sending thousands of civilians scrambling for bomb shelters as Iranian-backed Hezbollah launched a drone attack from Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it fired an interceptor missile toward a “target that was launched from Lebanon,” but said it subsequently lost contact with the UAV. “No injuries were reported,” the military stated, adding that additional missile alerts in the north were activated “due to concerns of falling interception debris.” La...
‘Miss Israel’ 2021 Noa Cochva cancels University of Oregon event due to safety concerns (JNS) — An event at the University of Oregon in the city of Eugene, featuring Noa Cochva, “Miss Israel” 2021, who served as a combat medic in the Israel Defense Forces, was disrupted by anti-Israel groups who blocked access to the reserved space and issued death threats toward Jewish students, according to the Oregon Hillel. The event, sponsored by the Oregon Hillel in partnership with StandWithUs and Ducks4Israel, was scheduled for April 22 on the Chapm...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Jewish Americans to observe a national Shabbat from sundown May 15 to nightfall May 16 in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month and the nation’s 250th anniversary. Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish, told JNS that he was "very moved" by the president's message because it shifts the narrative from Jew-hatred to Jewish faith. "One of the things people lose in all of this antisemitism is that we're a proud religion," he said. Burg told JNS that the call for a national Shabbat observance is "mo...
(JNS) - Hundreds of Christian and Jewish leaders are gathering in Washington, D.C. this week to press lawmakers on Capitol Hill to strengthen ties with Israel and confront the rise of global antisemitism. The annual interfaith event comes amid increasing criticism of Israel on both sides of the political aisle amid a burst of antisemitism around the globe triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel. The gathering for Israel Advocacy Day, which will bring together pastors...
(JNS) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog last week visited the Jerusalem College of Technology, where he expressed his deep appreciation for combining Judaism with scholarly work. “The unique integration that JCT represents—between Torah and science—is a tremendous asset for the State of Israel, especially in a time of division,” he was quoted as saying in a press release by the institution of higher education. JCT is home to approximately 4,500 religious and Haredi students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, managemen...
(JNS) — Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund chairman Eyal Ostrinsky is pushing back against an April 28 report in the Haaretz newspaper that his organization is halting funding to agricultural farms in Judea and Samaria based on their geographic location. Though last month, KKL–JNF’s executive committee passed a motion to halt funding to certain farms, Ostrinsky says the decision was based on each farm’s mission, not its position relative to Israel’s “Green Line” (the 1949 armistice line). Ostrinsky told JNS that his organization ha...
(JNS) — Nobody was entirely sure the ceremony would take place. Organizers had quietly filmed a full dress rehearsal days earlier in case renewed fighting with Iran made a live public event impossible. A fragile ceasefire with Iran and Lebanon was holding—barely. Last year’s ceremony was canceled due to wildfires in the Jerusalem hills. This year, thousands arrived from across the country, determined not to miss the event. What followed was one of the most emotionally charged Independence Day ceremonies in recent memory—a sweeping, two-hou...
(JNS) — Israel’s population has reached 10.244 million as the country marks its 78th Independence Day, according to data released on Sunday by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Of the total population, 7.97 million are Jews and others (76 percent), 2.15 million are Arabs (21 percent) and 296,000 are foreign residents (2.9 percent), according to the figures. Israel’s population has grown by 146,000 since its last Independence Day, registering an increase of 1.4 percent, the Bureau noted. Durin...
Winter Park, FL - Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando has received a substantial in-kind donation 21 pallets of bottled water totaling more than 43,000 pounds from a generous local company, bolstering critical resources for Central Florida families as hurricane season approaches. The donation will directly support the Pearlman Food Pantry, one of Orlando's most vital community resources for individuals and families facing food insecurity. Water is consistently one of the pantry's most...
Seniors at the Mayflower Senior Community in Winter Park gathered for a warm and meaningful Shabbat service led by Lori Slutsky. The Passover-themed Shabbat created a spirit of reflection and connection, with residents actively engaging in prayers, songs, and traditions. Participants shared personal stories and memories, enjoying schmurah matzah and wine together, which added to the sense of community and celebration....
The Jewish National Fund-USA invites women to “Your Voice in Israel,” an inspiring evening demonstrating the lasting impact of JNF-USA’s work on May 12, at 6:45 p.m. in Maitland. (The address will be provided prior to the event) The guest speaker will be Adela Cojab, lawyer and Civil Rights activist and a recent Miss Israel USA. As a legal fellow at the National Jewish Advocacy Center, Cojab is widely recognized for fighting antisemitism. She will talk about how she uses her work to uplif...
The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah will hold its May luncheon on Tuesday, May 5, 11:30 a.m. at Congregation Ohev Shalom, 613 Concourse Parkway, Maitland. Barbara Chasnov, local chapter member and Hadassah Keeper of the Gate, will present her 21st visit to Israel through storytelling, videos and slides. Through her discussion, members will experience the profound impact of Hadassah’s work. Registration required. General admission is $25, which includes lunch. Entry is limited to guests who have pre-registered. Reserve your place at o...
(JNS) — Gaza’s human development has been set back 77 years, with recovery and reconstruction needs totaling $71.4 billion over the next decade, according to an assessment released this week by the European Union, the United Nations and World Bank. The final report, the Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, notes an “unprecedented loss of life and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis” brought on by the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, carried out by unnamed “militant groups,” leading to the Israel-Hamas war. The report...
(JNS) — An official, 64-page California state “official voter information guide” for the June 2 primary election includes a statement from a candidate for governor that accused Israel of “countless war crimes,” including being responsible for the September 11 attacks. Don Grundmann, who did not submit a photograph of himself and who has no preference for a “qualified” party, claims in the guide that Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist, was “murdered by shaped-charge bomb Israel used” and that the government—it wasn’t clear which he meant...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Friday that he underwent treatment for a very early-stage malignant tumor in his prostate and has fully recovered. “Today, my annual medical report was published,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “I requested to delay its publication by two months so that it would not be released at the height of the war, in order not to allow the Iranian terror regime to spread even more false propaganda against Israel. “I ask to share with you three things,” he continued. “1. Thank God, I am healthy. 2. I...
(JNS) — On Oct. 11, 2023, five days after the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, Itay Sagi and his unit in the Israeli military went into Gaza to retrieve bodies of Israelis whom the terror organization killed. The unit was ambushed, three soldiers were killed and Sagi was gravely hurt. “My body and my soul were wounded,” Sagi told about 900 people, who filled the Moorish revival sanctuary at Park East Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation in Manhattan, on Monday for a commemoration of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. “The images ar...
(JNS) — The 500 people who gathered on Monday for a Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Memorial Day ceremony in Los Angeles show the “deep connection between the Diaspora and the State of Israel,” Israel Bachar, Israeli consul general to the Pacific Southwest, told JNS on Monday. “I do not believe that you can separate the two. I think we’re interdependent on each other,” the Israeli envoy said. “Israel cannot survive without the Diaspora’s support, and the Diaspora needs Israel for its identity and a safe haven in a time of need.” The consulate hosted...
When most people think of Israel, agriculture is not the first thing that comes to mind. Israel is small, much of it is arid, and water has always been scarce. The land in Israel has been farmed for thousands of years. What statehood changed was the scale, the conditions including rapid population growth and limited water, and the methods required to make agriculture work. That meant finding alternatives, moving water across the country, using it more efficiently, and eventually creating new sources through desalination. Out of those...
Iran says it executed a man accused of spying for Israel By JNS Staff (JNS) — Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israel and transmitting sensitive information, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary news outlet Mizan reported on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The Iranian outlet identified the man as Mehdi Farid, saying he held a position in a civil defense unit within what it described as a sensitive organization and used his access to gather intelligence for Israel’s Mossad. According to the report, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld...
(JNS) - "Operation Roaring Lion" against Iranian nuclear sites fulfilled the Jewish state's promise to prevent a second Holocaust, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday night. Had the Israeli and U.S. militaries failed to act, "the names Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Parchin might have been remembered eternally in infamy, just like Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek and Sobibor," the prime minister said in Hebrew remarks aired during the state ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs' and...
(JNS) — Members of the Jewish community in New York City gathered on Sunday for an unveiling event of a bench in Central Park commemorating the hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel’s south. The bench, named “Hostages Bench,” is also dedicated to those who fought to release the hostages, to those who lost their lives during the Hamas-led invasion into Israel and in the war that ensued since then, to the families of the hostages, and to those who survived captivity, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s...
