Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3101 - 3125 of 11021
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In an unusual public broadside against dozens of Congress members, Israel’s ambassador to Washington said a letter calling for a U.S. investigation into the killing of a Palestinian American journalist was not a “fair” representation of the event. Michael Herzog was responding to a letter sent Thursday by 57 House Democrats to Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, and Christopher Wray, the FBI director. It called for an investigation into the death last week of Shireen Abu Akleh, a venerated Al Jazeera reporter killed...
(JNS) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared the main criminal case against him “dead,” after state prosecutors were forced to alter the charge sheet, Israeli media reported last week. The state’s witness in the trial, former Communications Ministry Director-General Shlomo Filber, was cross-examined by Netanyahu’s attorneys throughout the week. Prosecutors have charged that Netanyahu entered into “bribery relations” with businessman and former owner of the Bezeq telecoms giant Shaul Elovitch. According to the charges,...
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s participation in an upcoming event at the community of Elkana in Samaria is sparking controversy and generating protests against his participation, with residents telling Bennett “stay away.” Bennett is planning to participate in an event celebrating the town’s 45th anniversary. However, residents say that his visit is “an attempt to cynically exploit the residents of Elkana and make political capital, while Bennett’s government violates the state’s Jewish and Zionist values on a daily basis.” Residents have lau...
(JTA) — The Minnesota Republican Party apologized for screening a video that depicted liberal Jewish billionaire George Soros as a puppet master controlling two Jewish Democrats, saying that those responsible were not aware that the imagery had antisemitic connotations. “We understand that the use of imagery depicting Mr. Soros as a puppet-master at our state convention raised concerns that the imagery perpetuated an antisemitic trope,” state GOP chairman David Hann said Thursday in a statement, noting that the Jewish Community Relations Counc...
(JTA) – An unusual scenario played out in Arizona recently: The son of a Jewish woman who fled the Nazis was asked if he wanted to be executed by the same gas the Nazis once used. Frank Atwood, who was convicted of murdering an 8-year-old girl in 1984, has been on death row for decades. For his method of execution he was given the choice between lethal injection, Arizona’s default method, or a gas chamber — which the state had refurbished last year in preparation for possibly killing Atwood and one other death row inmate. Arizona’s intent...
Israeli-owned eatery in London hit with ‘free Palestine’ graffiti By Cnaan Liphshiz (JTA) — Unidentified individuals spray-painted the words “free Palestine” on the facade of an Israeli-owned cafe in London. The incident, which the owner Michael Levi suspects was an antisemitic hate crime, occurred on May 14 at Michaels Brasserie, the Jewish News of London reported on Tuesday. The graffiti was painted there late at night on a Saturday, the report said. Police arrived at the café and documented the incident and are looking into it, Levi told...
(Israel21c via JNS) - India and Israel seem like a study in contrasts. Some 1.4 billion Indians live in a vast country stretching nearly 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) across at its widest point, while 8.9 million Israelis live in a tiny land no more than 135 kilometers (85 miles) wide. Yet they are bound together by surprising commonalities. For starters, they nearly share a birthday. India gained independence from Great Britain in August 1947 and Israel in May 1948. And each has a proud...
(JNS) - American Jewish organizations are divided in their reception of the new White House press secretary who has a history of taking anti-Israel positions. U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Karine Jean-Pierre, a Haitian American who currently serves as principal deputy press secretary, to be the first Black and LGBTQ person to hold the position. Jean-Pierre is slated to take over for outgoing White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday, though some Jewish organizations are pushing back...
WASHINGTON (JTA) - Antisemitism is often not taken seriously until it becomes deadly, said Deborah Lipstadt, the Holocaust scholar whose nomination to be the State Department's antisemitism monitor was delayed as she tangled with Republican senators who were peeved at her criticisms of their side of the aisle. Lipstadt chose the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for her first talk Thursday since her Senate confirmation in March after contentious hearings. She made good on her pledges to skeptical...
(JNS) - A fire ripped through Chabad-Lubavitch of the Panhandle, in Tallahassee, Fla., gutting the newly renovated building and consuming the Torah scrolls. The Tallahassee Fire Department confirmed that firefighters were dispatched to the Chabad center at 3:21 a.m. on Sunday. "Crews found fire showing and heavy smoke coming from the eaves," the fire department wrote in a statement. The cause of the fire, which ravaged the 11,000-square-foot building, is under investigation. No injuries were...
There will be a joint venture between the Jewish Chamber of Commerce and the Pride Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, July 6, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This is a networking Happy Hour will be held at Watercrest Senior Living, 1501 Glendon Parkway, Winter Park, Florida 32789. The party will be held 'alfresco' (dining in the fresh air) in the dining/pool side area, with a contingency plan for moving inside if there is rain in the forecast. "Watercrest Senior Living is a gorgeous, well-run, luxury...
Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando is proud to announce that its Restock & Rebuild Challenge raised over $63,000, which is nearly double the amount raised in their 2021 campaign. This year during the Challenge, which ran from March 15th through April 30th, the community’s donations made twice the impact for those in need thanks to The Weiner Family and The Winter Park Wealth Group, who generously matched donations dollar for dollar. The funds raised will help JFS Orlando continue to meet the increasing needs of the community now and in t...
Don't feel guilty to set work boundaries. Practicing professional self-care might look like taking time for lunch breaks, only answering phone calls and emails during work hours, or letting your boss and co-workers know that when you spend time away from work, you need to be away from work. This helps you recharge and get the energy you need so you can focus and do your best when you're back. These practices might seem small, but making little tweaks like these can make a big difference on your...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2021 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer. “For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award,” said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last year’s recipient was Hank Katzen. Former recipients have inclu...
(JTA) – The Harvard Crimson’s recent endorsement of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement has attracted far more wide-ranging attention than a typical student paper’s editorial page, as faculty and alumni of the Ivy League institution have lined up to denounce the student paper’s op-ed and condemn the shift in Israel discussion on college campuses. In an open letter, more than 100 Harvard faculty members objected to the paper endorsing an academic and financial boycott of the state of Israel, including the school’s former president...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration is setting the stage to hand ultimate control of America’s health care system and U.S. national sovereignty over to the World Health Organization. On May 22-28, 2022, the 75th World Health Assembly will convene at United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with delegates from 194 nations, to vote on the Biden administration’s amendments that will hand over national sovereignty and authority to the WHO, which during the COVID pandemic, carried the water bucket for the Chinese Communist Party...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Three-quarters of Arab Israelis believe Jews have no right to sovereignty in the country, according to a recent study by Israeli NGO Habithonistim–Protectors of Israel. When asked where their loyalties would lie in case of an existential battle between Israel and Arab states, 26 percent of Arab Israelis said they would support the Jewish state, 23 percent said they would back Israel’s enemies and 51 percent said they would remain neutral. The survey, which focused on Israeli’s sense of security and governance, had a s...
(JTA) – Israel has granted a temporary residency to American basketball player Jared Armstrong, ending for now a months-long saga of multiple rejections, accusations of racism and petitions by influential people including an American investor and a rabbi with close ties to President Joe Biden. Israel’s Interior Ministry, which handles citizenship applications, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of its decision Sunday, three weeks after Armstrong’s tourist visa expired and one week after the ministry announced it would be granting citizenship to...
While most seniors prefer to stay in their own homes as long as possible, official records show that home injuries are the biggest reason for adult hospitalization, especially for women. These staggering numbers are contributed to by household chores such as cooking, tinkering and cleaning. It goes without saying that the elderly are a bigger risk because of their frail health. One fall could be fatal for them, which is why they should be extra careful when doing chores. Hiring a home companion...
(New York Jewish Week) — A group of Orthodox Jews are demanding an apology from Lufthansa airlines after they were expelled from a flight from New York to Budapest last Tuesday. The travelers say all of the identifiably Orthodox Jews were prevented from boarding a connecting flight in Frankfurt, Germany because a group of passengers had allegedly not complied with the German national carrier’s mask regulations on the first leg of the flight. In a video taken by a passenger, a Lufthansa supervisor is seen saying that “everyone has to pay for a c...
The German airline Lufthansa has apologized for an incident last week in which more than 100 Orthodox Jews traveling in separate groups were collectively prevented from boarding a connecting flight in Frankfurt, following a dispute over masking regulations on the first leg of the journey from New York. However, Lufthansa could still face legal consequences after a prominent advocate for the Jewish community accused the airline of violating German laws on equal treatment. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Lufthansa offered an apology “to all t...
(JTA) - In a purge following accusations that textbook publishers were trying to "indoctrinate" students in allegedly liberal concepts, Florida rejected dozens of math books from being used in the state's schools. One of them contained a string of Jewish jokes - including one that a conservative activist flagged as antisemitic: "Why do Jewish divorces cost so much? Because they're worth it." The joke is attributed to Henny Youngman, the late Jewish comedian, and was included in the book...
(JNS) — The White House is testing a unique solution to the growing Ukraine refugee crisis. The American Jewish community is testing its response. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has launched a direct sponsorship program for Ukrainian refugees called Uniting for Ukraine, which will serve as a major piece of the president’s pledge to accept up to 100,000 refugees in the United States. A new online portal started accepting applications, where individual Americans, as well as private and public organizations, can apply to financiall...
(JNS) — Two leading Jewish conservatives blasted New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on May 6, claiming that museum staff told them they could not hold an event there if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was invited to speak. The op-ed, titled “Persona Non Grata at a Holocaust Memorial,” was authored by former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams, along with Eric Cohen. They serve as the chairman and CEO, respectively, of the Tikvah Fund, a conservative Jewish think...
(JTA) - After Russia invaded Ukraine early in the morning of Feb. 24, millions of Ukrainians suddenly had their lives upended. The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous was concerned with 15 of them. That's how many Ukrainians remained alive from the foundation's tally of "Righteous Gentiles," non-Jews who risked their own lives to save Jews during the Holocaust 80 years ago. The foundation doles out money to people certified to have helped Jews worldwide each year and had sent the first...
