Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A record-breaking number of Israelis tested positive for the coronavirus in the current infection wave, according to Health Ministry data published on Tuesday morning. Of the 197,402 Israelis screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 10,644 (5.39 percent) tested positive. It is the second-highest number of daily cases since Sept. 2, when 11,345 Israelis were reported to have been infected — the highest caseload since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. The reproduction rate, which refers to the number of peo...
(JNS) — Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid warned that Israel will face increasing allegations that it is an apartheid state in 2022, with the foreign minister saying that he fears that opponents of Israel will attempt to target Israel’s involvement in sporting and cultural events. “The concern from the foreign ministry is that you have three or four different legal proceedings in which allegations of apartheid have been made and that at least one of them may end up endorsing these allegations,” Yuval Shany, professor of interna...
NEW YORK & TEL AVIV — Birthright Israel, the largest educational tourism organization in the world, and Onward Israel, the leading provider of mid-length immersive experiences for young adults in Israel, have merged. Combining these two organizations strengthens Israel-Diaspora ties by providing expanded opportunities for more Jewish young adults to participate in travel, study and professional development experiences. By merging Birthright Israel’s 10-day educational tours and Excel Fellowship program with Onward’s longer-length internships, s...
(JTA) – Charitable foundations with ties to Jewish federations and Jewish families feature prominently in a new report about the flow of tax-deductible donations to organizations that a leading Muslim civil rights lobby has identified as “anti-Muslim groups.” Titled “Islamophobia in the Mainstream,” the report was published Tuesday by CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group and political lobby that is harshly critical of Israel. It follows a different report from 2019 that identified some 1,100 groups CAIR iden...
(JTA) — A marketing firm that has worked extensively with Jewish nonprofits has declined to work with one because of growing concerns among its staff members about groups with “significant programming in Israel.” The Shalom Hartman Institute, a leading Jewish educational think tank, reached out to Big Duck, a Brooklyn-based worker-owned cooperative, because of Big Duck’s history of working with Jewish organizations in the past. But Farra Trompeter, Big Duck’s co-director, told Dorit Rabbani, Hartman’s North America communications director, l...
Ohio GOP Congressman posts Nazi health card in attack on DC vaccine mandate By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) — Warren Davidson, a Republican Congressman from Ohio, posted a photo of a Nazi-era health pass and compared Washington, D.C.’s vaccine mandate to the Nazis’ dehumanization of Jews in urging local residents not to comply. Jewish groups and Jewish Democrats blasted Davidson for the comparison, which appeared in a tweet commenting on new vaccine instructions shared by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. “This has been done before,” Davidson...
MUNICH (JTA) — Walking alongside two young men around this city’s main synagogue, Charlotte Knobloch looks like a Jewish grandmother enjoying a stroll with her grandsons. Knobloch, the 89-year-old president of the Jewish Community of Munich and upper Bavaria and likely the only Holocaust survivor leading a large Jewish community today, is indeed a grandmother of seven. But the men are not related to her. They are police officers belonging to a security detail that was assigned to her years ago...
This past Thursday, Jeremy Gimpel, one of the founders of the Arugot Farm near Tekoa in Judea, received notice from the IDF that the vineyard that he and his partners planted on state land five years ago is slated to be demolished beginning on Jan. 16, on the week of Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish holiday when it’s customary to plant trees, except during the Shmita (Sabbatical) year. “Nothing like this has happened in Judea in more than 10 years,” said Gimpel, who is completely baffled by this order. “T...
The community is invited to join Congregation Ohev Shalom in honoring Cantor Allan Robuck's 30 years of service and dedication to the synagogue at the COS Gala on Sunday, March 6, 2022. The evening's highlight will be "From Bimah to Broadway," a concert by world-renowned vocalist and recording artist Cantor Azi Schwartz. Cantor Schwartz is the senior cantor of Park Avenue Synagogue, the largest Conservative community in New York City and the flagship of Jewish liturgical music in North America....
(JNS) — As details emerged from Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Dec. 28 meeting at his private residence in Rosh Ha’ayin with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, many Israelis were left in shock. According to various reports, Gantz had offered Abbas a series of “confidence-building measures” as described by the Israeli Defense Ministry, which included economic benefits to the P.A. with regard to VAT, import taxes and excise duties; a NIS 100 million ($32.2 million) loan; 1,100 entry permits for Palestinian businessmen; and dozens...
(JNS) — The British publisher of a children’s book about strong Middle Eastern women that included a map of the region with “Palestine” in place of Israel has removed the title from its website after complaints from pro-Israel groups. Author Wafa Tarnowski’s “Amazing Women of the Middle East: 25 Stories From Ancient Times to Present Day,” released by Pikku Publishing in the United Kingdom, had also provided teacher resources. “It is good news that the U.K. publisher has removed the book from sale,” said Caroline Turner, director of UK La...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister on Monday called for a diplomatic dialogue with the Palestinians, citing concerns that otherwise international organizations may designate Israel and apartheid state. In a press briefing, Lapid said the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet would soon convene to discuss a scenario in which the Palestinian Authority announced it was willing to start talks with Israel. Citing an “intelligence-based assessment,” he said that Israel should expect to see a significant increase in allegations from the Pales...
(JTA) — At least 90,000 descendants of Sephardic Jews have become citizens of Portugal or Spain since 2015, when those countries passed laws offering a naturalization process for such applicants, according to the most updated information data from the two countries. The laws were meant to atone for the Inquisition, a campaign of religious persecution unleashed at the end of the 15th century on the hundreds of thousands of Jews who had inhabited the Iberian Peninsula and flourished there. Spain has received at least 153,000 applications for citi...
(JNS) — As Lebanon’s citizens deal with a collapsing economy and a paralyzed government, murmurings of dissatisfaction with Hezbollah, Iran’s terror proxy in Beirut, have begun to surface. But experts say it is unrealistic to believe Hezbollah’s iron grip on the country will loosen. These simmering tensions were expressed even more publicly in a televised speech made by Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Dec. 27, when he called for a “national dialogue” to confront the country’s political and social issues. Aoun warned that Lebanon was ...
(JNS) — After the University of Southern California was included in the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Global Anti-Semitism 2021 Top Ten list, the school responded on Wednesday by condemning both anti-Semitism in all its forms and the threatening tweets by a student leader that led to the distinction. USC board of trustees Chairman Rick Caruso said that “the board of trustees together with [University] President [Carol] Folt unequivocally rejects antisemitism. We explicitly condemn and denounce tweets calling for the killing of Jews. This kind of ha...
(JNS) — A new procedure through which Sephardic Jews of Portuguese origin can apply for Portuguese citizenship is expected to eliminate cumbersome paperwork by going digital. Portugal has taken an active role in fostering Jewish life since 2015, and part of this effort included passing a law granting Portuguese nationality to Jews of families from traditional Sephardic communities whose ancestors had been expelled in the 15th century. This move came as Portugal seeks to atone for what became known as the Inquisition. Chelsea FC soccer team o...
After US pushback, Israel is reportedly reviewing its close ties with China By Jordyn Haime (JTA) — Israel has pledged to keep the Biden administration in the loop on major deals with China and would reconsider those deals if the United States raises opposition, Haaretz reported on Monday. Both the Biden administration and the Trump administration have raised concerns about growing ties between Israel and China as the latter’s relationships with the United States and European countries have soured. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sul...
A policeman forbade a Jewish man from lowering his head on the Temple Mount out of apparent concern that he was praying. In the short video clip shown on social media, an ultra-Orthodox man can be seen sitting on a fragment of a wall by himself, one arm on his knee and his head bent. An Israeli officer taps him on the shoulder and asks him politely to please raise his head. When the man asks him, "Is it forbidden to bend my head?" the policeman just repeats his request. When asked if this is pol...
(JNS) - Valerie Greenfeld, 58, immigrated to Israel just before Passover 2021 from Washington D.C., amid widespread travel restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. She began her quarantine immediately after arriving in Israel, which coincided with the first night of Passover. She had her own one-woman Passover seder and though it was a different way to celebrate the holiday than most years, she told JNS that she "felt very connected." Beginning the aliyah process in 2019,...
(Israel21c via JNS) — The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is not a disaster and may even signal the end of the pandemic crisis, say two prominent physicians affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Speaking to international reporters on Zoom through Media Central, professor Zvika Granot and professor Amnon Lahad said the Omicron variant is more infectious and less aggressive than previous variants —which is a good sign. “Usually, viruses that are very aggressive are not very infectious, and viruses that are very infec...
(JTA) — At a time when many local Jewish news outlets are scaling back or shuttering operations altogether, the Cleveland Jewish News is expanding its footprint for the second time in three years. CJN’s publisher, the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, announced Dec. 21 its plans to begin serving the Jewish population of Akron, Ohio, after reaching an agreement with the Jewish Community Board of Akron to revamp the current Akron Jewish News as a monthly print newspaper and standalone website, beginning in February 2022. The current Dec...
Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando is very proud of all the work they have done over the past year to provide a family of services to the Orlando community. Here is a countdown list of JFS Orlando’s 10 favorite things in 2021: 10. Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry supplied food for more than 130,000 meals, and resumed picking up food from partners, including Fresh Market and Sprouts Farmers Market. 9. Family Stabilization Program helped over 100 families fight homelessness and become more self-sufficient for the long-term. 8. JFS c...
When choosing an honoree for the 2022 Jewish Pavilion Fashion Show, the Jewish Pavilion nominated one of its program directors, Julie Levitt Bain. Nancy Ludin, the executive director of The Jewish Pavilion shared, “Julie cares for her residents as if they are family. Even when one of Julie’s long-time residents moved to a facility that wasn’t assigned to Julie, she made sure that the weekly mahjong group that she organized continued for Ruth.” Bain organizes three to four Jewish Pavilion volunteers to play mahjong weekly with Ruth at the reh...
There are no jokes in the Torah, but there is an abundance of wit, irony, word play, sarcasm and humor. On Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, Susan Bernstein, program director at the Jewish Pavilion, presented a Lunch and Learn program for residents at Oakmonte Village. Seeing that an afternoon of lighthearted learning would go a long way to brighten the winter days, Bernstein showed that the Torah could furnish this "entertainment" if one knows where to look. It may not be a coincidence that many modern...
(JTA) — About 150,000 Jewish victims of Nazi persecution are set to receive emergency funding of approximately $1,400 per person from Germany in the coming days, according to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The funds, totaling about $200 million and referred to as the Supplemental Hardship Fund Payment, were negotiated in 2020 and originally planned to be distributed in two payments by the end of 2022. The recipients of the Supplemental Hardship Fund Payment are predominantly Russian speakers who had to flee the N...
