Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) — A report by U.N. Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council accused Israel of apartheid. “The Special Rapporteur recommends that the international community accepts and adopts the findings … that apartheid is being practiced by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond,” he wrote. Lynk, whose official title is “Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967” will formally release the report on Thursday ahead of a Human Rights Coun...
Netflix to produce a ‘Jewish Matchmaking’ series By Caleb Guedes-Reed (JTA) — Matchmaker, matchmaker — are you going on Netflix? The streaming giant announced a new “Jewish Matchmaking” series on Thursday, modeled after its hit “Indian Matchmaking.” Details are scant, and there is no premiere date, but Netflix’s companion site Tudum says it will feature “singles in the US and Israel as they turn their dating life over to a top Jewish matchmaker.” “Will using the traditional practice of shidduch help them find their soulmate in today’s wor...
(JNS) — A new report by NGO Monitor debunks the accusation of apartheid against Israel and assesses whether apartheid, as previously defined, is applicable to Israel and territories under its military administration. This new report, titled “Neo-Orientalism: Deconstructing Claims of Apartheid in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict” and written by legal expert Joshua Kern, and legal adviser and U.N. representative for NGO Monitor Anne Herzberg, expands on a previous report published in December that sought to rectify the lack of a coherent and l...
(JTA) — An international academic organization devoted to study of the Arab world and Israel has voted to endorse boycotting Israel. Members of the Middle East Studies Association voted 768-167 in favor of a resolution “endorsing the Palestinian call for solidarity in the form of boycotts, divestment and sanctions,” known as BDS. The resolution also calls for an “academic boycott” of Israeli institutions, including universities — a term that BDS proponents typically define as severing all formal ties with the institutions. But the association...
(JNS) - As Russia pushes further into Ukraine and threatens its capital Kyiv - and as Russian President Vladimir Putin appears unfazed and undeterred by Western nations willing to sanction Russia through economic means, but afraid to fight militarily to save innocent Ukrainian civilians - the question arises: What could the world have done to deter Putin? And what does this mean for the State of Israel? John Hardie, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS that...
A hopeful and dominant topic of conversation at this week’s National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville has been the re-opening of tourism to Israel for all, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. Two years ago, at the same event and location, the early impact of the COVID virus started to be felt with early reports of Israel’s national airline laying off the first 1000 employees. Ultimately, nearly all tourism would be shut down leading to millions of cancelations, tens of tho...
Does "springing forward" have you "falling down"? Losing that extra hour of sleep when Daylight Saving Time starts can throw off your internal clock and have a big effect on your overall wellness. Avoid taking daytime naps as they can make it harder to have a good night's sleep. Stick to the same eating, social, and bedtime routines. Try to keep the morning darkness to a minimum by turning on some bright lights earlier than usual. If you're having trouble dealing with the time change, or any...
Most pregnant mothers are advised to pack a suitcase for their upcoming visit to the hospital. Everyone, but especially seniors, should keep a packed bag at home. It should contain the obvious things like nightclothes, toiletries, an outfit to go home in, slip on sneakers and a book to read. The bag should also include a copy of your medical records and your legal documents. The physicians at intake do not know your medical wishes/directives, so it is important to have them with you at the time of arrival. Packing in advance is a great gift to...
Avi — employee at the Jewish Federation and Central Florida Hillel Avi is a valued member at both the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and at Central Florida Hillel. At JFGO Avi works directly with Marisa, the Federation’s administrative assistant. He helps her with office work and has played a huge role in helping to get the art room in the JCC organized. At Hillel, Avi works diligently to keep the common areas of Hillel sparkling clean, to replenish snacks, to organize the supply clo...
(JNS) — The Knesset, which was to vote to revamp rules regarding Jewish conversion, has delayed the bill until the start of its summer session in May due to the political sensitivity of the issue. The delayed vote represents the latest in a series of efforts to resolve religious disputes through political means—most recently, an attempt to establish prayer sections for different streams of Judaism at the Western Wall (Kotel) and to introduce competition to kosher certification, currently a monopoly of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate. Of the three...
(JTA) – When it comes to antisemitism on social media, the algorithms governing the major platforms shoulder some of the blame for their reach. But the Anti-Defamation League hopes to fight the spread — by creating an algorithm of its own. The Jewish civil rights group announced Tuesday that it has built a system called the Online Hate Index, describing it as the first tool ever developed to measure antisemitism on social media platforms. The program can sift through millions of posts quickly to detect antisemitic comments and aid in their rem...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — An Amnesty International official said that the organization is opposed to Israel continuing to exist as a Jewish state. “We are opposed to the idea — and this, I think, is an existential part of the debate — that Israel should be preserved as a state for the Jewish people,” Paul O’Brien, the human rights monitor’s U.S. director, said in a luncheon this week with the Women’s National Democratic Club in Washington D.C. Jewish Insider first reported the remarks. O’Brien said late Friday on Twitter that his remarks had been...
(JTA) — Barbara Goldberg Goldman, a lay leader in Democratic Party, resigned as deputy treasurer of the Maryland Democratic Party after questioning the viability of Black candidates for governor. Goldberg Goldman apologized for an email she sent in December, revealed over the weekend by Axios. “Consider this: Three African-American males have run statewide for governor and have lost,” she wrote to other party leaders in the email. “This is a fact we must not ignore.” Goldberg Goldman was strategizing over how best to defeat Kelly Schulz, t...
(JNS) - Famed Jewish dissident, human-rights activist and former Knesset member Natan Sharansky provided his opinion on the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday, analyzing what could be Russian President Vladimir Putin's motivations for the invasion into Ukraine, as well as the moral obligation Israel and the West have to support Ukraine. In a Zoom session hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America and moderated by JINSA president and CEO Mike Makovsky, Sharansky said that he...
(JNS) - Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), visiting Israel for the first time last month, said the experience was not only "eye-opening," but helped solidify his support for the Jewish state and understand the danger faced by the Israeli people from the threats of terrorist organizations and states on their borders. The freshman congressman, who is seeking re-election to New York's 2nd Congressional District, was one of dozens of members of Congress from both parties to travel to Israel in late...
(New York Jewish Week) - The 87-year-old Broadway vocal coach who died Tuesday after being pushed to the ground by an unknown assailant over the weekend in Manhattan was mourned by cantorial students she had taught at various Jewish seminaries. Barbara Maier Gustern worked in musical theater for decades, most recently for the 2019 Broadway revival of the musical "Oklahoma!" She also coached Debbie Harry of Blondie, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Taylor Mac, and many more singers. But Gustern...
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) – The New York State Education Department released long-awaited guidelines Thursday on teaching secular subjects in parochial schools. They were met with immediate pushback from Orthodox Jewish leaders. The new proposals offer several options for schools to prove their instruction is “substantially equivalent” to public schools, and will take into account different religious and cultural methods for teaching. The proposal offers schools options if they do not want to be reviewed by their local public school author...
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) — Jewish parents at P.S. 145, the only public school in Manhattan with a Russian dual-language program, are speaking out against the war in Ukraine. PTA co-president Sasha Stashwick said that it was important the school makes it clear that its families do not stand for this war. “We all stand together as a Russian-speaking community,” Stashwick told The New York Jewish Week. “What’s happening in Ukraine, it’s not acceptable.” She added that while Ukrainian people are the victims, it’s important to recognize that R...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — All 25 Jewish Democrats in the House, a fractious caucus that rarely unanimously agrees on issues of Jewish interest, signed onto a statement slamming recent comments by Amnesty International’s U.S. director, who said he believes polls showing overwhelming U.S. Jewish support for Israel are inaccurate. “As Jewish Members of the House of Representatives, we represent diverse views on a number of issues relating to Israel. However, we are in full agreement that Mr. [Paul] O’Brien’s patronizing attempt to speak on behalf of...
Russia bans access to two Israeli Russian-speaking websites for its citizens (JNS) — Russia blocked off access for its citizens to 30 websites worldwide, including two Russian-language Israeli websites, Maariv reported on Wednesday. The two Israeli websites are Channel 9, a Russian-speaking Israeli television station, and Vesti, a Russian-language news website that belongs to the Yediot Achronot group. The decision was taken on the day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 but only implemented on Wednesday, according to the report. Rus...
(JNS) - As part of a two-and-a-half-day trip to Israel, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited Hebron's Jewish community on Wednesday, becoming the most senior international leader to visit the city since it was retaken by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Hebron, where 1,000 Jews live surrounded by 200,000 Arabs, is most notable for the Machpelah,the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, revered by Jews as the place Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place for his...
Six teens traveled to New York for the 14th annual CTeen Shabbaton, an international gathering of close to 3,000 Jewish teens. Led by Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad North Orlando and Mrs. Fraidy Dubov of Chabad of Greater Orlando, teens were treated to a thrilling, non-stop program with tours of Manhattan, inspiring Shabbat meals, talks by renowned speakers, and a highly-anticipated closing ceremony titled "Wherever Whenever". Last year, the pandemic forced CTeeners online for a virtual...
(Israel21C via JNS) - IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer is not a novice when it comes to mass disasters. The Israel-based humanitarian aid organization has responded to emergencies in 56 countries since 2001. So you can believe Polizer when he says that the Ukraine refugee crisis is the worst he has ever seen. "I've been in this field for 14 years, including some of the biggest humanitarian crises of the last 20 years - the tsunami in Japan, the Ebola outbreak, the Syrian refugee crisis - but what...
New York, NY - UJA-Federation of New York today announced a new round of emergency funding to address urgent humanitarian needs of people remaining in Ukraine as well as refugees who have been forced to flee to neighboring countries. Since Feb. 24, UJA has made $5 million in grants to help Ukrainians. "Last week I was in Poland near the border, and I will not soon forget the despair I saw on the faces of the refugees who are being helped by our partners. One man who had just fled Kyiv said to...
(JTA) — For many American Jews, there is an annual celebration near the beginning of spring that serves as a respite from the long winter months, and a symbol of hope and renewal: Opening Day. Not this year. Major League Baseball and its players association remain deadlocked in negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, leading to the disappointing news this week that the league officially canceled the first two series of the 2022 regular season, including Opening Day. American Jews have a long and rich love affair with b...
