Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) — Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services is prepared to receive the remains of “between one and 28” slain hostages as part of the agreement with Hamas in Gaza, director-general Yehudah Avidan said on Sunday. Despite expectations, no one yet knows how many hostages’ bodies will be handed over by the terrorist group before the deadline of 6 a.m. on Monday, Avidan told Kan Reshet Bet radio. A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross will carry out an initial identification process after receiving the bodies, according...
(JNS) — On the 84th anniversary of the notorious Babi Yar massacre, the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center revealed the names of more than 1,000 newly identified victims, announced publicly for the first time at a ceremony at the site on Monday. In Jerusalem, BYHMC and March of the Living hosted a parallel memorial at the National Library of Israel, where the newly discovered names were also read out. Speakers included BYHMC Chairman Natan Sharansky, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan. “Me...
In one of her last interviews, renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall said that she wanted to send Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with several other world leaders she disliked, on a one-way trip to space. “There are people I don’t like. And I would like to put them on one of [Elon] Musk’s spaceships and send them all off to the planet he’s sure he’s going to discover,” Goodall said on Netflix’s “Famous Last Words: Dr. Jane Goodall,” which was filmed earlier this year and premiered following her death last week at 91....
(JNS) — World leaders from across the globe on Thursday welcomed Israel and Hamas’s agreement to the first phase of Trump’s ceasefire deal, reflecting both intense global relief that the end to the two-year-old war may be in sight and respect for the American president. Among those praising the move were countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia, who defied the American administration by recognizing a Palestinian state just last month. United Kingdom “I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage o...
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday marked two years since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, pledging that Israel “will prevail” and reaffirming his commitment to achieving all the war’s objectives — the return of hostages, the elimination of Hamas and ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to the Jewish state. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu recalled the immense suffering caused by the attacks, in which some 1,200 people were murdered and 251 were abducted into the terror...
(Israel Hayom/JNS via JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump has dispatched envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt for ongoing talks on ending the war in Gaza, as Hamas presses new demands not part of the original agreement Israel accepted. As technical discussions advance on the initial stages of a ceasefire, including the release of hostages and the entry of aid supplies, the terrorist group has thrown a curveball in the negotiations. Among its demands are the release of senior terrorists Jerusalem has said are red lines, i...
JK Rowling ‘appalled, ashamed’ Jews feel unsafe in United Kingdom (JNS) — J.K. Rowling, who penned the Harry Potter book series, responded on social media to someone who posed the question of how most Brits feel when they learn that Jews don’t feel safe in the United Kingdom. “I don’t know what most Brits feel, but I’m appalled and ashamed,” the best-selling author stated. Five days after Oct. 7, Rowling stated that “we said ‘never again.’ The UK was a safe haven. Now, after the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, British Je...
(JNS) — Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, referred on Monday to convicted Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons, including those with blood on their hands, as “political prisoners” during a press briefing. Leavitt confirmed that Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for special missions, and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser, are in Egypt to lead technical talks with Israel and Hamas on implementing the peace plan which Trump unveiled last week. Leavitt said that Hamas’s...
(JNS) —A major security breach took place in the Binyamin community of Na’ale late this past Friday night, in the southwestern Samaria Plain, as two masked Arabs managed to infiltrate the hamlet, steal property and escape. Israel’s Channel 12 aired security footage of the intruders wandering freely between homes, apparently looking for soft targets to burglarize. Channel 12 claimed the men went undetected for about three hours. The Binyamin Regional Council could not confirm how long the pair were inside the community, but it told JNS that...
(JNS) — Hundreds of Christians marched through the streets of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi in a faith-based show of support for Israel. The event, which commemorated the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught on southern Israel, offered a stark contrast with the throng of anti-Israel protests held the same day throughout Europe as well as in Australia. This follows an intensive Israeli outreach to the African continent. The nearly two-mile peaceful “March for Israel,” which was convened by the King Jesus Celebration Churc...
(JNS) — Meeting with European diplomats on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly went as one would expect of representatives of countries that have been recognizing a state of “Palestine,” which the Jewish state and others say rewards Hamas, according to Daniel S. Mariaschin, CEO of B’nai B’rith International. “What we have here on an international level is a ‘don’t confuse me with the facts’ worldview,” Mariaschin told JNS. “All of these arguments, which we feel are well grounded, are clearly not getting through in terms of p...
The 27th annual Central Florida Jewish Film Festival will be held Nov. 1-3, and opens at the Orlando Science Center Digital Adventure Theater. This year there are five movies in the lineup but all five are full-length features - two documentaries, one unsettling drama, one comedy, and one animated drama. Without further ado, here is the review. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 7:45 p.m. at the Orlando Science Center Digital Adventure Theater Shari & Lamp Chop Take a step back into your childhood and revisit...
At 9:10 p.m. on Sept. 19, the security footage captured Rabbi Simon Jacobson, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Charlotte County, and cousin of Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad of North Orlando, exiting the synagogue after Shabbat services. Ninety minutes later, Jacobson's phone rang. By the third ring, unease had crept in. Being Shabbat and hearing repeated calls at that late hour Jacobson feared an emergency. He glanced at the screen: Punta Gorda Police Department. The quaint city of Punta Gorda...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan to end the war in Gaza, with a 72-hour deadline, which begins when Israel accepts the agreement, for Hamas to return the hostages it holds in Gaza. Speaking at a press conference after the White House released the plan, Trump said that Hamas has not agreed to the proposal but that Arab and Muslim countries are negotiating with the terrorist group. “We’re relying on the countries that I named and others to deal with Hamas, and I’m hearing that Hama...
The Jewish Pavilion Senior Services recently hired Vanessa Stein as the new assistant director. Stein is also on the Board of Directors at Congregation Ohev Shalom. Stein brings both professional expertise and personal experience to her role. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology with minors in gerontology and Jewish Studies from the University of Florida in 2005, followed by a Master of Social Work from the University of Central Florida in 2008. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker,...
(JNS) — The Israeli mission to the United Nations held an event honoring the “women who stepped forward when the world stood still” at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Tuesday. “On Oct. 7, not only was the cruelty of Hamas revealed to the world, but also the heroism of Israeli women,” Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said at the event. “In the face of terror and murder, they stood up like lionesses,” he said. “They fought, saved and protected.” “We carry their spirit with us. The women of Israel have proven...
The Jewish Pavilion invites the community to a complimentary grief support program offered twice yearly over five weeks. The next series will meet on Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., beginning Oct. 21 and concluding Nov. 18, at Village on the Green in Longwood (470 Village Place, D Building Lounge). Facilitated by Vanessa Stein, LCSW, assistant director at the Jewish Pavilion, the program provides a safe and compassionate space for individuals to navigate their grief through a Jewish lens. Participants are encouraged to attend all five...
To enhance the lives of seniors of all faiths in eldercare communities and to assist families in obtaining necessary resources through the Orlando Senior, Jewish Pavilion Senior Services will host a Harvest and Post-Sukkot Networking Festival on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, from 4 – 6 p.m. The event will be held at Watercrest, 1501 Glendon Pkwy, Winter Park. Enjoy delicious appetizers, desserts, drinks, raffles and prizes! Donations of $25 per person are accepted in advance ($35 at the door). Register at jewishpavilion.org or call 4...
(JNS) — World leaders reacted swiftly and largely positively to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Monday of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza war and secure the release of the remaining hostages. French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first to respond, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “I welcome President @realDonaldTrump’s commitment to ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages. I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis. Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow...
(JNS) — Washington will defend Qatar from future attacks, including with military force if needed, according to an executive order that U.S. President Donald Trump signed on Monday. “The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order states. If the Gulf state is attacked, Washington “shall take all lawful and appropriate measures —including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military...
(JNS) — European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said on Friday that the deadly terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur “proves what we warned of a year ago: Jews in Europe live under constant threat.” “We called for a state of emergency then, and if leaders had acted, lives might have been spared,” Margolin said, adding: “This is not random violence; it is the result of a climate where demonizing Israel has become acceptable, and Jews everywhere pay the price.” Police on Thursday identified the suspect i...
(JNS) — Marco Massari, mayor of the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, was presenting a civic honor to Francesca Albanese, a United Nations special rapporteur for Palestinian rights, on Sunday, when he told an audience of hundreds, “the end of the genocide and the release of the hostages are necessary conditions to start a peace process.” The U.N. adviser, who has a long history of Jew-hatred, reportedly scolded Massari, as the crowd jeered the mayor. “The mayor was wrong and said something that is not true,” Albanese said. “Peace does not need co...
(JNS) — Wikipedia, one of the most viewed sites on the internet, has hosted a page on “Gaza genocide” since Dec. 29, 2023. Since Sept. 22, Wikipedia has linked to the “Gaza genocide” article, which accused Israel of war crimes, in an “in the news” section on its main page, which millions of people view daily. The American Jewish Committee told JNS that Wikipedia is “elevating reckless and biased charges of genocide as fact,” and given how many genocide scholars disagree with that statement, the crowd-sourced encyclopedia “showcases how da...
(JNS) - Michelle Rukovicin, the most severely wounded survivor of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacres, married her partner on Tuesday night in a ceremony celebrated as a symbol of resilience. The IDF intelligence systems technician, who was critically injured defending Kissufim base from Hamas terrorists and spent three months in a coma, wed her boyfriend of five years, Rinat Kasimov, the partner who remained at her side throughout her grueling recovery. She was struck by seven bullets, wounde...
