Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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Antisemitic incidents in France increased by 75 percent in 2021 By Cnaan Liphshiz (JTA) — Reports of antisemitic incidents in France increased by 75 percent in 2021, according to the French Jewish community’s main watchdog group. SPCJ recorded 589 hate crimes against Jews last year, including a 36 percent increase in physical assaults over 2020. The group released its annual report Wednesday. Incidents targeting people – as opposed to communal buildings and institutions – accounted for 45 percent of all incidents in 2021. Of those, 10 percent...
BERLIN (JTA) - A new survey of youth in Germany shows growing interest in Nazi-era history, but it also suggests that their attention span is shrinking. According to the study conducted by the Cologne-based Rheingold Institute, Germany's 16-25 year olds are much more interested in the Nazi era than their parents were. They tend to draw analogies from the time period to racism and discrimination today, and are eager to examine the motives of perpetrators. But they also want more "snackable conten...
(JTA) - U.S. Jewish groups slammed a top Presbyterian Church official for Martin Luther King Day remarks that equated Israel's West Bank "occupation" with slavery and implied that American Jews have the influence to get the U.S. government to end it. "The continued occupation in Palestine/Israel is 21st-century slavery and should be abolished immediately," Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II, the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church USA said in remarks released Monday. "Given the history of Jewish...
(JNS) — The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday adopted an Israeli-sponsored resolution that condemns denial and distortion of the Holocaust. The resolution, co-sponsored by Germany and backed by the United States, Russia and many other countries, affirms that the Holocaust “will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.” The text also points out the “growing prevalence of Holocaust denial or distortion through the use of information and communications technologies,” and urges all U.N. members to...
(JNS) - A U.S. District Court judge in New York dismissed a civil case brought by the family of slain Israeli American pro-Israel activist Ari Fuld against the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, citing lack of jurisdiction in a decision that could have broad implications in how American victims of terrorists can hold perpetrators liable. The lawsuit was brought by Fuld's family and the U.S. Justice Department after the 2018 murder of the 45-year-old father of four by a Palestinian terrorist....
(JNS) — Unilever’s stock has plunged 20.7 percent in the six months since it informed Avi Singer, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s Israel, that his contract was over unless he stopped selling the company’s ice cream in Judea and Samaria. That amounts to a $26 billion loss, according to Channel 12 News, which first reported on the story. The loss stems from the withdrawal of investments, holdings and pension funds by dozens of states who have anti-boycott laws in place, such as New York, Illinois and Texas. “This is a tremendous boost to the dogge...
(JNS) — As nuclear talks between Iran and world powers continue in Vienna, Iran appears to be already eying its next moves. On Jan. 14, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited China to discuss the 25-year cooperation agreement signed by the two countries earlier this year. That agreement aims to boost economic and political relations at the very same time the United States is looking to reduce its presence in the Middle East. “At the beginning of the new year in 2022, I am very happy to start my first visit to China since...
Netanyahu is considering a plea deal in his corruption cases that could bar him from politics for years, reports claim By Gabe Friedman (JTA) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors in his ongoing corruption cases that could bar him from politics for several years and further reshape Israel’s political landscape. Although various Israeli media reports have swirled inconclusively for several days — including some that claim momentum for a deal is slowing — all allege that Netanya...
(JTA) – The Simon Wiesenthal Center, named for the famed Nazi hunter who died in 2005, defines itself as "a Jewish global human rights organization researching the Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context." The center's associate dean, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, has helped to defuse antisemitism controversies involving celebrities for decades, such as the recent one surrounding Nick Cannon in 2020, in which Cooper personally engaged in several dialogue sessions with Cannon. Other W...
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) — In a boon for scholars and amateur researchers, records from Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust authority, are now publicly available through JewishGen, the largest online Jewish genealogy resource of its kind. The agreement announced Tuesday by Yad Vashem and New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage/A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, an affiliate of JewishGen, provides easy access to millions of names commemorated in Yad Vashem’s database. “Pages of Testimony,” documents collected by Yad Vashem since the 1950s, incl...
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...
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...
(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...
(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) — 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...
(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...
(JNS) — As tributes from across the globe poured in earlier this week following the passing of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, many Israel supporters note the paradox of a man they say fought a heroic battle against apartheid in South Africa, then invented it in Israel. Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, passed away at the age of 90 on Sunday. “I think it would be a mistake to lionize him. On the one hand, he fought apartheid in South Africa, and on the other hand, he fought the right of Jewish people to national self-...
Amar’e Stoudemire says he’s ready for a ‘shidduch’ and to remarry By Shira Hanau (JTA) — Amar’e Stoudemire told his Instagram followers recently that he’s looking for a new partner, saying he’s ready for a “shidduch.” “Shidduch” dating, or dates set up by a matchmaker, is a common way for Orthodox Jews to meet their future spouses. Stoudemire, who has played for the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, converted to Judaism while living in Israel in August 2020. From 2016 to 2019, he played for the Israeli team Hapoel Jerusalem and later for...
(JNS) - Ukrainian, Israeli, American and European leaders joined together online on Dec. 15-16 for the third-annual Kyiv Jewish Forum to discuss the historic relations between the Jewish and Ukrainian peoples, the rise of global antisemitism and the looming threats to both nations. "We know what it's like not to have our own state," said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to both Ukrainians and Jews. "We know what it means to defend one's own state and land with weapons in hand...
(JTA) — A Muslim civil rights leader who stirred outrage when she said “polite Zionists” like Jewish federations “are not your friends” continued her critique of “Zionists” as she announced that she is going on a sabbatical. “I am still in the middle of a prolonged Zionist onslaught,” wrote Zahra Billoo, director of the San Francisco office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in a Facebook post on Sunday. She added that she believes there is an “Islamophobic, pro-Israel campaign” to “place moles in our organization and others...
(JTA) — The U.S. State Department has included extensive reporting on West Bank settler attacks on Palestinians in its annual terrorism report, a sign of how seriously the Biden administration is treating the phenomenon. The 2020 report on terrorist violence, released Thursday, includes three paragraphs reporting settler violence, the most it has included in years. The attacks have become a point of contention between the Biden administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, disrupting efforts by both sides to k...
