Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JNS) - Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe and the three other members of the Axiom-1 (Ax-1) mission are on their way back to Earth following a 15-day stay in the International Space Station, according to the Axiom Space website. Their spacecraft, the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor, undocked from the ISS at 9:10 p.m. ET on Sunday and was scheduled to splash down off the Florida coast on Monday afternoon. The return trip had been delayed for several days due to bad weather. Stibbe, a businessman and a...
(J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) - Koby Geduld clocks into work at 7 p.m. most nights. He's a project coordinator for Tile, the San Mateo–based maker of Bluetooth-enabled tracking devices. He boots up his laptop from his home, responding to messages and having meetings until 3 a.m. No, Geduld isn't nocturnal (at least not naturally). He's working overnight hours because he no longer lives in the Bay Area. Instead, he's 10 hours ahead, in Jerusalem - where he and his wife m...
(JTA) — The Temple Mount is closed to Jewish visitors “until further notice,” the organization that coordinates visits by Jews said on April 23, after a fresh round of clashes between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers at the Jerusalem holy site’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. The move was expected to last through Ramadan, but the Temple Mount Administration’s language suggests the ban could last longer, according to the Jerusalem Post. The Administration — separate from the Waqf, the Muslim authority that controls the site — is a joint steering comm...
(JNS) — Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Tuesday that he is advancing a plan to grant work permits to tens of thousands of additional Palestinians. Currently, an estimated 100,000 Palestinians enter Israel legally to work after being screened by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and receiving an Israeli permit. Gantz said that the measure would be advanced alongside ongoing intensified intelligence, as well as offensive and defensive steps currently being taken by security forces to quash the recent wave of deadly terrorism. ...
NOF HAGALIL, Israel (JTA) - During Veronika Maidanova's first two days attending school in Israel, the 8-year-old felt completely lost. "Everyone spoke Hebrew and I didn't understand anything," she recalled, weeks after fleeing her native Ukraine for the safety, but unfamiliarity, of Israel. Then her mother heard about a school focused on new immigrants where 90 percent of students speak Russian. She quickly enrolled Veronica in the Shuvu Renanim school in Nof Hagalil, a city of 41,000 in the...
(JTA) - Of all the issues facing Israel - violence within the country, how to handle Russia's war on Ukraine, Iran - the one that appears to have put the country's delicate governing coalition at risk could appear picayune. When Idit Silman, a member of Knesset from the right-wing Yamina party, surprised government leaders and even her party by resigning Wednesday, she said she was doing so over hospital food. Her decision vaults issues of religious freedom and Israel's Jewish character to the...
(JTA) — Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has joined an international chorus condemning what appears to be mass civilian casualties in areas of Ukraine where Russian troops are pulling out. Lapid’s comments came hours after his ministry downplayed similar condemnation from Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine amid ongoing efforts by Israel to navigate a fine line in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It is impossible to remain indifferent in the face of the horrific images from the city of Bucha near Kiev, from after the Russian a...
(World Israel News) - Two of the fatalities from Thursday's terror attack in Tel Aviv were identified as childhood friends Tomer Morad and Eytam Magini. They had arrived early at Ikla Bar on Tel Aviv's Dizengoff St. on Thursday night to celebrate Magimi's engagement to Ayala Arad. Both were buried in Kfar Saba's Pardes Haim Cemetery on Sunday. "In this house, where we are now mourning, there was supposed to be a party this evening," Lia Arad, Ayala's mother, told Walla! News. "They met by...
(JNS) — Israel’s leadership vowed a swift response to ending the latest terror wave, while also offering condolences to the victims and their families, in a flurry of statements on Tuesday evening. “Israel is facing a deadly wave of Arab terrorism,” said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a statement. “My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones tonight, and I pray for the well-being of the wounded.” He went on to say that security forces are responding, and that “we will fight terror with perseverance, stubbornness...
(JNS) — Israel will host a landmark summit on Sunday night and Monday that will include the top diplomats from the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will host the conference, the foreign ministry said on Friday. It will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The foreign ministers will arrive beginning at the I...
(JTA) — Israel is the ninth happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report, a project of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Israel has moved slowly up the rankings in recent years, going from No. 14 in 2020 to No. 11 in 2021. The report, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, says it factors a country’s GDP, social support, life expectancy, “freedom to make life choices,” citizen generosity and perceptions of corruption into its ranking. The U.N. is known as a harsh critic of Israel, s...
(Israel21C via JNS) - Almost a decade ago, a group of women from the Arab Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya looked for a program where they could study Hebrew. They didn't find anything appropriate, and ended up inviting two students from the nearby Hebrew University to teach them. They enjoyed their studies so much that a year later they sought to bring aboard all their female friends, relatives and neighbors. That's how the "Women Speaking Hebrew" program began. Fast forward a few years, and...
(JNS) - Two dozen Christian parliamentarians wrapped up a visit to Israel on Tuesday with discussions on how to embrace and defend Israel in modern times. The discussions were the culmination of a three-day journey that took them to the Western Wall, key holy sites in Judea and Samaria and face-to-face meetings with the country's top political leaders. The MPs were in Israel through the Israel Allies Foundation, the umbrella organization of more than 50 pro-Israel parliamentary caucuses from...
(JNS) — Remnants of poliovirus were discovered in sewage samples in Tiberias, adding to the growing list of hot spots in the country, Israel’s Ministry of Health said in a statement. A 4-year-old girl from Jerusalem tested positive for the virus earlier this month, marking the country’s first case in more than 30 years. Since then, another child has tested positive and five others, suspected of carrying the virus, are being tested. In all of the above cases, the children were not vaccinated against polio. Last week, the Health Ministry said...
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...
(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) — Israel began allowing unvaccinated tourists to enter the country on March 1 as the county’s COVID case numbers continue to decline, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced. Tourists will still need to produce negative PCR tests before and after their flights, while Israelis will only need to take a test upon landing. The more lax rules mean that children under the age of five who are ineligible to be vaccinated can now enter the country. Only fully vaccinated tourists have been allowed in since Jan...
By Israel Kasnett (JNS) - Screams pierce the air as the dust clears and survivors begin to emerge from the rubble. More than 10,000 people have been killed and 20,000 more are injured. Thousands of buildings across the country have collapsed. In some areas, there is deathly silence; in others, cries for help can be heard from beneath the debris. The streets are impassable; shattered glass, bricks and chunks of concrete are strewn everywhere. Trees, light poles and electrical wires lie across...
(Israel21c via JNS) — The closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Sunday brought to an end another Winter Games without a medal for Israel. Nevertheless, the six athletes representing the Jewish state had some high points to celebrate. Barnabas Szollos, 23, said at the start that his goal was to be in the top 30. He skied in five events and placed twice in the top 30, twice in the top 20 and once in the top 10, finishing in sixth place in men’s alpine skiing and setting a new Israeli record in that sport. He was just 1.0...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) -One of Israel's most curious mysteries was solved on Sunday when the identity of the artist who created the small bronze menorah that stands on the Knesset grounds was finally revealed. The Knesset Menorah is one of the most recognized and revered state symbols in Israel's history. Israel's parliament is home to more than one menorah statue. Most famously, a seven-branched menorah stands just outside the Knesset plaza. It towers 4.30 meters high, 3.5 meters wide (14 feet...
(JNS) — “We are together in the fight against terror posed by Iran and its nuclear development,” Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday at the Knesset. Iran “is a threat to the world,” said Pelosi, who is heading a delegation of high-level members of Congress. “Israel’s proximity to Iran is a threat to us all and the responsibility of all of us.” Pelosi was greeted by Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, who said: “The strategic alliance between Israel and the United States has proven that we know how to stand toge...
(JNS) - The southern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel chose a new leader in recent weeks that cements its continued role in the Israeli government. Sheikh Safwat Frij, who previously served as deputy head of the movement and based in Kafr Qasim, was elected over Sheikh Muhammad Salameh Hassan, a religious authority in the movement. He has publicly used harsh rhetoric, saying, "The people of Palestine are united from the river to the sea until the occupation disappears entirely." Frij...
(Israel21c via JNS) — A few years ago, Shani Shukrun began matching people up on Facebook. Not for romantic purposes, but to bring together people in need with donors who could help them. Each time, she’d raise 300 to 400 shekels ($95 to $127) for a weekend shop for a family in need, or store dry goods in an extra room for someone to come and get. “But in 2020, my daughter Oreen was born,” recalled Shukrun, now 27. “She was born a preemie weighing 1.5 kilos at the height of the COVID pandemic, and I was really worried about people coming in...
(JNS) - In its annual strategic survey released in recent days, the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies pointed to a central understanding that has rippled through the region. The United States is focusing its attention and resources on dealing with China (and, more recently, Russia), and is unwilling to be significantly involved in further conflicts in the Middle East. Washington's enthusiasm for reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is one such signal of this intention...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have ordered the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria's supreme planning council to halt discussions on the authorization of construction to connect Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem in the E-1 corridor. Construction had been planned for some 3,000 acres of largely government-owned land and was to include some 3,500 housing units. The committee began to discuss the plan, which had been frozen for...
