Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman has issued the following statement: The heavenly gates are closed; the book of life is inscribed. Another judgment day has passed. And Jonathan Pollard, a convict who spent 30 years in...

(JNS)—Members of Congress spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives last week to recount their experiences of an “untold story of hope and opportunity” they encountered in Israel in August as part of a congressional tour...

(JNS)—U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic members of Congress and elected officials plan to address the annual J Street National Conference later this month, also...

By Ellie Rudee (JNS)—“Direct pressure” by donors is the most likely way to induce the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to change, former UNRWA general counsel James Lindsay told JNS as the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly came...

NEW YORK (JTA)—The number of hate crimes against Jews in New York City has risen significantly over the first nine months of this year, part of a citywide rise in such offenses. The New York Police Department has reported 311 total hate crimes...

WASHINGTON (JTA)—A week ago, impeachment was not the flavor of the season. The interest in Robert Mueller’s special counsel report into Russian election interference had waned, and the testimony by Mueller before Congress in July failed to...

WASHINGTON (JTA)—President Donald Trump, speaking to nearly a thousand Jewish leaders to wish them a Happy New Year on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, said he would be tough with Iran but did not want military conflict. “Our country is reminded of the...

NEW YORK (JTA)—Sitting at the front of a large room lined floor to ceiling with Jewish holy books, Rabbi Joseph Beyda’s voice broke as he processed, seemingly in real time, the idea that a trusted teacher had preyed on his students. “I think th...

(JTA)—The New York Police Department said it will increase its presence in Jewish neighborhoods before and during the High Holidays. Increased foot patrols and specialized units such as counterterrorism teams will be deployed throughout the...

(JNS)—The California Democratic Party’s executive board passed three pro-Israel resolutions on Aug. 25, condemning hatred towards Jews and the State of Israel. One resolution, which Progressive Zionists of California (PZC) co-founder Susan George...

(JTA)—Students at a Southern California high school made a Nazi salute and sang a Nazi marching song at the start of an awards ceremony. The school district will not say publicly if or how it disciplined the students. The incident, which took...

(JNS)—U.S. President Donald Trump clarified remarks made about how Jewish voters could support the Democratic Party knowing the anti-Israel bias among certain congressional members, such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar...

(CJN via JNS)—A New Middletown Village man was arrested on Aug. 17 after police said he made a threat toward the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, Ohio. James Reardon, Jr., 20, is being held in Mahoning County Jail in Youngstown on...

Israel has decided to bar two Muslim pro-BDS members of Congress from entering Israel over fears of provocation that they would cause and their unwillingness to coordinate with Israeli authorities, according to multiple reports. Officials had reporte...

(JTA)—Israel’s decision on Aug. 15 to ban Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering the country has quickly prompted a wave of impassioned responses from across the Jewish community. Pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC, and prominent...

(JNS)—The California Board of Education has announced it will scrap its current draft ethnic-studies curriculum and develop a new model curriculum following outrage by California lawmakers, activists and Jewish and pro-Israel groups for its...