Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 2070
(JNS) - The creation of a new Jewish Federation in the Maryland state capital was inspired, in part, by the death of Sarah Milgrim, who was murdered along with her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky a year ago Thursday, when the two Israeli embassy staffers left an American Jewish Committee event about a mile from the White House. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of her and mourn her loss, while also recognizing that it could happen to any Jew at any time anywhere at this point," Jenni...
(JNS) — Elected Democrats denounced a candidate for a House seat in Texas this week over her calls to imprison and castrate Zionists and raised questions about her funding from a newly-formed super PAC with possible Republican ties. Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist who led the first round of the Democratic primary in Texas’s 35th Congressional District, has drawn scrutiny for her social media posts about Jews and calling to turn immigration detention centers into prisons for Zionists. “She’ll turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison...
(JNS)— Philadelphia Democrats nominated Chris Rabb, a state representative who has accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and supports a Palestinian “right of return,” in Tuesday’s primary to succeed retiring Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.). With no Republican running in Pennsylvania’s heavily Democratic 3rd Congressional District, Rabb is widely expected to win the general election and join the U.S. House in January 2027. He received 44.3 percent of the vote in the four-candidate race, defeating Sharif Street, a Democratic state senator...
(JNS) — A unanimous U.S. House of Representatives approved its annual resolution on May 13 marking Jewish American Heritage Month, “calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish-American community.” The vote was 419-0. “I’m thrilled,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), chief sponsor of the bill, told JNS. “When you have three-fourths of Jews, who report that they’ve experienced some kind of antisemitism directly in the last year, making sure tha...
(JNS) — Although Democrats have long decried Jew-hatred on the far right, “today, too many Democrats are noticeably and shamefully silent when antisemitism comes from the far left,” according to Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). “It’s a glaring double standard,” the congressman wrote in the New York Times. “Consider the response to—really, the embrace of—Hasan Piker, a prominent left-wing commentator with millions of online followers,” who “referred to Orthodox Jews as ‘inbred’ and said ‘America deserved 9/11,’ both statements he halfheartedly w...
(JNS) — Republican governors across the United States issued a joint statement recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month, condemning antisemitism and expressing support for Israel and the Jewish community. “America’s Governors once again unite to celebrate Jewish American Heritage during the month of May,” the statement read. It was issued by the Republican Governors Association and signed by all 27 Republican governors. “Since our nation’s founding 250 years ago, Jewish people have played an important role in America’s story—seeking re...
(JNS) — Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) led a Democratic effort on May 13 to force U.S. President Donald Trump to get congressional approval to continue the war against Iran. Gottheimer forced a debate on his resolution, which he sponsored with a group of moderate Democrats, that would force the president to end military action unless Congress either declared war or authorized the use of force. The Jewish lawmaker has been a fierce critic of the Iranian regime but said that his resolution was designed to ensure that Congress could use its p...
It's hard to imagine the powerful mixture of faith, fun and friendship that permeated Crown Heights, Brooklyn during the recent "Shabbat in the Heights" weekend. Sponsored by Jewish Learning Institute, an educational arm of Chabad, the event in early May drew more than 500 visitors - Chabad Orthodox rabbis and their wives (and sometimes family members) and fellow Jews interesting in learning. Among participating Chabads were a group from Chabad of North Orlando, led by Rabbi Yanky Majesky and...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Jewish Americans to observe a national Shabbat from sundown May 15 to nightfall May 16 in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month and the nation’s 250th anniversary. Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish, told JNS that he was "very moved" by the president's message because it shifts the narrative from Jew-hatred to Jewish faith. "One of the things people lose in all of this antisemitism is that we're a proud religion," he said. Burg told JNS that the call for a national Shabbat observance is "mo...
(JNS) - Hundreds of Christian and Jewish leaders are gathering in Washington, D.C. this week to press lawmakers on Capitol Hill to strengthen ties with Israel and confront the rise of global antisemitism. The annual interfaith event comes amid increasing criticism of Israel on both sides of the political aisle amid a burst of antisemitism around the globe triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel. The gathering for Israel Advocacy Day, which will bring together pastors...
(JNS) — An official, 64-page California state “official voter information guide” for the June 2 primary election includes a statement from a candidate for governor that accused Israel of “countless war crimes,” including being responsible for the September 11 attacks. Don Grundmann, who did not submit a photograph of himself and who has no preference for a “qualified” party, claims in the guide that Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist, was “murdered by shaped-charge bomb Israel used” and that the government—it wasn’t clear which he meant...
(JNS) — The 500 people who gathered on Monday for a Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Memorial Day ceremony in Los Angeles show the “deep connection between the Diaspora and the State of Israel,” Israel Bachar, Israeli consul general to the Pacific Southwest, told JNS on Monday. “I do not believe that you can separate the two. I think we’re interdependent on each other,” the Israeli envoy said. “Israel cannot survive without the Diaspora’s support, and the Diaspora needs Israel for its identity and a safe haven in a time of need.” The consulate hosted...
(JNS) — A bipartisan group of 41 U.S. senators urged the Senate Appropriations Committee to allocate $750 million to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program for the 2027 fiscal year. “The threat of violence is unfortunately increasing at places of worship across our country at alarming rates,” wrote Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in a letter to leaders of the committee on April 16. “Nonprofit organizations that are at risk of terrorist attacks, particularly houses...
(JNS) — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) issued a joint statement on Wednesday that they would proceed with the Senate’s funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have precipitated the move by demanding congressional action in a social media post earlier on Wednesday. “I am asking that the bill be on my desk no later than June 1,” Trump wrote. “We are going forward to fund our incredible Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Borde...
Most American Jews oppose the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran, according to a poll released on Monday. The Jewish Electorate Institute found that 55 percent of Jewish respondents said that they opposed the war, 32 percent approved and 13 percent were undecided. When asked for a more detailed breakdown of their feelings about the stated objectives of the conflict, a similar number of Jews (31 percent) said that they supported action against Iran, because the Islamic Republic cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and 41...
(JNS) — The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service, an agency of the department, said that they will create and issue “additional guidance” for religious institutions on how to apply the Johnson Amendment, which bars houses of worship from endorsing political candidates. “Religious liberty is foundational to our Constitution, and the freedom to practice one’s faith openly and in community is central to the American story as we celebrate 250 years of independence as a nation this year,” stated Scott Bessent, U.S. treasury secr...
(JNS) — The University of Washington is reviewing and revising its student conduct code amid rising Jew-hatred on campus since Oct. 7, Robert J. Jones, president of the Seattle public university, said at a town hall at an Orthodox synagogue on Sunday. “Our student conduct code was not written for this moment in time,” Jones said at Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath in Seattle. “It just absolutely was not written to deal with the contemporary issues.” “We don’t have to wait for a mandate from the Department of Justice or the Department of...
(JNS) — Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) said he plans to introduce legislation to strip citizenship from naturalized citizens who commit acts of terrorism. In response to recent attacks committed by naturalized citizens, including the March 12 truck-ramming at Temple Israel outside of Detroit, Moore stated that “this horrific pattern of naturalized citizens committing acts of terrorism against the American people must end.” “I will introduce a bill to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who commits an act of terrorism, plots to commit...
(JNS)- Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, of Dearborn Heights, drove a truck into the largest Reform temple in North America and opened fire on security guards, injuring one, in West Bloomfield, Mich., a suburb some 25 miles northwest of Detroit. The terrorist is confirmed dead, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said. "At some point during the gunfight, Ghazali suffers a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," said Jennifer Runyan, FBI Detroit's special agent in charge. "He has no previous...
(JNS) — The Los Angeles Police Department said after an attack on a Detroit-area synagogue on Thursday that it was calling for unity against all forms of hate. The department “will continue working with our local, state, national and international partners to monitor developments and ensure the safety of all Angelenos,” it said. “Together, we stand united against hate and violence in all its forms.” The department identified the target as a “Jewish institution,” saying it was “deeply saddened” and stands “in solidarity with the Jewish communit...
(JNS) — In a moment that could have ended in tragedy, two rabbis from Temple Israel said preparation and training helped ensure that “everything went right” during a March 12 attack on the Reform congregation in suburban Detroit. The car-ramming and shooting attack at the synagogue in West Bloomfield, Mich., triggered lockdown procedures, a massive law-enforcement response and panic among parents rushing to their children. Authorities say Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a U.S. citizen born in Lebanon, rammed a vehicle into the building and opened fire...
(JNS) — After a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack at a Michigan synagogue, Jewish advocacy groups are pressing Congress to resolve a funding impasse they say is delaying critical security support for vulnerable nonprofits. Authorities identified Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a U.S. citizen born in Lebanon, as the suspect accused of driving a truck into Temple Israel, a large Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield, Mich., before exchanging gunfire with armed security personnel. Ghazali was killed in the exchange, and the synagogue’s director of sec...
(JNS) — After a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack at a Michigan synagogue, Jewish advocacy groups are pressing Congress to resolve a funding impasse they say is delaying critical security support for vulnerable nonprofits. Authorities identified Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a U.S. citizen born in Lebanon, as the suspect accused of driving a truck into Temple Israel, a large Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield, Mich., before exchanging gunfire with armed security personnel. Ghazali was killed in the exchange, and the synagogue’s director of sec...
About one-third of $4,965,000 in security funding that Massachusetts gave to 167 nonprofits in the state went to Jewish organizations, including synagogues, according to a JNS analysis. Of the listed nonprofits, 55 (about 33%) were Jewish, and they received $1,606,876 (about 32%) of the funding, which came from the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant Program and the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Personnel Grant Program. In addition to the 55, Brandeis University, which states that it is “animated by a set of values that are rooted in Jewish...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump would have to end military action against Iran by the end of March unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of force, according to a War Powers Resolution that a group of moderate House Democrats introduced. The resolution set a 30-day period that began on Feb. 28 for Trump to make the case to Congress and the American people to go to war. It would prevent the president from using ground troops without congressional approval, except for intelligence activities and search-and-rescue missions. It w...
