Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1941 - 1965 of 2213
(JTA)-Obviously wanting to get back to work as the medical manager of the field hospital set up by the Israel Defense Forces in the Philippines, Lt.-Col. Dr. Ofer Merin speaks hurriedly about the three days his team has been seeing patients in the typhoon-ravaged nation. He tells of at least 12 babies the hospital has delivered-most of them premature-and the stabbing victim who may have died if not for the IDF hospital in Bogo City on Cebu Island, one of the areas hardest hit by last week's... Full story
(JTA)-For Francois Hollande, the most unpopular head of state in France in more than half a century, his first presidential visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority promised a respite from the daily pummeling over his country's stunted economy and his perceived flimsiness as a leader. In Israel, everything was set for a hero's welcome for someone who supported Europe's blacklisting of Hezbollah's military unit, waged a relentless war on anti-Semitism and scuttled a nascent deal over Iran's... Full story
(JTA)—News that Norway is planning unspecified new regulations on ritual circumcision could not have come at a more sensitive time. The announcement last week that Norway intends to introduce a bill to “regulate ritual circumcision” comes just over a month after an overwhelming majority of Council of Europe assembly members passed a landmark resolution against non-medical circumcision of boys. The resolution, which states that circumcision is a “violation of the physical integrity of children,” is unprecedented among an organization of the ca... Full story
NEW YORK— More than 17,000 Taglit-Birthright Israel participants will attend its free, 10-day educational tour in Israel this winter season, the largest number of young Jewish adults, ages 18 to 26, traveling with the winter program since the non-profit was founded in 2000. Trips will begin rolling out in mid-November 2013 and will continue through April 2014. With more than 350,000 participants during the past 13 years, the program is expected to reach 50 percent of young Jewish adults around the world within the next five years. “Each yea... Full story
Brandeis University announced the suspension of its decade-old partnership with Al-Quds University following a recent Nazi-style rally at the Palestinian school in Jerusalem. At the Nov. 5 rally, Al-Quds students wore black military gear, carried fake automatic weapons, gave the Nazi salute, and surrounded the main square of their campus with banners depicting images of "martyred" suicide bombers. "While Brandeis has an unwavering commitment to open dialogue on difficult issues, we are also... Full story
NEW YORK-With more than 1.6 million members, Pastor John Hagee's Christians United For Israel (CUFI) has become a powerful force in pro-Israel advocacy in American politics. Additionally, his humanitarian work-including the donation of more than $80 million to Israeli charities-has earned him growing praise from the Jewish community. But despite the efforts of Hagee, who is arguably the face of Christian Zionism today, many Jews remain skeptical of Evangelical support for Israel. That... Full story
Abbas: Willing to speak to Knesset on my terms JERUSALEM (JTA)—Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he would be willing to speak to the Knesset, but only on the issues he chooses. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a public statement last week called on Abbas to address the Knesset and said he would travel to Ramallah to speak to the P.A. leadership. “Netanyahu comes up with an offer and then immediately puts forward his own terms – that this and that should be said and so on. No, if those terms are put forward, I do no... Full story
Jewish groups organized relief efforts following Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded. Authorities said it is possible that more than 10,000 people died from the storm. "We immediately activated our network of global partners and will leverage our previous experience in the region to provide immediate, strategic relief to survivors in their time of need," Alan Gill, CEO of The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), said in a statement.... Full story
Firing of bearded Hasidic police recruit ruled religious discrimination (JTA)—A Hasidic police recruit who said he was fired from the New York Police Department because he would not trim his beard was the victim of religious discrimination, a federal court ruled. Fishel Litzman, 39, could be reinstated in the coming days, according to the New York Daily News. U.S. District Court Judge Harold Baer issued his decision last Friday. Litzman had filed a civil rights lawsuit in June 2012 against the NYPD, the City of New York and Police C... Full story
JERUSALEM-The changing nature of the American Jewish community has been a much-debated topic ever since the release of the recent Pew Research Center survey, whose findings revealed rising assimilation and intermarriage rates. The Jewish Federations of North America's (JFNA) annual General Assembly, which took place in Jerusalem this year, provided a chance to place that debate within the context of Israel-Diaspora relations. "We are now undergoing a real historical change," Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for... Full story
JERUSALEM-The changing nature of the American Jewish community has been a much-debated topic ever since the release of the recent Pew Research Center survey, whose findings revealed rising assimilation and intermarriage rates. The Jewish Federations of North America's (JFNA) annual General Assembly, which took place in Jerusalem this year, provided a chance to place that debate within the context of Israel-Diaspora relations. "We are now undergoing a real historical change," Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for... Full story
Former Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently urged South African Jews to immigrate to Israel, following incendiary comments by that country’s international relations minister. Writing on his Facebook page, Lieberman said the South African government is creating an anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic atmosphere, which means that a pogrom against the country’s Jews is now all-but inevitable. “I call on all the Jews still living there to immigrate to Israel without delay, before it’s too late,” he stated emphatically. Last Friday, South Af... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—It looks like a futuristic salon hair dryer. Connected to a computer by a bright orange strip, the half-cube with rounded corners sits comfortably atop the head, a coil of wires resting on the skull. As a doctor stands at the computer, the patient gets comfortable. A few seconds later, a brief electromagnetic pulse hits the head. Do this every weekday for six weeks, doctors tell Alzheimer’s patients, and you’ll feel your brain come back to life. The technique, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, uses elect... Full story
Liberman nears reappointment as foreign minister JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel’s Cabinet approved the reappointment of Avigdor Liberman as foreign minister. Following the approval on Sunday, Liberman’s reappointment now goes before the full Knesset, which is set to follow suit. The head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party will be sworn in on Monday. Liberman was acquitted last week on a charge of fraud and breach of trust, clearing the way for a return to his old post. The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruled Nov. 6 that Liberman did not unreasonably advance... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed his hard line against Iran’s nuclear program in an address to the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in Jerusalem. Speaking Sunday on the opening night of the G.A., Netanyahu also repeated his demand that in order for Israel to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians, Palestinian leadership must recognize Israel as a Jewish state. He finished by calling for a continued strong bond between Israel and the North American Jewish community. On Iran, Netanyahu cri... Full story
By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA)-The Obama administration may be on a collision course with pro-Israel advocates over an intensified sanctions bill that the White House fears may scuttle negotiations to resolve the standoff over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs support a bill, passed in July by the House of Representatives, that would sanction entities... Full story
(JNS.org) The U.S. government is asking pro-Israel activists to reduce their public support for more sanctions on Iran just prior to another round of discussions on the issue between Iranian and world leaders. White House officials met with Jewish organizations including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the American Jewish Committee, and the Anti-Defamation League last Tuesday. According to the Washington Free Beacon, a pro-Israel official who attended the briefing said that the Obama administration does not "want the new... Full story
KIEV, Ukraine (JTA)-The explosion that ripped through Vadim Rabinovich's luxury SUV in central Kiev was strong enough to send a shock wave from the parking lot up to his third-floor office in the heart of the Ukrainian capital. "It was a shock for a day or two," Rabinovich said, "and then I moved on." The 60-year-old media mogul and Jewish philanthropist views the March 4 explosion as an attack on his life. He has accused Andrey Derkach, a businessman and former politician, of being... Full story
Tigers pick Brad Ausmus, Israel’s manager in WBC bid, as new skipper NEW YORK (JTA)—Brad Ausmus, who managed the Israeli national team’s bid for the World Baseball Classic, was named the manager of the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers announced the hiring of Ausmus, 44, on Sunday, making him the only Jewish manager in Major League Baseball. Ausmus was a catcher for four teams in his playing days. His Israel team failed to qualify for the World Baseball Classic in 2012, losing to Spain, 9-7, in 10 innings in the final game of the qualifying tourn... Full story
MAFRAQ, Jordan (JTA)-The purple plastic sacks fill two rooms in the otherwise sparsely furnished headquarters of a Jordanian NGO, awaiting distribution to Syrian refugees already lined up on the sidewalk. They contain an array of staple dry goods-lentils, pasta, powdered milk, tea-as well as a range of hygiene products like soap and detergent, enough for 250 refugee families. But before the goods were handed out, one thing will be removed-the word "Jewish." Going sack by sack with a pair of... Full story
With the close of its campaign year, Jewish National Fund just announced that its annual 2013 campaign topped $121 million, the largest campaign in its history. In addition to a strong annual campaign, JNF is the recipient of an estate gift of more than $60 million from the estate of John Boruchin, perhaps the most significant gift in the 112-year history of the organization. The announcements catapult JNF forward after 10 years of remarkable campaign achievements and tangible accomplishments in Israel that include adding 12 percent to... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Armed with a powerful New York public relations outfit and a pledge to commemorate the mass deportation of Hungarian Jewry, the Hungarian government is preparing to challenge what it says is an inaccurate image of a country lax in confronting home-grown extremism. Ferenc Kumin, an adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who handles international communications, reached out to JTA last week to counter what he says are unfair perceptions of his government’s treatment of Jews and other minorities. “In the American publi... Full story
YEKATERINBURG, Russia (JTA)-Growing up in one of the Soviet Union's richest cities, Elena Chudnovskaya never imagined that she would be raising her daughter in a place so full of drug addicts that "the flowerbeds became strewn with syringes." But that is what became of her downtown apartment block after the collapse of communism, when soaring unemployment and the proximity to drug-producing countries unleashed a narcotics epidemic of alarming proportions in this district capital of 1.3 million... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping the enemy of one's enemy truly does become a friend. In recent years, Netanyahu has said the enmity for Iran shared by Israel and the Arab states could become a spur to regional reconciliation. Last week, in a speech to the Knesset, he noted the "many issues" on which Israel and the Arabs have shared interests could open up "new possibilities," including a peace accord with the Palestinians. But while experts say that... Full story
Five Jews violently attacked in Sydney SYDNEY (JTA)—Five Jews were hospitalized after being beaten in what was described by an Australian Jewish leader as the worst incident of anti-Semitic violence in Sydney in many years. Eight males, mostly teenagers, reportedly taunted the religious Jews—four from the Behar family—with slurs as they were walking home in suburban Bondi from Sabbath dinner after midnight Saturday. A violent confrontation ensued, some of which was caught on closed circuit TV cameras. Security guards from a nearby night... Full story
