Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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NEW YORK—Taglit-Birthright Israel has announced that it is expanding its program eligibility to now include those young adults who had previously visited Israel as part of a peer trip when they were younger. The organization said the reason for the change in policy was based on an educational assessment that those who may have visited as a teenager would gain a significantly greater understanding and attachment to Israel through the Taglit-Birthright experience as a young adult. Beginning with the Summer 2014 registration that opens on Feb. 1... Full story
On Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m., former Jewish refugees from Arab countries will step before the microphone and share experiences they and their families lived as they sought freedom in the United States. This event will take place at Temple Israel, 50 S. Moss Road, Winter Springs. Following the screening of the film The Forgotten Jews they will share their stories, followed by a question and answer session. Among those participating are Azita Yashar and Solly Gabay Haber. Yashar was born and educated in Tehran. Her early education was in public... Full story
Carlos and Maria and their two children wanted to emigrate to Israel from their home in Argentina, but financially it was an impossible dream. Argentina had suffered financial collapse in 2001, and even though the economy was slowly improving, inflation and anti-Semitism were still on the rise. The family was beginning to lose hope when the Jewish Agency introduced them to representatives of Ezra International. With financial aid, Ezra made it possible for Maria to get to Israel first while her... Full story
(JNS.org) Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made history last Monday by becoming the first Canadian leader to address the Israeli Knesset, saying Canada will stand by Israel ''through fire and water." Harper, who is making his first-ever trip to Israel, arrived on Sunday at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport to a lavish ceremony. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Harper's courage and said he is a "great friend of Israel and the Jewish people." In his speech to the Knesset,... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)- In previous AIPAC vs. White House dustups, the pro-Israel lobbying group's strategy was to speak softly and let Congress carry the big stick. But in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's face-off with the Obama administration over new Iran sanctions, congressional support may not be so readily available and keeping a low public profile is proving impossible. According to congressional insiders and some of the pro-Israel lobbying group's former senior executives, AIPAC... Full story
When the economic crisis hit Bulgaria in 2011, Yana-a Jewish mother of three-was one of the first casualties. She lost her job as an optician and suddenly her family had to survive on her husband's meager salary of $500 a month. Bills pilled up quickly, and soon they were $8,000 in debt. Struggles like that of Yana's family are sadly common among some European Jews today. And while our understandable focus tends to be on the rise of nationalism and anti-Semitic political parties, the economic ha... Full story
BUCHAREST, Romania (JTA-Touring the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005, Romanian President Traian Basescu was unprepared to confront some painful truths. Facing a photograph showing pro-Nazi Romanian troops offloading their Jewish countrymen from cargo trains, Basescu was shocked and saddened. For decades, his country's educational system had obscured the truth of Romanian complicity in the deaths of their Jewish countrymen. Now here he was in Washington seeing hard evidence to the... Full story
With the Middle East in turmoil, Europe moving backwards, and the United States fatigued from years of war and recession, Canada has emerged as a staunch supporter of Israel. At a time when Israel is routinely singled out for condemnation, Canada has been at the forefront of defending Israel and criticizing its enemies. This outspokenness comes amid the growing economic and political clout of Canada, a country that is traditionally accustomed to keeping a low profile internationally. While... Full story
Leaked comments Israeli Defense Minister Moshe [Bogie] Ya'alon made about U.S. Secretary State of State John Kerry's approach to Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations caused a diplomatic stir last week. Yet Ya'alon's reported remarks-which characterized Kerry's approach as an "obsession" and as "messianic"-appear to have less to do with any personal dislike of Kerry and more to do with how Kerry's pursuit of a two-state solution is at odds with the defense minister's understanding of... Full story
Pig heads sent to synagogue, Israeli embassy and museum in Rome (JTA)—Boxes containing the head of a pig were sent to the main synagogue in Rome, the Israeli embassy there and a museum showing an exhibition on the Holocaust. The packages, sent via a courier service, were delivered last Friday, just days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day. All three packages were turned over to Italy’s special terrorism and major crime police, who opened an investigation. The packages contained no message and had no information about the sender. At... Full story
Americans with Israeli bank accounts may be in for a financial nightmare in just several months if they haven't filed their taxes properly. According to Charles M. Ruchelman, a member of the Washington, D.C., law firm of Caplin & Drysdale, some Israeli banks are already notifying U.S. account holders that they may be disclosing the relationship between the Israeli banks and their U.S. owners to the U.S. Department of Justice, which could result in fines-or even prosecution-for Israeli account... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—More than half the United States Senate has signed on to a bill that would intensify sanctions against Iran. But in a sign of the so-far successful effort by the White House to keep the bill from reaching a veto-busting 67 supporters, only 16 Democrats are on board. The number of senators cosponsoring the bill, introduced by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), reached 58 this week, up from just 33 before the Christmas holiday break. Notably only one of the 25 who signed up in recent days—Sen. Michael Ben... Full story
Although Ariel Sharon will be remembered primarily for his achievements on the battlefield and his decisions as an Israeli political leader, an often-overlooked aspect of his legacy was his impact on the American Jewish community. In March 1980, Sharon arrived in the United States in the midst of an uproar over the Carter administration's support of a United Nations resolution branding Jerusalem "occupied Arab territory." Sharon, as a member of Prime Minister Menachem Begin's cabinet, was invite... Full story
New visa allows ‘X Factor’ winner to work in Israel as singer JERUSALEM (JTA)—Rose Fostanes, the Filipina caregiver who won Israel’s “X Factor,” will be allowed to work in Israel as a performer. On Monday, Israeli Interior Minister Gideon Saar ordered the Population and Immigration Authority to issue Fostanes an artists’ visa, which will allow her to be employed as a singer. The visa also requires Fostanes to stop working as a caregiver for her employer of the past five years. Saar interceded when it was revealed that Fostanes’ work visa was v... Full story
A top Iranian lawmaker and cleric said that the country's uranium enrichment program could allow it to build a nuclear weapon "in two weeks" in order to "put down Israel," according to multiple reports in the Farsi language press. Iranian lawmaker and cleric Muhammad Nabavian said on Friday that Iran would be able to build a nuclear bomb in "two weeks" if it gets "access to 270 kilograms of 20 percent [enriched uranium], 10 tons of 5 percent, and 20 thousand centrifuges," according to reports... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Two top Obama administration officials urged Jewish groups not to back new Iran sanctions, calling them “dangerous.” The officials—from the White House national security team and the Treasury Department—spoke Wednesday with Jewish leaders in a call convened by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. JTA spoke with multiple participants on the call. The officials outlined the terms of the interim six-month sanctions-for-nuclear rollback relief set to begin next week, saying it allows Iran no more tha... Full story
(JTA)-Ariel Sharon, one of Israel's last warrior statesmen, whose military and political careers were woven into his nation's triumphs and failures, has died. Sharon, 85, died Saturday at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv after eight years in a coma. "He went when he decided to go," said his younger son, Gilad, who has become the fierce guardian of his father's legacy. He was among the last of Israel's founding fathers, fighting in every Israeli military conflict in the first three decades... Full story
NEW YORK—The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has condemned actress Emma Thompson and three dozen other British actors, for seeking the boycotting of Israel’s celebrated Habima Theater troupe, which is to perform later this year in a six-week theatrical festival taking place at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Thompson and her colleagues cite spurious human rights concerns but hypocritically fail to call for a boycott of the National Theater of China, which is participating in the same festival. The ZOA has condemned Thompson and u... Full story
The measures, announced by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh during a press conference in Gaza City, are seen as a direct result of the deep crisis facing Hamas in the aftermath of the ouster of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. The Egyptian authorities have since tightened their blockade of the Gaza Strip, sealing the Rafah border crossing and destroying most of the smuggling tunnels along their shared border. The Egyptian authorities have also accused Hamas of involvement in terror attacks against Egyptians—a charge that has been s... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Until recently, the rule of thumb in the pro-Israel community was that the bigger the academic group, the less likely it was to consider a boycott of Israeli colleagues. But with the 30,000-member Modern Language Association set to host a panel on BDS at its convention this week in Chicago, the rule may have to be reconsidered. Supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement have scored some victories in recent months, mostly among smaller groups. The American Studies Association, which endorsed a boycott r... Full story
Jewish groups remember Sharon as a warrior and peacemaker (JTA)—Jewish organizations in the United States and around the world remembered the late Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a military leader and a fighter for peace. “His legacy is a more secure State of Israel, safe on its borders and resolved to put an end to the campaign of Palestinian terrorism once and for all,” Barry Curtiss-Lusher and Abraham Foxman, the national chair and the national director, respectively, of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement. “It is not only... Full story
A recently revealed Israeli State Comptroller's report that remains under a government gag order has ignited concern over the Muslim Waqf's attempts to erase Jewish ties on the Temple Mount-Judaism's holiest site-and Israeli authorities' neglect of those activities. The classified document, whose contents were published by the New York-based newspaper The Jewish Voice, details ongoing illegal excavations being carried out on the Temple Mount by the Muslim Waqf (trust) and places blame on those... Full story
TEL AVIV (JTA)-Growing up in the Urals, Pavel Polev was a precocious ice skater and a member of the Soviet Union's national youth figure-skating team. But in 1992, at age 15, Polev's life was upended when he joined the massive wave of Jews immigrating to Israel from the crumbling Soviet Union. After serving a mandatory three years in the Israel Defense Forces following high school, Polev took a job as a custodian. Two decades later, Polev is a successful small-business owner and rising... Full story
Upsurges in Palestinian terrorism have often accompanied progress-and eventual breakdowns-in Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations over the past 20 years. The latest round of talks, brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, is proving to be no different. Palestinian attacks on Jewish military and civilian targets have been on the rise since a Lebanese sniper killed an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier in mid-December. A civilian hired by the IDF was murdered Dec. 24 while repairing... Full story
(JNS.org) The Taglit-Birthright Israel program broke its own record with 39 groups, totaling 1,600 Jewish young adults from across the globe, landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday. Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau and Taglit-Birthright CEO Gidi Mark attended a ceremony for the trip participants, who came from Australia, Argentina, Russia, the United States, Germany, and Canada, Israel Hayom reported. The participants join the list of more than 350,000 young adults from 64... Full story
