Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2212 - 2236 of 3743
Here are some late night thoughts as I approach my 89th year. God knows (he or she, assuming of course...) that I am not a theologian, or for that matter—in the eyes of many who are—a religious person. A Jew? Oh yes—first and foremost and for at least the last two thirds of my life. If I am a Jew, certain things become self-evident. I have a DNA that is consistent with millions and millions of people both living and dead. Many of those dead of course, not of natural causes. I am a descendent of a people who in essence invented a belief syste... Full story
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA)—At a time when more than three-quarters of American Jews say they do not keep kosher, should we be shocked when Jews gather together and eat non-kosher food? American Jews have always gone beyond the restrictions of Jewish dietary laws, eating non-kosher (treif or trefa) food Sometimes this has been a deliberate choice. Other times it has resulted from the challenge of acquiring meat slaughtered according to Jewish ritual law and other foods consistent with the dietary requirements. According to Pew, only 22 percent of A... Full story
(JNS)—U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley made headlines on Jan. 2 by saying that President Donald Trump has decided to stop funding UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Work Agency, until the Palestinians agree to come to the negotiating table. On Jan. 16, the president—on the advice of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson—agreed to transfer $60 million for now, as opposed to slashing all of the funding overnight. But the other $65 million of this usual installment has been held in reserve. The total amount of money paid to UN... Full story
(JNS)—A senior Palestinian Authority official this week declared that “Nikki Haley needs to shut up.” He’s referring to the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations. If a representative of any other regime had used such language against a female American diplomat, feminists everywhere would be up in arms—and rightly so. But for some reason, Palestinian misogyny gets a pass. The P.A.’s Saeb Erekat made his ugly remark about Ambassador Haley in an interview with the Palestinian website Al-Watan Voice on Feb. 3. It came soon after... Full story
A decade ago, Israelis gave little thought to the issue of illegal immigration. In 2006, there were 2,766 illegal migrants in Israel, nearly all of them from Eritrea and Sudan, who had entered Israel through its then-open, 150-mile border with Egypt. In 2007, the dam of illegal immigration burst. According to Israel’s Immigration and Population Authority, 5,179 African migrants—predominantly from Eritrea and Sudan—entered Israel from Egypt in 2007. The illegal migration reached its peak in 2011, when 17,281 arrived. When you consider that... Full story
By Mel Pearlman Not everyone in the Jewish community is happy with two recent announcements concerning respectively, the Jewish Academy of Orlando and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center. I participated in the organizational meetings back in the 1970s for what was then designated to be the Hebrew Day School of Central Florida. I also served on the board for a number of years. The original intention of the school was to furnish a learning institution of excellence in both secular and Judaic studies. It was built with Jewish... Full story
There’s a question mark alongside the title of this note, insofar as the issues involved in assessing what is described as Palestine raise a host of questions and few clear answers. The problems are normative, i.e., what should be, as well as practical, i.e., what is and what is likely. Even what is, with respect to Palestine, opens us to arguments on several points. The history of Palestinians is as confused as that of any people. And while the designation of Palestinians is problematic, so is that of any nationality. Jews are as much of a m... Full story
(JNS)—Justice was finally done last week for a Jewish activist organization. After nearly eight years of stalling, disingenuous excuses and outright lies, the Internal Revenue Service finally admitted wrongdoing in preventing Z Street—a pro-Israel group—from obtaining nonprofit status when it applied for it back in 2010. Z Street’s story is unique in some ways in that it ended in the group’s vindication. Its founder, lawyer and journalist Lori Lowenthal Marcus, proved that contrary to the old saying, you can fight city hall and win. But there... Full story
It’s like the beginning of a bad Polish joke: A group of Polish politicians go into a room to debate their role in the Holocaust... The problem is there’s no funny punch line, except to underscore all the other funny punch lines of many more Polish jokes before. The bill that was approved by the Polish lower house of parliament this past week (giving new meaning to the term “lower house”), and now this week by the Polish Senate, makes it a criminal offense to mention Polish complicity in crimes committed during the Holocaust. If enacted... Full story
PHILADELPHIA (JTA)—“I don’t know any Jews who go to temple.” The line is from a remarkably poignant scene in the 2004 film “Garden State,” in which Zach Braff’s character explains to his love interest, played by Natalie Portman, a few things that most non-Orthodox American Jews know about large suburban synagogues. “The Jews I know,” Braff continues, “they go on one day, on Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. Did you know that most temples are built with moveable walls so that on the one day of the year, when everyone comes to repent, they can... Full story
(JTA)—“Nothing matters.” You hear that a lot these days. You hear it when The Wall Street Journal reports that the president’s personal lawyer paid a porn actress $130,000, at the height of the presidential campaign, so she would stay silent about an alleged affair she’d had with Donald Trump. Or when the president uses a vulgarity to refer to African countries. Or when the president is credibly reported to have demanded the firing of the man investigating obstruction of justice claims concerning the president’s firing of another man investi... Full story
(JNS)—Ever wonder why polls consistently show that a large portion of the Israeli public supports creating a Palestinian state? How can it be that despite the Palestinian Authority’s support for terrorism, violations of the Oslo Accords and non-stop anti-Israel incitement, so many Israelis seem to be in favor of establishing a Palestinian state next door? Could it be that the answer is found in the asking? Just last week, newspaper headlines announced that according to a new poll, 47 percent of Israeli Jews still support Palestinian sta... Full story
This past week Israel commemorated the 70th anniversary of one of its most heroic, sad, and yet pivotal battles in its early struggle for independence, among ongoing battles to defend itself until today. I was reminded of the anniversary when I drove by a pristine Judean mountain location known as “Battle Hill.” But had I forgotten that it was the anniversary, I’d have been reminded with the weekend newspapers recounting the story of heroism then, and reminding us today how pivotal the battle was 70 years earlier. In reading the newsp... Full story
(JTA)—Donald Trump is just the man to get an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal done. Just ask Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister was gushing last week about Trump’s negotiating team, which is led by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. “The thing the people don’t realize is that these people have made their mark in the markets, in real estate,” Netanyahu said in an interview in Davos, Switzerland, with CNN’s Fareed Zakariah. “Now this is not only a real estate deal, it’s fundamentally not a real estate deal but a problem recognizing Isr... Full story
(JTA)—Donald Trump is just the man to get an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal done. Just ask Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister was gushing last week about Trump’s negotiating team, which is led by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. “The thing the people don’t realize is that these people have made their mark in the markets, in real estate,” Netanyahu said in an interview in Davos, Switzerland, with CNN’s Fareed Zakariah. “Now this is not only a real estate deal, it’s fundamentally not a real estate deal but a problem recognizing Isr... Full story
(JTA)—Like a lot of other Jewish men, I have been quietly keeping a scorecard of the number of Jewish men in the #MeToo headlines. Harvey Weinstein, Dustin Hoffman, Jeffrey Tambor, Mark Halperin, Leon Wieseltier, James Toback, Israel Horowitz, Al Franken, James Levine, Jeremy Priven, Woody Allen, Brett Ratner, Michael Oreskes, Bruce Weber—all have been accused in one way or another of sexual assault or harassment, primarily in the workplace. Let’s not forget that Anthony Weiner is currently in a cell in a federal penitentiary in Massachusetts f... Full story
The issue the organized Jewish world has struggled most with in recent years is how to keep communal peace at a time when the debate over Israel has become increasingly polarized. The result is a dialogue of the deaf that diminishes the community. That’s why I’m a firm believer in listening and reading opposing views. I know the differences between my positions and those of liberal friends are often arguments within the family about how to strengthen the Israel we all love. As a general rule, I don’t back efforts to exclude those with views tha... Full story
After the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, the country entered into a period of patriotic and political unity that it had not experienced since World War II and the decade that followed. The 1960s and 1970s were periods of political tension over a disputed war in Vietnam, civil rights for African Americans and equal rights for women. Although great progress was made, much is still left to be done on these issues and a host of other issues that currently confront our American society. In periods of political and soci... Full story
In March 1979, shortly after the mullahs grabbed power and dragged Iran into theocratic dictatorship, destructive wars and terrorism, Iranian women took to the streets to protest the forced hijab. “Freedom is not eastern, not western, it is universal,” they chanted. Almost 40 years later, the Iranian people are still fighting the same tyrants. In the struggle for freedom, you would expect an institution like the European Union, defined by the universal character of liberty and democracy, to stand in solidarity with the oppressed against the... Full story
States across the country—from Rhode Island to California, from Texas to Minnesota—have passed important anti-BDS legislation. To date, 24 states have joined the movement to reject hate, proudly standing up and saying, those who discriminate against the Jewish state are not welcome to do business in our state. This legislative process is one that has taken off over the past two years. The first states to pass these laws were Illinois and South Carolina, in 2015. For the most part, in blue states and red states, on the east coast, west coa... Full story
Why is it that every time a female US government official says something that the Palestinian Authority (PA) doesn’t like, PA leaders respond by making a disparaging remark related to the fact that she is a woman? In his bizarre, two-hour rant before the Palestinian Central Council on Jan. 14, PA President Mahmoud Abbas declared that US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, “wears high heels not for elegance but to use to hit anyone who attacks Israel.” When Condoleeza Rice was national security advisor, an official PA newsp... Full story
Nothing makes Palestinian-supporting BDS boycotters squeal louder than when they themselves become victims of their own tactics. Israel Strategic Affairs Ministry will deny entry for BDS activists if they fall into one of these four categories: • Individuals with senior positions or significant roles in a BDS promoting organization, such as senior staff, board chairman, or board members. • Key activists who take a consistent and continuous role to promote BDS. • Institutional officials, such as mayors, who promote BDS in an active and ongoi... Full story
The term “blacklist” is one that brings up memories of McCarthysim to most Americans. But those on a new Israeli “blacklist” who are to be blocked from entry to that country for promoting boycotts are undeserving of any sympathy. The 20 listed groups—singled out for their support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement—are a collection of vile hatemongers working not merely to cripple Israel’s economy, but to isolate it and to treat its people as pariahs who deserve to be attacked by terrorists. So it’s reasonable that... Full story
My dad was not a big believer in religion. I found some of the reason when I studied the life of my grandfather, Abraham Shiplacoff. Abe was a devout Socialist of the “Old School.” And, while he believed passionately in his Judaism—he was skeptical of all rabbis and any others in positions of power. His early years in what are now Ukraine and a stern father helped fashion his distaste for the status quo. So, my dad grew up with little regard for the religious structure of Judaism. As I reached the age of 12, the subject of Bar Mitzvah came... Full story
See the article on page 16A “Pulled Pork Kugel and other transgressive traditions from the ultimate treif banquest.” BOSTON (JTA)—In an article written for J: The Jewish News of Northern California and republished by JTA, David A.M. Wilensky describes with gusto the supposedly mouthwatering delicacies, including Peanut Butter Pie with Bacon and Pulled Pork Potato Kugel, consumed this month by “rabbis and foodies” at the Trefa Banquet 2.0 in San Francisco—complete with a communal blessing and a historical lecture justifying these juicy trans... Full story
