Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2501 - 2525 of 3644
I have begun re-reading Menachem Begin’s book “The Revolt—The Story of the Irgun.” It still makes fascinating reading some 60 to 70 years after its original publication. The book opens with Begin having a spirited discussion with his Soviet interrogator. Begin was imprisoned in Russia having been captured as a member of the Polish Army at the beginning of WWII. The interrogator insists that Zionism is a fraud perpetrated by the British to have an excuse to remain in the Middle East. Begin, in what even then was a professorial manner, explains t... Full story
On Election Day back in 1940, in front of PS 97 in Brooklyn, I carried a poster for FDR. I was 7 years old and a fervent Jewish-Umbilical-Cord-Democrat. How could I not be? My parents, uncles, cousins and friends knew nothing else but Roosevelt, Socialism and The Party. As I matured I got the message that our Supreme Leader whose picture adorned our living room wall was a Jew hater. From then on it was the candidate and not The Party that got my vote and support. And my major considerations when casting my vote became Israel and the survival... Full story
It can’t be true—the American Jewish community has “forgotten,” or more accurately no longer chooses to remember, the existential threat to Israel, America, and Western civilization posed by Iran and the Iran Deal. Only last year virtually every mainstream Jewish leader boldly denounced the deal as dangerous, and existentially so. Did our concern dissipate after the Iran deal passed because the ambitions of Iran, the No. 1 sponsor of terrorism, have been tamed in any way? Of course not. Every week there is another statement about destroy... Full story
Dear Editor: The claim that the Democrats and Cinton-Kaine are good for Israel and the Jewish people is a happy delusion. The reasons their policies will weaken Israel is the same reason they will weaken America. Iran has been strengthened, Russia emboldened, and Islamic fascism ignored and denied. There will NEVER be a two-state solution as long as the Palestinians hate their children more than they desire peace. A strong America and strong Israel together are crucial for a safe and secure future. Trump-Pence WILL deliver that! Dr. Norman... Full story
Dear Editor: This letter is in follow-up of and in objection to a large full-page ad that recently appeared in the Heritage Newspaper supporting the Hillary Clinton campaign. In this ad, she highlighted some of her goals and distorted those of Donald Trump on a comparison basis. Accordingly, I would like to voice my observations and comment in a newspaper rebuttal against this ad and counter with support for Donald Trump for president: FINALLY Donald Trump attacked Hillary for what she is in last week’s second debate. She’s been in government f... Full story
Dear Editor: I was quite taken aback by the full-page ad in last week’s Heritage taken out by the organization Jews For Progress. This was a good example of the old adage that “If you can’t convince them with facts, baffle them with Bulls—t.” The quote, “Trump pledges to be ‘neutral guy’ in Israel-Palestinian negotiations” is totally taken out of context. In reality, he said at the 2016 AIPAC Conference, “Each side must give up something it values in exchange for something it requires. A deal that imposes conditions on Israel and the Palestinia... Full story
Dear Editor: I am responding to the advertisement in Heritage associating presidential candidate Donald Trump with anti-Semitism. This is done purely in the hope that the casual reader will accept those remarks as truth. The goal of the opposition is to smear Donald Trump with untruths. Before I support a candidate, I do my research and that is what all voters should do. For the opposition, truth is not the goal. Here is the real Donald Trump: Some years ago he purchased Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach and turned it into a country club. At that time... Full story
A new Syria is emerging. And with it, a new Middle East and world are presenting themselves. Our new world is not a peaceful or stable one. It is a harsh place. The new Syria is being born in the rubble of Aleppo. The eastern side of the city, which has been under the control of US-supported rebel groups since 2012, is being bombed into the Stone Age by Russian and Syrian aircraft. All avenues of escape have been blocked. A UN aid convoy was bombed in violation of a fantasy cease-fire. Medical facilities and personnel are being targeted by Russ... Full story
Initially, this was going to be written in the future tense, not the past tense. As much as Americans may be equally tired of, and curious about, the outcome of the upcoming presidential election, I wanted highlight on another election scheduled for this week, one with many implications for the US, and the world. Yet keeping on top of the scheduled Palestinian Authority municipal elections, called for October 8, has been a bit like sitting at center court at a tennis match. As soon as the ball lands on one side and seems like it’ll never be r... Full story
It isn’t easy summarizing the relationships between Jews and Arabs in Israel, or extending that to Israeli Jews and Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza. Animosity is more apparent than accommodation in most summaries of Israeli and Palestinian history. Yet accommodation has been more apparent than bloodshed. There has been violence, but never of the magnitude shown by what Muslims have recently been doing to one another in Syria, Iraq, Libya, or Yemen. The Second Intifada, from 2000 to about 2005, took 1,100 Israeli and perhaps 5,000 P... Full story
I don’t know you personally, but I know what you do. You demonstrate on college campuses, in front of stores that sell Israeli products, at co-op grocery outlets, and in the town squares of liberal places like my community of Seattle. You wear a keffiyeh and carry signs that say “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Shall Be Free” and other slogans that deny Israel’s right to exist. I see your swastikas and other classic antisemitic images. I see your placards with names of villages lost when Israel’s neighbors invaded in 1948. I see your props... Full story
(JTA)—Building up to Sukkot, with its temporary, shaky sukkah, it’s easy to forget that the holiday comes with something more substantial: its own book, Ecclesiastes—Kohelet in Hebrew—which is read during the festival and gives us a solid sampling of earthly wisdom. “A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven,” Kohelet famously tells us, which this year brings to mind the campaign season. And though in the last few months we do seem to have experienced “everything,” I think we can all agree that not much of it... Full story
Ten years ago my life started to unravel. Not completely. I always had love and support—my wife, my children. But a corner of it frayed, and the loose strands couldn’t easily be fixed, and holes that couldn’t be patched appeared. When my younger brother Ray died, I lost more than a family member. I lost a best friend who couldn’t be replaced. I lost faith in the order of things. The youngest in the family isn’t supposed to go first. I lost visions of the future, which had always included... Full story
Several of our headlines have dealt with an issue that is always in the near background: Who are the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs? How do they think? and Is there any chance of living in a condition of peace, or at least reasonable quiet? One of the headlines came from responses to a comment by a prominent radio journalist, Razi Barkai. He began a mini-storm by questioning the policy of holding back the bodies of Palestinians killed while attacking Israelis, noting the feelings of Palestinian families, and comparing them to those of Israeli... Full story
Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes Israeli entrepreneurs succeed because they challenge authority, question everything, and don’t go by the rules. “The impact of the Israelis on science and technology is immense, so that’s why I’m here and why I’m investing here,” he told a large crowd at Israel’s Weizman Institute in 2015. Schmidt’s statements not only apply to Israel’s high tech businesses and start-up companies, but also to Israel’s budding medical marijuana industry. From organic chemists to entrepreneurs, nearly everyone in Israel’s field o... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ statement before the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday revived old hatreds more than it broke new ground. It was little more than a rote diatribe against Israel and a call for international pressure to coerce the Jewish state in place of the hard give and take that happens at the negotiating table. It shed light on why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured so long through so many failed final status negotiations—and, consequently, why the Palestinians continue to li... Full story
(JTA)—A Jewish educator who works on behalf of the Jewish people every single day recently received a letter that began with harsh words about her support for the anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence. Before long it took a startling turn. “I regretfully must express my utmost hope,” the author wrote, “that you are hit by a car to put a stop to the injury you will cause the children that I love.” This was not an anonymous comment hiding in the murky depths of a blog post somewhere. It was a signed letter fervently praying for the viole... Full story
By Jason Dov Greenblatt NEW YORK (JTA)—As my family and I prepare for Rosh Hashanah, we look back with grateful hearts for the brachot, blessings, in our lives. We take time to reflect on the joys and the challenges, the ups and downs, that we experienced during the previous year. To me, a meaningful observance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur requires taking stock of life’s hard-earned victories and heartfelt woes, its underappreciated blessings and unfulfilled potential. As Jews, we have the opportunity—indeed, the obligation—to renew ourselv... Full story
WASHINGTON, D.C. (JTA)—I support Hillary Clinton for president because I have seen her work up close—as first lady, senator from New York and secretary of state. She has the temperament, experience and judgment to be commander-in-chief and our country’s representative to the world. And I know she has a deep commitment to the State of Israel and a special sensitivity to help Holocaust survivors. During his first term, President Bill Clinton appointed me his special representative for Holocaust issues to provide belated justice for Holoc... Full story
I wrote some thoughts down, posted them on my Facebook page and wrote a truncated version to the Orlando Sentinel, which was printed as a letter to the editor. So, here are some further ramblings. 9/11 was a tragedy. We have had a few in our history. The greatest war toll of American dead happened within our own borders between 1861-1865. Dec. 7th, 1941 was a tragedy. We went to war against two sovereign nations: Japan and Germany. We won. They both are functioning democracies today. You cannot go to war against a Movement. A Movement has no... Full story
It was heartening to see on the front page of The Heritage the powerful image of a table representing UCF’s Knights for Israel literally under the same tent as a table belonging to the Muslim Student Association (MSA). This is a testament to the tolerance and even cooperation between the two organizations. Frankly, it is an example that we wish other campuses could emulate. Kudos certainly should go to Hillel director Aaron Weil, current students and (of course) the MSA. However, the roots of cooperation in this relationship started to take h... Full story
It has become standard practice among those who hate Israel to accuse the Jewish state’s supporters of suppressing speech. These so-called progressives piously charge Israel advocates of crying anti-Semitism whenever Israel is criticized, and accuse them of legal maneuvers and bullying tactics to avoid a debate about the real issues. Yet, often the anti-Israel protesters derail the democratic process. Their latest outrageous effort to stop the free expression of ideas occurred at the New York City Council. Councilman Andy Cohen (D-Bronx) recent... Full story
Dear Editor: I recently relocated to Central Florida from Israel, and I want to take this opportunity to tell members of the Jewish Community about a wonderful program that helped me in my adjustment to life in America in Orlando. JFS Orlando’s Jewish Family Stability program is a jewel that many people may not know is there for them as well for their families. Every one I have met has been anxious and willing to help me. I owe my thanks to so many people, but especially to Clelie [Duroseau, B.S.W., Family Stabilization Program case m... Full story
Jew-baiting these days is a globally competitive field. The Middle East, Latin America and Asia could all put up credible candidates for the title of most notorious Jew-baiter. But if you ask me, it’s in Europe, the continent where modern anti-Semitism crystallized, where you’ll still find the most able and determined baiters. Now, if I had to pick someone from that particular field, I’d have to conclude that it’s a tie for first place. From Hungary: step forward Zsolt Bayer, journalist, fascist apologist, a founder of the ruling Fidesz... Full story
NEWARK, Del. (JTA)—My social media exploded earlier this month with dozens of Facebook notifications, texts and group messages from across the country. JTA had published one of my favorite photos, with our University of Delaware Hillel students dressed in blue and yellow, their hands outstretched to form the Star of David. The photo illustrated an article, an op-ed by Arnold Eisen, the chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary, titled “Jewish pride on campus is under siege. Here’s what your kids can do to fight back.” While Chancel... Full story
