Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 2601 - 2625 of 3706
Despite your grievances with the country, refusing to stand for the national anthem is no way to advance a cause. At times we face conflicting values. For me, Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem is a perfect example of this. For one, Judaism maintains that you should not judge a person until you have spent a day in their shoes. Inevitably, as no two people are dealt the same circumstances and no two individuals wear the same shoes, we really can’t ever pass judgment on others. It is with that value deeply ingrained in me... Full story
Dear Editor: I would like to respond to the staunch advocate of the “plight of the poor Palestinians,” Linda Gradstein’s recent article, “Gaza reconstruction proceeding slowly.” There is much to be said for the current situation resulting in an almost total lack of reconstruction of the damage caused by their unprovoked attack(s) on Israel. There are several reasons for the slow show of a desire to rebuild. First, that would not enhance the projected image of the living conditions in Gaza. By maintain the image of poverty, the governmen... Full story
The far left U.S. Green Party marked a significant milestone in the current campaign cycle when CNN broadcast a town hall debate with its presidential candidate, Jill Stein, and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka. It was a chance for the largely obscure party to build upon the momentum generated by Sen. Bernie Sander’s bid for the Democratic Party nomination with a progressive platform untainted, as Stein and Baraka emphasized again and again, by the paw prints of corporate lobbyists, special interest groups and dubious foreign governments. L... Full story
It’s not the end of the world just because an Egyptian athlete refused to shake hands with his Israeli counterpart at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro last week. After all, the Egyptian is the one who violated judo etiquette. He’s the one whom the fans booed. I won’t lose any sleep over his petty insult, and I doubt many Israelis will either. But the incident, as small as it was, does offer some food for thought about much bigger issues, such as the prospects for peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors. The Judo Snubber, Mr. Islam El Sheha... Full story
We’re all on the borders of cultures. We express the condition by where we travel, with whom we deal, and how we deal with those who are different from ourselves. Staying close to home and minding our own business are conventional ways of dealing with strangers, some of whom may worry or threaten us. Americans who feel safe in upscale neighborhoods don’t venture into Black ghettos, unless they know the way and want to purchase something available there. Jews living in French Hill stay away from Isaweea, Shuafat, or Beit Hanina, unless they spe... Full story
MIAMI (JTA)—Every four years the same movie plays at the Jewish Political Film Festival: It’s the one where the Democrats pass another party platform with more ironclad support for Israel and then nominate yet another presidential candidate whose record on Israel is beyond question. The ending is always the same, too, with two-thirds to three-quarters of American Jews voting for the Democrat. This year will be no different. American Jews again will vote for the Democratic candidate, confident that Democrats will have Israel’s back. Not only... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—For years, the leaders of America’s most established Jewish organizations—AIPAC chief among them - have assured their members that when it came to Israel, there wasn’t much difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. Even suggesting that control of the White House or Congress might matter to the U.S.-Israel relationship was taboo, often decried as “anti-Israel” if not “anti-Semitic.” The 2016 platform debates and conventions have shattered this outlandish insistence that in our hyperpartisan era, Israel policy s... Full story
As a minority group that has faced down centuries of anti-Semitism, the Jewish people have long stood shoulder-to-shoulder with other long-suffering and persecuted minority groups such as African-Americans. This was evident during the Civil Rights Movement when Jewish leaders stood against segregation in the south. That allegiance continues today with Jewish figures speaking out against inequality that many African-Americans face. Despite this solidarity, Jewish and African-American relations today face one of their biggest challenges yet.... Full story
When I was in my late teens, I listened to the second side of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album, pretty much every day for three weeks in a forest about an hour north of Montreal. I was living in a tent with other Jewish wannabe hippies at Camp Bnai Brith, and the camp leaders allowed us to have a turn table outside our tent, where we could spin our vinyls at will. It’s hard to imagine living my life without the second side of Abbey Road. On my way to visit my son at Camp Ramah the other day, I played it in my car, a few times over. Every note is... Full story
Not much of anything. This is a time for watching and waiting. The biggest crap shoot is in the United States. Currently it seems wisest to bet the nickel on Hillary, and a dime or even a quarter that the stay-at-homes will have more votes than any candidate. If the bet on Hillary wins, we can assume more of the same from the government she will be leading. If Donald wins, all bets are off. Picking his direction defies the odds-makers. There is a lot going on elsewhere. The Israeli government and its security services should continue investing... Full story
If a bomb was thrown at a prominent synagogue in Brooklyn, the media would treat it as front-page news and politicians would rush to condemn the assault. But watch what happens when Palestinians throw a bomb at a prominent Jewish holy site and synagogue in Israel: editors bury the story, and politicians are focusing their attention elsewhere. On Aug. 7, a Palestinian terrorist hurled a bomb at the Tomb of Rachel, near Bethlehem. The building contains a synagogue, a study area and, of course, the burial site of one of the Jewish biblical matriar... Full story
(JTA)—American Jewish voters have naturally voted for Democratic candidates because it has meant voting to support strong social justice and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. Hillary Clinton and her vice presidential choice, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will continue Democratic action on economic and educational opportunities, retirement security and quality, affordable health care, and especially Israel’s security and Middle East peace. The Clinton-Kaine ticket promises to build upon a strong tradition of Democratic leadership. Clinton has... Full story
(JTA)—With the presidential race heating up, a number of progressive Jewish commentators have portrayed the Republicans’ vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, as a conservative extremist opposed to Jewish beliefs and values. As officers of the only statewide, grassroots Jewish and Israel advocacy organization in Indiana—who also have had the privilege of working closely with Pence and other Indiana legislators of both political parties to pass important pro-Jewish, pro-Israel legislation—we dispute this inaccurate portray... Full story
I hosted a Christian journalist recently. She wanted to visit a “settlement” to see for herself what life is like, to understand better the Jewish connection to biblical Judea and Samaria, and actual life on the ground. What she learned, witnessed, and took away is very different from that which is portrayed in the world media, and among those with anti-Israel agendas that delegitimize Israel’s very existence. At the top of a hill overlooking the adjacent Arab village next to my neighborhood, so close that someone with a good arm could throw... Full story
Politics isn’t everything. There’s also sport. Anyone who’s visited Rome’s Coliseum, or the remains of Greek amphitheaters around the Mediterranean, knows that its capacity to divert has been with us for a long time. We’ve moved beyond the blood sport of the gladiators. Boxing is losing its popularity. Dog fighting and cock fighting are underground. Wrestling is more theater than sport. American football and North American hockey are about as bloody as they get, with football on the agenda of those who worry about the damage to knees and brain... Full story
When I made aliyah over a year ago, I was warned that it would be hard. With no family here, many people gave me their contact information and an open invitation for any assistance when needed. But for me, for the first year, it really wasn’t all that hard. Thanks to a great absorption experience, a steady job and an amazing support system, I felt great about my choice to make aliyah. I didn’t need much assistance and had nearly 100 percent positive experiences. That is, up until this week. The pain in my back returned, but this time with a v... Full story
In late March 2016, Rabbi Barry Silver reached out to his Muslim friends Wilfredo Ruiz (CAIR), Professor Bassem Al-Halabi (ICBR Mosque), Deputy Sheriff Nezar Hamze (CAIR), and former Israeli Army Officer David Shimon to have a panel discussion on Islamophobia, Shariah Law, and Islam on July 20, 2016 at Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor. All four men agreed to be a part of the discussion. The community responded enthusiastically filling Rabbi Silver’s Synagogue to standing room only. The three Muslim leaders were last minute no shows in a shameful and... Full story
By Gideon Aronoff, Ken Bob, Josh Weinberg and John Rosove NEW YORK (JTA)—As progressive American Zionists, we take seriously the critique of Israel and Zionism by professors Hasia Diner and Marjorie N. Feld, contained in their Aug. 1 Haaretz article, “We’re American Jewish Historians. This is why we’ve left Zionism behind.” However, unlike them, we affirm progressive Zionist values. And those values mandate activism in order to ensure that Israel is both a democracy and the national home of the Jewish people. The difference between us and pr... Full story
Imagine a bi-partisan commission focused on one of America’s most pressing national issues. Imagine a consensus opinion on what needs to be done to save generations of American youth-at-risk. Now imagine ignoring those recommendations. Unthinkable to some, but the sad reality we see today. Some 40 years ago, A Nation at Risk called the American public to arms, impressing on them the urgent need to refocus on a robust education for our nation’s youth. Nearly half a century later, we have forgotten this report’s impactful message. We forge... Full story
It’s been a long time since I saw a gesture this desperate. At the recent Arab Summit in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, the Palestinian Authority (PA) foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, announced that his boss, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, had asked the Arab states to prepare a legal case against Britain in retaliation for the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The Balfour Declaration, which took the form of a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to the Zionist leader Lord Rothschild, confirmed Britain’s favorable view of a ... Full story
The world has a serious problem, that of the massive number of refugees fleeing Middle Eastern war-torn countries. The vast majority of these refugees are Syrian and Iraqi Muslims while non-Muslims constitute less than three percent. Some countries refuse to admit refugees. Lebanon and Jordan shut their borders to Syrians in 2014. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United-Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman will not take a single refugee because of the crime and violence threat to their safety, as jihadist terrorists hide among those fleeing. After the... Full story
By Eliana Rudee (JNS.org) Living in Israel comes with many hardships, some of them known and some of them unknown. I expected certain dilemmas with the language, bureaucracy, cultural immersion and finances, for example. But there is one thing that I did not expect to deal with when I made aliyah, namely, experiencing loss from abroad. I believed that if I didn’t think about such a situation, maybe it would go away. As my boyfriend says, “that’s a problem for future Ellie,” as if I could put the problem off in my mind. So I did. Well, at leas... Full story
Israel’s parliament this week took action in response to an Arab Knesset member’s public support of a terrorist who murdered an American-Jewish peace activist. But if you read the account by New York Times correspondent Isabel Kershner, you wouldn’t know anything about the terrorist or his victim—all you would learn is that Israel’s rulers are suppressing dissent and might be infected by “budding fascism.” It’s as if Kershner and her editors are living in some kind of alternative universe, in which Israel is always guilty, Arab extremists are... Full story
In 2012, the Electronic Intifada, an online anti-Zionist media outlet that aggressively promotes the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, ran a lengthy article suggesting that “allegations of ‘anti-Semitism’ create a real climate of fear” that is “silencing” pro-Palestinian student activists on U.S. campuses. I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw the article, not because of the absurd nature of the charges—that Jewish students were somehow intimidating and silencing pro-Palestinian student activists just by virtue of speak... Full story
Dear Editor: Centuries ago, there were followers of Judaism and Christianity, specifically zealots and crusaders, who supported or committed violence and conquest in the name of religion. Nowadays, however, due to the reformation of Judaism and Christianity, it is extremely rare for acts of terror to be committed by Christians or Jews in the name of either religion. Sadly, the opposite is true for Islam, which has been hijacked by millions of followers, who support violence in the name of Allah. Most perpetrators of this violence and those who... Full story
