Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 3281 - 3305 of 3706
In a rare quiet moment, John Ruskay, who is stepping down at the end of the month after 15 years as CEO and executive vice president ofUJA-Federation of New York, sat in his office on East 59th Street and described his feelings these days as “running in a relay race, trying to hand the baton” to his successor, Eric Goldstein, as seamlessly as possible. That baton, in effect, is the world’s largest local charity, a complex organization with a staff of 475 people, which raises more than $140 million a year for a wide range of local, natio... Full story
What does it mean to be a member of a “tribe”? I get an inkling during weeks like these, when the majority of the world is consumed by a quadrennial soccer tournament, and a small slice is convulsed over the abduction of three teenage boys. L’havdil, I know. But somehow both events — one celebratory and somewhat artificial, the other horrific and as real as it gets — turn disparate, even feuding individuals into a unified mass. The impulse is to gather with others like ourselves, wrap ourselves in the symbols of our tribes, and celebrate... Full story
The World Jewish Congress solidarity mission I led to Brussels on June 2 demonstrated an ancient Jewish principle that we at WJC strive to accomplish every day: Kol Yisrael arevim ze le ze – all Jews are responsible for one another. Organized in mere days, the mission brought 38 senior Jewish leaders from 16 different countries to the Belgian capital, where we were greeted with an outpouring of emotion from this community stricken by the heinous anti-Semitic terrorist attack on the Jewish Museum of Belgium. At a ceremony on June 2 at the museum... Full story
I’ve long argued that any proper understanding of the Palestinian conflict with Israel’s legitimacy is compromised by not taking wider regional factors into account. The school of thought that describes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as “the Middle East conflict” is dangerously misguided, because it ignores other factors that are far more important, such as the historically violent schism between Sunni and Shi’a Islam, Iran’s renewed assertiveness in Syria and Lebanon, the shared strategic interests binding Israel and the conservativ... Full story
Fundraising sounds harmless and caring. The vast majority of fundraising is just that. Many years ago I attended a fundraiser for Afghanistan against Russia, held at Faneuil Hall, the birthplace of the Boston Tea party of December 16, 1773. Feeling moved I donated money not knowing the true nature of Islamic terrorists. Mainstream media rarely reports on radical Islamists who are attacking us frequently, violently and subtly. Here I present an important tool they use: fundraising. Money is of major importance in any war. Radical Islam is well... Full story
“Messiah” may be a stretch. The word implies something from another world, associated with the Almighty, and meant to create some kind of paradise for those who are favored. Writing from Jerusalem on the subject is especially dicey, given that we are within walking distance of the places where the world’s primary claimant to the title was born and died. Beginning it with a small “m” might convey a more modest intention, of a political figure who will make things better, provide a new alternative, shake up the tired folks currently running thing... Full story
We’re so used to seeing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process fail that we often overlook this simple question: How is it possible that so many can try so hard for so long and still fail to make any progress? How can it be that the United States, the most powerful country on Earth, has failed so royally, despite decades of making this conflict a top priority? What I’m especially interested in is this: Why have the Palestinians, in particular, seemed so reluctant to make a deal? As Ari Shavit wrote recently in Haaretz, “Twenty years of fruit... Full story
When I graduated from Brandeis in 1972, where I majored in philosophy, I immediately knew that I owed Brandeis a great debt. And so, over the past 2 decades I have been, at times, an adjunct lecturer at the Brandeis International Business School, served on the Board of the Business School, and the Board of the University itself. With gratitude I have contributed significant sums to my alma mater, including a chair in Financial Markets and Institutions to the Business School. It was at Brandeis that I was introduced to the pre-Socratic philosoph... Full story
The recent survey by the Anti-Defamation League has been making headlines in the Jewish and non-Jewish media. Some articles see the research as flawed, and one rabbi, Jay Michaelson, claims that according to the survey, he, too, could be considered anti-Semitic. Michaelson’s column is a bit disingenuous, since at times he deliberately twists the questions, but he does make a good point: Why does agreeing with these statements, which could be taken neutrally, equal anti-Semitism? The answer seems clear in one way: Many are the same canards u... Full story
By Noam E. Marans NEW YORK (JTA)—In the charming movie “Groundhog Day,” Bill Murray’s character repeatedly relives the same day until learning from the repetition transforms him from lout to worthy wooer of his colleague, played by Andie MacDowell. The “Groundhog Day” of Presbyterian-Jewish relations is coming soon to a theater near you, but if we do not fully engage the issue, a Hollywood ending is unlikely. The biennial General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has regularly included an unhealthy confrontation between pro- and an... Full story
By Abraham Foxman The Anti-Defamation League’s Global 100 Index of Anti-Semitism is the broadest public opinion survey of attitudes toward Jews ever conducted. It is one of the most important efforts we have undertaken in our history as an organization. The survey was conducted in more than 100 countries and territories, and 53,100 people were interviewed, representing 4 billion adults around the world. Our basic findings were sobering: More than one-quarter of the people surveyed (26 percent) harbor anti-Semitic attitudes. The stereotypes r... Full story
By Edwin Black America grants the Palestinian Authority about $500 million annually. The fast-spinning money meter has already broken the $5 billion mark over the years. The annual financial infusion has been on autopilot as Israelis and Palestinians negotiated over the meters and metrics of a two-state solution. American money has been lavishly spent on Palestinians for one purpose: to encourage the peace process. Recently something changed. The Palestinian Authority unified with Hamas, making it the largest, best organized, and best-armed... Full story
The Jewish Federations of North America, or JFNA, may soon launch an effort that would include supporting groups in Israel working to limit or end Orthodox control of personal-status issues such as marriage, divorce, conversion and burial, The Jewish Week has learned. Clearly this is a key, often emotional, issue in this country, where about 85 percent of the American Jewish community is non-Orthodox; some feel they are looked upon as second-class Jews by Jerusalem. But the proposed project, known as iRep—Israel Religious Expressions P... Full story
Seventy years ago last week, the Allies staged the D-Day invasion, landing some 24,000 troops on the beaches along France’s Normandy coast in one of the major turning points of World War II. What is not widely realized, however, is that the D-Day assault on June 6, 1944, also had an important link to the fate of Europe’s Jews—and in particular to the controversy over the Allies’ refusal to bomb Auschwitz. Apologists for the Roosevelt administration’s failure to bomb the death camps often point to the fact that President Roosevelt and the U.S.... Full story
Dear Editor: Excellent column by Alan Kornman regarding encouraging Jews to become more active seeking climate change mitigation through lower emissions. Rabbi David Kay gave great examples, but when asked about the Heritage Foundation’s opposition to EPA regulations which will curb the use of coal and other dirty fuel, Kay chose not to answer a hypothetical question. However, since that article was written, the EPA has already made it clear what their regulations will be (they released the regs on June 2). An upcoming Torah reading guides u... Full story
When I last wrote about the archive of Jewish treasures from Iraq rescued by U.S. forces in Baghdad in 2003, I noted that the prevalent opinion among Iraqi Jews—a community from which I hail on my father’s side—was that the books, photographs, scrolls, writings, and communal documents in this extraordinary collection should remain in America, rather than being returned to Iraq. I then argued that while this view couldn’t be faulted on legal or moral grounds, I nonetheless wished that the situation were different, and that Iraq could celebra... Full story
When I offer to share information I have gathered over the past seven years with some people about what the Islamic fanatics are doing here in America. I frequently hear “I do not see Islamic trouble around here” and “it’s no big deal” and “I have a very nice Muslim friend” and “there are only a few fanatics.” To me, responses such as these simply say they are ill-informed because the majority of the media do a very poor job of reporting Islamic actions. You have heard about major attacks, World Trade Center suicide bombings, the Boston Maratho... Full story
The attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, resulting in four deaths including those of a visiting Israeli couple, has elevated once again the issue of anti-Semitism. It comes against the background of recent studies of the subject, including one based on questions about attitudes toward Jews in various countries, another on Jews’ sense of threat, and yet another that examined actual attacks attributed to anti-Semitism. The findings support those who would emphasize the continued threat against Jews, as well as those who argue that the f... Full story
The thin line dividing criticism of Israel from anti-Semitism just got a little thinner. BBC journalist Chris Rogers this week was revealed to have amused himself by giving the Nazi salute and strutting about in a Hitler-style goose-step while filming a documentary—on, of all things, anti-Semitic soccer fans in eastern Europe. The British Daily Mail newspaper first reported on Rogers’ vile actions on their website on May 19. Rogers’ “defense” was that his behavior was “intended as a joke.” Humor can be very revealing. Is it just a coincidence... Full story
When Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah/Palestinian Authority (PA) signed a reconciliation agreement with Hamas, a recognized terrorist group that calls in its Charter for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews, the State Department’s spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, observed, “It’s hard to see how Israel can be expected to negotiate with a government that does not believe in its right to exist.” Despite the obvious truth of this statement, Secretary of State John Kerry blamed Israel. As he told the Congress, “700 settlement units were announced i... Full story
During the wedding scene in Fiddler on the Roof, Perchik, the student revolutionary, breaks with tradition by crossing from the men’s side to the women’s side to dance with Tevye’s daughter Hodel. On stage it plays like a breakthrough; even the rabbi joins in the mixed dancing. So each time I see the film, why do I want to yell, “Don’t do it, Perchik!” I should explain. I am not an Orthodox Jew. I am a committed egalitarian. I belong to a synagogue where men and women have the same opportunities on the bima, in the pews, and in the study hall.... Full story
I had a dream that I was attending a political convention with my wife. I wore one of my favorite wool jackets from my college days, and glasses (this was pre-Lasik), and I had hair on top of my head. As speaker after speaker traipsed to the podium, I grew more and more impatient. I felt my anger heat up, the bile in my throat rise. Finally, I couldn’t stand it. I stood in the center of the group and started lecturing them, as if they were children. “This is all wrong!” I told them. “All... Full story
By Rafael Medoff JNS.org U.S. officials say it would be “too risky” to send commandos to rescue the 300 schoolgirls being held hostage by Islamist terrorists in Nigeria. If that’s the problem, they should look to the late George McGovern for the solution. Back in 1944, the future U.S. senator and Democratic presidential nominee was the 22-year-old pilot of a B-24 Liberator bomber in World War II. Among his targets: German synthetic oil factories in occupied Poland—some of them less than five miles from the gas chambers of Auschwitz. And that’s... Full story
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—UCLA has some proud moments in the history of civil liberties. After World War II, UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley, were the hotbeds of opposition to an anti-communist loyalty oath that California tried to impose on academics. Ultimately the professors won in court in 1954. Sixty years later, a different pressure group purportedly speaking for the “progressive” grassroots wants to impose on UCLA students a loyalty oath of sorts—a pledge foreswearing going on trips to Israel sponsored by certain Jewish organiz... Full story
Recently we remembered and reflected upon Yom ha Shoah. We must also look back at what could have been done to prevent this tragedy. We are all aware of what happened. We are all aware of how it happened. We are all aware of when it happened. But are we aware of why it was able to happen? If we look back to the period of the early to mid 1920s in Germany, we see a country in difficult economic straights. High unemployment after the staggering defeat of World War I. The humiliation, the disgrace, the asking of why? During those terrible days, a... Full story
