Category: Florida Jewish Journal

(JNS) Families of Israelis still being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip gathered in Kibbutz Nir Oz’s bullet-riddled dining hall on April 11 for a mock seder to demand the return of their loved ones ahead of Passover, which commemorates the biblical exodus from Egypt and the Jewish people’s deliverance from bondage. The hall contained empty yellow chairs (the color associated with the campaign to free the hostages) with pictures of each of the 133 hostages still being held by the terror group, alongside empty plates and cutlery, similar to the iconic exhibit in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. Courtesy...

(JNS) A rap artist who turned around his hard-partying lifestyle after a near-death experience when he was a teenager and became a rabbi now sees surging success with his newest single. Rabbi Moshe Reuven Sheradsky, 31, has hit the No. 1 spot on the Israeli musical charts with his song “Red and Yellow.” He spoke with JNS about the spiritual influences on his music and whether the antisemitism of Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) signified a potential trend in hip-hop. CourtesyRabbi Moshe Reuven Sheradsky. Courtesy Lyrics in his hit song reference the near-death experience (someone spiked his...

(New York Jewish Week) — Jewish New York was once defined by pushcarts and peddlers; immigrants arriving through Ellis Island; densely packed kosher restaurants; lively Yiddish theater and daily newspapers in Yiddish and Ladino. Those days are long gone — but that period is just some of the Jewish history captured in documents and ephemera collected and carefully cataloged by the Dorot Jewish Division at the New York Public Library. Their collection includes the very first edition, in 1897, of the Yiddish daily newspaper Der Forverts, matchbooks from Jewish businesses like Schapiro’s Kosher...

(JNS) On the day her Galilee community of Klil was targeted by Hezbollah missiles, Michal Shiloah Galnoor was presiding over an event that brought together women entrepreneurs displaced by the war from the north and south of Israel. The “You Are Invited” day that took place at the Design Terminal Bat Yam recently in honor of International Women’s Day was attended by 60 women small business owners of all ages. They gathered to learn how to keep their businesses afloat during extraordinary times, as well as to enjoy a day off from the tensions of the past months. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90Women...

Author Andrew Lawler’s latest novel, “Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World’s Most Contested City” brings the past to life. FAU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will host Andrew at its Jupiter Campus Auditorium on Monday, December 11th at 3 p.m. and in Boca Raton at the Friedberg Auditorium in the Lifelong Learning Building on Tuesday, December 12th at 3 p.m. A book signing will follow both presentations. Ahead of his OLLI lectures Andrew shared details about the book’s research. Linda: Explain why you wrote the book “Under Jerusalem”? Andrew: For the past two decades I have been...

Monsters descended on Israel’s southern border on October 7. While Israeli and international families mourn the horrifying torture and murder of their loved ones, university students blame Israelis for the atrocities committed against them and university presidents have lost their moral compass. The thin line between Israel bashing and Jew hatred continues to dissolve before our eyes. Participants in massive anti-Israel rallies worldwide shout, “Gas the Jews” and “We are Hamas.” Courtesy of Lana MelmanLana Melman. Courtesy of Lana Melman Yes, incomprehensibly, too many are justifying and even...