French Jews see lesson in dealing with Holocaust survivor’s slaying



Last April, Traore Kobili threw his Jewish neighbor to her death from her third-story home in Paris while calling her a demon and shouting about Allah. French authorities waited 170 days before they declared the killing of Sarah Halimi an anti-Semitic hate crime – and that was after unprecedented lobbying by French Jewish groups. “We need to let the judiciary […]

Sonya Miller Women of Distinction awards April 29



Two dozen women will be honored this month with the prestigious Sonya Miller Women of Distinction Award for the time, energy and leadership they have provided to the local Jewish organization of their choice. The event will be held on Sunday, April 29 at 2:30 p.m. at Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg. It annually draws more than 300 men and […]

New Israel Bonds event to honor Dr. Leslie Weiss,z”l



A new annual Israel Bonds Tampa Bay Women’s Division Premier event has been named in memory of Dr. Leslie Weiss, for her support of “everything Jewish, especially Israel Bonds.” Leslie, along with husband, Dr. Mitchell Weiss, and their two children, Hannah and Ari, were killed in a small plane crash in Costa Rica on Dec. 31. The April 23 dinner […]

Lisa Robbins chosen for new national ‘Next Gen’ program



Lisa Robbins, director of Young Adult Engagement for the Tampa JCCs and Federation, has been named to the inaugural class of the Next Gen Jewish Federation Fellows. She was one of 22 Jewish professionals from communities across the U.S. and Canada selected by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) as a fellow. The new effort is aimed at boosting […]

Alex Bregman: Baseball’s new Jewish star



Sitting on a couch near his locker at the Houston Astros’ spring training facility in West Palm Beach in mid- March, Alex Bregman reflected about an encounter his father had at the World Series last fall. It was in Los Angeles, between innings of the opening game. Sam Bregman was headed for a Dodger Stadium concession stand to grab a […]

Just a nosh..



Report: Trump – Netanyahu talk over U.S. pullout of Syria ‘grew tense’ JERUSALEM – President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke together by phone. The call on Wednesday, April 4, comes as Trump announced that he plans to pull all of the United States’ troops out of Syria, which lies on Israel’s northern border, within six months. […]

A new, modern anti-Semitism



Are we seeing a new kind of anti-Semitism? We look to recent horrific events – most recently the murder of Mireille Knoll, a Holocaust survivor slain in her Paris apartment – and we wonder if this is a newfound vein of activity, a re-emergence of a trend that hearkens back to 1930s Europe. Are we seeing patterns in today’s hate-fueled […]

President of Hondurus to light torch on eve of Independence Day



JERUSALEM (JTA) – The president of Honduras will light a torch in Israel’s annual Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl. Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was reelected for a second term in November, confirmed his attendance at the event, Culture Minister Miri Regev announced. Hernandez will light the torch at the April 18 ceremony together with a Foreign Ministry official representing […]

We have been entrusted to take care of the Earth



It’s spring. I love dolphin cruises and watching parent birds feeding their babies in the mangrove islands. I love to ask my students to count as many shades of green as they can. I love to look at the blue skies. I even love to watch alligators floating in ponds. There are so many miracles in nature, so many ways […]

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times