1.Why did the Palestinians not accept the UN vote to partion Palestine into Jewish and Arab state 60 years ago? There could have been a Palestinian State for 60 years?
2. Why do the Palestinians raise their kids to commit suicide by killing inncocent Israeli civilians?
3. Why do they teach Jew hatred in primary grades?
4. Why are their summer camps terrorist training camps?
5. Why do they send missiles to try to blow up schools in Israel daily?
6.Why do they try and run guns from ambulances?
7. Why did Jordan not set up a Palestinian state from 1948-1967 when they controlled the West Bank?
8. Show me one source about an Arab Palestinian people in history prior to 1930?
Palestine was the name the Romans gave the area and Palstinians were Jews.
9. Israeli Prime Minister Barak told Arafat he could take 98% of the West Bank and Gaza and Arafat walked out and started infada 2.
10. Israel is on record willing to create a Palestinian state but not to peeople who won't accept her existence and openly say they want to destroy her.
11. Why are there no churches in Saudi Arabia?
12. Why do thoe Muslim societies tolerate honor killings where fathers and brothers can murder their daughters and sisters for dating?
13. Why can UN member, the dicatator of Iran openly call for the destruction of a UN state, israel and not be expelled?
14. Why does the world sit by and watch and do nothing while the Iranian leadership talk about how Israel will be destroyed?
What is Israel to do?
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Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
E alert
Chicago, Midwest, and US news
Thousands join NYC rally to Stop Iran Now
JUF leaders express solidarity as fire cleanup begins at Chinese-American Museum
Jewish Federation launches collection for hurricane relief
Election coverage from a Jewish angle
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Jerusalem terrorist was a Hamas member
Security forces uncover east Jerusalem terror cell
Sderot mother faces Human Rights Council
P.A. newspaper portrays caricature of Livni with a bloody dagger
Blair's sister-in-law finally leaves Gaza; photo betrays her baseless propaganda
Israel and World news
Olmert resigns, Livni to create new governmental commission
Paul McCartney talks with the JPost prior to first concert in Israel
Facebook reflects struggle over Islam's role
Iran Watch
Ahmadinejad slams 'Zionists' in address to United Nations
Israel slams 'absurd' Iran bid for Security Council seat
Russia defies West over nuclear Iran
Israeli military intelligence: Iran halfway to first nuclear bomb
IAEA shows photos alleging Iran worked on missile
Events and Programs
Learn modern Hebrew
Editorial, Opinion & Analysis
From the world press
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago, Midwest, and US news
THOUSANDS JOIN NYC RALLY TO STOP IRAN NOW
Thousands of people gathered across from the United Nations Monday to protest the policies and messages of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and to call attention to the grave threats Iran poses to the world. The National Rally to Stop Iran Now featured prominent civic and religious figures, from the United States and overseas, who called on the international community to stop Iran's nuclear ambitions, its threats against the United States and Israel, its support for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and its domestic human rights abuse. The rally took place against the backdrop of the opening of the UN General Assembly and the gathering of world leaders, including Ahmadinejad.
The rally was sponsored by the National Coalition to Stop Iran Now, which includes leaders and organizations representing various communities who are deeply concerned about the Iranian threat. Members include United Jewish Communities, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, UJA-Federation of New York, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Watch video clips of the rally.
Sarah Sechan, a student at Columbia/JTS in New York and a former JUF News Lewis Summer Intern, was present at the rally, along with a delegation of students attending thanks to JUF's JCRC. Read Sechan's account of the rally and her perspective piece on what it was like to attend.
Back to top
JUF LEADERS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY AS FIRE CLEANUP BEGINS AT CHINESE-AMERICAN MUSEUM
Standing outside the charred remains of the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, where the smell of burnt 19th Century robes, historic photographs and countless other artifacts wafted through the air, officials on Sunday vowed to rebuild within a year.
"We are all saddened by this event. But we have to take a deep breath and pull ourselves together," said Raymond Lee, who just three years ago helped buy the property at 238 W. 23rd St. to give Chicago's Chinese-American community a place to preserve its history. The building's top two floors were gutted and the bottom two severely damaged by water in a fire that started about 2 p.m. Friday, just after museum staff had closed its doors for the day. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Kim K. Tee, president of the Chinatown Museum Foundation.
In a letter to the museum's president, leaders of JUF's JCRC expressed solidarity and offered to assist the the museum in its recovery efforts.
Back to top
JEWISH FEDERATION LAUNCHES COLLECTION FOR HURRICANE RELIEF
In the wake of hurricanes that have devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana while causing catastrophic flooding here in the greater Chicago area, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago has opened an emergency mailbox to funnel humanitarian aid to the impacted areas. The funds will help support victims of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which struck the Gulf Coast and cut a swath of destruction across the Midwest, and also could be used to help victims of other storms that may strike.
The Jewish Federation will not deduct any administrative costs--100% of collected funds will go directly to aid the victims. Initial relief will go toward short-term disaster needs such as food, water and medicines, and for more intermediate needs such as mental-health and other counseling, Other needs will be determined as officials continue to assess the overall impact of this and other recent storms.
Individuals can contribute online, by phone at 312.444.2869 or by mail, making checks payable to:
Jewish Federation Hurricane Relief Fund
c/o Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
30 S. Wells St.
Room 3017
Chicago, IL 60606
Back to top
ELECTION COVERAGE FROM A JEWISH ANGLE
Visit JTA's Election Central '08 and The Forward's Campaign Confidential for the latest news and views.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
JERUSALEM TERRORIST WAS A HAMAS MEMBER
The terrorist who rammed his BMW into a group of soldiers at a central Jerusalem thoroughfare late Monday was a member of Hamas, according to the Palestinian Ma'an news agency.
Qassem Mughrabi, 19, from east Jerusalem's Jebl Mukaber, the same village that was home to the terrorist who killed eight students at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in March, wounded fifteen people before being shot dead by an off-duty IDF officer. The 19-year-old had wanted to marry his cousin, and when she refused his offer, he decided to carry out a terror attack, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. Also read Jerusalem's latest suicidal driver.
Back to top
SECURITY FORCES UNCOVER EAST JERUSALEM TERROR CELL
The Shin Bet and Israel Police have recently uncovered a terror cell operating out of east Jerusalem. The cell, consisting of seven Arabs, six of them east Jerusalem residents, carried out two attacks in the past year in which two Border Guard officers were killed and two others were injured. Ten days ago, the Jerusalem District Prosecution filed indictments against the terrorists for murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and weapons trafficking. The terrorists also planned several other attacks, apparently plotting an assassination, a kidnapping and a shooting attack before they were apprehended. The head of the terror cell was identified as Mahmad Abu-Senena.
Back to top
SDEROT MOTHER FACES HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
With her baby in her hands, Sderot mother Dena Cohen has only 15 seconds to dash to safety when she hears the warning siren of an impending rocket attack ring out across her hometown of Sderot. Last Thursday, she was the first resident of that city to address the United Nation's Human Rights Council and to give them an intimate portrait of what it was like to live under the constant rocket threat from the Palestinians in neighboring Gaza.
Back to top
P.A. NEWSPAPER PORTRAYS CARICATURE OF LIVNI WITH A BLOODY DAGGER
The Fatah-run Palestinian Authority media presented Kadima chairwoman and Israeli prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni with a dagger dripping with blood in a caricature drawing published recently in one of the official PA publications, according to the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) watchdog organization. The cartoon shows Livni holding the dripping dagger an arm's length away from a hanging dove, the classic bird of peace. Livni has been designated to to try to form the next Israeli government, and could be the next prime minister. See the caricature.
Back to top
BLAIR'S SISTER-IN-LAW FINALLY LEAVES GAZA; PHOTO BETRAYS HER BASELESS PROPAGANDA
Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former British prime minister Tony Blair, left the Gaza Strip on Saturday nearly a month after sailing in to protest an Israeli blockade of the territory. The crossing was opened Saturday to allow 1,500 Gazans, mostly Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca, to leave the territory.
A photo is circulating widely via email depicting Lauren Booth in Gaza shopping at an abundently-stocked grocery store, despite the baseless claims of her and others that Israel is starving the Palestinian people.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Israel and World news
OLMERT RESIGNS, LIVNI TO CREATE NEW GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION
With her primary victory in hand, and Ehud Olmert's resignation Sunday, prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni now has six weeks to form a government and stave off new elections. Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni met Wednesday with Labor Chairman Ehud Barak in Jerusalem in a meeting which was deemed positive in advancing the formation of a new government.
Back to top
PAUL MCCARTNEY TALKS WITH THE JPOST PRIOR TO FIRST CONCERT IN ISRAEL
Ahead of his Tel Aviv concert today, McCartney talks to The Jerusalem Post about his beliefs, Israel and the threats he received prior to the concert, about how he copes with near-universal fame, about the inspiration for some of his songs, and about his abiding, insistently optimistic outlook on life.
Back to top
FACEBOOK REFLECTS STRUGGLE OVER ISLAM'S ROLE
Read how Facebook is reflecting what is happening in Muslim society.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iran Watch
AHMADINEJAD SLAMS 'ZIONISTS' IN ADDRESS TO UNITED NATIONS
Iran's president delivered a scathing attack on Zionists at the United Nations. In an address replete with classical anti-Semitic motifs, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Zionists are criminals and murderers, are "acquisitive" and "deceitful," finance despite their "minuscule" number. Read the full text of Ahmadinejad's speech.
Also at the UN general assembly, President Bush told the UN's 192 members that they needed to do more to fight terrorism. As Ahmadinejad and other American foes sat in the audience, Bush called on the UN to enforce sanctions against Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programs. While a few regimes "like Syria and Iran" continued to sponsor terror, they were growing more isolated, he said. Also read Iran's leader gives thumbs down during Bush speech.
Also read remarks by Israeli President Shimon Peres at the UN General Assembly.
Back to top
ISRAEL SLAMS 'ABSURD' IRAN BID FOR SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday that giving Iran a seat on the UN Security Council would be "absurd" given the insecurity its policies have caused.
"It is absurd that a state unparalleled in threatening the security of its neighbours and calling for the destruction of another state should be a member of a body whose goal is to further global security," Livni said. "The significance would be to let a criminal become his own judge," she added. Her statement came a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a new tirade against Israel in a fiery address to the UN General Assembly.
Back to top
RUSSIA DEFIES WEST OVER NUCLEAR IRAN
Russia announced this week it will resist western pressure for tougher United Nations sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The announcement came after the Kremlin agreed to sell advanced antiaircraft systems to the Iranians, bringing condemnation from the US.
On Tuesday, the United States and five other powers called off plans for high-level talks to debate further sanctions against Iran, after Russia complained of US attempts to "punish" it. The cancellation of the meeting in New York involving US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterparts from Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany came amid rising US-Russian tensions over the crisis in Georgia.
Back to top
ISRAELI MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: IRAN HALFWAY TO FIRST NUCLEAR BOMB
Iran is halfway to a nuclear bomb, and Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria are using this period of relative calm to significantly rearm, Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz, the Military Intelligence's head of research, told the cabinet Sunday during a particularly gloomy briefing on the threats facing the country.
Back to top
IAEA SHOWS PHOTOS ALLEGING IRAN WORKED ON MISSILE
The UN nuclear watchdog has shown its members documents and photographs suggesting that Iran secretly tried to modify a missile cone to carry a nuclear bomb, diplomats said. Diplomats who attended a special briefing Tuesday said the IAEA's head of inspections in the Middle East, Herman Naeckerts, had shown them new proof indicating that Iran tried to refit the long-distance Shahab-3 missile to carry a nuclear payload. The US envoy to the IAEA, Gregory Schulte, said Naeckerts showed photos and diagrams of Iranian work on re-designing a Shabab-3 "to carry what would appear to be a nuclear weapon."
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events and Programs
LEARN MODERN HEBREW
The Community Foundation for Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago ("CFJE"), a support foundation of the Jewish Federation, offers adults an outstanding opportunity to learn and feel comfortable with Hebrew through its "Merkaz Ivrit" or "Ulpan Center." Classes will take place in Skokie, the North Shore, Lakeview and new this year: Buffalo Grove. Running from October 2008 through May 2009, this 22-session program (1.5 hr/week) is structured to meet the needs of learners at all levels.
Registration has begun and will fill up fast. For the Ulpan brochure and registration information, go to www.cfje.org, click on Adult Learning and then click on Ulpan. Questions? Contact the Ulpan Center today (847) 410-3900 x 20 or by e-mail at Ulpan@cfje.org.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial, Opinion & Analysis
FROM THE WORLD PRESS
The forgotten path to Middle East peace, Ben Lowenberg
Taking Ahmadinejad at his word, by Malcolm Hoenlein
Analysis: Will Livni get her coalition, or will Israel go to elections?, Leslie Susser
A peace from the bottom up, by Jackson Diehl
Everyone needs to worry about Iran, by Richard Holbrooke, R. James Woolsey, Dennis B. Ross and Mark D. Wallace
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's triumph, by Bret Stephens
Creeping Islamization in Europe, by Diana West
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Us!
E-mail: e-alert@juf.org
JUF Web page:
www.juf.org
Free the Soldiers
Join JUF's "Free the Kidnapped Israelis" campaign by finding out about news, video and advocacy opportunities.
Help people in need
Donate now to JUF to help Jews in need locally, in Israel, and around the world. For more information, email pledge@juf.org or call (312) 357-4805.
Events Calendars
JUF's upcoming events and cultural events sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
Buy Israel Goods
See a catalogue of Judaica and Israeli products
See a directory of Israeli products
Links
WWW.JUF.ORG
CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL TO THE MIDWEST
ISRAEL MINISTRY OF TOURISM
ISRAEL ECONOMIC MISSION
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
YEDIOT ACHRONOT
HA'ARETZ
THE JERUSALEM POST
MEMRI.ORG
ISRAEL 21C
THE MEDIA LINE
GLOBES
SHALOM TV
EUROPEAN JEWISH PRESS
MENSCH'S GUIDE TO CAMPUS ACTIVISM
ISRAEL INDEPENDENT TV
ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF JEWS IN THE FSU
NCSJ : MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Subscribe
Visit our subscription page to sign up for other JUF e-newsletters. Receive a list of volunteer opportunities in the Jewish and larger Chicago community and updates from the JUF TOV Volunteer Network or get regular updates from JUF's Young Leadership Division.
Candlelighting
Friday, September 26, 6:22 p.m., Nitzavim
The mission of E-Alert is to provide timely information about issues and events in Israel and the wider Jewish world. E-Alert connects members of the Chicago Jewish community to these issues and mobilizes them to take action. E-Alert is a product of JUF's Jewish Community Relations Council and JUF News, and is published as a service to the community by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
Thousands join NYC rally to Stop Iran Now
JUF leaders express solidarity as fire cleanup begins at Chinese-American Museum
Jewish Federation launches collection for hurricane relief
Election coverage from a Jewish angle
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Jerusalem terrorist was a Hamas member
Security forces uncover east Jerusalem terror cell
Sderot mother faces Human Rights Council
P.A. newspaper portrays caricature of Livni with a bloody dagger
Blair's sister-in-law finally leaves Gaza; photo betrays her baseless propaganda
Israel and World news
Olmert resigns, Livni to create new governmental commission
Paul McCartney talks with the JPost prior to first concert in Israel
Facebook reflects struggle over Islam's role
Iran Watch
Ahmadinejad slams 'Zionists' in address to United Nations
Israel slams 'absurd' Iran bid for Security Council seat
Russia defies West over nuclear Iran
Israeli military intelligence: Iran halfway to first nuclear bomb
IAEA shows photos alleging Iran worked on missile
Events and Programs
Learn modern Hebrew
Editorial, Opinion & Analysis
From the world press
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago, Midwest, and US news
THOUSANDS JOIN NYC RALLY TO STOP IRAN NOW
Thousands of people gathered across from the United Nations Monday to protest the policies and messages of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and to call attention to the grave threats Iran poses to the world. The National Rally to Stop Iran Now featured prominent civic and religious figures, from the United States and overseas, who called on the international community to stop Iran's nuclear ambitions, its threats against the United States and Israel, its support for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and its domestic human rights abuse. The rally took place against the backdrop of the opening of the UN General Assembly and the gathering of world leaders, including Ahmadinejad.
The rally was sponsored by the National Coalition to Stop Iran Now, which includes leaders and organizations representing various communities who are deeply concerned about the Iranian threat. Members include United Jewish Communities, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, UJA-Federation of New York, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Watch video clips of the rally.
Sarah Sechan, a student at Columbia/JTS in New York and a former JUF News Lewis Summer Intern, was present at the rally, along with a delegation of students attending thanks to JUF's JCRC. Read Sechan's account of the rally and her perspective piece on what it was like to attend.
Back to top
JUF LEADERS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY AS FIRE CLEANUP BEGINS AT CHINESE-AMERICAN MUSEUM
Standing outside the charred remains of the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, where the smell of burnt 19th Century robes, historic photographs and countless other artifacts wafted through the air, officials on Sunday vowed to rebuild within a year.
"We are all saddened by this event. But we have to take a deep breath and pull ourselves together," said Raymond Lee, who just three years ago helped buy the property at 238 W. 23rd St. to give Chicago's Chinese-American community a place to preserve its history. The building's top two floors were gutted and the bottom two severely damaged by water in a fire that started about 2 p.m. Friday, just after museum staff had closed its doors for the day. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Kim K. Tee, president of the Chinatown Museum Foundation.
In a letter to the museum's president, leaders of JUF's JCRC expressed solidarity and offered to assist the the museum in its recovery efforts.
Back to top
JEWISH FEDERATION LAUNCHES COLLECTION FOR HURRICANE RELIEF
In the wake of hurricanes that have devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana while causing catastrophic flooding here in the greater Chicago area, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago has opened an emergency mailbox to funnel humanitarian aid to the impacted areas. The funds will help support victims of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which struck the Gulf Coast and cut a swath of destruction across the Midwest, and also could be used to help victims of other storms that may strike.
The Jewish Federation will not deduct any administrative costs--100% of collected funds will go directly to aid the victims. Initial relief will go toward short-term disaster needs such as food, water and medicines, and for more intermediate needs such as mental-health and other counseling, Other needs will be determined as officials continue to assess the overall impact of this and other recent storms.
Individuals can contribute online, by phone at 312.444.2869 or by mail, making checks payable to:
Jewish Federation Hurricane Relief Fund
c/o Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
30 S. Wells St.
Room 3017
Chicago, IL 60606
Back to top
ELECTION COVERAGE FROM A JEWISH ANGLE
Visit JTA's Election Central '08 and The Forward's Campaign Confidential for the latest news and views.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
JERUSALEM TERRORIST WAS A HAMAS MEMBER
The terrorist who rammed his BMW into a group of soldiers at a central Jerusalem thoroughfare late Monday was a member of Hamas, according to the Palestinian Ma'an news agency.
Qassem Mughrabi, 19, from east Jerusalem's Jebl Mukaber, the same village that was home to the terrorist who killed eight students at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in March, wounded fifteen people before being shot dead by an off-duty IDF officer. The 19-year-old had wanted to marry his cousin, and when she refused his offer, he decided to carry out a terror attack, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. Also read Jerusalem's latest suicidal driver.
Back to top
SECURITY FORCES UNCOVER EAST JERUSALEM TERROR CELL
The Shin Bet and Israel Police have recently uncovered a terror cell operating out of east Jerusalem. The cell, consisting of seven Arabs, six of them east Jerusalem residents, carried out two attacks in the past year in which two Border Guard officers were killed and two others were injured. Ten days ago, the Jerusalem District Prosecution filed indictments against the terrorists for murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and weapons trafficking. The terrorists also planned several other attacks, apparently plotting an assassination, a kidnapping and a shooting attack before they were apprehended. The head of the terror cell was identified as Mahmad Abu-Senena.
Back to top
SDEROT MOTHER FACES HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
With her baby in her hands, Sderot mother Dena Cohen has only 15 seconds to dash to safety when she hears the warning siren of an impending rocket attack ring out across her hometown of Sderot. Last Thursday, she was the first resident of that city to address the United Nation's Human Rights Council and to give them an intimate portrait of what it was like to live under the constant rocket threat from the Palestinians in neighboring Gaza.
Back to top
P.A. NEWSPAPER PORTRAYS CARICATURE OF LIVNI WITH A BLOODY DAGGER
The Fatah-run Palestinian Authority media presented Kadima chairwoman and Israeli prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni with a dagger dripping with blood in a caricature drawing published recently in one of the official PA publications, according to the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) watchdog organization. The cartoon shows Livni holding the dripping dagger an arm's length away from a hanging dove, the classic bird of peace. Livni has been designated to to try to form the next Israeli government, and could be the next prime minister. See the caricature.
Back to top
BLAIR'S SISTER-IN-LAW FINALLY LEAVES GAZA; PHOTO BETRAYS HER BASELESS PROPAGANDA
Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former British prime minister Tony Blair, left the Gaza Strip on Saturday nearly a month after sailing in to protest an Israeli blockade of the territory. The crossing was opened Saturday to allow 1,500 Gazans, mostly Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca, to leave the territory.
A photo is circulating widely via email depicting Lauren Booth in Gaza shopping at an abundently-stocked grocery store, despite the baseless claims of her and others that Israel is starving the Palestinian people.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Israel and World news
OLMERT RESIGNS, LIVNI TO CREATE NEW GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION
With her primary victory in hand, and Ehud Olmert's resignation Sunday, prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni now has six weeks to form a government and stave off new elections. Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni met Wednesday with Labor Chairman Ehud Barak in Jerusalem in a meeting which was deemed positive in advancing the formation of a new government.
Back to top
PAUL MCCARTNEY TALKS WITH THE JPOST PRIOR TO FIRST CONCERT IN ISRAEL
Ahead of his Tel Aviv concert today, McCartney talks to The Jerusalem Post about his beliefs, Israel and the threats he received prior to the concert, about how he copes with near-universal fame, about the inspiration for some of his songs, and about his abiding, insistently optimistic outlook on life.
Back to top
FACEBOOK REFLECTS STRUGGLE OVER ISLAM'S ROLE
Read how Facebook is reflecting what is happening in Muslim society.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iran Watch
AHMADINEJAD SLAMS 'ZIONISTS' IN ADDRESS TO UNITED NATIONS
Iran's president delivered a scathing attack on Zionists at the United Nations. In an address replete with classical anti-Semitic motifs, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Zionists are criminals and murderers, are "acquisitive" and "deceitful," finance despite their "minuscule" number. Read the full text of Ahmadinejad's speech.
Also at the UN general assembly, President Bush told the UN's 192 members that they needed to do more to fight terrorism. As Ahmadinejad and other American foes sat in the audience, Bush called on the UN to enforce sanctions against Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programs. While a few regimes "like Syria and Iran" continued to sponsor terror, they were growing more isolated, he said. Also read Iran's leader gives thumbs down during Bush speech.
Also read remarks by Israeli President Shimon Peres at the UN General Assembly.
Back to top
ISRAEL SLAMS 'ABSURD' IRAN BID FOR SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday that giving Iran a seat on the UN Security Council would be "absurd" given the insecurity its policies have caused.
"It is absurd that a state unparalleled in threatening the security of its neighbours and calling for the destruction of another state should be a member of a body whose goal is to further global security," Livni said. "The significance would be to let a criminal become his own judge," she added. Her statement came a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a new tirade against Israel in a fiery address to the UN General Assembly.
Back to top
RUSSIA DEFIES WEST OVER NUCLEAR IRAN
Russia announced this week it will resist western pressure for tougher United Nations sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The announcement came after the Kremlin agreed to sell advanced antiaircraft systems to the Iranians, bringing condemnation from the US.
On Tuesday, the United States and five other powers called off plans for high-level talks to debate further sanctions against Iran, after Russia complained of US attempts to "punish" it. The cancellation of the meeting in New York involving US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterparts from Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany came amid rising US-Russian tensions over the crisis in Georgia.
Back to top
ISRAELI MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: IRAN HALFWAY TO FIRST NUCLEAR BOMB
Iran is halfway to a nuclear bomb, and Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria are using this period of relative calm to significantly rearm, Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz, the Military Intelligence's head of research, told the cabinet Sunday during a particularly gloomy briefing on the threats facing the country.
Back to top
IAEA SHOWS PHOTOS ALLEGING IRAN WORKED ON MISSILE
The UN nuclear watchdog has shown its members documents and photographs suggesting that Iran secretly tried to modify a missile cone to carry a nuclear bomb, diplomats said. Diplomats who attended a special briefing Tuesday said the IAEA's head of inspections in the Middle East, Herman Naeckerts, had shown them new proof indicating that Iran tried to refit the long-distance Shahab-3 missile to carry a nuclear payload. The US envoy to the IAEA, Gregory Schulte, said Naeckerts showed photos and diagrams of Iranian work on re-designing a Shabab-3 "to carry what would appear to be a nuclear weapon."
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events and Programs
LEARN MODERN HEBREW
The Community Foundation for Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago ("CFJE"), a support foundation of the Jewish Federation, offers adults an outstanding opportunity to learn and feel comfortable with Hebrew through its "Merkaz Ivrit" or "Ulpan Center." Classes will take place in Skokie, the North Shore, Lakeview and new this year: Buffalo Grove. Running from October 2008 through May 2009, this 22-session program (1.5 hr/week) is structured to meet the needs of learners at all levels.
Registration has begun and will fill up fast. For the Ulpan brochure and registration information, go to www.cfje.org, click on Adult Learning and then click on Ulpan. Questions? Contact the Ulpan Center today (847) 410-3900 x 20 or by e-mail at Ulpan@cfje.org.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial, Opinion & Analysis
FROM THE WORLD PRESS
The forgotten path to Middle East peace, Ben Lowenberg
Taking Ahmadinejad at his word, by Malcolm Hoenlein
Analysis: Will Livni get her coalition, or will Israel go to elections?, Leslie Susser
A peace from the bottom up, by Jackson Diehl
Everyone needs to worry about Iran, by Richard Holbrooke, R. James Woolsey, Dennis B. Ross and Mark D. Wallace
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's triumph, by Bret Stephens
Creeping Islamization in Europe, by Diana West
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Us!
E-mail: e-alert@juf.org
JUF Web page:
www.juf.org
Free the Soldiers
Join JUF's "Free the Kidnapped Israelis" campaign by finding out about news, video and advocacy opportunities.
Help people in need
Donate now to JUF to help Jews in need locally, in Israel, and around the world. For more information, email pledge@juf.org or call (312) 357-4805.
Events Calendars
JUF's upcoming events and cultural events sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
Buy Israel Goods
See a catalogue of Judaica and Israeli products
See a directory of Israeli products
Links
WWW.JUF.ORG
CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL TO THE MIDWEST
ISRAEL MINISTRY OF TOURISM
ISRAEL ECONOMIC MISSION
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
YEDIOT ACHRONOT
HA'ARETZ
THE JERUSALEM POST
MEMRI.ORG
ISRAEL 21C
THE MEDIA LINE
GLOBES
SHALOM TV
EUROPEAN JEWISH PRESS
MENSCH'S GUIDE TO CAMPUS ACTIVISM
ISRAEL INDEPENDENT TV
ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF JEWS IN THE FSU
NCSJ : MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
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Beatlemania Hits Israel, Four Decades Late
By Tim McGirk/Jerusalem Thursday, Sep. 25, 2008Paul McCartney listens to a guide during a visit to the Church of Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on September 24, 2008. McCartney arrived in Israel today ahead of his first-ever concert in the Jewish state.
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP / Getty
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Facebook Yahoo! Buzz Mixx Permalink Reprints Related Beatlemania was a little late getting to the Jewish State, thanks to the cultural conservatism of its founding leaders. Indeed, Thursday's Tel Aviv gig by Sir Paul McCartney marks a long-delayed concert debut in Israel by the former Beatle, who has endeared himself to a new generation of Israeli fans by going ahead with the show despite death threats from a radical Islamic cleric in Lebanon who vowed that "If he values his life, Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel. He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him."
More Related
Gaza Complicates Rice’s Mission
Can Arab Leaders Bring Peace?
The Lonely Warrior
For Israel's graying baby boomers, McCartney's concert is a chance to catch up on the Swinging Sixties, which passed the country by first time around. Flashback to 1965: The austere socialists who had run the State of Israel since its creation in 1948 had banned television; most music was sung in Hebrew (even imported Broadway show tunes); and most of its lyrics were nationalist exhortations to collective endeavor, struggle and sacrifice — amid the ever-present danger of of war with hostile Arab neighbors. Still, teenagers escaped from the folksy drudgery of their local pop scene by dialing up European radio stations to savor tracks off the new Beatles for Sale album and to participate, vicariously, in the first stirrings of a cultural revolution brewing in Europe and the U.S.
When an Israeli promoter announced in 1965 that the Fab Four were coming to town, ecstatic local teenagers took it as an affirmation that they were just as cool as the kids in London and New York who were letting their hair grow. But the concert never happened. Legend has it that a rival promoter, who had been trying to bring clean-cut British pop star Cliff Richard to Israel at the same time, warned the authorities that the mop-haired Beatles would exert a dangerous influence on Israeli youth. Mindful of preserving the moral purity of the next generation, Israel's leaders canceled the show under pressure from conservative members of the Knesset. When a hoard of unused tickets to the ill-fated Beatles' concert was found a few years ago, they become hotly pursued collectors' items for wistful Israelis of a certain age. "Our generation grew up on the Beatles culture, but we didn't feel a part of it," says historian Tom Segev. "We missed out on the '68 revolution. All of our energies were consumed by the Six Day War and the army's occupation of the West Bank."
Segev maintains that today's near-hysteria over the ex-Beatle's concert is a kind of displaced yearning for what almost happened in the euphoric '60s, but didn't. "It's nostalgia for something that never existed in Israel at the time," the historian says.
Now, McCartney will play for an estimated 40,000 people in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park. But with ticket prices ranging from $1,500 for VIP seats to $150 for the bleachers, many Israelis are complaining that this particular trip down memory lane is too pricey.
Israeli newspapers ran interviews with McCartney on their front pages and featured little celebrity nuggets such as Sir Paul requesting that his Royal Suite be fitted out with a specially tuned piano and a plate of Jerusalem humus. McCartney, whose show celebrates Israel's 60th anniversary, brushed off the death threat from Islamic radicals. "I do what I think and I have many friends who support Israel," he told the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. In another interview, with the Jerusalem Post, McCartney said: "Any high-profile event brings with it some worries." He added: "I think that most people understand that I'm quite apolitical and that my message is a global one and that it is a peaceful one." Or, as McCartney once sang, Let it be.
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INSIDE: Main | The China Blog | The Middle East Blog | Postcards | Global Adviser | Videos | Podcast
Beatlemania Hits Israel, Four Decades Late
By Tim McGirk/Jerusalem Thursday, Sep. 25, 2008Paul McCartney listens to a guide during a visit to the Church of Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on September 24, 2008. McCartney arrived in Israel today ahead of his first-ever concert in the Jewish state.
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP / Getty
Email Share
Digg
Facebook Yahoo! Buzz Mixx Permalink Reprints Related Beatlemania was a little late getting to the Jewish State, thanks to the cultural conservatism of its founding leaders. Indeed, Thursday's Tel Aviv gig by Sir Paul McCartney marks a long-delayed concert debut in Israel by the former Beatle, who has endeared himself to a new generation of Israeli fans by going ahead with the show despite death threats from a radical Islamic cleric in Lebanon who vowed that "If he values his life, Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel. He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him."
More Related
Gaza Complicates Rice’s Mission
Can Arab Leaders Bring Peace?
The Lonely Warrior
For Israel's graying baby boomers, McCartney's concert is a chance to catch up on the Swinging Sixties, which passed the country by first time around. Flashback to 1965: The austere socialists who had run the State of Israel since its creation in 1948 had banned television; most music was sung in Hebrew (even imported Broadway show tunes); and most of its lyrics were nationalist exhortations to collective endeavor, struggle and sacrifice — amid the ever-present danger of of war with hostile Arab neighbors. Still, teenagers escaped from the folksy drudgery of their local pop scene by dialing up European radio stations to savor tracks off the new Beatles for Sale album and to participate, vicariously, in the first stirrings of a cultural revolution brewing in Europe and the U.S.
When an Israeli promoter announced in 1965 that the Fab Four were coming to town, ecstatic local teenagers took it as an affirmation that they were just as cool as the kids in London and New York who were letting their hair grow. But the concert never happened. Legend has it that a rival promoter, who had been trying to bring clean-cut British pop star Cliff Richard to Israel at the same time, warned the authorities that the mop-haired Beatles would exert a dangerous influence on Israeli youth. Mindful of preserving the moral purity of the next generation, Israel's leaders canceled the show under pressure from conservative members of the Knesset. When a hoard of unused tickets to the ill-fated Beatles' concert was found a few years ago, they become hotly pursued collectors' items for wistful Israelis of a certain age. "Our generation grew up on the Beatles culture, but we didn't feel a part of it," says historian Tom Segev. "We missed out on the '68 revolution. All of our energies were consumed by the Six Day War and the army's occupation of the West Bank."
Segev maintains that today's near-hysteria over the ex-Beatle's concert is a kind of displaced yearning for what almost happened in the euphoric '60s, but didn't. "It's nostalgia for something that never existed in Israel at the time," the historian says.
Now, McCartney will play for an estimated 40,000 people in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park. But with ticket prices ranging from $1,500 for VIP seats to $150 for the bleachers, many Israelis are complaining that this particular trip down memory lane is too pricey.
Israeli newspapers ran interviews with McCartney on their front pages and featured little celebrity nuggets such as Sir Paul requesting that his Royal Suite be fitted out with a specially tuned piano and a plate of Jerusalem humus. McCartney, whose show celebrates Israel's 60th anniversary, brushed off the death threat from Islamic radicals. "I do what I think and I have many friends who support Israel," he told the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. In another interview, with the Jerusalem Post, McCartney said: "Any high-profile event brings with it some worries." He added: "I think that most people understand that I'm quite apolitical and that my message is a global one and that it is a peaceful one." Or, as McCartney once sang, Let it be.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
I went to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews 25th anniversary dinner Monday night. Rabbi Yehiel Eckstein founded it 25 years ago from nothing and now it raises $75 million a year from mostly Christians, most of which goes to help needy Jews in israel and around the world. The main awards went to Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Since Mr. Falwell passed away, his son Jonathan, a dynamic preacher in hbgis own right, accepted in his honor. Rabbi Daniel Lapin gave the invocation and spoke about the early American support for Israel. Robertson spoke forcefully about his support for Israel, and believes Israel will be forced by circumstances to bomb Iran after the USA elections to stop those madmen from using the nuclear bombs and missiles they have or will soon have. Falwell assured us he, and many evangelical Christians support Israel and Jews "because we can read" and the Bible says God will bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us. Pat Boone MC'd the night terrifically (he wrote the words to the theme song to the movie Exodus, I did not know that.)Sallie Meridor, the Israeli ambassador to the USA spoke on behalf of the State of Israel, thanking the IFCJ for all their work in support of Israel the millions of American and worldwide Christians who support Jews and Israel.
Rabbi Eckstein spoke about the obstacles he faced in this cause, and said he is confident someday there will be such relations with Moslems too. It was an inspiring evening.
Rabbi Eckstein spoke about the obstacles he faced in this cause, and said he is confident someday there will be such relations with Moslems too. It was an inspiring evening.
Aipac Update
4 Sep 2008 12:22:13 -0400
www.aipac.org September 24, 2008
Palestinian Terrorist Rams Car into Israeli Pedestrians
As Arab Aid Falters, West Pledges $300 Million to PA
Olmert Resigns, Livni Works to Form Coalition
Truck Bomb at Pakistan Marriott Kills at Least 60
Iran's Supreme Leader Lashes Out at Israelis
Israeli Groups Bring Relief to Georgia
take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.
Click here to learn about these important initiatives and to email your elected representatives.
Learn more
Click here for AIPAC analysis of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Photo
Palestinian Terrorist Rams Car into Israeli Pedestrians
A Palestinian terrorist ran a car into a crowd of soldiers and civilians at a busy intersection in Jerusalem on Monday, wounding at least 19 people, The New York Times reported. Palestinian media reported that the attacker was killed at the scene by an off-duty IDF officer. The terrorist was identified as Qassem Mughrabi, 19, from Jebl Mukaber in east Jerusalem, the same town that was home to Ala Abu Dhaim, who murdered eight Israeli students in an attack on the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in March. Twice in July, Palestinian terrorists driving construction vehicles went on rampages down a busy central Jerusalem street, ramming buses and overturning and crushing private cars. Three Israeli civilians were killed and dozens wounded in those attacks.
As Arab Aid Falters, West Pledges $300 Million to PA
Due to significant shortcomings in financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority (PA), several Western nations, led by the United States, pledged on Monday an additional $300 million in new aid to the PA, Reuters reported. At a Paris conference last December, donors pledged $7.7 billion in aid over three years, but the Palestinians say only a fraction of that money has been paid. Arab states, in particular, have fallen short in fulfilling the more than $700 million they pledged to the PA. The new aid includes $150 million from the United States, $115 from the European Union and $15 million from Norway, the chair of the committee that organized Monday's meeting. Arab governments must match Israel's readiness for serious negotiations by demonstrating a commitment to ending the conflict and isolating the terrorist group Hamas.
Olmert Resigns, Livni Works to Form Coalition
Ehud Olmert officially resigned as prime minister of Israel on Sunday, following the election of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as head of the Kadima party last week, The New York Times reported. Under Israeli law, Olmert will oversee an interim government until a new prime minister is sworn in. Livni, who has emphasized her intention to continue negotiations with the Palestinians, has begun the task of forming a new governing coalition. If Livni is able to form a government within six weeks, all three branches of the Israeli government would be headed by women. (The speaker of the Knesset is Dalia Itzik and the chief justice of the Supreme Court is Dorit Beinish.) If not, new national elections could take place sometime early next year. During this peaceful transfer of power, Israel stands out as the only Western-style democracy in the Middle East.
Truck Bomb at Pakistan Marriott Kills at Least 60
A massive suicide truck bomb ripped through a luxury hotel in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Saturday night, killing at least 60 people, including several Americans, and wounding more than 250, The Washington Post reported. The bombing, one of the deadliest attacks ever in Pakistan, occurred just hours after the new president, Asif Ali Zardari, delivered his first speech to Parliament and vowed to free Pakistan from the "shackles of terrorism." Pakistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been a hotbed of Al Qaeda and radical Islamic terrorist activity. Instability in Pakistan—which has an arsenal of some 30 nuclear weapons—poses deep concern throughout the region.
Iran's Supreme Leader Lashes Out at Israelis
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said that his country's hatred of Israel extends beyond policy disagreements and reaches the Israeli people as well, The Los Angeles Timesreported. "It is wrong to say that we are friends with Israeli people like people in other parts of the world," Khamenei told a crowd gathered for Friday prayers in Tehran. "A Muslim nation cannot remain indifferent vis-à-vis such people who are stooges at the service of the arch-foes of the Muslim world." Khamenei's comments served as a rebuke to an Iranian official who said that Iran is a friend of the Israeli people, like it is a friend of all people. The Islamic Republic has consistently refused to recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Middle East.
Israeli Groups Bring Relief to Georgia
Israeli aid organizations have established several relief operations in the war-torn areas of Georgia, seeking to aid tens of thousands of locals displaced by the fighting with Russia last month, The Jerusalem Post reported. Among the aid groups is Israel Flying Aid, who has opened a soup kitchen in the town of Gori that produces 3,000 cooked meals a day. The group has also distributed hundreds of large packages of dry foodstuffs throughout the city. Much of the relief effort is being coordinated by IsraAID, an umbrella organization of dozens of Israeli humanitarian groups. The goal of the aid, says Shachar Zehavi, director of IsraAID, is "to show that Israeli civilian aid can get anywhere and help anyone in need, and that the Jewish people and Israel are among the first to help."
www.aipac.org September 24, 2008
Palestinian Terrorist Rams Car into Israeli Pedestrians
As Arab Aid Falters, West Pledges $300 Million to PA
Olmert Resigns, Livni Works to Form Coalition
Truck Bomb at Pakistan Marriott Kills at Least 60
Iran's Supreme Leader Lashes Out at Israelis
Israeli Groups Bring Relief to Georgia
take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.
Click here to learn about these important initiatives and to email your elected representatives.
Learn more
Click here for AIPAC analysis of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Photo
Palestinian Terrorist Rams Car into Israeli Pedestrians
A Palestinian terrorist ran a car into a crowd of soldiers and civilians at a busy intersection in Jerusalem on Monday, wounding at least 19 people, The New York Times reported. Palestinian media reported that the attacker was killed at the scene by an off-duty IDF officer. The terrorist was identified as Qassem Mughrabi, 19, from Jebl Mukaber in east Jerusalem, the same town that was home to Ala Abu Dhaim, who murdered eight Israeli students in an attack on the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in March. Twice in July, Palestinian terrorists driving construction vehicles went on rampages down a busy central Jerusalem street, ramming buses and overturning and crushing private cars. Three Israeli civilians were killed and dozens wounded in those attacks.
As Arab Aid Falters, West Pledges $300 Million to PA
Due to significant shortcomings in financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority (PA), several Western nations, led by the United States, pledged on Monday an additional $300 million in new aid to the PA, Reuters reported. At a Paris conference last December, donors pledged $7.7 billion in aid over three years, but the Palestinians say only a fraction of that money has been paid. Arab states, in particular, have fallen short in fulfilling the more than $700 million they pledged to the PA. The new aid includes $150 million from the United States, $115 from the European Union and $15 million from Norway, the chair of the committee that organized Monday's meeting. Arab governments must match Israel's readiness for serious negotiations by demonstrating a commitment to ending the conflict and isolating the terrorist group Hamas.
Olmert Resigns, Livni Works to Form Coalition
Ehud Olmert officially resigned as prime minister of Israel on Sunday, following the election of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as head of the Kadima party last week, The New York Times reported. Under Israeli law, Olmert will oversee an interim government until a new prime minister is sworn in. Livni, who has emphasized her intention to continue negotiations with the Palestinians, has begun the task of forming a new governing coalition. If Livni is able to form a government within six weeks, all three branches of the Israeli government would be headed by women. (The speaker of the Knesset is Dalia Itzik and the chief justice of the Supreme Court is Dorit Beinish.) If not, new national elections could take place sometime early next year. During this peaceful transfer of power, Israel stands out as the only Western-style democracy in the Middle East.
Truck Bomb at Pakistan Marriott Kills at Least 60
A massive suicide truck bomb ripped through a luxury hotel in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Saturday night, killing at least 60 people, including several Americans, and wounding more than 250, The Washington Post reported. The bombing, one of the deadliest attacks ever in Pakistan, occurred just hours after the new president, Asif Ali Zardari, delivered his first speech to Parliament and vowed to free Pakistan from the "shackles of terrorism." Pakistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been a hotbed of Al Qaeda and radical Islamic terrorist activity. Instability in Pakistan—which has an arsenal of some 30 nuclear weapons—poses deep concern throughout the region.
Iran's Supreme Leader Lashes Out at Israelis
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said that his country's hatred of Israel extends beyond policy disagreements and reaches the Israeli people as well, The Los Angeles Timesreported. "It is wrong to say that we are friends with Israeli people like people in other parts of the world," Khamenei told a crowd gathered for Friday prayers in Tehran. "A Muslim nation cannot remain indifferent vis-à-vis such people who are stooges at the service of the arch-foes of the Muslim world." Khamenei's comments served as a rebuke to an Iranian official who said that Iran is a friend of the Israeli people, like it is a friend of all people. The Islamic Republic has consistently refused to recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Middle East.
Israeli Groups Bring Relief to Georgia
Israeli aid organizations have established several relief operations in the war-torn areas of Georgia, seeking to aid tens of thousands of locals displaced by the fighting with Russia last month, The Jerusalem Post reported. Among the aid groups is Israel Flying Aid, who has opened a soup kitchen in the town of Gori that produces 3,000 cooked meals a day. The group has also distributed hundreds of large packages of dry foodstuffs throughout the city. Much of the relief effort is being coordinated by IsraAID, an umbrella organization of dozens of Israeli humanitarian groups. The goal of the aid, says Shachar Zehavi, director of IsraAID, is "to show that Israeli civilian aid can get anywhere and help anyone in need, and that the Jewish people and Israel are among the first to help."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
flimsy charges vs Omert
The Olmert Scandals
Editorial
Thu. Sep 11, 2008
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Israelis drew a collective gasp of surprise September 7, when the police formally recommended that Ehud Olmert be indicted on corruption charges. The surprise was not that their prime minister was facing accusations of financial impropriety and abuse of power. What caught many Israelis off guard was the flimsiness of the charges.
Olmert had suffered political death by a thousand cuts over the months, watching his credibility drain away as police conducted their probe in the glare of spotlights and leaked lurid details of their findings to the press. In the end, his government paralyzed and his reputation shattered, the prime minister was forced to announce his resignation last month. Now the police report has been published, and it’s suddenly unclear what all the fuss was about. In fact, some ranking officials — and a lot of private citizens — are saying that the prime minister was overthrown in a legal coup by overly zealous police investigators.
Editorial
Thu. Sep 11, 2008
Article tools
Text size: Larger | Smaller
Print this article
Email this article
More in Editorial
Israelis drew a collective gasp of surprise September 7, when the police formally recommended that Ehud Olmert be indicted on corruption charges. The surprise was not that their prime minister was facing accusations of financial impropriety and abuse of power. What caught many Israelis off guard was the flimsiness of the charges.
Olmert had suffered political death by a thousand cuts over the months, watching his credibility drain away as police conducted their probe in the glare of spotlights and leaked lurid details of their findings to the press. In the end, his government paralyzed and his reputation shattered, the prime minister was forced to announce his resignation last month. Now the police report has been published, and it’s suddenly unclear what all the fuss was about. In fact, some ranking officials — and a lot of private citizens — are saying that the prime minister was overthrown in a legal coup by overly zealous police investigators.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Aipac update
www.aipac.org September 17, 2008
Iran Expands Nuclear Program as IAEA Declares "Dead End"
Nasrallah: "No Peace in Mideast if Israel Exists"
Treasury Slaps Sanctions on Iranian Shipping Company
United States Approves $330 Million in Arms Deals for Israel
Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Support Hamas Until Israel's Collapse
Israel Hosts Seminar on Women in the Military
take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.
Click here to learn about these important initiatives and to email your elected representatives.
Learn more
Click here for AIPAC analysis of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Photo
Iran Expands Nuclear Program as IAEA Declares "Dead End"
As Iran rapidly expands its illicit nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday declared that it had reached a "dead end" in its year-long effort to get Tehran to clarify whether it covertly researched the development of an atomic bomb, The Financial Times reported. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said it had been unable to make "any substantive progress" in its attempt to get Iran to answer allegations that there may have been a military dimension to its nuclear program. In addition, the IAEA on Tuesday showed documents and photographs that suggested Iran secretly tried to modify a missile cone to fit a nuclear bomb, according to diplomats close to the issue. Click here to learn more about the need for tougher international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Nasrallah: "No Peace in Mideast if Israel Exists"
Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday that Mideast peace would not be possible so long as Israel exists, The Jerusalem Post reported. "As long as Israel exists and its eyes are honing in on the territories of other states, the world will not know peace in the Middle East," Nasrallah said during an interview. "Our situation is stronger than it has ever been - from the logistical point of view, militarily, and in numbers. Lebanon as a whole is united against one enemy: Israel." Hizballah has tripled the size and scope of its rocket arsenal in the two years since its war against Israel, in direct contravention of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for the terrorist army's disarmament. Click here to learn more about the threat of Hizballah.
Treasury Slaps Sanctions on Iranian Shipping Company
The United States imposed new sanctions against Iran's national maritime carrier, IRISL, and 18 affiliates on Wednesday, targeting much of the country's shipping sector and increasing the pressure on the Islamic Republic over its illicit nuclear program, Reuters reported. "Not only does IRISL facilitate the transfer of cargo for U.N.-designated proliferators, it also falsifies documents and uses deceptive schemes to shroud its involvement in illicit commerce," Stuart Levey, Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. Iran faces heightened economic pressure over its continued defiance of international demands that it suspend its atomic work.
United States Approves $330 Million in Arms Deals for Israel
The U.S. government last week announced $330 million in separate arms deals for Israel, Reuters reported. In addition, sources tracking a much bigger deal for two-dozen F-35 fighter jets said that agreement could be finalized later this month. The three deals include upgrades for Israel's Patriot missile defense system, anti-armor weapons and thousands of training rockets, smart bombs and other equipment. The announcement coincided with a three-day U.S.-Israeli forum aimed at expanding secure high technology trade and investment, the most senior bilateral high technology dialogue ever carried out between the two allies. The U.S.-Israel relationship remains more critical than ever as the two nations face an unprecedented array of shared threats. Click here to learn more about the importance of American aid to Israel.
Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Support Hamas Until Israel's Collapse
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Friday to keep supporting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas until the "collapse of Israel," Germany's Deutsche Press Agentur reported. The Iranian news agency Khabar quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh that Iran views the support of the Palestinian people as part of its religious and national duty and that the Islamic Republic will stand behind the Palestinian nation "until the big victory feast, which is the collapse of the Zionist regime." Iran has consistently refused to recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Middle East and is the prime sponsor of Hamas and Hizballah—terrorist groups sworn to Israel's destruction.
Israel Hosts Seminar on Women in the Military
The IDF Chief of Staff Adviser for Women Affairs, Brig. Gen. Yehudit Grisaro, welcomed 11 European and American representatives for a seminar on women in the military. The conference emphasized the significance of integrated women's service in militaries across the world, and provided a forum to share the IDF's experience. After 60 years of female integration, the IDF serves as an example to international armed forces of equal opportunity in a military environment. The IDF opens its doors to the young women of Israel to serve in a large variety of positions, such as pilots, naval officers, infantry soldiers and much more.
Iran Expands Nuclear Program as IAEA Declares "Dead End"
Nasrallah: "No Peace in Mideast if Israel Exists"
Treasury Slaps Sanctions on Iranian Shipping Company
United States Approves $330 Million in Arms Deals for Israel
Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Support Hamas Until Israel's Collapse
Israel Hosts Seminar on Women in the Military
take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.
Click here to learn about these important initiatives and to email your elected representatives.
Learn more
Click here for AIPAC analysis of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Photo
Iran Expands Nuclear Program as IAEA Declares "Dead End"
As Iran rapidly expands its illicit nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday declared that it had reached a "dead end" in its year-long effort to get Tehran to clarify whether it covertly researched the development of an atomic bomb, The Financial Times reported. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said it had been unable to make "any substantive progress" in its attempt to get Iran to answer allegations that there may have been a military dimension to its nuclear program. In addition, the IAEA on Tuesday showed documents and photographs that suggested Iran secretly tried to modify a missile cone to fit a nuclear bomb, according to diplomats close to the issue. Click here to learn more about the need for tougher international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Nasrallah: "No Peace in Mideast if Israel Exists"
Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday that Mideast peace would not be possible so long as Israel exists, The Jerusalem Post reported. "As long as Israel exists and its eyes are honing in on the territories of other states, the world will not know peace in the Middle East," Nasrallah said during an interview. "Our situation is stronger than it has ever been - from the logistical point of view, militarily, and in numbers. Lebanon as a whole is united against one enemy: Israel." Hizballah has tripled the size and scope of its rocket arsenal in the two years since its war against Israel, in direct contravention of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for the terrorist army's disarmament. Click here to learn more about the threat of Hizballah.
Treasury Slaps Sanctions on Iranian Shipping Company
The United States imposed new sanctions against Iran's national maritime carrier, IRISL, and 18 affiliates on Wednesday, targeting much of the country's shipping sector and increasing the pressure on the Islamic Republic over its illicit nuclear program, Reuters reported. "Not only does IRISL facilitate the transfer of cargo for U.N.-designated proliferators, it also falsifies documents and uses deceptive schemes to shroud its involvement in illicit commerce," Stuart Levey, Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. Iran faces heightened economic pressure over its continued defiance of international demands that it suspend its atomic work.
United States Approves $330 Million in Arms Deals for Israel
The U.S. government last week announced $330 million in separate arms deals for Israel, Reuters reported. In addition, sources tracking a much bigger deal for two-dozen F-35 fighter jets said that agreement could be finalized later this month. The three deals include upgrades for Israel's Patriot missile defense system, anti-armor weapons and thousands of training rockets, smart bombs and other equipment. The announcement coincided with a three-day U.S.-Israeli forum aimed at expanding secure high technology trade and investment, the most senior bilateral high technology dialogue ever carried out between the two allies. The U.S.-Israel relationship remains more critical than ever as the two nations face an unprecedented array of shared threats. Click here to learn more about the importance of American aid to Israel.
Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Support Hamas Until Israel's Collapse
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Friday to keep supporting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas until the "collapse of Israel," Germany's Deutsche Press Agentur reported. The Iranian news agency Khabar quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh that Iran views the support of the Palestinian people as part of its religious and national duty and that the Islamic Republic will stand behind the Palestinian nation "until the big victory feast, which is the collapse of the Zionist regime." Iran has consistently refused to recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Middle East and is the prime sponsor of Hamas and Hizballah—terrorist groups sworn to Israel's destruction.
Israel Hosts Seminar on Women in the Military
The IDF Chief of Staff Adviser for Women Affairs, Brig. Gen. Yehudit Grisaro, welcomed 11 European and American representatives for a seminar on women in the military. The conference emphasized the significance of integrated women's service in militaries across the world, and provided a forum to share the IDF's experience. After 60 years of female integration, the IDF serves as an example to international armed forces of equal opportunity in a military environment. The IDF opens its doors to the young women of Israel to serve in a large variety of positions, such as pilots, naval officers, infantry soldiers and much more.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Sarah Palin and the Jews
The Chabad envoy to Alaska on Thursday praised State Governor and recently
nominated Republican candidate for Vice President Sarah Palin for her
steadfast support for Israel.
"Based on my personal acquaintance with Governor Palin, I can confidently say
that if she is elected, the Jewish people and the State of Israel will have a
great friend and admirer in the White House," Rabbi Yosef Greenberg told
Haaretz.
Greenberg has lived in Alaska for the past 17 years and he is coordinating
Chabad activities in the state, where some 6,000 Jews live. He said that he
meets the governor for friendly chats on a regular basis and that he has
almost free access to her office.
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Even in her previous role as the mayor of Wasilla, Greenberg continued, she
maintained very good relations with the local Jewish community.
He said that when the Wasilla Conservative congregation inaugurated a new
synagogue a few years ago, they were pleasantly surprised by her decision to
attend the ceremony, even though she had not been invited.
She said at the event that she felt it was right to attend in order to express
her satisfaction with the fact that people of the Jewish faith have a house of
worship.
For Israel's 60th anniversary in May, Palin passed a resolution recognizing
Alaska's relationship with Israel.
"She is a very impressive woman with a dedicated sense of purpose," Greenberg
said. "Had she been a Chabadnik she would have certainly been an envoy,
because she is constantly working for the greater good."
nominated Republican candidate for Vice President Sarah Palin for her
steadfast support for Israel.
"Based on my personal acquaintance with Governor Palin, I can confidently say
that if she is elected, the Jewish people and the State of Israel will have a
great friend and admirer in the White House," Rabbi Yosef Greenberg told
Haaretz.
Greenberg has lived in Alaska for the past 17 years and he is coordinating
Chabad activities in the state, where some 6,000 Jews live. He said that he
meets the governor for friendly chats on a regular basis and that he has
almost free access to her office.
Even in her previous role as the mayor of Wasilla, Greenberg continued, she
maintained very good relations with the local Jewish community.
He said that when the Wasilla Conservative congregation inaugurated a new
synagogue a few years ago, they were pleasantly surprised by her decision to
attend the ceremony, even though she had not been invited.
She said at the event that she felt it was right to attend in order to express
her satisfaction with the fact that people of the Jewish faith have a house of
worship.
For Israel's 60th anniversary in May, Palin passed a resolution recognizing
Alaska's relationship with Israel.
"She is a very impressive woman with a dedicated sense of purpose," Greenberg
said. "Had she been a Chabadnik she would have certainly been an envoy,
because she is constantly working for the greater good."
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
update from Aipac
Party Platforms Affirm Bipartisan Support for U.S.-Israel Relationship
The 2008 Democratic and Republican national platforms emphasize the strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance and reaffirm America's commitment to ensuring that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge in the Middle East. The Democratic platform was ratified in Denver last week; the Republican platform was ratified on Monday in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The parties each declare that Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel. In addition, the platforms underscore the danger of Iran's nuclear program, noting that stronger diplomatic and financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic are needed. For decades, the U.S.-Israel relationship has transcended partisan divisions and has enjoyed the support of the overwhelming majority of the American people. Click here to learn more about the importance of American support for Israel.
Iran Says 4,000 Atomic Centrifuges Working
A top Iranian official said Friday that Iran has 4,000 working nuclear centrifuges, in line with a number verified by the U.N. atomic watchdog, The Washington Post reported. "There are currently close to 4,000 centrifuges active at Natanz enrichment facility... Another 3,000 centrifuges are being installed," Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Sheikh Attar told state television. Iran says it plans to move toward large-scale uranium enrichment that will ultimately involve 54,000 centrifuges that could churn out enough enriched material for dozens of nuclear weapons. Tehran's continued enrichment activity violates multiple binding U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding that the Islamic Republic suspend its illicit atomic work. Click here to learn more about the need for tougher sanctions against Iran.
Pro-al Qaeda Fighters Train in Hamas-Run Gaza Strip
Jaysh al-Ummah, a Palestinian terrorist group active in the Gaza Strip and modeled on the ideology of al Qaeda, is training for battle with Israel, Reuters reported. "We are coming, Jews," read graffiti daubed on a wall inside its private training base in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The group's leader, Abu Hafss, said Muslims worldwide were obliged to fight the Israelis and the "infidels" until only Islam rules the earth. "The sons of Zion are occupiers and they must be uprooted completely," Abu Haffs said, in reference to the entire state of Israel. "We will fight them as we are ordered by God and the Prophet Mohammad." Israel has long been on the frontline of the war against radical Islam.
Israel Thwarts Hizballah Kidnapping Attempts
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak last week confirmed that Israeli security forces had recently foiled two attempts by the Lebanon-based terrorist army Hizballah to kidnap Israeli businessmen abroad, the Associated Press reported. The revelation follows an unusual warning issued last month by Israeli counterterrorism officials that the group planned to attack and abduct Israelis overseas. In addition, Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently declared an "open war" against Jews and Israelis worldwide. Hizballah has been responsible for attacks against Jews around the world, including a string of bombings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the mid-1990s that killed 115 people. Click here to learn about Hizballah's threatening behavior.
Israel Opens Gaza Crossings for Access to Medical Care
Israel re-opened several border crossings with the Gaza Strip last week and permitted Palestinians requiring medical treatment to enter Israel via the Erez crossing, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Fuel, merchandise and humanitarian aid were also brought to Gaza via the Karni, Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings. The crossings were temporarily closed following a Palestinian rocket attack on southern Israel, a violation of Hamas' commitment to halt all violent activity in and around the coastal strip. Israel routinely looks for ways to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.
NASA Scientists Help Israel Preserve Dead Sea Scrolls
To mark the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Israel Antiquities Authority is initiating a project designed to document and provide worldwide access to the scrolls. NASA scientists who are experts in imaging technology will join top Israeli archaeologists in an effort to make images of the scrolls available on the Internet. This will be accomplished by imaging the scrolls in color and infrared, allowing the reading of scores of scroll fragments that were blackened or ostensibly erased over the years and which were not visible to the naked eye. The Dead Sea Scrolls were buried 2,000 years ago in the caves of the Judean Desert and include the oldest written copies of Biblical documents ever discovered.
The 2008 Democratic and Republican national platforms emphasize the strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance and reaffirm America's commitment to ensuring that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge in the Middle East. The Democratic platform was ratified in Denver last week; the Republican platform was ratified on Monday in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The parties each declare that Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel. In addition, the platforms underscore the danger of Iran's nuclear program, noting that stronger diplomatic and financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic are needed. For decades, the U.S.-Israel relationship has transcended partisan divisions and has enjoyed the support of the overwhelming majority of the American people. Click here to learn more about the importance of American support for Israel.
Iran Says 4,000 Atomic Centrifuges Working
A top Iranian official said Friday that Iran has 4,000 working nuclear centrifuges, in line with a number verified by the U.N. atomic watchdog, The Washington Post reported. "There are currently close to 4,000 centrifuges active at Natanz enrichment facility... Another 3,000 centrifuges are being installed," Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Sheikh Attar told state television. Iran says it plans to move toward large-scale uranium enrichment that will ultimately involve 54,000 centrifuges that could churn out enough enriched material for dozens of nuclear weapons. Tehran's continued enrichment activity violates multiple binding U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding that the Islamic Republic suspend its illicit atomic work. Click here to learn more about the need for tougher sanctions against Iran.
Pro-al Qaeda Fighters Train in Hamas-Run Gaza Strip
Jaysh al-Ummah, a Palestinian terrorist group active in the Gaza Strip and modeled on the ideology of al Qaeda, is training for battle with Israel, Reuters reported. "We are coming, Jews," read graffiti daubed on a wall inside its private training base in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The group's leader, Abu Hafss, said Muslims worldwide were obliged to fight the Israelis and the "infidels" until only Islam rules the earth. "The sons of Zion are occupiers and they must be uprooted completely," Abu Haffs said, in reference to the entire state of Israel. "We will fight them as we are ordered by God and the Prophet Mohammad." Israel has long been on the frontline of the war against radical Islam.
Israel Thwarts Hizballah Kidnapping Attempts
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak last week confirmed that Israeli security forces had recently foiled two attempts by the Lebanon-based terrorist army Hizballah to kidnap Israeli businessmen abroad, the Associated Press reported. The revelation follows an unusual warning issued last month by Israeli counterterrorism officials that the group planned to attack and abduct Israelis overseas. In addition, Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently declared an "open war" against Jews and Israelis worldwide. Hizballah has been responsible for attacks against Jews around the world, including a string of bombings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the mid-1990s that killed 115 people. Click here to learn about Hizballah's threatening behavior.
Israel Opens Gaza Crossings for Access to Medical Care
Israel re-opened several border crossings with the Gaza Strip last week and permitted Palestinians requiring medical treatment to enter Israel via the Erez crossing, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Fuel, merchandise and humanitarian aid were also brought to Gaza via the Karni, Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings. The crossings were temporarily closed following a Palestinian rocket attack on southern Israel, a violation of Hamas' commitment to halt all violent activity in and around the coastal strip. Israel routinely looks for ways to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.
NASA Scientists Help Israel Preserve Dead Sea Scrolls
To mark the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Israel Antiquities Authority is initiating a project designed to document and provide worldwide access to the scrolls. NASA scientists who are experts in imaging technology will join top Israeli archaeologists in an effort to make images of the scrolls available on the Internet. This will be accomplished by imaging the scrolls in color and infrared, allowing the reading of scores of scroll fragments that were blackened or ostensibly erased over the years and which were not visible to the naked eye. The Dead Sea Scrolls were buried 2,000 years ago in the caves of the Judean Desert and include the oldest written copies of Biblical documents ever discovered.
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