Israel is hot

JUF condemns Farrakhan's latest anti-Semitic slurs
On Sunday Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan told about 2,000 people that the late singer Michael Jackson was a victim of “Zionist leaders,” the U.S. government and the media.

In a response picked up by wire services and local newspapers, JUF Senior Vice President Jay Tcath condemned the bigotry behind such venom and expressed surprise that despite Farrakhan's enduring anti-Semitism, "he is able to enjoy a certain respectability that is undeserved and unprecedented in modern American society."

"At this point, the essential issue isn't one man's bigotry, but rather why so many others who profess such opposition to all other forms of bigotry are willing to indulge Farrakhan's," Tcath said in a statement. "As much as Farrakhan has been a thorn in our side for many years now, the fact of the matter is that Black-Jewish relations have not been held hostage to this peripheral issue. Much important good work continues nationally and on the local level, especially here in Farrakhan's own back yard. The balancing act we must maintain is to give Farrakhan no quarter, but also not allow him to monopolize and therefore jeopardize the larger arena of Black-Jewish relations."



Federation reduces allocations; hopeful for increase after January 2010 review
In an effort to maintain the breadth and scope of commitments to the community in the face of a difficult economy, the Federation approved a six-month allocation for agencies. Each agency was asked to review and trim its budget. But the door remains open to restore and even to increase those allocations when the budget is again reviewed in January 2010, said Skip Schrayer, chairman of the Overall Planning and Allocations Committee.

As in past years, the largest allocations – $18,592,138 – will flow to local agencies engaged in social and human services and Jewish education. In addition, the J-HELP: A Boost in Tough Times initiative will receive $1,274,000 in additional funds to enhance existing programs and create more opportunities to sustain the community in the tough economic climate. Meanwhiole, Jewish educational and community-building programs will be supported by $19,177,294, while JUF overseas partners, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee will receive $29,372,516.



Holocaust Museum shooter indicted
A grand jury indicted the white supremacist charged with killing a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

James Von Brunn, 89, faces hate crimes charges in addition to charges related to first degree murder, for a total of seven counts in the indictment handed down Wednesday by a Washington, D.C. grand jury. Some of the charges may incur the death penalty. The indictment also accuses von Brunn of seeking to intimidate Jewish people at the museum.

FBI Assistant Director Joseph Persichini said he believed the indictment will "send a message" to those who would try to turn hatred into violence.

Von Brunn is accused of killing museum guard Stephen Johns on June 10. Von Brunn is recovering in the hospital from wounds sustained when guards returned fire.



Rocket-battered Israeli border town enjoying rare calm
Six months after Israel ended its offensive against Hamas terrorists, the people of the rocket-scarred border town of Sderot are enjoying their calmest stretch in recent memory.

The rocket attacks that made life unbearable have all but stopped. Playgrounds are filled with children on summer vacation, stores are bustling and the town's public swimming pool is open for the first time in five years.

"Life before the war — it wasn't life," agreed the town's deputy mayor, Rafik Agaronov. "Now, thank God, there is quiet. Hopefully it will stay like this forever. If our children are calm, we are calm."

Rocket fire has dropped dramatically since the Gaza offensive ended in January, with some 220 rockets fired on southern Israel, according to the army. The last rocket attack on Sderot was May 19.

That compares to 7,865 rockets and mortars fired on southern Israel since Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005, according to the military. At least 4,000 of those hit Sderot, making life miserable and increasingly dangerous. Eight people were killed and hundreds were wounded. The economy was paralyzed and nearly everyone was traumatized by the frequent wail of sirens and explosions.

The most recent attacks include a rocket that hit south of Kibbutz Nahal Oz on July 16. And on July 19 armed Palestinians launched RPGs and mortar shells at an IDF force patrolling the border fence near Kibbutz Nahal Oz. The soldiers returned fire.



Opinion: Debating George W. Bush as Middle East envoy
Author and analyst Gregory Levey argues in Newsweek that former President George W. Bush would be the perfect Middle East envoy for the Obama administration: "As an envoy, Bush could assuage most of [Israelis'] worries. Many Israelis, especially led by their current right-wing government, would readily trust that policies advanced by Bush had their best interests at heart, and he would not abandon them." Recognizing the fantasy nature of this proposal, Levey notes that Bush-like policies toward Israel might be enough.

In response, New York Jewish Week's James Besser lists several reasons against Bush as a Middle East envoy: "But why would the Palestinians trust the man who promised over and over again to create a Palestinian state – by the end of the the year, by the end of this term, blah blah blah – but who seemed to have little interest in actually doing anything to make it happen?" asks Besser.

Meanwhile, the editorial board of The Washington Post notes that "one of the more striking results of the Obama administration's first six months is that only one country has worse relations with the United States than it did in January: Israel."



Hollywood gets hot for Israel
Several high-profile Hollywood figures came to Israel this month to teach at the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles film and TV master class program sponsored by the Los Angeles Jewish Federation in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Cinemateque and Tel Aviv University, reports the JTA's Dina Kraft.

Amid seminars on nurturing ideas to the big screen and insider views of how executives choose shows in the current economic malaise, there was a palpable buzz about the talent to be found in the Israeli television industry.

Israel is making a name for itself as a country that produces good entertainment. The first Israeli drama series adapted for American television, HBO's "In Treatment,” was nominated for an Emmy this month. Several other Israeli-based shows have been sold to networks like NBC, CBS, Showtime and Fox. And Israel’s film industry has scored a number of recent successes, including the Golden Globe winner “Waltz with Bashir.”