|
|
International
and National News |
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs provides primer for
understanding current Lebanese violence
By Shoshana Bryen
WASHINGTON, D.C. (JINSA)—The politics leading up to the current outbreak of
fighting in Lebanon are complicated. Here are the political threads:
●Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon have been off limits to the Lebanese
Army for years. More than 350,000 Palestinians live there in misery brought
to them by their own leadership and the Lebanese government. They are both
abused and abusive, and were instrumental in stoking the decades-long
Lebanese Civil War.
●Palestinians are Sunni Moslems. Fatah al Islam, an offshoot of
Sunni-sponsored al Qaeda has been operating in the camps and is said to be
associated with Syrian intelligence. The Syrian government is Alawite, a
Shiite sect allied with Iran, but various types of Moslems work together if
it serves their larger purpose. Saudi Arabia is the primary sponsor of
Sunni radicalism and al Qaeda (and Fatah al Islam?).
●Palestinians and Syrians oppose the pro-Western Lebanese government of Fuad
Siniora. After uniformed Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2005
Palestinian refugee camps took in their weapons and agents.
●The Syrians are desperate to keep the UN from opening the tribunal over the
assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Harriri. Hezbollah is
likewise opposed to the tribunal that will likely implicate their Syrian
quartermasters.
●Following the war with Israel last summer, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)
moved to the southern part of the country for the first time in 30 years and
now sits on the border with Israel (aided by the enhanced UNIFIL). This
makes both Hezbollah and the Palestinians unhappy – and to the extent that
they get in Syria’s way, they make Syria unhappy.
●The people who lost the most last year in the fighting were Lebanese
civilians (primarily in the south but not only in the south) who paid a
terrible price for letting Hezbollah put rockets inside their villages, or
even inside their houses, and letting Hezbollah wage war against Israel from
their space. It is they who stand to gain the most from the movement of the
LAF to all of the country’s borders.
And here is how the threads began to unravel Sunday and Monday in Tripoli in
the north of Lebanon, far from Israel:
Units of the LAF entered the Nahr al Bared Palestinian camp to eliminate
Fatah al-Islam fighters, and the Palestinians fired rocket-propelled
grenades and machine guns at the LAF. Fighting continued into Monday, with
early reports of 22 soldiers and 17 Islamists killed, along with 9
civilians. Syria denied involvement with Fatah al-Islam. Fatah al-Islam
denied involvement in a shopping mall bombing in Christian Beirut
neighborhood Saturday night and a bus bombing that killed three Christians,
claiming it was only interested in “training young Palestinians… to fight
the Jews in Palestine.” Lebanese residents of Tripoli stood outside the camp
and cheered for the LAF as it entered.
Syrian intervention supported by Iran is the lynchpin of both Palestinian
and Hezbollah military capabilities and ability to make trouble for the
Lebanese government. Rapid establishment and operation of the UN Tribunal
is essential to rooting out Syrian tentacles in a fragile Lebanon before the
country unravels again completely.
The foregoing article was provided by
the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
____________________________________________
 Freedom
at Issue
Bruce
Kesler
__________________________________________________________________
Yesterday's 'sweat
shops' have no place in
America; guest workers must be protected
ENCINITAS, Calif.—One
of the major components of the proposed Immigration Bill is the enlargement
of the guest worker program, to up to 400,000. One concern is, particularly
with unsure enforcement provisions throughout the Bill, whether guest
workers would comply with returning to their home country. As great a
concern is the extent to which guest workers depress wages for low-skill
Americans. Both of these concerns are being debated in the Senate today.
As CNN reported:
North Dakota Democrat Sen. Byron Dorgan's amendment would eliminate the
guest worker program entirely. The amendment offered by Sen. Jeff Bingaman
(D-New Mexico) would cut the program in half. Many Democrats don't like the
program because they think it drives down wages for American workers and
creates a permanent underclass of immigrant workers.Republicans generally favor a strong guest worker program because businesses
say they need the labor.
Whatever the outcome, whatever the number of guest workers, more attention
needs to be paid to the rights of guest workers while here.
The Southern Poverty Law Center points out in a major report:
Under the current system, called the H-2 program, employers brought about
121,000 guest workers into the United States in 2005 — approximately 32,000
for agricultural work and another 89,000 for jobs in forestry, seafood
processing, landscaping, construction and other non-agricultural industries.
These workers, though, are not treated like "guests." Rather, they are
systematically exploited and abused. Unlike U.S. citizens, guest workers do
not enjoy the most fundamental protection of a competitive labor market —
the ability to change jobs if they are mistreated. Instead, they are bound
to the employers who "import" them. If guest workers complain about abuses,
they face deportation, blacklisting or other retaliation.
{jump to continuation}
----------------------------
Healthier, thinner, and
more self-confident,
Californian is back from Livnot Lehibanot
By Heather Zeiden
SAN
DIEGO -- It has been about two weeks since my return to the United States.
From January 17 to May 6, I was a participant and volunteer with Livnot
Lehibanot (To Build and be Built), one of the programs sponsored by Masa,
a joint effort of the Israel government and the Jewish Agency.
For the most part, I was based at the Livnot Tzfat campus but I was able to
spend some time at the organization’s campus in Jerusalem as well. Livnot
is well known in Israel for short volunteer programs of a few days, but this
effort was a 3 ˝ month program both to work in schools and to repair bomb
shelters damaged during Lebanon War II. The theme of the program—to build
and be built—was apt: not only were we helping rebuild Israel's north but
we were exploring and building ourselves.
 I’m
a 24-year-old college graduate with a background in art. During the 14-week
stay in Israel, under Modern Orthodox tutelage, I, as a Conservative Jew,
gained a wealth of experiences, created great friendships and dove deeper
into my Jewish heritage. At first I was concerned that I might be put under
pressure to conform my life style to Orthodox ways, but those who ran the
program were content to set an example through their actions rather than
attempt to force change on me.
A typical week would begin on Sunday with a kosher breakfast made by that
day’s scheduled duty roster person (called a tournut). At 8:30 we
would grab our lunch of pita sandwiches and scatter to our schools. Some of
us stayed in Tzfat and others, like myself, took a van to Hazor Hagelillit.
I volunteered with a fellow Livnoter at Shevitz Sefer elementary
school. There, I painted a mural of Noah's Ark in the children's animal
room. After the war many schools began using pets as a way of helping the
kids deal with trauma and stress. It seemed to work. All the children
loved playing with the bunnies and hamsters. I thoroughly enjoyed it as
well. When I wanted to take a break from painting I would spend my time
helping with other tasks around the school, socializing with the teachers
and trying out my Hebrew with the children. I was very impressed with the
children and their knowledge of English. I’m not sure that they felt the
same way about my Hebrew!
(jump to continuation)
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Israel Boasts a soaring economy, but a
yawning gap exists between rich and poor
By Dov Burt Levy
TEL AVIV—To those American Jews who last visited Israel before 1985 and
wished that
Israel could be more like America in its standard of living and its social
values, your hopes
have come true.
To those Israelis who worked hard to emulate American standards and enjoy
American
conveniences, your dreams have also come true.
Israelis seem more content, less harassed, and even appear to me to have
slowed down. New
homes are being built and older homes rebuilt to very high standards of
space and materials.
In the bad old days when a bus door opened, six people would try to shove
their way in first.
No longer. The line moves calmly and this newfound politeness extends to
interaction in
other parts of the society.
Women particularly, but men too, are better dressed, pressed and coiffed
than I have every
seen them. Telltale grey hair for women is out. I'm not talking about the
wealthier classes,
people shopping on fashionable streets, the professionals. My sample is
people on city buses
and walking on ordinary streets.
Israel has not quite reached the no-kitchen house that is possible in the
USA, with people
buying prepared foods at every market or eating in restaurants on every
corner. Still, there
is plenty of good prepared, but not frozen, food for purchase here.
Individual merchants tell me that their mothers cooked the food they are
selling. I hope not.
I am pained to think that a whole bunch of senior citizen mothers are in
bondage preparing
food for their sons' shops. But it does taste real good.
Meanwhile, the Israeli stock market is reaching new highs.
That's the positive stuff. Here is some not-so-good news.
The cost of housing in Tel Aviv is at a record high; not only because of
Israel's successful
high-tech companies and other industrial strengths, but because large
numbers of Jews
from outside the country are buying real estate.
Foreign apartment buyers are no doubt inspired by the strong economy, as
well as
anti-Semitism in their own countries (France, for example). The result is
that the balance
of supply and demand has tilted against local people of more moderate means.
Israel shows a growing gap between the rich and the poor. Put simply, the
rich are getting
richer and the poor are getting poorer.
The U.S. and Israel are competing for which country will be statistically
number one in this
harmful social distortion. A recent report from Israel's National Council
for the Child asserts
that in 2005, one child in three (33 percent) is living under the poverty
line, compared with
23 percent in 1995.
One of the most negative, but no longer unexpected, consequences of economic
development
is that the best and the brightest students aspire to high paying and
socially desirable work
sectors, turning their backs on public service, the military and politics.
When Israel was poor, the civil service and the military could choose from
the best, most
ambitious people. No longer.
Like last year's Washington scandals, the Israel police system has its hands
full investigating
political and government corruption. Both Prime Minister Olmert and
President Katsav are
under intense investigation, one for economic crimes, the other for sex
crimes.
It's no large solace that other countries have had their share of crooks and
abusers in high
places. Israelis are in despair about the mess, even to the point where it
stifles political
discussion in social settings. Just a few years ago, political discussion
was the lifeblood
of every gathering. Now the subject has become just too painful for most
people to talk about.
Israel was not supposed to be this way, even if early Zionists spoke boldly
of a "normal"
Jewish state, just like all the others.
Finally, with the Winograd interim report castigating the three top
officials about the conduct
of the Lebanon War, changes at the top or new elections are very close.
Israelis sadly ask,
who are the replacements besides the tired old politicians?
Good question. Many are working in the technology centers, among other
places.
Israelis, for the time being, will have to drown their sadness in another
cappuccino. And then
take to the streets to join another massive demonstration to send the
incumbent politicians
home.
Levy's column also appears in The Jewish
Journal—Boston North
 Jews
in the
News
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like you, we're pleased when members of our
community are praiseworthy, and are disappointed when they are blameworthy.
Whether
it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of what's being said in
general media about our fellow Jews.
Our news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H.
Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are, if you see a story of
interest, please send a summary and link to us
at sdheritage@cox.net. To see a
source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.
_______________________________________________________________________
*
Hall of Champions founder Bob Breitbart has some new memorabilia of Ted
Williams' for the museum's collection on San Diego athletes. Williams, the
Boston Red Sox slugger who was a high school student in San Diego, apparently
sent the material in 1993 to Barry Lorge, but the package somehow got lost. It
was found by workmen in the rafters of the Old Cracker Factory. The item
leads the
column by Diane Bell in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.
*U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) has signed on as a cosponsor of a
bill by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz) to
implement various policies for the reduction of greenhouse emissions. The
Associated Press
story is in the StarTribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
* Donald M. Ginsberg, a ranking expert on superconductors, has died
at 73. The
obituary by Jeremy Pearce of the New York Times News Service is in today's
San Diego Union-Tribune.
*Former NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin is just one of the people in
Washington who have felt the sting of Senator John McCain's temper, according to
an article by Ralph
Vartabedian and Michael Finnegan
in today's Los Angeles
Times.
*Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger said he was "appalled"
that Palestinian television features a Mickey Mouse-like figure, Farfour,
calling for the destruction of Israel. He said his company talked to the
Palestinian government about the issue but was not responsible for the
Palestinians' decision to remove it from the air. An Associated Press
story by Gary gentile is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.
*A Qassam
missile launched from Gaza killed an Israeli woman standing next to her car in
Sderot and strikes by the Israel Air Force in Gaza killed five persons
described as terrorists. The New York Times news service
story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.
*James
McElroy, the attorney who represented the late Philip Paulson in a suit to
remove the Mount Soledad Cross from city land, has been awarded fees of $962,673
by U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Thompson Jr. Awaiting court hearing,
meanwhile, is a follow up case in which the American Civil Liberties Union
represents the Jewish War Veterans in challenging the constitutionality
of the cross being on now-federalized land. Greg Moran has the
story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.
*A bill by state Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) to reform the
San Diego Regional Airport Authority would strip the power of Sheriff Bill
Kolender and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make appointments to the board,
and instead have the board selected by the County of San Diego, City of San
Diego and other local governments. The
story by Rob Davis was posted today on the Voice of San Diego.
*Simcha Catering, which will handle kosher events, has been launched
by Lisa Richards, owner of the Picnic People. A
profile by Jennifer Davies is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.
*Pfizer's Chief Financial Officer Alan Levin has resigned. The
company is reducing its work force by 10 percent. The Associated Press
story by Wallace Witkowski is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.
*Singer Adam Levine of Maroon 5 takes listeners into the "seamy,
bitter, obsessive side of romance" in his new release
"It Won't Be Soon Before Long"
Ann Powers says in a
review in today's Los Angeles Times
*U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif) and Artur Davis (D-Ala),
both former federal prosecutors, have introduced a resolution to censure
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The bill was an element in a
story by James Gerstenzang in today's Los Angeles Times.
*Leah Silverman's production in Los Angeles of David Henry
Hwang's Yellow Face was criticized as "flat footed," but otherwise
reviewer Charles McNulty found the play which deals with racial identity issues
well worthwhile. In his
story, McNulty noted that an actor's apparent non-Asian identity is handled
with an explanation he is a Jew of Russian Siberian Asian stock.
*Defense attorneys in the murder trial of record producer Phil Spector
grilled his chauffeur, Adriano DeSouza, about whether the Brazilian
immigrant may have misunderstood when Spector allegedly said he thought he might
have killed actress Lana Clarkson. The
story by Matt Krasnowsi of the Copley News Service is in today's San
Diego Union-Tribune.
*U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) says disclosure that the
anti-diabetes medication Avandia could increase the risk of heart attack is the
"latest reminder that FDA isn't effectively
monitoring the safety of drugs." He has scheduled hearings into the issue.
Karen Kaplan and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
have the
story in today's Los Angeles Times.
*UCSD Prof. Miles Kahler, in a
commentary in today's San Diego Union-Tribune, says it's too bad that
in the wake of the resignation of World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz
that the United States continues to have the right to appoint the president.
Many such appointments were undistinguished, Kahler writes.
(return to top)
__________________________________________
The Jewish Grapevine
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADL REPORT—At the San Diego Regional
Anti-Defamation League offices, they are preparing to say goodbye to Beth
Kyman, the development director, who will move after June 15 to the San
Francisco Bay Area to live closer to her grandchildren. ADL Regional Director
Morris Casuto says Kyman's departure will leave a large hole in the
organization. "She's passionate and committed," he said, "and she never
defined her role in narrow terms. She provided assistance to anyone who
needed help." The process to hire her replacement is underway. Turning to
other issues, Casuto commented in a telephone interview that he has re-contacted
the U.S. Navy to see what, if anything, has been done to mitigate the effect of
the building complex at the Coronado Amphibious Base that appears as a giant
swastika from the air. "I haven't received a response yet, but the
Navy has had more than enough time to come up with a plan," Casuto said.
Noting that Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) also has made
inquiries, he added: "I am hoping to give her a good report in the near
future." Casuto also mentioned that on Monday ADL participated in a
security seminar for representatives of various institutions in the San Diego
area. The group of approximately 30 individuals involved with security
procedures heard from a representative of the Granada Hills Jewish Community
Center which was the site in 1999 where gunman Buford Furrow Jr. opened fire
wounding three children, a teenager and an adult, before fleeing and killing a
neighborhood postal worker a few miles from the center.
COMMUNITY WATCH—Hadassah Southern California has announced awards for
leaders of its various groups in the greater San Diego area. By group, they
were: Attorneys' Council: Deborath Kornheiser; Aviva: Abby Murkoff;
Bat Harim: Barbara Lutzker; Galilee: Virginia Frogel; Haifa:
Mimi Simantov; Hatikvah: Gussie Zaks; Mount Scopus: Bea
Zweifach; Nursing & Health Care Council: Cynthia Bennett; Ohr Hayam:
Terri Fine; Shirat Hayam: Judy Frazer; Shoshanah: Judy Lebovitz;
Yachad: Susan Levin, and Associate Award: Vice Admiral (Ret).
Bernard Kauderer.
| CYBER-REFERRALS—Hillel
Mazansky found the video clip at left of a Shabbat service in Nigeria....Jay
Jacobson forwards this appeal on the right from the children of Sderot:
"Let us grow up in stillness."...And the Jewish Television Network
announces it can now be accessed on the web. Here's
the site, visit it, but
please, come back! ... Bruce Kesler notes that Republican
Congressman Duncan Hunter, addressing a rally sponsored by Christian
Zionists, said that if he's elected president, he will never abandon
Israel. Here is a
link to a story by David Eberhart on NewsMax.com. |
|
IN MEMORY—A brief
obituary of Howard Goldman, 64, of Carlsbad appears in the today's
San Diego Union-Tribune.
(return to top)
Simon Wiesenthal Center denounces anti-Semitic
vandalism at University of California Irvine
LOS ANGELES (Press Release)—The
Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced the Muslim Student Union's 'blood-smeared'
apartheid wall and Israeli flag on the campus of the University of California,
Irvine.
"These actions are not about academic
freedom but pure hate propaganda," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center's
associate dean.
 "This
new 'Blood Libel' against the Jewish State comes at a time when innocent Israeli
civilian communities are specifically targeted by Hamas, forcing the evacuation
of hundreds of children from Sderot, and when just last night, a 32 year-old
Israeli woman was murdered by a Kassam rocket," he continued.
"While campus apologists for terrorists
demonize Israel, they say nothing of the brutal Arab on Arab blood letting in
Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan. It is time for the leadership of these UC
campuses to publicly denounce the unrelenting campaign to demonize Israel while
remaining silent and indifferent to the source of suffering in the Middle
East-Arab and Muslim Terrorism, Cooper concluded.
Rabbi Aron Hier, Director, Campus Outreach, has been in touch with students at
UC Irvine and Cal Poly Pomona and are working together to coordinate a
response.
The foregoing news release was provided by the Simon Wiesenthal Center
Keeping up with Jewish officeholders
Quickly,
before fire season begins, make a
digital inventory of your belongings—Poizner
ALTADENA , Calif. (Publicity Release) - Visiting two recently remodeled homes
within the Angeles National Forest, today California Insurance Commissioner
Steve Poizner urged Golden State residents to proactively prepare for possible
disasters, such as fires, by conducting a home inventory and updating their
insurance policies as soon as possible.
Southern
California is facing above normal fire potential due to a harsh confluence of
factors. Increased fuel, abnormally dry weather and greater urban interface are
creating a particularly combustible mix for the 2007 fire season. Additional
personnel and equipment have already been mobilized to fight wildfires. In
recent weeks, famous icons such as the Hollywood sign, Griffith Park Observatory
and Catalina Island have been endangered by flames
"Waiting
for a fire to erupt before conducting a home inventory and reviewing your
insurance policy means you could get burned twice - first by the fire then by
trying to recover your losses," said Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.
"These are two concrete steps people can take today to protect their home."
Using a
digital camera and a Home Inventory Guide available at no charge from the
California Department of Insurance (CDI), Commissioner Poizner demonstrated how
the homeowner can catalogue his or her possessions and record their values.
Commissioner Poizner encouraged residents to contact CDI at 800.927.HELP for
consumer guides about various insurance policies.
"Many
people who have remodeled their homes over the past few years should take
particular care to update their policies," added Poizner. "California's recently
hot housing market may mean that expensive upgrades would not be a covered
loss."
Pictures
are especially helpful when an item is hard to describe on paper or if a
purchase receipt cannot be obtained. Each photograph should be labeled with
information about the item. If a video recorder is used, commentary should be
added about each item. Date stamps should also be employed. A copy of the
inventory and supporting documentation, such as receipts and model numbers,
should be stored in a safe place, such as a safe-deposit box, work office, or
relative's house. These records should also include financial documents.
Commissioner Poizner was joined by Los Angeles County Fire Department Forestry
Division Chief John Todd, who demonstrated how to make the residence more fire
safe by creating defensible spaces and improved construction materials. The
homeowner also detailed community-based efforts led by the local California
FireSafe Council to reduce the threat of fire to the neighborhood.
The
foregoing release was provided by the office of California Insurance
Commissioner Steve Poizner
Guest workers...
{Continued from above}
Federal law and U.S. Department of Labor regulations provide some basic
protections to H-2 guest workers — but they exist mainly on paper. Government
enforcement of their rights is almost non-existent. Private attorneys typically
won't take up their cause.
Bound to a single employer and without access to legal resources, guest workers
are:
●
routinely cheated out of wages;
●forced
to mortgage their futures to obtain low-wage, temporary jobs;
●held
virtually captive by employers or labor brokers who seize their documents;
●forced
to live in squalid conditions; and,
●
denied medical benefits for on-the-job injuries.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel recently put it this way:
"This guest worker program's the closest thing I've ever seen to slavery."
In my opinion, it’s bad enough that we American consumers profit from
importation of cheap goods produced in labor conditions that we won’t accept at
home of American workers. I’m aware of the beneficial effects for Americans’
budgets and comforts, and that even such labor is preferable to none in many of
those countries and may increase future opportunities. But, I’m also in
solidarity with my grandparents who worked in Lower East Side sweat shops and a
distant cousin who organized the ILGWU. Improving their conditions actually
accelerated their ability to later improve themselves further, in keeping with
the American Dream that they passed on to their children and grandchildren.
Importing unacceptable conditions into America is even more unacceptable than
tolerating them abroad.
Below are the recommendations from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Some may be
excessive or need adjustments, but read them for yourselves, and consider
whether most are the basic decency required. Also, consider whether they would
alleviate much of the concerns about unfairly depressing wages for Americans, by
justly leveling the field. As to American employers and consumers, profits based
on undue exploitation are not a right and a small percentage increase in produce
prices is not an undue burden.
I. Federal laws and regulations protecting guest workers from abuse must be
strengthened:
●Guest
workers should be able to obtain visas that do not tie them to a specific
employer. The current restriction denies guest workers the most fundamental
protection of a free labor market and is at the heart of many abuses they face.
●Congress
should provide a process allowing guest workers to gain permanent residency,
with their families, over time. Large-scale, long-term guest worker programs
that treat workers as short-term commodities are inconsistent with our society's
core values of democracy and fairness.
●Employers
should be required to bear all the costs of recruiting and transporting guest
workers to this country. Federal regulations should be consistent with the 11th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Arriaga v. Florida Pacific Farms.
Requiring guest workers to pay these fees encourages the over-recruitment of
guest workers and puts them in a position of debt peonage that leads to abuse.
●
Entities acting as labor brokers for employers that actually use the guest
workers should not be allowed to obtain certification from the Department of
Labor to bring them in. Allowing these middlemen to obtain certification shields
the true employer from responsibility for the mistreatment of guest workers.
●Congress
should require the Department of Labor to promulgate labor regulations for H-2B
workers that are comparable to the H-2A regulations. It is unconscionable that
H-2B workers do not have even the minimal protections available to H-2A workers.
●Congress
should require employers to pay at least the "adverse effect wage rate" in all
guest worker programs to protect against the downward pressure on wages. Guest
worker programs should not be a mechanism to drive wages down to the minimum
wage.
●Congress
should eliminate the barriers that prevent guest workers from receiving workers'
compensation benefits. Workers currently must navigate a bewildering
state-by-state system that effectively blocks many injured workers from
obtaining benefits.
●Guest
workers should be protected from discrimination on the same terms as workers
hired in the United States. Permitting employers to "shop" for workers with
certain characteristics outside of the United States is offensive to our system
of justice and nondiscrimination.
II. Federal agency enforcement of guest worker protections must be strengthened:
●Congress
should require that all employers report to the Department of Labor, at the
conclusion of a guest worker's term of employment and under penalty of perjury,
on their compliance with the terms of the law and the guest worker's contract.
There currently is no mechanism allowing the government to ensure that employers
comply with guest worker contracts.
●Employers
using guest workers should be required to post a bond that is at least
sufficient in value to cover the workers' legal wages. A system should be
created to permit workers to make claims against the bond. Guest workers, who
must return to their country when their visas expire, typically have no way of
recovering earned wages that are not paid by employers.
●There
should be a massive increase in funding for federal agency enforcement of guest
worker protections. Guest workers are the most vulnerable workers in this
country, but there is scant government enforcement of their rights.
●The
Department of Labor should be authorized to enforce all guest worker agreements.
The DOL takes the position that it does not have legal authority to enforce H-2B
guest worker contracts.
●The
Department of Labor should create a streamlined process to deny guest worker
applications from employers that have violated the rights of guest workers.
Employers who abuse guest workers continue to be granted certification by the
DOL to bring in new workers.
III. Congress must provide guest workers with meaningful access to the courts:
●Congress
should make all guest workers eligible for federally funded legal services. H-2B
workers are currently not eligible for legal aid services.
●Because
of the unique challenges faced by guest workers, the restriction on federally
funded legal services that prohibits class action representation should be
lifted.
●Congress
should provide a civil cause of action and criminal penalties for employers or
persons who confiscate or hold guest worker documents. This common tactic is
designed to hold guest workers hostage.
Congress should provide a federal cause of action allowing all guest workers to
enforce their contracts.
(Return to top)
Livnot Lehibanot...
(continued from above)
Around 1pm (although time in Israel is quite flexible), I would catch the
scheduled van to Tzfat to rest for a bit and then have Hebrew class. In the
evening, the same folks who made breakfast would try out new recipes for that
night’s dinner.
On
Mondays, we typically went from school onto a “short” hike (“short” meaning four
hours) and then return to learn about Israel’s history and current affairs.
 On
Tuesdays we would have another short Hebrew lesson and then our group would
split, some, including me, going to the Ethiopian absorption center and others
to Kabbalah class.
Wednesdays we had free time to explore Tzfat and its artist quarter. The locals
began to recognize us and to greet us warmly. The guy at the falafel stand knew
that I like to have French Fries, which they call “chips” on the top. On
Thursdays we had all-day hikes in the Golan. This was good preparation for our
two-day and three-day hikes, which nearly killed me. “See, Heather,” they said
when they were completed, “you didn’t get hurt and you didn’t die.”
When we returned tired and sweaty, we barely had enough time to shower before
Thursday night preparations for the Shabbat. We would bake challah, while
dancing around the kitchen making chicken, pastas, deserts and salads as well.
We even made the corn-flake covered chicken that my aunt in San Diego likes to
make. The Israelis thought it strange, but they were accepting.
Fridays we cleaned and prepared for Shabbat. As we Livnoters squeegied water out
the door, tourists passed by to peek at this example of local life. We didn’t
have the heart to tell them, we were foreigners too.
During Shabbat, we took turns telling our group about events in our daily lives
and how they related to Judaism. Knowing such an activity awaited us, the
waning hours before Shabbat found many of us cramming the way we did before
college finals. As Shabbat fell, we lit candles and went on the balcony and
watched beautiful sunsets. Then, perhaps destroying the Sabbath peace for
others, we sang at the top of our lungs.
Shabbat dinners were joyous occasions with the singing beginning during hand
washing and not letting up until we cleared the dining hall. One of the songs
that I learned which I believe will stay with me forever was “The Whole World Is
a Narrow Bridge,” based on the words of Rebbe Nachman of Breslav. We need to
cross that bridge with courage, and go forth without fear. I found myself
thinking about that on our hikes, especially when we skipped from rock to rock
trying to stay dry while crossing some streams
On
Saturdays we took wine and cakes to local families and partook of Shabbat with
them. We met many artists who were influenced by Kabbalah and Torah. On
Saturday evenings we would end Shabbat with a very special Havdalah service,
which, of course, necessitated more singing .
There were days that we helped paint and clean out bomb-shelters, clean and
restore community gardens and paint homes and fences of the underprivileged.
One memorable harp maker and musician in Jerusalem played heavenly strains as we
performed our earthly mitzvoth.
Every two
weeks or so we would have a free weekend to explore Israel and experience
Shabbat in other communities. During this time, I had the opportunity to take
many photos and to meet with many Israeli artists.
We planted
trees on Tu B’Shevat in Kiryat Shimona, where other Livnoters were stationed
right on the Lebanese border. On Purim, perfumed and in our costumes, we
dutifully observed the injunction to become so blotto that we couldn’t tell the
difference between the sayings “Blessed be Mordechai” and “Cursed (hiccup) be
Haman.” I was very fortunate to have experienced Passover in Jerusalem at the
Livnot campus. I shall never forget the entire country in frozen reverence on
Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, nor the communal sadness during Yom
Hashoah. On Israel's Independence Day, we dressed up in Moroccan outfits and
stuffed ourselves with sufganiyot, the Israeli donuts. The last chag before my
departure was Lag B’Omer, on which we could see at least five great bonfires
from our balcony.
Towards
the end of the program I helped coordinate another mural project with Emunah, a
daycare center, where I brought in a small group of fellow Livnoters to help
make a brightly colored mural.
In my spare time, I started what I hope will be a small-scale person-to-person
program. I had two of the children create a small 4-page English and Hebrew
book about their community of Tzfat Now that I’m back in the States, I have to
persuade my 6-year old cousin to reciprocate with a short book on his Jewish
community of San Diego.
Livnot
Lehibanot is a very special program and I learned so much about who I am as an
individual, as a Jewish woman, and as an artist. Israel and Livnot brought color
back into my life and to my work. I adopted fisherman pants, hippy like long
skirts and colorful scarves into my wardrobe. I hum familiar songs that we sang
during Shabbat and on our hikes.
Today, I feel healthier, thinner, and more self-confident because of all the
hiking trips and camping that we did. It really didn’t kill me! I made
friendships that will last a lifetime. I now want to make the baking of challot
and the lighting of Shabbat candles part of my regular routine, and I want to
learn more Torah and Kabbalah while remaining in the Conservative movement. I
hope to make a return visit to Israel in August for a friend’s wedding. I feel
this connection that I didn’t have before to Israel and the land. I think
learning about the agriculture, cultivating the land ourselves and hiking
through the country played a big role in that.
I
recommend Livnot Lehibanot's program to any young adult who is looking for a way
to volunteer and who loves to sing and would enjoy exploring nature through
hiking. This program is a way to connect to not only Israel and Judaism but to
one’s inner self.
It is an amazing adventure that wakes you up to new possibilities, sparks your
spirituality and creates long-lasting bonds with other Jews.
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