San Diego Jewish World~July 2

Israel announces arrests of 11 Hamas members
in Jerusalem following lengthy investigation

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—The ISA and the Israel Police have recently concluded a lengthy investigation during which eleven senior Hamas members – residents of eastern Jerusalem, ten of whom hold Israeli identity cards – were arrested. The State Prosecutor's Office is seeking to try them for various offenses including membership in a terrorist organization, financing terrorism and illegal use of property for terrorist purposes.

During the investigation, evidence was uncovered that indicated intensive Hamas activity in Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount, financed by Hamas elements abroad. Several channels for transferring Hamas funds from abroad were discovered and NIS 400,000 was seized. The Hamas headquarters abroad transferred funds to the "Union of Good", which then used money changers, bank accounts in Judea and Samaria, and couriers to send the money to a local charity organization which then transferred cash to the Hamas headquarters in Jerusalem. In the last 18 months, Hamas' Jerusalem headquarters received over NIS 1 million in this fashion.

(It should be noted that the "Union of Good" – a roof organization based in Saudi Arabia – is the main financing body through which Hamas headquarters abroad finances local Hamas activities. The "Union" operates sub-committees throughout the world. It is chaired by Sheikh Yussuf Mustafa Al-Qardawi and was banned in Israel in 2002).

It arises that most of the aforementioned funds served Hamas activities on the Temple Mount, which were coordinated with Sheikh Raad Salah's Islamic Movement. These activities included organizing events during Ramadan such as large-scale post-fast evening meals, the purpose of which was to recruit support for Hamas and give the organization a foothold on the Temple Mount. The activities also included construction projects on the Temple Mount (that were not coordinated with Israel and which constituted a violation of the status quo) and organizing guided tours of the Temple Mount.

The principal detainees were:

Amin Rushdi Shviki, b.1960, Beit Hanina, glass factory owner. Responsible for Hamas activities in Jerusalem. Initiated contact with the organization's charity committee and prepared a channel for the transfer of funds. Shviki sent an emissary to Hamas operatives abroad in order to organize money transfers to fund local operations.

Nasser Yakob Abu Saud, b. 1968, A-Tur, teacher. Active over the years in several Hamas institutes in Jerusalem, which were subsequently closed by Israel. Received transferred funds and was involved in organizing Hamas operations on the Temple Mount.

Halil Attia Gizawi, b. 1973, Abu Tur, graduate of Islamic University of Gaza. Active over the years in a number of Hamas institutes in Jerusalem, which were subsequently closed by Israel. Received transferred funds and was involved in organizing Hamas operations on the Temple Mount.

Mahmad Raduwan Farah, b. 1958, Shoafat refugee camp, Chairman of Dhahiet Al-Barid Al-Ram Charity Committee. Managed the transfer of funds from Hamas operatives abroad to Hamas leaders in Jerusalem. Also met with Hamas operatives abroad and participated in the actual smuggling.

Lieberman says Iran fighting proxy war against U.S in Iraq; urges Iran be confronted

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—Senator Joe Lieberman (Independent, Connecticut) issued the following statement today urging the U.S. government to confront Iran on its proxy war in Iraq:

By Senator Joseph Lieberman

This morning, the U.S. military in Baghdad provided new and disturbing details about the proxy war that the government of Iran has been fighting against the United States in Iraq.

According to Brigadier General Kevin Bergner, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been using operatives from the radical Islamist terrorist group Hezbollah to train Iraqi Shiite militias, who in turn are responsible for the murder of American soldiers.

In addition, according to Brig. Gen. Bergner, groups of up to sixty Iraqi militants at a time have been taken out of Iraq and brought to Iran for military training at three camps near Teheran, where they have been instructed in the use of mortars, rockets, and improvised explosive devices. The Iranian government has also provided up to $3 million a month to fund attacks on U.S. troops and allies in Iraq.

In fact, Brig. Gen. Bergner also provided new evidence this morning that Iranian operatives helped plan a sophisticated ambush in January that resulted in the abduction and murder of five American soldiers.

These revelations should be a wake-up call to the United States about the threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran—as well as a reminder why Iraq is, in fact, the central front of the global war on terror. Iran's sponsorship of terrorism in Iraq fits into a larger, dangerous pattern of behavior we see across the Middle East today. From Lebanon to Palestine to Afghanistan, the Iranian government is supporting the forces of Islamist radicalism. Despite a mounting economic crisis in its own country and growing international isolation, the regime in Teheran is sacrificing the blood and treasure of the Iranian people to fund terrorism against its neighbors.

The United States government has a responsibility to use all instruments at its disposal to stop these terrorist attacks against our soldiers and allies in Iraq—including keeping open the possibility of using military force against the terrorist infrastructure inside Iran.

Although no one desires a conflict with Iran, the fact is that the Iranian government by its actions has declared war on us. And while I sincerely hope that diplomacy alone can convince the Iranian government to stop these attacks, our diplomatic efforts are only likely to succeed if backed by a credible threat of force.

At the very least, I hope that these latest revelations about Iran's terrorism in Iraq will prompt some of my colleagues in Congress to reconsider their demand that U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq.

Iran's purpose in sponsoring these attacks against our soldiers is clear. The Iranian government wants to push the United States out of Iraq. For Congress to mandate a retreat from Iraq will give the Iranians exactly what they want most. A retreat would not only represent a catastrophic defeat for the United States, but an epic victory for Iran, Hezbollah, and the forces of Islamist terrorism."

The preceding story was provided by the office of Senator Joseph Lieberman

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Wiesenthal Center asks Arlington burial
for 1st Jewish chaplain to reach Dachau

LOS ANGELES (Press Release)—The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Friday, June 29, urged the White House to overrule the denial of a burial of U.S. Army Chaplain Rabbi Abraham Klausner at Arlington National Cemetery. Before his death last Thursday, Klausner requested that he be buried at Arlington, but over the weekend, the request was denied because that his time in the Army was not long enough to warrant a casketed internment. Klausner’s family was told by Army officials that the only way he can be interred at Arlington is have his remains cremateda violation of Jewish law. Because of limited space at the cemetery, exceptions to the Arlington burial rules are rarely given, but a request from the White House can override the rules.

Rabbi Klausner was the first Jewish Chaplain to enter the Dauchau concentration camp after its liberation in WWII. He spent his time seeing to the needs of the Holocaust survivors who were moved to deportation camps. He brought them food, performed religious services, and spoke out on their behalf to U.S. government.

“Chaplain Klausner served the United States with great distinction by acting as a father figure to tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center. “It is outrageous that a man who gave so much to his country be refused a burial because his religious beliefs do not allow his remains to be cremated,” he added.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

The preceding story was provided by the Simon Wiesenthal Center

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Return to old Catholic mass raises Jewish concerns

LONDON (Press Release)—A plan by Pope Benedict XVI to reintroduce the controversial Latin Mass into church liturgy has provoked criticism in the Catholic Church and concern from Jewish leaders. The 16thcentury Tridentine Mass – which includes references to “perfidious” Jews – was abandoned in 1969 and replaced with liturgy in local languages, to make worship more accessible to the majority of churchgoers. Last week, however, Pope Benedict announced that a long-awaited document liberalizing the use of the Mass, would be released in the coming days.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, has written to the Pope to say that no changes were needed. Clerics, but also Jewish leaders, are concerned by the text of the “old” Mass, which contains passages, recited on Good Friday, that say Jews live in “blindness” and “darkness”, and pray “the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ."

The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress.

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Israel sympathizers protest in Madrid against Iran

MADRID (Press Release)—The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) and the Israel-Spain Solidarity Association (ASEI) have staged a demonstration in front of Iran’s embassy in Madrid to protest against threats by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad directed at Israel.

Hundreds of protesters attended the rally held under the motto "For Israel’s right to exist - Stop the Iranian regime's aggression - For human rights in Iran." Members of parliament for the governing Socialist party as well as representatives of the opposition Popular Party were among the protestors, which also included leading journalists and university professors. Fifty-eight civil, political and religious associations and a large number of intellectuals from all over Spain submitted letters of support for the initiative.

"The threat by a head of state to destroy a member of the United Nations is against the UN Charter", the organizers said, referring to a call by Ahmadinejad "to wipe Israel off the map."

The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress

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Bureaucracy jeopardizes elderly, disabled refugees

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—A group of nearly 400 national, state and local organizations organized by HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is urging Congress to support the “SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act.”

The bill provides a two-year extension of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility for elderly and disabled refugees, as well as a provision to cover those who lost benefits prior to enactment of the legislation. The bill will also ensure that refugees who are making efforts to become citizens, but are caught up in the processing backlogs through no fault of their own, are given additional time to naturalize.

In a letter sent last week, the group calls the bipartisan bill “a critical lifeline to thousands of elderly and disabled refugees who are about to lose, or have already lost, their SSI benefits due to the arbitrary seven-year time limit to which their eligibility is limited.”

“The number of people who are losing their life-sustaining SSI benefits, in large part due to delays in the immigration system beyond their control, is climbing,” the letter continues. “The Social Security Administration currently projects that 50,000 elderly and disabled refugees will face extreme hardship and destitution by 2012 due to the suspension of their SSI benefits. These individuals fled persecution or torture in countries such as Iran, Russia, Iraq, Vietnam and Somalia, and now are too elderly or disabled to support themselves.”

Jews from the former Soviet Union are more affected by the limits on SSI than any other previous refugee group because the large wave of Russian Jewish emigration to the U.S. in the 1990s was demographically the oldest in U.S. history. This wave of Russian Jewish emigration happened to coincide with the 1996 adoption in the welfare reform law that conditioned the receipt of SSI benefits for the disabled, blind and elderly on achieving citizenship within the first seven years of entry into the country after Aug. 22, 1996.

Among those who have already lost SSI benefits is an elderly Jewish woman named Esfir who fled persecution in Russia and applied for asylum in the U.S. at the age of 72. She was granted asylum in 1999, but did not receive her green card until 2005 due to a backlog of asylee adjustment applications. Esfir was cut off from her SSI benefits in 2006, and cannot even apply to become a citizen until 2009. In addition to the many medical problems from which she suffers, Esfir has now fallen into extreme poverty since she lost her SSI benefits and has no hope of regaining those benefits until she becomes a citizen. This is only one of the thousands of heartbreaking stories that we will continue to be confronted with unless Congress acts now to lengthen the insufficient eligibility period for this extremely vulnerable population.

In addition to HIAS, the letter is signed by several other prominent Jewish organizations, including the United Jewish Communities; Jewish Council for Public Affairs; American Jewish Committee; Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies; Women of Reform Judaism; The Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring; and Women of Reform Judaism.

Other national organizations include Catholic Charities USA; Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service; United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society; the American Association of People with Disabilities; National Immigration Forum; Asian American Justice Center; Campaign for Working Families; Hispanic Coalition; Institute for Social and Economic Development; International Rescue Committee; United Cerebral Palsy; World Relief; as well as hundreds of state and local organizations.

President explains commuting Libby's sentence

(Editor's Note: As regular readers of our "Jews in the News" column know, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is a member of the Jewish community. The commutation of his sentence by U.S. President George W. Bush is bound to arouse considerable comment, so we provide the President's explanation for his action. It was issued by the White House.)

By President George W. Bush

WASHINGTON, DC—The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected Lewis Libby's request to remain free on bail while pursuing his appeals for the serious convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice. As a result, Mr. Libby will be required to turn himself over to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his prison sentence.

I have said throughout this process that it would not be appropriate to comment or intervene in this case until Mr. Libby's appeals have been exhausted. But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision.

From the very beginning of the investigation into the leaking of Valerie Plame's name, I made it clear to the White House staff and anyone serving in my administration that I expected full cooperation with the Justice Department. Dozens of White House staff and administration officials dutifully cooperated.

After the investigation was under way, the Justice Department appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald as a Special Counsel in charge of the case. Mr. Fitzgerald is a highly qualified, professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged.

This case has generated significant commentary and debate. Critics of the investigation have argued that a special counsel should not have been appointed, nor should the investigation have been pursued after the Justice Department learned who leaked Ms. Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak. Furthermore, the critics point out that neither Mr. Libby nor anyone else has been charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act, which were the original subjects of the investigation. Finally, critics say the punishment does not fit the crime: Mr. Libby was a first-time offender with years of exceptional public service and was handed a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury.

Others point out that a jury of citizens weighed all the evidence and listened to all the testimony and found Mr. Libby guilty of perjury and obstructing justice. They argue, correctly, that our entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth. And if a person does not tell the truth, particularly if he serves in government and holds the public trust, he must be held accountable. They say that had Mr. Libby only told the truth, he would have never been indicted in the first place.

Both critics and defenders of this investigation have made important points. I have made my own evaluation. In preparing for the decision I am announcing today, I have carefully weighed these arguments and the circumstances surrounding this case.

Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty months of prison, two years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation.

I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting.

The Constitution gives the President the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby's case is an appropriate exercise of this power.

** *
Bush's decision on Libby criticized by Jewish Democrats

“President Bush’s decision to pardon Scooter Libby is yet another example of an Administration viewing itself as above the law," said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council.

"Americans will remember this when they go to the polls in 2008. Scooter Libby deserves the same treatment as any other convicted felon. It is sad that the White House apparently believes that there should be a different set of rules for their political insiders and allies than for everybody else.”

Increasingly, Aryan Brotherhood acts of violence take place on the streets instead of solely behind prison walls, according to ADL. New Mexico has had an Aryan Brotherhood presence for several years, a fact demonstrated in 2004 when a Texas Aryan Brotherhood member killed an Otero County Sheriff’s deputy near Cloudcroft.

The preceding story was provided by the Anti-Defamation League

A warning to Western policy makers

"Al Qaeda has imported the tactics of Baghdad and Bali to the streets of the U.K.," said Lord John Stevens, (British PM) Brown's terrorism adviser, referring to the 2002 and 2005 attacks on the Indonesian resort island. "The danger here is that we are entering the era of the car bomb," an intelligence source told The Independent newspaper. "It's easy to make a gas and nail car bomb without raising suspicion." —NY Daily News

By Shoshana Bryen

WASHINGTON (JINSA)—No. Not that kind of warning.

A warning that even after London and Glasgow, people don't understand what they're looking at. "Entering the era of the car bomb"? Gas and nail car bombs have been a fact of life in Israel for years and Iraq for the past two. They followed nail-laden suicide bomb vests and preceded nail-laden Katyusha rockets. And in a borrowed signature, there were secondary car bombs in each place, probably intended to kill first responders. (The second car in London was near the first; the second car in Glasgow was near the hospital entrance from which emergency personnel might have left for the airport.)

This is actually a warning to Nancy Pelosi and Tony Blair.

The war in which Great Britain, the U.S., Israel and other symbols of freedom, democracy and Western civilization are engaged is not a war against President Bush, not a war to force us out of Iraq (except as an interim step toward forcing us out of the region entirely) and not a war for Palestinian statehood. It is not predicated on stopping or correcting the "mistakes" of the West. It is not even a bid to ease the frustrations of minority people in free societies who have to resist temptations that may not exist in countries where they are the majority.

This is a war for the expansion of the ideology of radical Islam. It comes from a positive view of the 11th Century and a belief that those conditions can and should be restored. Now. It has both Sunni and Shiite adherents and financiers. And, while many Muslims are appalled by car bombings, they believe that if the tactics are wrong, the goal is right. And even more are pretty sure they don't want to be on the wrong side of the people who believe it. "Burkinis" are a way of hedging bets.

Here is the warning for Ms. Pelosi - to them, you and Mr. Bush are equal parts of the rotten modern structure. Despite your headscarf in Damascus, as an elected female official in a democratic system, you stand in the way of Islamic revivalism as much as he does. It should be easier for you to find common ground in this with Mr. Bush than with the radicals. If you can't, Americans - not Republicans or Democrats - will pay.

And for Mr. Blair - if you plan to make your legacy by establishing a Palestinian state at the expense of Israel, your legacy will be to have expanded the territory from which the radicals operate. As with Mrs. Pelosi, it should be easier for you as a representative of the Quartet to find common ground with Israel for securing the region than with the radicals. If you can't, Israel and the West will pay an ever-increasing price.

The preceding article was provided by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs

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ZOA chief voices concern over Tony Blair

Editor:

Your report noting the appointment of Tony Blair as the Quartet's Middle East envoy prompts concern over Mr. Blair's statements, made to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on July 17, 2003, that the Arab-Israeli conflict is the primary reason for all the conflict in the region and the primary cause of Islamist terrorism around the world.

The Arab war on Israel has no connection to the war in Iraq, Iran's drive to obtain nuclear weapons, Syria's efforts to continue to control Lebanon or Al-Qaeda terrorism directed at both non-Muslim and Muslim nations alike. All these conflicts would be on-going even if Israel had never existed. The only thing that the Arab war on Israel shares with these other conflicts is the extreme Islamist and pan-Arab ideologies that drive it. Arab nationalism has no place for non-Arab states in the Middle East and Islamism has no place for non-Muslim states in the Middle East and beyond.

Blair fails to see that Palestinian terrorism is the result of a desire to eradicate Israel, not the absence of a Palestinian state. The Palestinians have been offered statehood three times – in 1937, 1947 and 2000 – and on all three occasions refused because acceptance meant accepting the existence of a Jewish state alongside it.

With Palestinians indoctrinated with hatred and incited to mass murder of Jews by the Palestinian Authority media, mosques, schools and youth camps, there is no real possibility of peace until this incitement ends. We are worried that Blair's misguided views will lead him to pressure Israel to make more one-sided concessions, further endangering Israel and harming the international war against terror.

—Morton A. Klein, National President, Zionist Organization of America

Jews in the News
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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 and we'll acknowledge your tip at the end of the column. To see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.

*Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak will attend a ceremony at Mount Herzl for soldiers and civilians on the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said he would stay away because of security concerns, raising some protests. The story by Amiram Barket and Barak Ravid is in today's Ha'aretz.

*A son-in-law of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser whom Israel once said had worked as a double agent prior to the 1973 Yom Kippur War has been buried in Cairo after mysteriously plunging to his death from a London apartment. The death of Ashraf Marwan is under investigation, according to an Associated Press story by Salah Nasrawi in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Shmuel Rosner, U.S. correspondent for Ha'aretz, reports in his column today that Sen. Patrick Leahy (Democrat, Vermont) attempted to downgrade certain aspects of the aid to Israel provisions in the State Department Operations bill by substituting a permissive "should" for a mandatory "shall." But other members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, according to Rosner, declined to support such language.

*Harvey Weinstein, head of Weinstein Co., said by rolling Michael Moore's Sicko out more slowly than other films, the cumulative impact may be greater than if there had been a full-bore nationwide opening. Word of mouth can build influence for a political movie as it did for Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, he said. Josh Friedman's story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Date: July 2, 2007
Time:1:43 pm EST
Place: U.S. State Department
Briefing officer: Sean McCormack, State Department Spokesman
Source: State Department Transcript
Subject: Middle East

QUESTION: Can you confirm that there will be a meeting of the Quartet mid-July in Egypt with Israel and the Palestinians?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we're looking at a Quartet meeting sometime in the next several weeks. I don't think that we have finally nailed down a date for that Quartet meeting, but it should be in the next several weeks.

MR. MCCORMACK: Like I said, we're looking at one in the next several weeks. Mid -- mid-July is about the right timeframe, but we still haven't nailed down the exact date yet.

QUESTION: Okay. And what about the money for the Palestinians, now that the Israelis gave the money -- the tax money to the Palestinians, what about the money the U.S. was thinking about restructuring for --

MR. MCCORMACK: Right. We're still thinking of looking at how we might restructure it. There's no connection between the two, the Israelis --

MR. MCCORMACK: -- releasing the tax revenues and our looking at this money. We're still looking at the full amount, how we might restructure it. Our guys are looking at how they might do that internally. At some point, we're going to go to the Hill and talk to them, because they have a say in this, about reprogramming money, but nothing new to add on that score, Sylvie.

QUESTION: So you have to reprogram -- I don't understand. Since this money was already approved, you still have to go to the Hill to reprogram --

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, there was some money that was set aside over -- in a reserve, I think about $27 million and that, we would need to go back to the Hill and talk to them about.

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, that's the total amount, so you take -- it's the 27 million plus -- doing quick calculations, I think -- like, 59 million, so it's about 86 million. That's the -- that's the total, so we're still looking at how we might rearrange that money, redistribute it and make sure that it's spent effectively to help build up Palestinian institutions, help build up a more professional Palestinian security force, take a look at what projects we might either resume or implement that would benefit the Palestinian people. Previously, there have been things like water projects, sewage treatment projects that would directly benefit the Palestinian people and could also -- we could also work with the Palestinian Government in terms of the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of those projects.

BODY WORLDS—Michelle K. Gross is a member of Chabad of University City who feels so strongly about "Bodies...The Exhibition" at the University Towne Centre that she plans to regularly pass out flyers at noon Sundays to inform people that these are desecrated human remains and that the subjects never consented to have their cadavers viewed. Anyone who would care to join her may contact her via her webpage.

DEAD SEA SCROLLS—The San Diego Museum of Natural History is seeking volunteers for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. If you are interested contact Lisa Calhoun at (619) 255-0162. ... LEAD San Diego has arranged a breakfast and private showing of the scrolls for members and guests from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday, July 12. Package tickets are $40 for LEAD members, $50 for guests. For information, the phone number is (619) 280-5323.

EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE—Jenn Lindsay is working as a Development Associate at Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in Manhattan. When in San Diego, she attends Tifereth Israel in East County. Her primary "extracurricular activity" in New York is being a singer/songwriter, and she has released seven albums to date on her own record label. She is currently working on her eighth studio album, "A For Effort." More info at www.JennLindsay.com.

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Jewish major league players will watch
All-Star Game along with the rest of us

Unless otherwise indicated, source for these stories is today's edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune, to which we gratefully provide the links below.

BASEBALL—None of the Jewish major league baseball players were selected for the upcoming All Star Game, not even Kevin Youkilis who swatted his 22nd double and 44th RBI of the season, accounting for the lone run the Boston Red Sox mustered Sunday in their 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. Youkilis climbed to seventh-best batter in the American League with his percentage of .329. ..The Rangers meanwhile have optioned pitcher Scott Feldman to their minor league team in Oklahoma...Chicago Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis gave up a solo home run to Corey Hart, en route to 5-1 Chicago victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The win brought Marquis' won-loss record to 6-4 and his ERA to 3.34...New York Mets' right fielder Shawn Green was frustrated 0-4 at the plate in his teams 8-defeat by the Philadelphia Phillies. His batting average slipped to .272. Teammate Scott Schoeneweis pitched an inning in relief, giving up one hit, but no runs and dropping his ERA to 5.46...Brad Ausmus singled and walked, and scored one of the 12 Houston Astros runs as they shut out the Colorado Rockies 12-0.

The arrest of Hamas's Jerusalem leadership significantly harmed the organization's activities in the city and its attempts to strengthen itself and gain influence in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount.

In addition to exposing the channels for funds transfers, the operation has had a major demoralizing effect on Hamas's Jerusalem infrastructure, especially on those members with Israeli ID cards, who had felt secure in their operations in the city.

During the operation close cooperation between Hamas and the Islamic Movement was uncovered in a number of fields:

●The organizations operated jointly with financing from Hamas affiliates abroad even though senior Islamic Movement officials have been careful to avoid being directly associated with these affiliates.

●The Islamic Movement provides the legal cover for operations in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount.

The preceding story was provided by the Israel Security Agency via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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