Iran computer game imagines breaking diplomats
and nuclear scientists out of secret Israeli prison

TEHERAN, Iran (Press Release)—Iran has launched a computer game with a strong political message that mixes the standoff over its nuclear program, the mystery of missing diplomats in Lebanon and its hatred of Israel. Players of the game ‘Special Operation 85: Hostage Rescue’ play the part of a special agent battling to release captured Iranian diplomats and nuclear scientists from the clutches of his US and Israeli foes. The game has been produced by the Union of Islamic Students, which was behind the infamous ‘World Without Zionism’ conference in 2005 where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be "wiped from the map".

"In this game we are not promoting terrorism and violence. By freeing Iranian hostages we are promoting selflessness, devotion and defense of our country," the group's secretary general Mohammad Taghi Fakhrian was quoted as saying by the ‘Reuters’ news agency. The eight-level game starts in Iraq, where a young married couple who are Iranian nuclear scientists have been captured by US forces while making a pilgrimage to the Shiite holy shrine in Karbala.

Special operations officer Bahman Nasseri’s mission it is to save the couple named Saeed and Maryam, who have now been spirited away to a prison in Israel. The fictional officer Nasseri slips into Israel and locates their prison. In a twist, he finds locked away not only the young scientists but also four other Iranians who in real life have been missing since disappearing in northern Lebanon at the height of the civil war in 1982. Tehran believes they were handed over to Israel by Lebanese Christian forces and are still alive. A successful player completes the eight levels by killing US and Israeli soldiers, stealing their computers which hold secret information, and finally liberating the scientists and the diplomats.

Meanwhile, the head of UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has hailed Iran's “positive' approach” towards negotiations to reach a resolution to its nuclear power ambitions. IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei said he was optimistic that continued dialogue would lead to the resolution of outstanding issues related to Iran's controversial nuclear program. “Iran needs to continue to cooperate with the agency to clarify the scope and nature of its program,” ElBaradei said at a press conference in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. He added: “We are seeing at least a positive move on the part of Iran, but I hope that we will continue this because if we are able to clarify those outstanding issues in Iran, that clearly will make an attitude change in the attitude of the international community.”

The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress

The Peres Diary

Editor's Note: Israel's President Shimon Peres has been putting up on his website each day since taking office an account of his day. The San Diego Jewish World plans to carry his entries on a regular basis so we can all share his special perspective on Israel and world Jewry.

Comforting the Reich family

YUVALIM, Israel (Wednesday, July 18)—The bereaved father, Moshe Reich, to President Peres: "I pray that this will be the only condolence visit you pay during your term as President"

President Peres this morning paid a condolence visit in the home of Family Reich in Yuvalim in the Galilee, whose son, Arbel Yitzhak, fell last week in an operational activity in Gaza. During the visit the President requested to speak to each member of the late Arbel's family and to hear from them about his life, character and activities until he fell in battle.

At the conclusion of a long conversation between the President and the family, the bereaved father said to the President that he clearly knows that visiting bereaved families is part of his duty as the President of Israel and that he prays that "this will be the only condolence visit that he pays during his term as President."

President Peres said that with all his heart he joins in the father's prayer and hopes that Arbel Yitzhak will be the last fallen soldier of the IDF and that additional families will not need to experience such deep and heavy sorrow. "Arbel, as everyone testifies, was the salt of the earth, young, full of motivation and proud to serve his people. May you know no further sorrow," said the President.

* *
Conferring with Iceland's Foreign Minister

JERUSALEM (Tuesday, July 17)—The President of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland: "Countries which do not suffer from terror cannot criticize nor judge Israel which is under continual terrorist attack"

The President, Mr. Shimon Peres, today held his first political meeting with the Foreign Minister of Iceland, Mrs. Ingibjorg Gisladottir.

The two discussed the political and security situation between Israel and the Palestinians.

At the commencement of his remarks, the President said that Israel is completely united, right and left, behind the yearning for peace, while being clearing aware that this peace will only exist when there are two states for two peoples who live side by side in full peace and security. But in the present reality, said the President, the Hamas is situated in Gaza, with its primary goal not being the attainment of peace but the establishment of a religious and fanatic state, which is a branch of Syria and Iran. Israel vacated Gaza in an extremely difficult and painful process, in order to achieve true peace but all the time they are firing missiles and shells from Gaza into Israel, even when there is not a single Israeli settler in its area.

Israel cannot permit the extremist opponents of peace among the Palestinians to succeed and to impose their murderous policy on the majority of the people, said the President, referring to European countries which are criticizing Israel's policy in the territories. The President said that countries which do not suffer from terror cannot understand and are not entitled to criticize the State of Israel which is under continual terrorist attack. The President also emphasized that the army is acting in accordance with morality and high norms and is careful not to harm innocent civilians on the other side. Nevertheless, we cannot permit the attacks on citizens and soldiers and the State of Israel will continue to do everything to protect the security of its inhabitants.

The Foreign Minister enquired why Israel does not conduct negotiations with the Hamas to which the President replied: The minute the Hamas stated that any agreement reached between Israel and Abu Mazen does not obligate them and, at the same time, it is developing a policy of terror and murder, Israel cannot sit and negotiate with the Hamas.

At the conclusion of the meeting, when the two got up and warmly shook hands, the President said to the Foreign Minister:

"If someone would shoot at you in the middle of the day in the street, who would be guilty, you or the person shooting?"

* *

Meeting with the presidential staff

JERUSALEM (Monday, July 16)— The President, Shimon Peres, held a working meeting with the staff of the President's Residence and said that he does not intend to deal with the past and that the future must guide all of us.

"The future is not simple and the expectations of the citizens of Israel are enormous and I pray in my hear that we will not disappoint any one. The institute of the Presidency represents the State and it is our duty to maintain its honour and the honour of the citizens of the State. I respect the staff of the President's Residence and expect you to respect the work in this residence – we will work together in complete cooperation and I expect us to give full service to the citizens with faithfulness and with professionalism.

I want you to know that it is a great privilege to serve the State and the work must be performed with dedication and respect without disparaging the small issues and without fearing the great challenges facing us.  Everyone must see the citizens of Israel in front of him – we are its servants and not its masters" – said Peres.

The Deputy Director General of the President's Residence, Mr. Moshe Mizrachi, said to President Peres that the staff of the Residence welcome him with open arms and with great pride in their hearts. We will assist you in order for you to be able to fulfill your role in the best possible manner, for the benefit of the State of Israel. "There is no one more worthy to stand at the head of the Residence of the President of the State of Israel and we, like the whole nation, are proud that you were elected."

At the end of the exchange of remarks, President Peres asked to become personally acquainted with every member of the staff by his name and position and reminded them again that his office is open to them at all times.

The preceding stories were provided by the office of President Shimon Peres of Israel


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Europe

BBC declines to remove 'Iron Naz' web posting

LONDON—The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is refusing to remove an anti-Semitic message posted on one of its online message boards despite a barrage of complaints, the ‘Jerusalem Post’ reports. The message was posted on the BBC Radio website’s forum following a discussion about a television program on anti-Semitism that was screened on the UK's ‘Channel Four’ television channel last week.

The offensive message, left by someone using the alias ‘Iron Naz,’ reads: "Zionism is a racist ideology where Jews are given supremacy over all other races and faiths. This is found in the Talmud. There is a law called Baba Mezia which allows Jews to lie as long as it is to non-Jews. Many pro Jewish supporters will cringe at this being exposed because they know it exists, yet they keep quiet about it…”. A number of Jewish community members, including a community organization, appealed to the BBC to remove the posting. They all received a standard response: "We have decided that it does not contravene the House Rules and are going to leave it on the site." A BBC Radio spokesman told the ‘Jerusalem Post’: "The ‘Radio Five Live’ message board is a forum of debate and people can express their views, some of which others will strongly disagree with…Posts that are removed include ones that are considered likely to disrupt, provoke attack or offend others or are considered racist, homophobic, sexually explicit or otherwise objectionable."

"The BBC obviously no longer recognizes anti-Semitism even when it slaps it in the face," said Mark Gardiner, head of communications at the Community Security Trust (CST), an organization that ensures the safety and security of the Jewish community and monitors anti-Semitic incidents in the UK. "The BBC is a public body, funded by the British tax payer. It has legal obligations and we will pursue them."

The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress
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Ukrainians commemorate Nazi massacre  

SEBASTOPOL, Ukraine (Press Release)—In this  Black Sea port, the 65th anniversary of the Nazi massacre of Jews during World War II has been commemorated.

Holocaust survivors, local officials and Jews from Crimea marked the anniversary on Sunday, July 15, in a ceremony near the city’s Holocaust memorial. More than 4,200 citizens of Sebastopol, mainly Jews, were killed in the 1942 massacre by the Nazis.

At the ceremony, Jewish leaders noted with concern that the memorial had been vandalized several times over the last two years. Police detained a suspect in one of the incidents, but he was prosecuted for hooliganism, not a hate crime, to the dismay of local Jews.

The preceding article was provided by the World Jewish Congress

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Latin America

Argentina's FM Taiana vows AMIA investigations

BUENOS AIRES (Press Release)—On the eve of the 13th anniversary of the attack against the AMIA Jewish center here, Argentina’s foreign minister Jorge Taiana has met with a delegation of Jewish leaders led by the president of the Latin American Jewish Congress, Jack Terpins, DAIA president Aldo Donzis and the head of AMIA, Luis Grynwald.

Taiana said that the Argentinean government was “not satisfied with the results of the investigations” in the case of the AMIA bombing and the 1992 attack against the Israeli embassy in the Argentinean capital. Both cases remain unresolved, although progress was made recently. Taiana reiterated the commitment of the government that there must not be impunity for those who masterminded the deadly attacks.

In a letter to Argentina’s President Néstor Kirchner, which Terpins handed to Taiana, World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder praised the Argentinean government’s efforts to bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice. ‘I am aware of the efforts that your government has made to resolve the cases’, Lauder wrote. He also thanked Kirchner for lending support to the Jewish community of Venezuela, which has been affected negatively by president Hugo Chávez’s close ties with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Kirchner and his wife, the senator Cristina Fernández, planned to attend today’s commemorations at the AMIA building.

  The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress 

  Wiesenthal Center says Iran concocts 'Zionist conspiracy'
 theory to explain accusations in the AMIA bombing case
 

LOS ANGELES (Press Release)—On the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attack against the AMIA-Jewish Community Center, the Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned the release of “The AMIA Case – From the Beginning to the present”, published on the Spanish and English pages of Iran’s official news agency, IRNA's website. The "document" presents the Iranian "version" about those allegedly responsible for the terrorist attack which took place in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, and killed 85 people.

“Both the language and the content of this report show a conspiratorial approach which seems taken from the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the fabricated antisemitic libel of an alleged Jewish plan for world domination, and has become the Bible for contemporary Jew-hatred,” said Shimon Samuels, Director for International Relations of the Wiesenthal Center.

The Center highlighted the following points in the disinformation release by Iran:

- “The events in the AMIA case (…) demonstrate the existence of a premeditated conspiracy in which the role is clear of international Zionism and its Argentine agents”.

- “The Argentine government accepted (…) the presumptions of high-level government and courts officials based on falsified evidence favouring the Zionists”

- “After current Argentine President Nestor Kirchner’s trip to the US and his meeting with 12 American Jewish organizations in 2003, and concious of the need to obtain financial aid, he committed to close the file according to the demands of the Zionists”.

- “The suspicion grew that the explosions were in fact premeditated plots which involved Argentine government and courts officials together with Zionist circles”

- “Among the groups which are following the case are (…) the Center for Legal and Social Studies [CELS – an Argentine human rights group which is in a similar line as Human Rights Watch], an influential Zionist institution”. The report also describes Memoria Activa, a grassroots group of families and friends of the victims of the AMIA bombing, as “the US based Jewish NGO”

- “It should be noted that the Argentine government has limited resources to resist the Zionist lobbies”

“This propaganda effort manipulates some real data combined with obvious falsehoods. The indictment by Argentina's Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman clearly shows the responsibility of former Iranian government officials and Hizbollah leadership in the AMIA bombing,” said Sergio Widder, Latin American Representative of the Center.

"Indeed, the findings of the Argentine Prosecutor have led to warrants by INTERPOL. On this anniversary of the attack against the AMIA, we call to redouble international efforts so that those responsible for this attack are brought to justice. Iran and Hezbollah must be accountable for their terrorist activities. It is a debt to the victims and their families, to Argentine society and the international community,” Widder concluded.

The preceding story was provided by the Simon Wiesenthal Center

Dear Readers, Along with my husband Don, I co-publish San Diego Jewish World. As a couple we have gone to many places.  Cruising ranks at the top of our list of favorite ways to travel. Watch this ad for a different cruising photo each day. A similar adventure can be yours! Anderson Travel, with which I'm affiliated, is a multi-branched travel agency that is able to provide you both good prices and good service.  Before you book anywhere else, please ask me for a price comparison. Please call me at (619) 265-0808 for information about booking a cruise from San Diego or anywhere. Or email me at sdheritage@cox.net Thank you!   Nancy Harrison

Adventures in Cruising Aboard Holland America Ryndam San Diego  to Mexico cruising Off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Thanks to Abe & Bea Goldberg of San Diego and Ruth Kropveld of Cincinnati for sharing their family cruise photos!

 

Australia

 A concise history of Australia's Jewish community

 

By Garry Fabian

MELBOURNE, Australia—The history of Australian Jewish society commenced with the colonization of the penal colony of New South Wales, when among the 750 convicts arriving on the First Fleet on January 26 1788, there were as at least eight or possibly as many as 14 Jewish convicts.

Jews were listed on nearly every convict ship until transportation ceased around 1850.

By 1830 about 300 Jewish convicts has arrived in the Colony, and by 1845 the number had increased to around 800.  Estimates suggest that between 1788 and 1852 some 1,000 Jews were among the convicts sent to Australia.

The story of one of the early Jewish female convicts, Esther Abrahams, is a dramatic one. Convicted of theft of 24 yards of black silk lace, 16 year old Esther was sentenced to life time transportation.  Before being shipped out to “the Colonies” she gave birth a baby girl. On the voyage out, George Johnston took her under his protection, fist as his mistress and later as his wife some 25 years later. They had seven children. When Johnston became acting governor of the Colony for a period, Esther became the First Lady of the Colony.

Around the second decade of the 1800’ free Jewish settlers started to arrive, joining the convicts and emancipists to form a fledgling Jewish community in the antipodes. By 1817, there were enough Jews to for an ad hoc burial society, and regular prayers conducted.

The beginning of organised Jewish communal life emerged in the 1830’s when a synagogue was established in Sydney, and later when the Port Phillip District (later to become the state of Victoria) was settled, organised Jewish communities were formed, with the first Synagogue being consecrated in Melbourne in 1841, followed by synagogues in Hobart and Launceston (Tasmania) in 1844. Many of the country centers also attracted Jewish settlers, and synagogues were opened in regional centers.

While the first 100 years Jewish immigration both free and convict, mainly from England, between 1880 and 1930 a wave of Eastern European Jews, escaping the pogroms arrived in Australia, forming a Yiddish-based community, as separate from the Anglo-Jewish “establishment” that had formed.  This caused some misgiving as the Anglo-Jewish community wanted to “blend in” into the general very British orientated mainstream.  These new arrivals with “outlandish habits and mode of dress” and a lack of English were viewed with disfavor.

Communal organisations and synagogues expanded, but there was a great divide between the two segments.  The “new chums” established a flourishing Yiddish culture with theatres, and community organisations, while the Anglo-Jewish “establishment” headed towards assimilation and intermarriage.

The 1930’s saw another wave of Jewish arrivals from Germany, Austria and other parts of western and central Europe, fleeing the onset of the Holocaust. Once again “these foreigners wearing strange garb and not speaking English” were viewed with suspicion and distain by the Jewish establishment.

The next wave came after 1945, when Holocaust survivors came to Australia, when the Australian Government lowered its restrictive immigration policies that had been in place since the 1930s. It is interesting to note, that especially Melbourne has the largest concentration of Holocaust survivors outside Israel.

The 1940’s and the formation of the State of Israel, also caused some division in the community. The Anglo-Jews, very much in tune with British policy on Palestine, were antagonistic towards the idea of a Jewish state, while those who had settled from Eastern Europe and Holocaust survivors were very Zionisticlially inclined, which led to many, often acrimonious debates. However a few years down the track after 1948, the community embraced and supported Israel, which is still a very strong bond.

The 1990’s saw two other waves arrive. The first from the former Soviet Union, which while they were generally embraced by the community also created some frictions, due to cultural differences. But these are slowly being set aside, as the next generation evolves.

The second wave, from South Africa, settled in well and has become involved in the mainstream of the Jewish community in great numbers.

The most recent Census (2006) shows that there some 110,000 Jews living in Australia, of which 41,000 live in Victoria,  36.000 in New South Wales, and the rest spread throughout the other Australian states.

Jews in Australian society have contributed in excess of their proportion to the general community, with two Governors General; one of the prominent military leaders in World War One ( Sir John Monash); in civic life, in the Judiciary, as members of State and Federal Parliaments, in commerce and industry; medicine; university, sports and other areas.

The range of institutions—religious, sporting, cultural, and those supporting Israel, Anti-Defamation, Holocaust Remembrance  and Jewish Museums— is wide and varied, catering across the broadest spectrum from the ultra orthodox to reform and across the political spectrum.

Fabian, a Holocaust Survivor who spent part of  his childhood in Theresienstadt, is a journalist and author as well as chairman of B’nai B’rith in Victoria state, of which Melbourne is a part.

United States of America

  AJC praises American labor for repudiating boycott
 of Israel movement sponsored by British unions

NEW YORK (Press Release)—The American Jewish Committee today praised U.S. labor leaders from all sectors of the labor movement for their forceful rejection of certain British trade unions' support of a boycott of Israel.

"The U.S. labor leaders got it right," said Kenneth Stern, director of AJC's department on Anti-Semitism and Extremism. "Trade unionists and others who care about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must bring unionists from both sides together in the sprit of cooperation and mutual support, rather than to stigmatize and isolate one side."

The statement, which was coordinated with the commendable help of the Jewish Labor Committee, condemned the singling out of Israel among nations; criticized the specific academic and journalistic boycotts of Israel; and called for increased support of a two-state solution and those working towards it.

"This is an important milestone in the fight against attempts to demonize Israel and Israelis," said Stern. "Our hope is that other unions around the world will follow the example of their American counterparts and realize that it is morally wrong to focus solely on Israeli actions in this conflict and to realize that such bigoted behavior is entirely inconsistent with the norms and purposes of the trade union movement."

 The preceding release was provided by the American Jewish Committee


   

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Features

.

The Jewish Grapevine

CYBER-REFERRALS—Bruce Kesler is enamored of a new site called "Media Myth Busters" which focuses on stories that the American media has gotten wrong, several about Israel among them.  Here's the link.

ISRAEL NEWS SUMMARY—The European Jewish Congress focused in its summary of Hebrew-language newspapers' main stories today on the debate in Israel's High Court over whether the plea bargain of Israel's former President Moshe Katsav was fair, given the fact that defendants charged with lesser offenses have received harsher sentences.  Another story receiving attention was criticism of Israel's home front performance in the Second Lebanon War. 

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San Diego Jewish World                                               Writing Contest #1  What was your most interesting Jewish summertime experience? Perhaps it was at summer camp, or on a family trip, or in summer school, or even at home.  Send us an essay of up to 1,000 words about a true experience.  We will publish up to six bylined essays.  Winners will receive two passes (worth $30 each) on San Diego's Old Town Trolley Tour or on the Seal Tour. Please send your entries by July 31 to sdheritage@cox.net.  Your stories should be clearly identified in the email message line as contest entries. Include for verification purposes your full name, address, and telephone number. Winning essays will be published in August, and thereafter will be permanently archived on this site. Questions may be addressed to editor Don Harrison via email above.

Greater San Diego Region

Susan Davis pleased that San Diego will receive
$16.1 million in Homeland Security funding

WASHINGTON (Press Release) –  Congresswoman Susan Davis (Democrat, California) praised the announced increase in homeland security funding for San Diego under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grants program. 

Just 18 months after it was announced that San Diego may no longer qualify for the UASI program, the city was granted $16.1 million – a significant increase from the $7.9 million received last year.

“This is the result of the San Diego congressional delegation, the Mayor and local officials working together,” said Davis.  “We may have our differences from time to time but when it comes to the safety of San Diego, we have one common goal.  San Diego needs this funding and it deserves this funding.  There is no doubt that with our port, international border, and landmarks, we are worthy of significant homeland security assistance.”

In January 2006, the Department of Homeland Security announced that 11 cities, including San Diego, would be removed from the list of cities eligible for the UASI program.

Davis teamed with her congressional colleagues and local officials to question Homeland Security officials about whether the UASI formula had accurately accounted for all of San Diego’s risk factors within the calculation for UASI funding.

After a year of meetings, phone calls, and letters to pressure DHS officials to reverse its decision, San Diego’s eligibility was restored in January 2007.

UASI provides resources for the unique equipment, training, and planning needs of select high threat urban areas.

The preceding story was provided by the office of Congresswoman Susan Davis
 

 

 

Sports

The Jewish Sports Fan

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. We do not apply halacha to determine if a player is Jewish; rather, if he or she has a Jewish parent or has converted to the faith, we count him or her as a member of our community.

Lieberthal has great day at plate, but so did ex-teammates

BASEBALL—  Perhaps Mike Lieberthal wanted to show his former teammates on the Philadelphia Phillies how much they should miss him, as he went 3 for 4 at the plate—all singles.  The Phillies may have been too busy getting hits of their own—26 of them— as they drubbed Lieberthal's new team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 15-3 ... Shawn Green singled, walked, and sacrificed to first, but never scored a run nor batted one in, during the New York Mets 7-0 drubbing of the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.... Kevin Youkilis batted 1 for 4 as his Boston Red Sox were defeated by the Kansas City Royals 13-12.  It was his second day of banishment for the top 10 list of American League batters, his .316 average one percentage point below that of Orlando Cabrera of the Los Angeles Angels, who was in tenth position....

HORSE RACING—Jockey David Cohen had two mounts at Del Mar Race Track opening day today.  Frank The Barber in the 4th and Cool Hand Lucca in the 5th race both finished out of the money, however.

TENNIS—The Jerusalem Post described the triumphant return of Israel's women's tennis team after defeating Austria 4-1 in the Fed Cup tournament.  Here is a link.

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                                                                   _____________



{Marc Kligman, who combines being a sports agent with his life as an observant Jew, invites you to listen. Click on the ad above for more information}
                                                                                                    ______________________________
 

News from the       Israel Baseball League

 
 Miracle douses Lightning twice in IBL action
 
  By Nathaniel Edelstein

TEL AVIV, July 18- The Modi'in Miracle and the Tel Aviv Lightning met for a doubleheader on Wednesday in a match up of two teams tied for second place.  In the first game, the Miracle got the best of the Lighting, winning 5-3; in the second game, the margin was even greater, 9-3.

The first game was tied through 4.5 innings until catcher Eladio Rodriguez hit his second homerun of the day, crushing a grand slam to left field to give him all five Modi'in RBI and put the Miracle up for good.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Modi'in improved to 13-5 with the 9-3 victory over the Lighting.  Once again, Rodriguez was the story with a 3-for-3 game to go along with two more homers and four RBI.  By going 5-for-6 with four homers in the doubleheader Rodriguez raised his average to a league-best .559 and a league-leading 13 homeruns.

Miracle pitcher Matt Bennett of Australia earned his fourth victory, tossing a complete game while allowing three runs on eight hits with 11 strikeouts and a walk.  Manager Art Shamsky's club holds onto second place with its eighth straight win.

Meanwhile, at the Baptist Village the first-place Bet Shemesh Blue Sox defeated the last-place Petach Tikva Pioneers 7-4.  It was a sloppy game on both ends as seven combined errors led to eight combined unearned runs.  The pitching was good from both teams, but Bet Shemesh's Rafael Bergstrom of Sacramento, California, walked away with his fourth victory while Pioneers Canadian Andrew Morales saw a good
pitching night spoiled by his team's 15th loss of the season.

Bergstrom threw six innings and gave up just one earned run on six hits while striking out six batters and walking four.  First baseman Johnny Lopez led the way offensively for Bet Shemesh, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored as the Blue Sox win for the fourth consecutive game.

The game at Sportek in Tel Aviv saw the Ra'anana Express overtake the Netanya Tigers for fourth place with a 9-2 victory.  Express rightfielder Ben Field hit his second homer of the season on a night in which he and shortstop Brendan Rubenstein each had two hits and combined for seven RBI.  The Ra'anana win made the 3-for-3 night from
Netanya's Dominican shortstop Hector De Los Santos a waste. Express hurler Joshua Zumbrun of California threw a complete game and allowed just two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

The loss is the fourth consecutive for Israeli skipper Ami Baran and his Netanya Tigers.

Summaries:

                        1   2   3   4   5   6   7   R   H   E
Tel Aviv           0   1   0   0   0   2   0   3    7   1
Modi'in             0   0   0   1   4   0   0    5   7    0
W: Maximo Nelson (3-1); L: Aaron Pribble (4-1); HR: Eladio Rodriguez (11)

                       1   2   3   4   5   6   7    R  H   E
Modi'in             1   0   0   1   4   0   3    9  12   1
Tel Aviv           0   0   0   1   2   0   0    3   8    0
W: Matt Bennett (4-0); L: Jason Bonder (0-1); HR: Eladio Rodriguez
(13), Nate Fish (1), Adalberto Paulino (5), Raul Franco (2), Noah
Walker (4)

                        1   2   3   4   5   6   7    R  H  E
Bet Shemesh     0   2   1   3   0   0   1    7   7   3
Petach Tikva     1   1   1   1   0   0   0    4   7   4
W: Rafael Bergstrom (4-1); L: Andrew Morales (0-3); SV: Gregg Raymundo
(1); HR: None
                          1   2    3   4   5   6   7    R   H   E
Ra'anana            2   2    1   0   0   3   1     9  14   0
Netanya             1   0    1   0   0   0   0     2   8    1
W: Joshua Zumbrun (1-3); L: Matt Comiter (1-1); HR: Ben Field (2),
Juan Ramirez (4)


Standings:
Team                             W    L     %     GB
Bet Shemesh Blue Sox   15    4    .789      –
Modi'in Miracle              13    5    .722    1.5
Tel Aviv Lightning         11    7    .611    3.5
Ra'anana Express             7    12    .368    8.0
Netanya Tigers                 5    11     .313   8.5
Petach Tikva Pioneers      3    15    .167   11.0

Tomorrow will be a rematch of all of today's games as the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox host the Petach Tikva Pioneers at Kibbutz Gezer at 5pm. The Modi'in Miracle and the Tel Aviv Lightning play at Sportek Field in Tel Aviv at 5pm as well while the Netanya Tigers visit the Ra'anana Express at Yarkon Field at the Baptist Village at 7pm.
For directions to the fields visit www.IsraelBaseballLeague.com.

Edelstein handles public relations for the Israel Baseball League

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Story Continuations

News Sleuths...
(Continued from above)

Yeah, Sylvie.

Question: You spoke a little bit this morning about the decision of the French President Sarkozy to send an envoy to Lebanon.

McCormack: Right.

Question: Do you have any --

McCormack: I don't really have any further comment beyond what I offered at the gaggle. You can talk to the French Government about their plans. But there's no doubt in our collective judgment that the French Government is committed to being forceful advocates for Lebanon's independence, Lebanon's sovereignty, Lebanon's continuing struggle along the pathway of greater economic and political reforms as well as committed to finding out who was responsible and bringing to justice those responsible for the murder of former Prime Minister Hariri. So there's doubt in our mind about that.

There have been past attempts, various attempts over the -- even the past year, year and a half --where various states have sent envoys to the Syrians to encourage them to change their behavior. And thus far it really has -- have not yielded any tangible results. Usually the Syrian Government will use it as a way to try to declare some PR victory, saying, "See, the rest of the world is talking to us. Everything's fine. Everything's normal. We're not outcasts."

I think the French Government is certainly aware of that, although I don't know what the instructions of their envoy may or may not be. I'm sure that it will be a very tough message, saying that Syria needs to change its behavior.

Question: Well, the Foreign Minister Kouchner said this morning that it was a first step toward conciliation with Syria. Do you think time is right for conciliation with Syria?

McCormack: Well, you know, again, I think the ball is frankly in the Syrian's court as to whether or not they are going to reconcile themselves to what are acceptable standards of behavior as judged by the international system, so we'll see. It requires some action on the part of the Syrians.

We all encourage in our own way the Syrian Government to choose a different, you know, a different pathway not only how it -- both at home and abroad how it treats its own citizens and how it acts abroad and whom it supports abroad. We haven't seen any change in behavior despite numerous attempts to try to get them to change their behavior, including Secretary Rice meeting with the Syrian Foreign Minister in the context of the Sharm el-Sheikh conference. And now that was limited to a very narrow topic, and that is having Syria -- asking Syria, telling Syria that they need to change their behavior with respect to allowing foreign fighters transiting their territory on the way to Iraq where these people kill large numbers of innocent civilians. Thus far, we haven't really seen any change in Syrian behavior in that regard. So we as well as others have made these attempts thus far, to no effect.

Date: July 18, 2007
Time: 1:05 p.m. Washington, DC Time
Place: White House
Spokesperson: Tony Snow, spokesman for President George W. Bush
Source: White House transcript
Subject: Iran,

Q: Tony, tomorrow there will be a news conference of the Israeli Project on Capitol Hill. They've got 75,000 petitions they're distributing to world leaders, asking for more rapid sanctions against -- and international pressure against Iran. Is the administration now backing and taking action at this point?

MR. SNOW: Connie, I'm not -- I'm afraid I was not briefed on the Israel Project's activities before I came up here today.

Q Have any of these sanctions or steps that have been taken by the United States or the U.N. had any results?

MR. SNOW: Let me put it this way: The United States engages in activities that are designed to send a clear signal that the status quo is unacceptable. You saw that with some financial sanctions with North Korea. And what actions we take with regard to the Iranians, are designed to make it clear that they are posed with a choice: The choice is to go ahead and align itself with the international community, stop trying to pursue anything that may be construed as progress towards nuclear weapons, and have a way forward that has been offered; or, on the other hand, face strictures from the international community. The President talked yesterday with Ban Ki-moon, once again, about the importance of U.N. action when it comes to the Iranians, because the Iranians have not met up with their obligations.

>> 

Q How does the President see the job description of Tony Blair as the envoy for the Quartet --

MR. SNOW: I'm sorry, what?

Q How does the President see the job description of Tony Blair as the envoy for the Quartet to the Middle East?

MR. SNOW: Well, obviously, what he's going to try to do is to be a facilitator in efforts to try to deal with the many challenges. In the short run, it amounts to trying to assist in institution-building in the Palestinian -- with the Palestinian government -- that is the foremost challenge right now -- and to try to create conditions and institutions that are going to provide security and stability so that that government will be in a position to negotiate in good faith with Israel, and also be able to deliver on Quartet requirements, ultimately. But first things first is, we're in an institution-building phase, and Tony Blair obviously is somebody who's very persuasive and able to try to marshal a lot of support on the international scene.

Q Do you have any reaction to Mahmoud Abbas -- he just said a few minutes ago he doesn't want to talk about money, he doesn't want to talk about our procedural steps towards a state, he wants to talk about the final status now, which he actually rolled out from his conference.

MR. SNOW: That's the first I've heard. I can't react to something that I haven't had a chance to see or put in context.

 

 

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