Dutch refuse
Palestinian troupe's request that Israel dancers be
banned from international dance festival
AMSTERDAM (Press
Release)—A Palestinian dance troupe’s attempt to get
Israel banned from participating at a Dutch dance
festival has backfired, according to a report by the
‘Jerusalem Post’ newspaper. Members of the group ‘El
Founoun’ had informed officials of the Netherlands'
‘Dancing on the Edge’ festival that the organizers
should either rescind their invitation to the Israelis,
or forfeit the participation of the Palestinians, a
request which was refused.
‘El Founoun’ has thus withdrawn from the week-long
festival. Instead, the piece ‘Wish Upon a Star’,
choreographed and performed by Smadar Yaaron from
Israel, will feature dancers from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria
and Iran, as well as from two Palestinian dance groups
that did not call for an anti-Israel boycott, according
to the Jerusalem Post.
Sponsored by
organizations including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Dancing on the Edge is scheduled to take place
in mid-December in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam
and Groningen. In addition to the dance performances,
the festival will include lectures, workshops and public
conversations with the artists, as well as networking
opportunities for the performers.
The preceding story
was provided by the World Jewish Congress
Israel arranging a laptop for every
teacher
JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this evening
launched the “Laptop for Every Teacher” project, in the
framework of which 60,000 laptop computers will be
distributed over the next five years to teachers
throughout the country. The first computers are due to
be distributed in Be’er Sheva, Yeruham and Arad.
The Education Ministry, the Teacher’s Federation, World
ORT, Microsoft, Intel, the Mirage Foundation and
Fujitsu-Siemens are overseeing the project, which has
been initiated by the Athena Foundation chaired by Uri
Ben-Ari.
Prime Minister Olmert said: “This project will
significantly affect every student. We have great
schools, exemplary teachers but I am not certain that
over the years we have given them the appropriate
conditions to fulfill their responsibilities, as we
would have liked. The education system is changing
faster than we have tended to assume and what we are
doing today is an attempt to change the status of
Israeli teachers. The start of the academic year will
be a new beginning for many students and for many
teachers as well, who will fulfill their
responsibilities with greater pride and greater joy.”
The preceding story was provided by the
office of Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
(Return to top)
Search and rescue cadets
perform in surprise
drill
By Dor Blech
JERUSALEM—Having finished two and a half months of
intense training and studies – and being a mere two
weeks from concluding their training in its entirety -
the cadets of the Home-Front Command Search and Rescue
NCO Course were mobilized to conduct a training drill
that slightly differed from the norm.
 The
exercises were held in a simulated disaster area in the
Command's training base and were a culmination of what
was taught in previous months. The participating
soldiers practiced exercises such as the search and
extraction of the injured, and dead from burnt or
destroyed buildings. The drill was designed to test
mental and emotional strain.
Soldiers were cast as actors and
makeup specialists ensured that the
Cadets
performing evacuation procedures
wounded
would look as real
as possible. Many others were on the scene to play the
part of members of the media, unsettled citizens, and
other characters that could potentially distract the
soldiers. The cadets had no prior notification of the
drill; and they did not know where their destination
was, or what the purpose of their surprise departure
from the base could be.
Upon arrival at the base yesterday evening the soldiers
were shown the disaster area which contained burnt and
destroyed buildings. Amongst the buildings, "injured
civilians" lay near collapsed electrical systems and
needed to be to be extracted in complete darkness.
Minutes after the start of the search and rescue
mission, the soldiers portraying media personnel arrived
at the scene and attempted to enter the zone, forcing
the soldiers to keep them from entering so that they
would neither endanger themselves, nor interfere with
the evacuation efforts . The actors' makeup and
portrayal were so realistic, that it gave the cadets a
chance to feel shock at the initial sight of the
wounded.
"The site looked so real, with all the fire and smoke,
and injured civilians crying and screaming out for
help," said one of the cadets while lifting a wounded
civilian into a rescue vehicle. "If I weren't certain
that I was in a training base I would really have
thought that we were actually conducting operations in a
disaster area, because we are nearly prepared for active
duty."
The Home-Front Command Search and Rescue NCO Course runs
for nearly three months, and is regarded as one of the
most prestigious courses in the IDF. Its graduates are
known as the most successful worldwide, and have
conducted search and rescue missions many times over in
disaster areas worldwide. Recent examples include
missions in Nairobi last January; operating after the
earthquake in Turkey which took place a number of years
ago; and countless others.
The
preceding story was provided by the Israel Defense Force
ADL-Israel
condemns statement by
Rabbi Ovadia
JERUSALEM (Press Release)—The Israel Office of the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned the incendiary
and disrespectful statements made by Shas spiritual
leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef during a sermon on July 26.
According to reports, the former
chief Sephardic rabbi said Jewish
soldiers were killed in war because
they were not observant. "Is it
surprising if soldiers are, God
forbid, killed at war? When they
don't observe the Sabbath, don't
observe the Torah, don't pray every
day, don't put on phylacteries every
day?," he was quoted as saying.
ADL's Israel Office issued the
following statement:
We are shocked and saddened at the
incendiary and derogatory statements
reportedly made by Rabbi Ovadia
Yosef. We call on Rabbi Yosef, as a
religious authority with political
influence, to refrain from such
language and instead speak of the
pursuit of peace and respect for all
people in order to heal rifts in
Israeli society, particularly
between secular and observant Jews.
The preceding story was provided by
the Anti-Defamation League
|
 |
The Peres Diary |
 |
Peres confers with Martin Luther King III
JERUSALEM (Press Release)—Israel’s President Shimon
Peres met with Martin Luther King III in his office on
Sunday, August 26. King is the son of the legendary
Martin Luther King who was murdered in 1968 while
leading a stubborn fight for complete equality between
Blacks and Whites in the US.
 King
asked to meet with the President in order to tell him
about the ramified activity that he is promoting all
over the world, on behalf of equality among all races,
religions and colors.
At the start of their meeting the President told King
that he knew his father, whom he perceived as an
extremely inspired leader whoproved
that dreams can be turned into reality and, despite his
President Peres receives book from Martin Luther King
III
murder, he left the
US and the entire world a great heritage that denies
discrimination on the basis of religion, color and sex,
and stands for freedom and equality among mankind.
“I visited the US in the 1960s and I saw the
manifestations of discrimination between citizens and
today one can say that the great fight that your father
waged was a success. People of all sexes, religions and
colors hold the highest positions in American society,
the economy and the establishment.
The sentence, ‘I have a dream’ has become a watchword of
tremendous significance conveying a message to the whole
world: It doesn’t matter what color a person’s skin is
or what he believes in. Knowledge, talent and initiative
are the things that will determine a person’s success in
the modern era. I am extremely proud of the world and of
the new order that your father achieved in his fight of
behalf of each and every one of us,” said the President.
Martin Luther King III thanked the President warmly for
his statements and said that whenever he visits Israel
he is moved anew by the warmth and love of the Israelis.
“Whenever I visit I learn new things from all of you,”
he told the President, adding that at present, at a time
when it seems as if there is once again a genuine chance
for peace between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle
East, he is keeping his fingers crossed and would like
to contribute to the success of the peace process in any
way he can.
King added that he is working to eradicate
discrimination and violence in Darfur and is also
operating a number of educational programs in South
Korea. King said that around the world there are still
severe manifestations of discrimination adding: “I,
along with the people in my organization, which
comprises my father’s longstanding activists and the
children of leaders from around the world, continue to
act and disseminate my father’s doctrine in every corner
of the earth where we encounter discrimination.
King also mentioned the US Presidential elections and
said that presidential candidate Barak Obama constitutes
a role model and an American success story for many
young people in the US, and his character and style are
attracting hordes of activists who are interested in
working alongside him and joining in his success. “The
fact that a man like him is running for the topmost
position in the US hierarchy is a source of hope for
millions of other young people and proves that my
father’s struggle was a success and that genuine social
mobility exists in the US.”
At the end of the meeting King told the President that
he thanks him for the meeting and would like to continue
to meet with him on his subsequent visits to Israel as
well. The President replied in the affirmative and the
two men agreed on future mutual cooperation.
The office of Israel's President Shimon
from time to time releases accounts of his official activities. We have
been publishing them as they are made available.
Please click on the above ad to
visit the Humanistic Jewish
Congregation's website
Israeli authorities arrest
California fraud suspect
SHERMAN OAKS, California
—California Insurance
Commissioner Steve Poizner today
announced the arrest of a
Sherman Oaks man for insurance
fraud, grand theft, identity
theft, and federal charges.
Moshe "Sanny" Assoulin, 35, was
arrested in Israel on August 1
by Israeli National Police.
Assoulin is an Israeli national
who grew up in the San Fernando
Valley.
"Insurance fraud results in
higher premiums for all
California consumers," said
Commissioner Poizner. "My
Department is committed to
halting fraud perpetrators, and
will continue to crack down on
scam artists."
A warrant for Assoulin's arrest
was issued in October 2005,
following the results of an
investigation by the California
Department of Insurance (CDI).
The investigation revealed
multiple fraudulent automobile
insurance claims were allegedly
submitted to car rental and
insurance companies by Assoulin
and co-conspirators. Nine
defendants have pleaded guilty
to various insurance fraud
related charges in connection
with this case. In May 2005,
Assoulin was awaiting sentencing
for federal charges when he
became aware of CDI's insurance
fraud investigation. At that
point, Assoulin fled to Israel.
T he
CDI Fraud Division's 2005
investigation revealed that from
2000 to early 2002 Assoulin
participated in a scam in which
fraudulent insurance claims were
submitted to car rental and
insurance companies. Under the
alleged scheme, a person would
rent a vehicle from a car rental
company and return it a day or
two later with slight damage.
The renter would report that he
or she had accidentally struck a
parked unoccupied vehicle.
Another person would then
contact the car rental company
as the owner of the parked
unoccupied vehicle, and submit a
claim for property damages. The
same vehicles with the same
damages were used repeatedly in
multiple claims.
One of the vehicles, a 1997
Mercedes Benz SL600, was used in
ten claims, and various
insurance companies paid more
than $100,000 in settlements for
alleged damages to the vehicle.
The potential loss to the
various car rental and insurance
companies is estimated at nearly
$500,000. The National Insurance
Crime Bureau, as well as
multiple car rental and
insurance companies, assisted in
the investigation.
The CDI Fraud Division and the
Drug Enforcement Administration
jointly submitted to Israel a
request for the arrest and
extradition of Assoulin through
the US Department of Justice
Office of International Affairs.
The request was reviewed by the
Israeli Ministry of Justice, and
an Israeli arrest warrant was
issued. On August 19, Israeli
National Police located and
arrested Assoulin. The Los
Angeles County District Attorney
is prosecuting this case.
The preceding story was provided by
the office of Insurance Commissioner
Steve Poizner
E uropean
Socialists join in
protest of Magyar Garda
BRUSSELS (Press
Release)— The chairman
of the European
Socialist Party issued a
statement condemning the
setting up of the
Hungarian Guard. Poul
Nyrup Rasmussen, a
former prime minister of
Denmark, called on the
conservative European
People's Party to issue
a similar statement.
Hungary’s culture
minister Istvan Hiller
called on the Catholic,
the Calvinist and the
Lutheran churches to
publicly declare their
dissociation from the
three church
representatives who had
blessed the flags of the
Hungarian Guard at the
swearing-in ceremony
held Sunday in Budapest.
So far, all the three
churches have said is
that none of them sent
representatives to the
event. The deputy leader
of the main opposition
Fidesz, Zoltan Pokorni,
said that the only real
beneficiary of the
establishment of the
Hungarian Guard was
Hungarian Prime Minister
Ferenc Gyurcsány,
because the wave of
protests sidetracked
people from current
‘burning problems’ in
the Hungarian economy.
Pokorni said he did not
know whether the
Hungarian Guard was the
brainchild of
"well-meaning but
thoughtless people," or
"the deliberate
calculation of built in
provocateurs."
Earlier Gyurcsány sent a letter to the
president of the World Jewish Congress
stating that he would keep a close eye
on the far-right Jobbik party's
paramilitary arm, the newly formed
‘Magyar Garda’ [Hungarian Guard].
Gyurcsány's letter was a reply to a
joint appeal from the presidents of the
World Jewish Congress and the European
Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder and
Moshe Kantor, calling on him to do his
utmost to prevent Jobbik from setting up
an armed guard. Members of the Hungarian
Guard wear black fatigues and use a flag
associated with the WWII Hungarian Nazi
party, which was responsible for
thousands of Jewish deaths.
In his letter, Gyurcsány said he had
declared a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for
exclusion and all forms of incitement of
hatred. He added that he had asked the
country's president to voice an opinion
on the matter and that he was seeking a
political solution that would guarantee
that far-right ideologies and movements
would not find political allies or
supporters in Hungary among members of
the political parties with seats in
parliament.
Last week, Gyurcsány had asked the
country's chief prosecutor Tamas Kovacs
to closely monitor the Hungarian Guard
"with special attention ... and act
without delay in case of acts counter to
the laws in force or the Hungarian
constitution." In a letter to Kovacs,
Gyurcsány wrote "I share the opinion of
those who say that the creation of the
‘Magyar Garda’, based upon the facts and
statements known so far, carries with it
the direct danger that our most
important common values may be harmed –
the respect for human dignity, the right
to everyday life without fear and the
respect for each other's culture,
descent and world view,"
Following reports about the WJC/EJC
letter in the Hungarian press, the
president of the main opposition party
Fidesz and former prime minister Viktor
Orbán also wrote to Lauder and Kantor,
saying that his party was “committed to
the liberties and emancipation of
individuals and their communities,
including the Jewish community in
Hungary, and the inviolable nature of
their basic rights and freedoms.”,
although the letter does not
specifically mention the ‘Magyar Garda’.
In a letter to Gyurcsány, WJC president
Lauder and EJC president Kantor had
called the guard formation an “extremely
alarming development.” They wrote that
the “impending creation of an armed
guard, under the false guise of
‘sporting and shooting clubs’, with
uniforms resembling those worn by
fascists in World War II,” was a danger
to democracy and had to be stopped. The
WJC and EJC presidents urged Gyurcsány
to do his “urgent utmost to see to it
that any political party which manifests
expressions of hatred and bigotry,
whether by speech, threats to arm, and
other incitements to racial violence, is
stopped.”
On 25 August the Hungarian Guard held a
public swearing-in ceremony at Buda
Castle, where Hungary’s president
resides. The guard’s founder, Gabor Vona,
said 300 people had applied to join the
group. Fifty-six were reportedly sworn
in at the ceremony. The uniforms of the
guards carry the red and white Arpad
stripes used by the pro-Nazi ‘Arrow
Cross’ movement during World War II,
whose members killed thousands of Jews
and were involved in the deportation of
hundreds of thousands to the Nazi death
camps. Lauder and Kantor wrote that as a
member of the European Union and the
Council of Europe, the Hungarian
government should “immediately take all
the necessary steps to ban this threat.”
Jobbik is not represented in the
national parliament but has
representatives on several local
councils.
The
preceding story was provided by the
World Jewish Congress
(Return to top)
.
Polish bishops divided over leadership of Rydzyk
CZESTOCHOWA, Poland (Press Release)
—Some Catholic bishops in Poland
reportedly want the controversial priest
Tadeusz Rydzyk removed as head of the
country's influential right-wing ‘Radio
Maryja’ station. However, a meeting of
bishops in Czestochowa this weekend
failed to take a decision on the matter
according to a report in the
‘Rzeczpospolita’ newspaper.
Archbishop Jozef Michalik, the head of
the Polish Episcopalian Conference, said
that “it was not possible to judge a man
because of an inconsiderate statement.”
The Redemptorist priest Rydzyk has
become one of Poland's most
controversial clergymen, following a
number of anti-Semitic comments.
Cultivating an audience of predominantly
poor and elderly rural listeners, Radio
Maryja has become a platform for
right-wing politicians seeking voters.
Rydzyk was most recently embroiled in a
controversy over having apparently
called Poland's first lady Maria
Kaczynska a ‘witch.'
The preceding story was provided by the
World Jewish Congress
Wiesenthal Center urges EU to withhold
funds from
radio group while its headed by Tadeusz
Rydzyk
LOS ANGELES—The Simon Wiesenthal Center
is urging the European Union to withhold
a funding of a proposed $21.1 million
(15.5 million Euros) grant to the
controversial Polish Catholic media
group Radio Maryja unless its outspoken
anti-Semitic founder, Father Tadeusz
Rydzyk, is removed.
The request was reportedly on the
shortlist of projects being presented to
the EU by Poland. “By funding a media
entity that has served as a sounding
board for extremists and headed by an
anti-Semitic priest, the EU would be
violating its own mandate and would in
fact be helping to promote bigotry and
anti-Semitism to the people of
democratic Poland,” said Rabbi Marvin
Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal
Center.
Word of the request for the EU grant
comes on the heels of reports in the
Polish press the Catholic Bishops
Conference in Poland will ask the
worldwide head of the Redemptorist
Order, to discipline Rydzyk, and to
remove him as head of its Radio Maryja.
“The Jewish community and other friends
of Poland hope that these reports are
true and that Rydzyk’s superiors take
this necessary and appropriate action.
In doing this and making this move, the
Catholic Redemptorist Order will deal a
severe blow to the forces of
intolerance,” concluded Rabbi Hier.
When recordings of antisemitic remarks
made by Rydzyk were made public earlier
this summer, the Wiesenthal Center
launched a petition campaign where over
25,000 Center members called on the
Polish bishops to discipline the priest.
The Center was joined by other Polish
theologians, intellectuals and
politicians, including former Prime
Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, who sent
their own joint statement.
The preceding story was provided
by the Simon Wiesenthal Center
AJCongress urges Bush appoint
'non-partisan' AG
NEW YORK (Press Release)—Richard Goron
and Neil B. Goldstein, respectively
president and executive director of the
American Jewish Congress issued the
following advice to President Bush in
the wake of the resignation of Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales:
The American Jewish Congress commends
the decision of Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales to resign, finally putting an
end to the long controversy over his
service. By the time of his
resignation, Mr. Gonzalez’ performance
as Attorney General had become a major
distraction, rendering untenable his
continued stewardship of the Justice
Department.
While we congratulate President Bush for
the historic decision to appoint the
nation’s first Hispanic American
Attorney General, Mr. Gonzalez’ tenure
proved to be disappointing -- marred by
a pattern of decision-making that gave
excessive weight to partisan political
considerations and that appeared to
smack of cronyism at the Department of
Justice, rather than to professional
management of the Department.
President Bush came to office promising
that he would unify the people of our
nation. But his appointment of Mr.
Gonzalez ended up leading to division,
rather than helping to unite us.
Attorney General Gonzalez failed to
build a national consensus on how to
reconcile the Constitution’s protection
of civil liberties and its guarantee of
due process of law with the need to
fight terrorism. Too many Americans
have concluded that the government erred
by giving too little weight to civil
liberties and, whether they are right or
not, that widely-held belief has emerged
as an obstacle to fair consideration of
measures necessary to combat terrorism.
Mr. Gonzalez’ failure on that subject
has been compounded by the scandal over
the firing of U.S. attorneys that has
created an impression of cronyism and
the subjugation of the protection of due
process of law to partisan political
interests. Attorney General Gonzales
was at the center of both debates.
To restore faith in our system of laws,
we therefore call on President Bush to
appoint a person of the highest caliber
to this important post, without regard
to political affiliation and without
regard to his or her past relationship
to the President or his political party.
The next Attorney General should be a
fighter for the American people instead
of a blind defender of the
Administration that appointed him. We
also call on the Senate, now dominated
by the Democrats, to quickly confirm
such a nominee once the White House
makes its choice known.
The preceding story was
provided by the American Jewish Congress.
{Click
the above ad for more
information
Columbus, Ohio, policewoman posts anti-Semitic videos; Anti-Defamation League
makes protest
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Press Release)—The
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned racist and anti-Semitic videos
allegedly produced and posted to the Web site of an off-duty police officer from
Columbus, Ohio. The videos, posted to a site allegedly created by Columbus
Police Officer Susan Purtee and her sister, Barbara Gordon-Bell of Florida,
contain virulently racist and anti-Semitic expressions.
"We were deeply disturbed by the message
of these videos, which is anti-Semitism, racism and hate," said Shari Kochman,
ADL's Ohio Regional Director. "It is frightening that such hateful views would
be held by a member of the Columbus force. We commend both Mayor Michael
Coleman for acknowledging this as unacceptable conduct for a police officer and
the Chief of Police for ordering an administrative investigation into the
matter."
With titles such as "The Jews," "Ebonics"
and "Cubans, Miami's Vice," the videos contain statements from the two women
alleging that Jews backed busing, desegregation and civil rights so that they
would have opportunities to make money.
In one video, titled "The Jew," a woman
identified as Purtee is shown telling viewers that "as long as you're a Jew, you
still have that feeling that everybody else is beneath you…the purpose of the
Old Testament was to say that Jews are going to be the rulers of the world."
During the video, Gordon-Bell holds up a sign that says, "JEWS ARE THE PROBLEM."
In the video "The Jews, Part II," the
women say that Jews are destroying America. Other videos featuring the women
contain racist and stereotypical remarks about African-Americans.
The preceding story was
provided by the Anti-Defamation League
. .
NCJW says Katrina recovery far too slow
WASHINGTON, DC -- The
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)
today expressed its deep disappointment
and frustration at the slow pace of
recovery from Katrina on the Gulf coast,
especially in New Orleans. NCJW
President Phyllis Snyder released the
following statement:
"On the second
anniversary of Katrina, the pace of
recovery on the Gulf Coast,
particularly New Orleans, is
excruciatingly slow. Housing and
public services are still in dire
straits. Public transportation is
practically nonexistent, and the
number of schools, hospitals, and
child care centers reopened is
grossly insufficient. Two years
later, the lack of focus and urgency
is inexcusable. By nearly every
measure the recovery effort has
fallen short.
"After Katrina, NCJW partnered with
Women of the Storm, a broad based
group of Louisiana women organized
to bring congressional attention to
the magnitude of the disaster there.
With them, we again call on Congress
and President Bush to jumpstart our
failing recovery program with
much-needed funds and expertise.
"NCJW remains in awe of the
determination and resilience of so
many in New Orleans and the Gulf
Coast to reestablish their homes and
communities. With signs of
devastation still overwhelming in
many neighborhoods, it is clear that
the efforts of government at all
levels do not match the resolve of
the people still there. As a nation,
we must do better."
NCJW is a volunteer
organization, inspired by Jewish values,
that works to improve the quality of
life for women, children, and families
and to ensure individual rights and
freedoms for all through its network of
90,000 members, supporters, and
volunteers nationwide.
The
preceding story was provided by the
National Council of Jewish Women
A eulogy for Rabbi Judah Nadich,
chaplain who interceded for Jews in
displaced person's camp
By Alex Grobman, PhD
ENGLEWOOD, N.J. —Much will be
written about Judah Nadich, rabbi
emeritus of the Park Avenue
Synagogue and founding board member
and honorary trustee of the Abraham
Joshua Heschel School who died last
week. He was an icon in the
Conservative movement.
During World War II, Rabbi Nadich
was an American Jewish chaplain.
After the liberation of Paris in
August 1944, he served at the Office
of the Theater Chaplain in the city.
By virtue of his position, he became
an unofficial spokesman on Jewish
affairs for the foreign
correspondents of the
New
York Times, The New York Herald
Tribune and other members
of the American press in the region.
He and other American Jewish
chaplains alerted American Jewish
organizations and leaders about the
problems confronting the Jews of
France: the need to return to the
Jewish community the children who
were placed in convents, on farms
and elsewhere by parents who were no
longer alive; the urgency of
providing relief to a significant
proportion of the Jews during the
upcoming winter months; the
importance of resolving legal issues
of how to recover confiscated
property and the legal status of
foreign Jews in the country; and the
difficulty of reuniting families.
After Earl G. Harrison, a former
U.S. Commissioner of Immigration,
visited Germany and Austria to
assess the condition of the Jewish
DPs, his negative report about the
plight of the Jews in Europe created
a great deal of criticism throughout
the U.S. President Harry S Truman
was disturbed that military
government officers had not provided
the Jewish displaced persons (DPs)
with proper housing or treated them
humanely.
As a result, General Dwight D.
Eisenhower, then Supreme Commander
of Allied Forces in Europe,
reluctantly agreed to assign a
chaplain as special advisor on
Jewish affairs to the Theater
Commander of the U.S. Forces in
Europe, until a prominent civilian
could be appointed.
The need to respond immediately to
Truman prompted Eisenhower to find a
Jewish chaplain. Chaplains were
already in Europe, knew the issues
facing the DPs and understood how
the army functioned.
Jacob Trobe of the American Jewish
Distribution Committee (JDC)
recommended Nadich to the position.
Nadich was picked over another
chaplain because of his experience
at the Office of the Theater
Chaplain, and because he had
impressed him.
In his role as advisor, Rabbi Nadich
also became the liaison between the
army and the United Nations Relief
and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRRA),
the JDC, the Jewish Agency, the
World Jewish Congress, the American
Jewish Congress, and other Jewish
organizations in the U.S., Great
Britain and Palestine.
On August 27, 1945, Nadich began a
tour of the Zeilsheim displaced
persons camp outside Frankfurt. Two
days later he began an extended tour
of the camps in Bavaria, and then
two days in Berlin. He also made an
extensive inspection around
Heidelberg under the command of the
Seventh Army.
Upon his return to Frankfurt, Nadich
met with General Walter Bedell
Smith, Eisenhower’s chief of staff,
highlighting the importance
Eisenhower attached to Nadich’s
mission.
Smith was disturbed to learn that in
the Third Army area, under General
George S. Patton, American soldiers
stood guard at the gates of the DP
camps, Jews had to obtain exit
passes, only 10 percent of the camp
population was permitted to leave at
any one time, and the surrounding
villages and towns were off limits
to them.
Smith’s response was swift. He
immediately called a number of the
generals in the Third Army,
including Patton, to demand that
conditions be improved. On September
15, Smith conveyed the substance of
Nadich’s report to Eisenhower.
After Eisenhower issued a memorandum
to his commanders to provide the DPs
with adequate housing, nourishing
and sufficient food, allow them to
guard the camps themselves, and make
regular inspections to remove all
incompetent personnel, Nadich
explained why much more was needed,
especially in the Third Army area.
Judge Simon Rifkind, U.S. district
court judge, replaced Nadich after
arriving in Frankfurt on October 22,
1945. Nadich remained for another
three weeks to assist in the
transition. He then returned to the
U.S. where he was discharged from
the army.
Rabbi Nadich later wrote about his
experiences in his book
Eisenhower and the Jews.
The American Jewish chaplains played
a vital role in helping the
Shearith Hapletah, the
remnant of the Shoah. Rabbi Nadich
will be remembered for having been
an advocate of the survivors at the
highest level of the American
military.
Tehey nafshoh tzerurah bitzror
hachaim: May his soul be be
bound in the bond of everlasting
life.
Grobman wrote about Rabbi Nadich in
his book
Rekindling The Flame: American
Jewish Chaplains and the Survivors
of European Jewry 1944-1948.
CYBER-REFERRALS—
San Diego Jewish World appreciates and thanks those individuals and organizations which recommend stories of interest to the worldwide Jewish community:
●Israel's Consulate General:
A YNet News article reporting that Gilad Shalit spent a second birthday in captivity since his capture in Gaza in June of 2005 by Hamas. He turned 21 years old today. Here is the link.
●Jay Jacobson:
A briefing paper by Nick Francona of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on Hamas' military capacity since the Gaza takeover. Here is the link.
●Eliot Schubert: A moving tribute by Captain Stephen Ellison, MD to the veterans and victims, including a Holocaust survivor, of World War II. Here is a link.
●Phil Snyder:
An article by Sue Fishkopf of the Jewish Telegraph Agency appearing on Interfaith Family.Com about people who consider themselves "half-Jewish." Here is the link.
●
United Jewish Communities: A story about how the Egyptian Actor's Union is investigating an actor who appeared in a film about Saddam Hussein in which the lead part was played by an Israeli. Here is the link.
JEWISH PUBLIC OFFICIALS—
●
U .S. Rep.
Paul Hodes
(Democrat, New Hampshire) said regulations drawn up by federal bureaucrats administering the children's health care program could deprive 2,000 children from poor families of coverage they are entitled to. He said the law requires children to be enrolled if their families make less than three times more money than the poverty line. But proposed rules would say before people who make three times the amount could be admitted to the program, more than 90 percent of people who make two and a half times the standard would have to be enrolled. Such a high percentage almost never is reached, he said.
*U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (Democrat, New York),
whose district includes the former site of the World Trade Center, today issued the following statement following the World Trade Center Health Registry’s findings that rescue and recovery workers who worked on the "pile" without respirators developed asthma at a rate 12 times above the normal population. "Today’s important findings from the New York City Department of Health again underscore the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency and other government actors failed the first responders and other workers at Ground Zero by not telling the truth about air quality and by not demanding absolute adherence to workplace safety measures. If any good is to come from this tragedy, the government must ensure that a plan is in place to properly protect the public health in the event of a similar catastrophe. The government must provide absolutely truthful environmental risk communications, and it must not give workplace safety regulations short shrift. I will continue to work with my colleagues to bring to light the truth about 9/11 air quality and to ensure that the federal government provide comprehensive, long-term health care to all those affected by the environmental aftermath of the 9/11 attacks."
.
 
(Return to top)
|
  News Sleuths:
Watching the media gathering
and reporting the news
of Jewish interest
|
Who: Tom Casey, deputy spokesman, U.S. State Department
What: U.S. reaction to today's meeting between Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas
Where: U.S. State Department briefing room
When: Noon today
Source: U.S. State Department transcript
QUESTION: Can you say anything more Secretary Rice's discussions with Abbas and Olmert before their meetings yesterday? Specifically, I understand that President Abbas was asking for specifics related to the Middle East conference: where it will be, when it will be, that kind of thing. What was her response to that question?
MR. CASEY: Well, first of all, I'm going to let the players involved have a certain amount of privacy in their discussions. But again, let me just repeat a little bit of what I said this morning. These were opportunities for her to talk with the Prime Minister and the President about their upcoming meeting, to also encourage them to move forward and to make progress not only in dealing with some of the day-to-day issues that are out there, but again with issues that are on the political horizon. It's important that we do see progress made between the parties as we head towards a meeting later this fall with a variety of international players involved. And we think it's very positive and welcome that the President and Prime Minister have again had an opportunity to meet. I understand they will be doing so again a little bit later in September, so we look forward to those discussions continuing.
In terms of the specifics of what they discussed, what the Prime Minister and President discussed during their meetings, I -- at this point, I'll leave it to them to give you a fuller readout of it.
QUESTION: And there are no further details about the conference?
MR. CASEY: No, in terms of the international meeting itself, we are still working on specific dates and venue for it. Again, I think we are continuing consultations with not only the Israelis and Palestinians, but with a variety of other players in the region, including some of our friends and allies in neighboring states.
_____________
Click the ad above to go to the "I'm there for you baby" website
Back-to-school barbecue at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School: food, fun, and sign-ups
 
  
SIGHTS AT SOILLE—Nu? Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky of Beth Jacob Congregation seems to be asking in top
left photo, what does one do at a back to school barbecue? Well, you could sign up for the PTA, and who
could say no to the young ladies at top right? Or like Rabbi Simcha Weiser, headmaster of the school, at bottom left, you could have a delicious grilled kosher hot dog; or like Michael and Debra Rosen, middle; you could just kvell over your beautiful and growing family. Or, if you're young enough, you could kick off your shoes and head for the jump house to work off a little excess energy. On Wednesday, it is back to the books.
Chabad of University City will have Selichot concert, then music by three cantors over the High Holidays
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)— Israeli/American singer Bruce Brill will be performing in San Diego at a special pre-Selichot Concert on Saturday night, September 8 at 9:30 p.m., at the Chabad Center of University City, 3813 Governor Drive (Just west of Genesee)
Following the concert, Brill will speak about his life on the West Bank in Israel and its many challenges. Tickets are $12 per person and will be available at the door.
Selichos prayers will follow at 12:45 a.m.
The public is also invited to attend High Holiday services at the Orthodox/ Chasidic congregation for Rosh Hashana Sept. 13 and 14, and Yom Kippur Sept. 21 and 22. Children's programs will be available during both holidays.
Rabbi Moishe Leider, spiritual leader of the congregation, said three gifted Cantors: Shlomo Fellus, Dovid Leider, and Tzvi Hillel Schwab, will participate in the services, promising to make the High Holidays exceptional. He added that there will be lively singing in the Chassidic, Israeli and Carlebach traditions.
For more information on this and on the upcoming High Holidays, call us at 858-455-1670, or email us at Miriam@chabaduc.org
The preceding story was based on materials provided by Chabad of University City.
{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}
Eileen Wingard, family to give Selichot concert
SAN
DIEGO (Press Release)
—Beautiful music will
help prepare for the New
Year at Ohr Shalom's
Selichot services, Sept.
8, at 8:30p.m.
featuring retired San
Diego Symphony Orchestra
violinist Eileen Wingard
accompanied by family
members Myla and Lou
Rosen.
 Wingard
will
be playing viola and
will be joined by her
daughter,
Myla
Wingard on violin and
Lou Rosen, Myla's
husband, on mandolin.
They will be playing two
movements from a piece
by Zikmund Schul (a
young composer who
perished in Terezin),
some Klezmer piece(s),
Flatbush Waltz and Los
Bilbilicos.
Wingard is well known in the music and Jewish community, having played with the SD Symphony Orchestra, (recently retired), the SD Opera Orchestra and the La Jolla Chamber Orchestra. Currently, she serves on the Music Committee of the SD Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family JCC and lectures for senior groups under the auspices of Jewish Family Service.
Myla Wingard, Jewish educator and entertainer, played with the San Diego Symphony for two summer seasons, substituted in the Jerusalem Symphony when she was in Israel, performed for productions at the San Diego Repertory Theater, and is currently the violinist in Beth Israel's Shabbat Band. Lou Rosen, a Physical Medicine Doctor with Kaiser, plays guitar, mandolin and cello. He is the bass guitarist with Beth Israel's
Shabbat Band.
The service is free and open to the public. Ohr Shalom is located at 2512 Third Ave (at Laurel) SD 92103. For more information, please call (619) 231-1456.
The preceding story was provided by Ohr Shalom Synagogue
 People
of the Books |
It's
the story of Kaiser
Permanente—or is it?
Courage to Heal by Paul
Bernstein, MD; Sunbelt
Publications; 229 pages, $14.95.
Reviewed by Norman Manson
SAN DIEGO—The controversy over
health care, essentially
involving managed care versus
fee-for-service, remains one of
the leading issues of current
American life, a political hot
potato in any number of
campaigns. This has been true
for several generations, and
appears likely to remain in the
forefront for the foreseeable
future.
Thus, Dr. Paul Bernstein's
Courage to Heal is certainly a
relevant work, for it traces the
beginnings of the managed care
concept during and shortly after
World War II, as envisioned by
Henry J. Kaiser, Dr. Sidney
Garfield and their associates.
Their long-running battle with
the medical establishment,
personified by the American
Medical Association and its
local branches, deserves to be
remembered as a key element in
the evolution of U.S. medical
philosophy and practice.
However, Bernstein has chosen to
write his account as a novel,
and when a controversial issue
is depicted in a work of
fiction, the question inevitably
arises: How much of the book is
history, and how much is a
figment of the author's
imagination? This is the
troubling conundrum that
pervades Courage to Heal as one
reads through it.
Bernstein details the bitterly
disputed birth of the first and
probably foremost non-profit
health care plan, Kaiser
Permanente, which is still a
leader in the field today.
Much of the credit for this
institution deservedly goes to
the man whose name still graces
it, Henry J.Kaiser. It is
somewhat ironic that, to the
current generation, it is only
through the health care plan
that the name of Kaiser endures.
For during and immediately after
World War II, Kaiser was a
towering figure in America's
monumental drive to victory over
Germany and Japan. Mainly
through his unstinting efforts,
our nation turned out the
thousands of ships that carried
men and materiel to the
far-flung battlefronts. And, in
the immediate postwar era, the
Kaiser enterprise turned out
automobiles, appliances and
other products much in demand as
the war generation returned to
civilian life.
Still, it is the innovative idea
of managed medical care, of
preventive medicine rather than
merely treating the sick, that
forms the main thrust of this
story. With Kaiser's aid and
encouragement, a young physician
named Sidney Garfield challenged
the medical establishment and
instituted a managed care plan,
first for the employees of the
burgeoning Kaiser industrial
complex, and later for a
multitude of other workers.
The virtually constant war waged
by Kaiser, Garfield and their
associates against the AMA and
its local affiliates is what
makes this book tick. There also
are a few romantic
boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl
interludes as a sort of change
of pace.
Kaiser and a few other
characters obviously are the
stuff of history. But how about
some of Garfield's associates
and his adversaries, not to
mention Judy and Victoria, his
intermittent love interests?
And Bernstein does take a few
liberties with historical facts,
most of them not vital
in pursuing his narrative. He
has Garfield driving up Highway
5 in 1949 - it didn't exist
until the '60s. He discusses
"the McCarthy trials" in 1949 -
they didn't occur until well
into the '50s. Finally - and
this is an essential part of his
story - he has Kaiser and
Garfield going to Washington in
1949 to talk to the secretary of
Health, Education and Welfare, a
Cabinet department not
established until 1953. Coming
upon these factual errors stirs
a degree of skepticism about
other "facts" discussed.
Also, there is a little too much
surgical terminology used, as it
appears the author is seeking to
shows off his erudition about
surgical procedures. Some of
this material is unintelligible
to the lay reader, and makes for
somewhat difficult reading.
Bernstein has latched on to a
timely, provocative subject, but
writing it as history rather
than fiction would have given it
more impact. While this book
does stir the reader's interest,
the subject could have been
handled with more insight and
clarity.
Dorel
Golan is a pianist you'll be
hearing from
MEVASSERET ZION, Israel—Dorel
Golan. That’s a name to
remember. We first heard this
talented young pianist at a
music festival in Eilat in the
winter, where she played Saint
Saens’ second piano concerto
with an aplomb and virtuosity
that belied her twenty-five
years. While playing brilliantly
she also managed to inject a
sense of fun into the event,
causing the audience to quiver
with enjoyment. For an encore
she played a riveting version of
Mozart’s ‘Rondo alla Turca’ from
his sonata no. 16, in which the
variations and harmonies were
quite unlike anything Mozart
ever dreamed of, but which once
again combined humour and
musicality in a way that simply
took one’s breath away.
Recently the Jerusalem Symphony
Orchestra series brought Dorel
to Jerusalem, where she played
the same concerto and concluded
with the same encore. The
somewhat more seasoned audience
was entranced, once again, by
the amazing power and musicality
of this wraith of a girl.
When we took our seats near the
back of the hall we noticed two
gentleman deliberating in
Russian over a camcorder on a
tripod. The upshot of the
conversation, which was conveyed
to us in Hebrew, was that the
owner of the camcorder had
failed to charge the battery,
and hence it would be impossible
to record Dorel’s performance
for posterity. “Never mind,” the
other gentleman said, “she has
it already. We recorded it at
another performance.”
This aroused our curiosity, and
in response to our enquiry it
transpired that the gentleman in
question was the pianist’s
father. He was, of course,
delighted when we told him that
we had heard his daughter play
some months earlier and had been
mightily impressed.
Is this perhaps another of those
‘only in Israel’ incidents?
Bush-Islamic Extremism...
(Continued from above)
Extremists would control a key
part of the world's energy
supply, could blackmail and
sabotage the global economy.
They could use billions of
dollars of oil revenues to buy
weapons and pursue their deadly
ambitions. Our allies in the
region would be under greater
siege by the enemies of freedom.
Early movements toward democracy
in the region would be violently
reversed. This scenario would be
a disaster for the people of the
Middle East, a danger to our
friends and allies, and a direct
threat to American peace and
security. This is what the
extremists plan. For the sake of
our own security, we'll pursue
our enemies, we'll persevere and
we will prevail. (Applause.)
In the short-term, we're using
all elements of American power
to protect the American people
by taking the fight to the
enemy. Our troops are carrying
out operations day by day to
bring the terrorists to justice.
We're keeping the pressure on
them. We're forcing them to
move. Our law enforcement and
intelligence professionals are
working to cut off terrorist
financing and disrupt their
networks. Our diplomats are
rallying our friends and allies
throughout the region to share
intelligence and to tighten
security and to rout out the
extremists hiding in their
midst. Every day we work to
protect the American people. Our
strategy is this: We will fight
them over there so we do not
have to face them in the United
States of America. (Applause.)
In the long-term, we are
advancing freedom and liberty as
the alternative to the
ideologies of hatred and
repression. We seek a Middle
East of secure democratic states
that are at peace with one
another, that are participating
in the global markets, and that
are partners in this fight
against the extremists and
radicals. We seek to dry up the
stream of recruits for al Qaeda
and other extremists by helping
nations offer their people a
path to a more hopeful future.
We seek an Iran whose government
is accountable to its people --
instead of to leaders who
promote terror and pursue the
technology that could be used to
develop nuclear weapons. We seek
to advance a two-state solution
for the Israelis and
Palestinians so they can live
side by side in peace and
security. We seek justice and
dignity and human rights for all
the people of the Middle East.
Achieving this future requires
hard work and strategic patience
over many years. Yet our
security depends on it. We have
done this kind of work before in
Europe. We have done this kind
of work before in Japan. We have
done this kind of work before --
and it can be done again.
(Applause.)
The future course of the Middle
East will turn heavily on the
outcome of the fight in Iraq.
Iraq is at the heart of the
Middle East. And the two
dangerous strains of extremism
vying for control of the Middle
East have now closed in on this
country in an effort to bring
down the young democracy.
In Iraq, Sunni extremists, led
by al Qaeda, are staging
sensational attacks on innocent
men, women, and children in an
attempt to stoke sectarian
violence. Their operatives have
assassinated those seeking to
build a new future for the Iraqi
people. Their targets include
everyone they consider infidels
-- including Christians and Jews
and Yezidis and Shia, and even
fellow Sunnis who do not share
their radical distortion of
Islam. Their ranks include
foreign fighters who travel to
Iraq through Syria. Their
operations seek to create images
of chaos and carnage to break
the will of the American people.
These killers don't understand
our country. America does not
give in to thugs and assassins
-- and America will not abandon
Iraq in its hour of need.
(Applause.)
Shia extremists, backed by Iran,
are training Iraqis to carry out
attacks on our forces and the
Iraqi people. Members of the
Qods Force of Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps are
supplying extremist groups with
funding and weapons, including
sophisticated IEDs. And with the
assistance of Hezbollah, they've
provided training for these
violent forces inside of Iraq.
Recently, coalition forces
seized 240-millimeter rockets
that had been manufactured in
Iran this year and that had been
provided to Iraqi extremist
groups by Iranian agents. The
attacks on our bases and our
troops by Iranian-supplied
munitions have increased in the
last few months -- despite
pledges by Iran to help
stabilize the security situation
in Iraq.
Some say Iran's leaders are not
aware of what members of their
own regime are doing. Others say
Iran's leaders are actively
seeking to provoke the West.
Either way, they cannot escape
responsibility for aiding
attacks against coalition forces
and the murder of innocent
Iraqis. The Iranian regime must
halt these actions. And until it
does, I will take actions
necessary to protect our troops.
I have authorized our military
commanders in Iraq to confront
Tehran's murderous activities.
(Applause.)
For all those who ask whether
the fight in Iraq is worth it,
imagine an Iraq where militia
groups backed by Iran control
large parts of the country.
Imagine an Iraq where al Qaeda
has established sanctuaries to
safely plot future attacks on
targets all over the world,
including America. We've seen
what these enemies will do when
American forces are actively
engaged in Iraq. And we can
envision what they would do if
we -- if they were emboldened by
American forces in retreat.
The challenge in Iraq comes down
to this: Either the forces of
extremism succeed, or the forces
of freedom succeed. Either our
enemies advance their interests
in Iraq, or we advance our
interests. The most important
and immediate way to counter the
ambitions of al Qaeda and Iran
and other forces of instability
and terror is to win the fight
in Iraq. (Applause.)
T he
transcript, including notations
of when the crowd applauded, was
supplied by the White House
|
