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Israel general says Iran may be nuclear-capable this year
JERUSALEM (WJC)—Iran will reach nuclear weapons capabilities by the end of 2009, Gen. Yossi Baidatz, head of the research division of Israel's Military Intelligence service, reportedly has told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Baidatz said he believed the international community had already come to terms with a nuclear Iran.
Meanwhile, the British newspaper 'The Times' reported that Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has not yet decided whether to give the go-ahead to build a nuclear weapon. Citing Western intelligence sources, the newspaper reports that, should Khamenei approve the building of a nuclear device, it would take six months to enrich enough uranium and another six months to assemble the warhead.
Canadian Jewish Congress accuses United Church of Canada of allying with anti-Semites
TORONTO (WJC) --The United Church of Canada has been accused of anti-Semitism by the Canadian Jewish Congress. Later this month, the National Council of Canada’s largest Protestant denomination is due to debate proposals calling for the boycott of Israeli institutions. The four resolutions on the table call for a "comprehensive boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions at the national and international levels" and refer to the recent assault on Gaza as a "visible reminder of the ongoing Israeli regime of exclusion, violence and dehumanization directed against Palestinians."
They also said that Israel was "built mainly on land ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian owners," and make reference to the effectiveness of boycotts when dealing with state-sponsored racial discrimination and violence as was the case in South Africa.
In an open letter, Canadian Jewish Congress chief executive Bernie Farber said the United Church resolutions allied the church with the enemies of Israel. "The whole purpose of this material is to vilify Israel and to present it in a crude caricature as the 'new apartheid' state, allegedly based on a state-sanctioned policy of racial superiority," Farber wrote, adding: "The purpose of this hateful invective is to deny the legitimacy of Israel because it is a Jewish state."
Eric Vernon, director of government affairs at the CJC, said: "The use of boycott, divestment and sanction has been a weapon used by Israel's enemies to destroy it. Those are elements of anti-Semitic behavior in the contemporary world."
ROME (WJC)—The head of the dissident ultra-conservative Catholic brotherhood ‘Society of Saint Pius X’ (SSPX) has attacked the Vatican for the "excessive sensibility" toward the Jewish world. Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the SSPX, told the Italian news agency ‘Apcom’ that he felt "embarrassed" about the Holy See's behavior when it emerged last January that Bishop Richard Williamson, then a leading member of the sect, denied that millions of Jews were murdered in Nazi death camps.
Fellay also said Jews should not concern themselves with internal church matters, referring to an outcry over a prayer that called for their conversion to Roman Catholicism. In a wide-ranging interview, he said: "It is not their religion. Leave us alone. They are matters which concern the Catholic church. If we wish to pray for the Jews, we will pray for the Jews in the manner we see fit. I do not know if they pray for us, but I would say that this is their problem."
Fellay played down the Williamson furor. "He is a completely marginal problem. What he said has no relation whatsoever with the crisis of the church, the core issue with which we have dealt for 30 years, it is a historical matter. The question of knowing how many and in what way the Jews were killed is not a matter of faith, it is not even a religious matter, it is a historical matter." He said Williamson's removal from the SSPX was temporary. "It is not to be exaggerated … at the moment, I see no grounds for expulsion. It depends on him, on the situation in which he placed himself … he has seriously damaged his reputation. He has already been sufficiently punished, pushed to the margin, with no position."
BETHLEHEM (WJC)—The Fatah movement led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is holding its first party convention in 20 years. A draft platform for discussion calls for a boost of the "fight against the settlements, the separation fence and the Judaization of Jerusalem, through civil means and restrained violence."
The text, to be discussed at the congress, states that Palestinians should not accept Israel as a Jewish state. It leaves the option of "armed struggle" on the charter of Fatah if peace talks with Israel fail, and does not rule out a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip if peace negotiations remain at a stalemate.
In his opening speech to the 1,900 delegates, Abbas said Palestinians sought peace with Israel but "resistance" would remain an option. "Although peace is our choice, we reserve the right to resistance, legitimate under international law," he said, using a term that encompasses armed confrontation as well as non-violent protests.
Australia grants right
to al-Manar to broadcast
CANBERRA (WJC)—The Hezbollah-backed Lebanese TV station 'Al-Manar', twice banned in Australia for supporting terrorism, has been given permission to broadcast into the country, following an investigation by the Australian Communication and Media Authority (which found that it did not breach the anti-terrorism laws. 'Al-Manar' programs endorse suicide bombers, call for Israel's annihilation, and refer to Jews as the offspring of pigs and apes.
The watchdog now said it had monitored Al-Manar transmissions from 28 August to 5 September 2008. While it found references to Hezbollah, it did not find attempts to recruit people or solicit funds. The authority said it would investigate any further complaints should they arise.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot said the decision did not address Jewish concerns and he would take it up with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy. Goot, who is also vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, said 'Al-Manar' was "viciously anti-Semitic and interlaced anti-Israel and anti-US rhetoric with medieval anti-Semitic stereotypes, including the infamous blood libel."
Neo-Nazis removed forcibly
from German hotel
FASSBERG, Germany—Police in the northern German state of Lower Saxony have raided a hotel occupied by neo-Nazis after hearing shots fired on the premises. The search at 'Landhotel Gerhus' in the town of Faßberg near Celle turned up a club, pepper spray and several dummy weapons, but no real firearms, authorities said. At parallel raids of apartments in Hannover and Rotenburg smaller weapons were found, too.
Twelve persons suspected of belonging to the far-right scene were present at the hotel during the raid. Four minors aged 15 to 17 were turned over to youth services. Police maintain surveillance over the hotel to prevent a confrontation between the neo-Nazis, who occupied the building last month, and local residents.
The far-right extremists stormed the building on 17 July on behalf of the Hamburg lawyer and Holocaust denier Jürgen Rieger, who reportedly rented the unused house to turn it into a neo-Nazi training center. But the property's legal administrator claims the extremists have no right to rent the hotel and wants them evicted.
Only hours after the raid, a court ruled the neo-Nazis could be legally removed from the premises.
ADL joins suit against Mojave cross; calls land transfer a 'sham'
NEW YORK (Press Release)— The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called on the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject a "sham transaction" and prohibit a prominent religious display on public land. In an amicus brief submitted to the Court in Salazar v. Buono, ADL and a coalition of civil rights groups also emphasized the importance of allowing Americans access to courts to challenge violations of the First Amendment.
Marvin D. Nathan, ADL Civil Rights Committee Chair, issued the following statement:
The prominent display of a cross at Sunrise Rock in California's Mojave National Preserve is an obvious and egregious violation of the separation of church and state. The Supreme Court should reject the notion that the government can evade the First Amendment here by simply transferring the title for the small parcel of land on which this cross sits within a 1.6-million acre public preserve to a private party. Furthermore, the Court should use this case to clarify that individual Americans have the right to challenge such displays.
This should not be a difficult case. The cross clearly constitutes an impermissible endorsement of religion, and – as our brief observes – there are "no fences, signs, disclaimers or other visual cues" that would lead an observer to conclude otherwise. Sunrise Rock may be a beautiful setting, but in a religiously diverse country which rejects the notion of a state religion, the cross perched atop it is misplaced.
The brief was primarily authored by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State on behalf of a coalition of organizations, including ADL, which are dedicated to protecting religious freedom.
United Jewish Communities seeks Jewish 'heroes' for award
NEW YORK (Press Release)—UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America, collectively among the top 10 charities on the continent, announced today the launch of the First Annual Jewish Community Hero Awards, which celebrates the selflessness and courage of individuals who are bettering their communities through service and outreach.
The initiative -- to-date the largest-ever Jewish social-networking effort -- will honor one Jewish Community Hero of the Year, who will receive $25,000 to put towards his or her work, and also recognize four additional finalists. About
50 partner organizations are supporting the initiative, in addition to Jewish Federations across North America.
Any individual or group can nominate a hero through an open, online submission process. After screening, each nominee is posted on the Jewish Community Heroes Web site, where people can vote for their favorite Jewish heroes.
UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America will honor the five nominees who receive the most votes at this fall’s General Assembly (GA) in Washington, D.C., which takes place Nov. 8-10. A panel of judges will select the Jewish Community Hero of the Year from among the finalists.
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“Too often the heroes among us, who do the most for our communities, go unnoticed,” said Adam Smolyar, senior vice-president, strategic marketing and communications, UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America.
“The Jewish Community Heroes initiative aims to spotlight devoted individuals who work incredibly hard for others, whether their efforts affect five people or 5,000. We’re absolutely thrilled to launch Jewish Community Heroes in collaboration with so many of our community’s Federations and partner organizations.”
UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America has been working with Blue State Digital, a leading technology and online strategy firm that helped the Obama campaign raise more than $500 million and engage millions of volunteers, to develop and produce Jewish Community Heroes.
The project’s Web-based platform creates an interactive forum that brings community together around a common purpose: recognizing the invaluable contributions of committed problem-solvers and advocates. Jewish Community Heroes uses crowd-sourcing – a Web 2.0 concept of open input by individual users – to generate content, including the nominees and the top five finalists. With an emphasis on social media, UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America and partner organizations are using a variety of online channels to extend the initiative to people from all walks of life.
“Jewish Community Heroes celebrates those in our communities who exemplify tikkun olam (repairing the world), one of the three core values of UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America,” said National Young Leadership Media Co-Vice Chair Lisa Kudish.
“Recognizing these inspiring individuals through the use of digital media, we hope to reach a new generation of heroes and motivate their unparalleled commitment to community service -- a responsibility we all share.”
Any individual, who is at least 13 years of age and a resident of the United States or Canada is eligible to be a nominee, provided that their work impacts a community in North America.
A nominee could be the neighbor running charity bake sales, a teacher building a school for the underserved, an entrepreneur donating services to neighborhood development, or a community organizer bringing people together around a cause. Nominations and voting will be accepted through Oct. 8.
Visit the Jewish Community Heroes Web site at www.jewishcommunityheroes.org.
The Jewish Community Heroes initiative is part of a broad effort by UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America to promote public service among the entire Jewish community. The effort includes several major outreach initiatives and provides tools for individual Federations to develop and promote hands-on service activities.
To learn more about the Jewish Community Heroes initiative and to get involved, please contact Andy Neusner.
RAND study considers MeK in Iraq to be 'trapped, brainwashed'
SANTA MONICA, California—At the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Coalition forces classified the Mujahedin-e Khalq, a militant organization from Iran with cult-like elements that advocates the overthrow of Iran's current government, as an enemy force.
The MeK had provided security services to Saddam Hussein from camps established in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War to fight Iran in collaboration with Saddam's forces and resources. A new study from the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, looks at how coalition forces handled this group following the invasion.
Although the MeK is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States, coalition forces never had a clear mission on how to deal with it.
After a ceasefire was signed between Coalition forces and the MeK, the U.S. Secretary of Defense designated this group's members as civilian "protected persons" rather than combatant prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. The coalition's treatment of the MeK leaves it – and the United States in particular – open to charges of hypocrisy, offering security to a terrorist group rather than breaking it up.
Research suggests that most of the MeK rank-and-file are neither terrorists nor freedom fighters, but trapped and brainwashed people who would be willing to return to Iran if they were separated from the MeK leadership. Many members were lured to Iraq from other countries with false promises, only to have their passports confiscated by the MeK leadership, which uses physical abuse, imprisonment, and other methods to keep them from leaving.
Iraq wants to expel the group, but no country other than Iran will accept it. The RAND study suggests the best course of action would have been to repatriate MeK rank-and-file members back to Iran, where they have been granted amnesty since 2003. To date, Iran appears to have upheld its commitment to MeK members in Iran. The study also concludes better guidelines be established for the possible detention of members of designated terrorist organizations.
The study, "The Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq: A Policy Conundrum," can be found here.
Haifa Maccabi drops 'Heat' from name; acquires Jason Rich
AVENTURA, Florida – He lives in the city where the Miami Heat of the NBA plays, but Jeffrey Rosen says it’s best not to confuse his hometown team in Miami with the one he owns in Haifa, Israel. Accordingly, the team formerly known as the “Maccabi Haifa Heat” will begin its next season with the shortened name of Maccabi Haifa.
While the NBA did not formally request the name change, Rosen said, “some private discussions with NBA officials concerned possible confusion in the marketplace since the NBA markets internationally, and the Miami Heat is one of its franchises.”
Maccabi Haifa announced on Tuesday that it has signed a one-year-contract with former Florida State University guard Jason Rich, who formerly played for the Italian team Cantu.
Rich, 23 and 6 foot 3, “plays with a style that I try to instill in the team, which is to play quick, athletic and defensive,” said Maccabi Haifa coach Avi Ashkenazi. Last week, the team re-signed Davon Jefferson, who starred for Maccabi Haifa in premier league last season.
In another acquisition, Brian Asbury, a former University of Miami forward, was signed to a contract with Hapoel Kiryat Tivon in Israel’s Second Division. As both teams are owned by Rosen, Asbury could be called up to Maccabi Haifa if the situation warrants. He is 6 foot 7 and weights 221 pounds.
Rosen is the owner of Triangle Financial Services in Aventura, Florida, a sports and entertainment investment firm.
SHONDA FILE
Spinka Rabbi pleads guilty to laundering money for tax evaders
LOS ANGELES (Press Release) – The Grand Rabbi of Spinka, a religious group within Orthodox Judaism, pleaded guilty Monday morning to a criminal conspiracy charge, admitting that he worked with others to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service by soliciting charitable donations with secret promises to refund donors the vast majority of the money they “donated.”
Grand Rabbi Naftali Tzi Weisz, 61, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to the felony charge before United States District Judge John F. Walter. The conspiracy had two objects: to obstruct the IRS and to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Weisz, several associates and five charitable organizations associated with Spinka were indicted by a federal grand jury in late 2007 in a scheme in which Weisz and his assistant solicited millions of dollars of contributions to the Spinka organizations by promising to secretly refund up to 95 percent of the contributions. In this manner, the contributors could claim as tax deductions the full amounts of their contributions, while actually having contributed as little as 5 percent of the amount they would declare on their federal income tax returns.
Weisz’s assistant, Gabbai Moshe E. Zigelman, 62, also of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in June 2008 to conspiring with Weisz and has been sentenced to two years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Weisz and Zigelman surreptitiously refunded up to 95 percent of the contributions through several methods. In some cases, the contributors received cash payments through an underground money transfer network involving various parties, some of whom operated businesses in and around the Los Angeles jewelry district. Yaacov Zeivald, 44, of Valley Village, California; Yosef Nachum Naiman, 57, of Los Angeles; Alan Jay Friedman, 45, of Los Angeles; and Moshe Arie Lazar, 62, of Los Angeles, have entered into plea agreements in which they admit their roles in the illegal money transfer network.
A second method used to reimburse contributors was wire transfers from Spinka-controlled entities into accounts secretly held at a bank in Israel. The accounts were established with the assistance of an international accounts manager at the bank, Joseph Roth, who previously pleaded guilty in the scheme.
Roth, 66, of Tel Aviv, helped contributors in the United States obtain loans from the Los Angeles branch of the Israeli bank, loans that were secured by the funds in the secret bank accounts in Israel, so the contributors could have the use of the funds in the United States. After their money was placed in the secret accounts at the Israeli bank, contributors also could hire Spinka to help secretly repatriate the money into the United States in exchange for an additional money laundering fee, the indictment alleges.
In his plea agreement, Weisz admitted that he learned from Zigelman that the Spinka charitable organizations had received $8,493,659 in 2006 and that Spinka had “profits” of $744,596, after deducting the amounts paid back to the various contributors.
Weisz is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Walter on November 16. At sentencing, Weisz faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, although the parties have agreed that he will not receive a sentence of more than three years in prison, or else Weisz will be allowed to withdraw from the plea agreement.
Three individuals who made “donations” to Spinka entities have pleaded guilty to tax evasion after having taken tax deductions for “donations” that were secretly refunded. Prosecutors have said they are investigating more than 100 individuals who were contributors to Spinka organizations. In sentencing one donor earlier this year, Judge Walter rejected a bid for probation and imposed a six-month prison sentencing, saying the crime reflected “arrogance” and that other contributors who do not come forward to authorities could face “significantly higher” sentences.
Attorneys for five Spinka charitable organizations – Yeshiva Imrei Yosef, Yeshivath Spinka, Central Rabbinical Seminary, Machne Sva Rotzohn, and Mesivta Imrei Yosef Spinka, all based in Brooklyn – are scheduled to appear before Judge Walter.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
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