Stolen therapy goats, other animals, replaced ... Read more

Are politics more important to Egyptians than cancer cure? ... Read more

Alleged Nazi war criminal Charles Zentai jailed in Perth ... Read more

Jewish Democrats applaud passage of hate crime bill ... Read more

'Gathering' favors ban on gratuitous references to Shoah; denier' shunned in Mississippi ... Read more

OPIC seeks investment proposals from Muslim countries ... Read more

STOLEN FRIEND—A youth at Ben Yakir village hefts one of the goats which later was stolen.


Stolen therapy goats, other animals, replaced

BEN YAKIR YOUTH VILLAGE, Israel (Press Release)--Children living at the Jewish Agency’s Ben Yakir’s Youth Village, which is home to 120 at-risk youth, were shocked Thursday morning, Oct. 22, to find their prized animal corner burglarized and all 53 goats gone. The police, who were called in, said the three men had entered the zoo overnight and stolen the animals.

Ben Yakir Youth Village is known for its animal therapy program, and the zoo, which includes -- in addition to the goats -- horses, sheep rabbits, birds and an ostrich, is maintained almost entirely by the youth, and helps them in their social and emotional development. Ben Yakir is one of four Jewish Agency Villages for youth at high risk, many children of new immigrant families. Youth and staff alike were shocked by the loss of the animals, and the Youth Village director wrote a letter describing the incident.

Within hours, Jewish Agency lay leaders, staff and colleagues from several federations pitched in and by the end of the day enough money was raised to replace the entire stolen flock. Each goat costs approximately $120.

Staff at Ben Yakir have already contacted an animal herder to replace the goats; a surveillance camera and fencing will be installed around the zoo as well.

"It was heart warming to see the immediate response to restoring the stolen goats” said Maxyne Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Agency in North America who coordinated the quick fundraising effort. “Everyone understood immediately that these animals are both pets and a means of helping troubled children build confidence and skills."

Preceding provided by Jewish Agency for Israel


Are politics more important to Egyptians than cancer cure?

JERUSALEM (WJC)--Egypt’s health minister reportedly disinvited a group of Israeli doctors from an international breast cancer research forum in Cairo. The doctors were scheduled to share their experience in dealing with the disease, but were told on Sunday night that the Egyptian health minister had canceled the invitation. The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem expressed outrage at the decision and said it would ask Egypt to clarify.

The conference was sponsored by the breast cancer advocacy group Susan G. Komen for the Cure. According to the organizers, representatives of ten Middle Eastern countries were scheduled to participate in the conference, which the group says was undertaken with "unprecedented cooperation aimed at elevating awareness of breast cancer in the region and beyond."

The forum is held under the auspices of Egypt’s first lady, Suzanne Mubarak, and supported by the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and the US Agency for International Development, with assistance from the Institute of International Education and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs.

Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress


Alleged Nazi war criminal
Charles Zentai jailed in Perth

PERTH, Australia (WJC)—Hungarian-born alleged Nazi war criminal Charles Zentai was taken into custody by Perth police following the expiration of a two-week stay granted by the Federal Court. Zentai, 88, is wanted in Hungary for being one of three men who tortured and killed a Jewish teenager in 1944. Zentai, who went to Australia in 1950, claims he is innocent and was not in Budapest at the time of the murder. Two weeks ago, the Federal Court of Australia granted him a 14-day reprieve but allowed his extradition to Hungary.

His attorney said there would be further legal challenges until Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor decides whether or not Zentai should be deported to Hungary. If the federal government orders his extradition, Zentai will resume the legal appeals process and could appeal to the country's High Court, according to the lawyer.

A warrant for his arrest was first issued in 2005, but so far Zentai has not been in custody due to his health.

Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress

Jewish Democrats applaud
passage of hate crime bill

WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)- Ira N. Forman, CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), released the following statement:

Thursday's action by the U.S. Senate is a testament to the strong leadership of our Democratic House and Senate leadership in passing hate crimes legislation - legislation which has been delayed for far too long. The American Jewish community has reached a virtual consensus in supporting hate crime legislation for so many key reasons; most importantly, these despicable actions victimize a much larger community, while fostering intolerance and bigotry.

At a time when the hand of extremist violence can be seen all too frequently, this essential legislation will expand the scope of the federal hate-crimes law and lend a powerful tool to law enforcement to combat hate crimes. NJDC applauds our Senate and House Democratic leaders for addressing this top Jewish community priority, and we look forward to the President signing this bill into law.

Preceding provided by National Jewish Democratic Council

'Gathering' favors ban on gratuitous references to Shoah; denier' shunned in Mississippi

NEW YORK (Press Release)—The American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants commends the letter issued by the Interfaith Alliance and signed by Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy and faith leaders this week. It asks politicians and others to stop gratuitous use of the Holocaust in political and religious debates.

"It is gratifying that religious leaders of all faiths understand that the Holocaust should not be exploited or trivialized and should not be bandied about in contemporary political discourse," said Menachem Rosensaft, vice president of the Gathering.

The interfaith letter read in part: “The Nazi regime that perpetrated this mass genocide was one of the most horrific in world history. There is no place in civil debate for the use of these types of metaphors. Perpetrators of such language harm rather than help both the integrity of the democratic process and the credibility of religious commentary."

Rosensaft added, "The Holocaust was the greatest carnage ever perpetrated. It looms as the epitome of all that is worst in the human condition, and led to the codification of genocide as a crime against humanity. As such, it must be studied so as to prevent future atrocities, not reduced to insensitive, throwaway punch lines."

Rosensaft published an op-ed piece on this issue on the Jerusalem Post opinion blog on October 19. The full story is available here:

Elsewhere in the news, Holocaust denier and antisemite David Irving failed to make a scheduled appearance Wednesday night at the Jackson, Mississipppi City Hall after The American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants asked the mayor and residents of Jackson, Mississippi not to host him on government property.

According to the Jackson Free Press, Irving went "underground" after the mayor didn't endorse his appearance in the government venue. Instead, Irving appeared at a hotel in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and told the newspaper, "We sat around plotting as neo-Nazis do, [and] finding synagogues we can set on fire and tombstones that we can throw around."

Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering said, "We are gratified that Jackson City Hall did not serve as a platform for the likes of David Irving. We are revolted by his reported comments in the local media which are nothing short of monstrous."

Irving, who was convicted and jailed for Holocaust denial in Europe, has embarked on what he euphemistically calls a "book tour" of the United States.

The American Gathering has learned that Irving plans a secretive New York appearance next month and it is seeking to alert the general public to this disturbing development.

Said Steinberg, "In warning that his so-called 'book tour' is continuing, we seek to particularly alert managers of public spaces and venues in New York of Irving's intention to make a sneak appearance in town on November 14."

After the Jackson Free Press reported on October 12 that white separatists scheduled Irving at Jackson City Hall on October 21, the Gathering sent an e-mail asking Mayor Johnson to bar Irving's appearance in the municipal building.

Until this week, Irving was accepting American Express payments for his book tour. The Gathering commends American Express for canceling Irving's ability to accept its credit cards, because, an Amex spokesman said, "The materials that he sells on his web site are not consistent with the brand policies that we have in our merchant agreement."

The Gathering encourages other credit card companies and PayPal to follow suit.

Preceding provided by the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants



OPIC seeks investment proposals from Muslim countries

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– Acting on President Obama’s announcement in Cairo, The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has issued a call for proposals to manage a private equity investment fund or funds that will promote the growth of technology in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Establishment of the fund(s) is part of an ongoing U.S. government effort to expand partnerships that advance economic opportunity and job creation in emerging markets, including Muslim-majority countries. 

OPIC will provide financing ranging between $25 million and $150 million in total capital for each fund or funds established. 

In his June 4 speech at Cairo University, President Obama announced that the United States would launch a new fund “to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create more jobs.”

In response, OPIC is inviting proposals from qualified private equity fund managers to manage one or more investment funds that plan to invest in a wide variety of companies or projects that provide access to technologies in the OPIC-eligible countries. 

The fund(s) will invest in sectors such as information technology, health care, education, infrastructure, telecommunications, media, business and financial services and clean technology. Examples of financed projects may include companies that help to foster the development of new technologies such as computer, information, media and telecommunications businesses, or provision of broadband access; companies in medical, pharmaceutical, and other biotechnology areas; investment in technology and telecommunications infrastructure, energy efficiency and smart-grid technologies; or technologies that address problems such as the shortage of clean water. 

“Transfer of state-of-the-art technology, across a broad spectrum of sectors, is critical both to economic development in emerging markets and to the optimal provision of vital services such as health care,” said OPIC Acting President Dr. Lawrence Spinelli. “We look forward to supporting the establishment of investment funds that promote this goal, in support of President Obama’s announcement.”

Preceding provided by Overseas Private Investment Corporation