The preceding story was provided by the American Jewish Committee
Journey to the Copper Age: A review by Dan Schaffer see below
San
Diego Jewish World
News
Analysis SAN DIEGO—Imagine announcing that you are having a big party, but not being certain where you plan on holding it, or who the guests of honor might be. After the words left your mouth, you might find yourself doing a lot of scrambling both to make certain that the party occurs and that the right people will be there.
And so it is with the United States after President George W. Bush announced on
Monday that he would like to hold a Middle East conference with players from the
region in October.
Besides discussing this in Lisbon, Quartet members also will be meeting as a
group for the first time with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has
accepted the position as special envoy to the Quartet for the Middle East. For the conference to be meaningful, it cannot bring together only the Quartet members; they meet together all the time as it is. What is needed, and what President Bush emphasized when he announced the proposal on Monday, is participation by Israel and the Arab governments. McCormack said that the U.S. has "some diplomatic work to do" in this regard. "Out of the starting gate you're going to have a variety of different responses because you have a variety of different Arab state orientations toward Israel. You have some openly who have made peace with Israel: Egypt and Jordan. You have some who meet with the Israelis and publicly acknowledge it, but they don't highlight it. You have some who meet with the Israelis and don't at all acknowledge it, but they do it anyway, and there are some who don't meet with the Israelis in any way, shape or form." After Secretary Rice attends the Quartet meeting in Lisbon, she will be traveling with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on a mission to discuss both Iraq and the Israel-Palestine negotiations with Middle Eastern and European leaders. McCormack said that Rice may attend a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Sharm el Sheikh to discuss President Bush's proposal. The logistics hadn't been finalized, however, he said. Snow meanwhile was asked why President Bush is moving now, but did not so before, to take the leadership in the ongoing Middle East situation. There has been some speculation that Bush did not want to be upstaged by Blair, whom some have suggested should have a larger role than cobbling together Palestinian institutions. Snow responded that Bush all along has been consulting with leaders in the area. Now, however, "we see a moment of opportunity, as the president said yesterday. .. We have a (Palestinian) government with President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad. ... You have a government in which we have confidence in the leaders, and we also know that there's a willing partner for working with the Israelis. So it does seem that it's an opportune time to try to exploit that development and, at the same time, work with regional partners who have always said that this has to be a top priority, and to enlist their more vigorous involvement as well.
"As the President said yesterday, everybody has got responsibilities,” Snow
added. “The Israelis have responsibilities, the Arab neighbors have
responsibilities. And this is the time for all of them to step up."
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The Israel Prison Service reported on its website concerning the releases that
“61
prisoners have served more than two thirds of their sentence, 93 prisoners have
served over a half but less than two thirds of their sentence and 102
prisoners have served over a third but less than half of their sentence.”
NEW YORK—ZOA President Morton A. Klein said , "The Zionist Organization of
America (ZOA) has criticized President George W. Bush's speech yesterday for
making the same mistakes as President Clinton and the late Prime Minister Rabin
made when they promoted the false premise that Yasser Arafat was a moderate
peacemaker who would make peace with Israel if Israel made major concessions.
"President Bush wrongly claims that the Arab states have "put forward a plan
recognizing Israel," that Arab terrorism has been prompted by being "confronted
with the prospect of peace" even though there was no peace and no 'settlements'
before 1967. Bush also made the same repeated demand of Hamas/Fatah compliance
with no consequences even hinted at if his demand was not heeded. Analysis of President Bush's speech:
House passes Ackerman bill requiring regular
WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—U.S. Rep.
Gary Ackerman's (Democrat, New York) legislation requiring the Secretary of
State to step up efforts to bring to justice the Palestinian terrorists who
killed three American contractors in Gaza was passed Monday by the House of
Representatives. The measure was approved unanimously by a voice vote. “It is not in our power to compel justice, nor can we instill drive, initiative or energy” said Ackerman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. “But we can maintain accountability, and that is what this bill will do. I regret saying it, but getting justice for these three men was never as great a priority for the Bush Administration as it ought to have been.” The three murdered Americans—31 year-old Mark Parson of New York, 37 year-old John Branchizio of Texas and John Marin Linde, 30, of Missouri–were killed in October 2003 while they were providing security to U.S. diplomatic personnel who were visiting Gaza to identify potential Palestinian candidates for Fulbright Scholarships.
The preceding story was
provided by the office of Congressman Gary Ackerman.
NEW
YORK (Press Release)—“This is one of the pivotal moments in Israel’s history and
in the history of the Palestinians,” said American Jewish Congress President
Richard S. Gordon, at the conclusion of his trip to Israel and the West Bank on
Wednesday, July 11.
“Prime
Minister Fayyad graciously hosted us at his office in Ramallah for nearly two
hours, discussing a range of issues affecting the peace process, including
security, economic development, the Palestinian media and governmental reform,”
Gordon said. “He made clear his view that this is the last chance for peace
between Israel and the P.A. and that if this effort fails, others, whose agenda
is continued violence, will prevail.”
Prime
Minister Fayyad replied that the provision of security was as much a Palestinian
need as it is an Israeli need, and he made clear his determination to end the
violence and bring security to all of the people of the area. The Prime
Minister indicated that to do so, it would be necessary to disarm all of the
Palestinian militias, and that the continuation of their bearing arms is
inconsistent with the P.A. commitment that Palestinian aspirations should be met
through negotiations rather than armed struggle. “In addition to discussing Palestinian/Israel security issues, our meetings with Israel’s Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Likud Chairman Netanyahu focused on Iran, and the role of American citizens in conveying both to our government and to the American public at large the dangers posed by the spread of Iranian power throughout the region and Iran’s drive to acquire nuclear weapons.” “We also had an opportunity to discuss several of the projects that we have undertaken in cooperation with the Government of Israel, including our work toward achieving U.S. independence from the importation of Middle East oil, our work on the law of war and against the terrorist use of human shields, our work strengthening the hand of moderate Muslim leaders who oppose extremism, and our efforts to fight worldwide anti-Semitism.” Gordon pledged to work to help the moderate leaders with whom he had met. “After witnessing firsthand the courageous battle for peace waged by both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders with whom we met, I believe all Americans, Jew and non-Jew alike, must find ways to help these leaders win the war against terrorists and bring a lasting peace to the region."
The preceding story was provided by the
American Jewish Congress
NEW YORK (Press Release) —Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, members of Congress, religious and communal leaders joined four thousand demonstrators from as far as Toronto and Washington DC across from the United Nations to demand action from the international community to free the three Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah and Hamas as well as other Israeli MIAs. Among the featured speakers were Karnit and Miki Goldwasser, wife and mother of Ehud Goldwasser, held hostage by Hezbollah. Wiesel said, "Those who kidnapped [the soldiers] are cowards and criminals … What they are doing is an insult not only to Jews, but to all civilized people … In choosing kidnapping, Hezbollah and Hamas have excluded themselves from the code of the family of nations, and they deserve universal disdain, condemnation and punishment." Miki Goldwasser said, "This is a humanitarian issue. For me, as a mother, knowing that my son is kidnapped and wounded, maybe without any medical care, and no sign of life, it is misery. You need to fight against it. I ask for your help and thank you for your support.” June Walker, Chairperson of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said, “Liberating captives is an obligation that we bear as Jews, as supporters of the State of Israel, and for humanitarian reasons. One year ago we stood together, here in front of the UN, to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and all of Israel’s missing soldiers. “Since then, we have raised their plight, and that of Israel’s other MIAs at the highest levels, in meetings with the leaders of our government, of foreign governments, and of the United Nations. Today, we have returned to this spot to show that we have not forgotten. We will not forget. And we will continue to demand their freedom, in the halls of power and in the streets, until the hostages are released.” Janice Shorenstein, president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York said, "Although a year has passed, we cry out for their freedom again. These are not only three soldiers that were guarding the borders of Israel. They are three young men with names … If Hamas, Hezbollah and their patron, Iran, think we have forgotten these men, they are wrong. The heartwarming presence and participation at this rally of leaders of other faiths and groups speaks to the plight of the Israeli hostages and MIAs as a humanitarian, universal cause." Rep. Gregory Meeks (Democrat, New York) said, "When evil and bad things happen, sometimes voices are silent. We need to have people speak out and to stand together to denounce what is wrong … We will push in Washington DC and continue the fight until justice is done." Rep. Jerrold Nadler (Democrat, New York) said, "We must persevere for as long as necessary and we must turn the spigot on Iran. That is the only way we will free these prisoners, to deny Iran gasoline, to deny them any economic intercourse with the rest of the world, to divest from corporations doing business with Iran." Rep. Christopher Shays(Republican, Connecticut) said, "It is cruel, it is torture to not let families know about condition of their loved ones. These are three men who were trying to protect their country, and there is silence. There is something amazing about the silence of the world. They are quick to criticize Israel, but there is silence from the world." Rep. Anthony Wiener (Democrat, New York) said, "We are not asking the United Nations to solve all of the problems of the world. We are asking them to look at one of the resolutions they passed that said that the kidnapping victims had to be returned. And what has the United Nations done? Absolutely nothing." The "Free the Soldiers!" rally was sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York in cooperation with United Jewish Communities, UJA-Federation of New York, American Zionist Movement, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
LOS ANGELES (Press Release)--On same the day that US President George W. Bush announced a new push for Middle East Peace and directly urged Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel, Khaled Mashaal, the terrorist group’s Damascus-based leader, took a page from Iranian President Ahmadinejad by declaring that the Nazi Holocaust was “exaggerated” and charged “what Israel did to the Palestinians was many, many times worse than what the Nazis did to the Jews”. “President Bush and other worlds leaders are trying to jump start the Middle East peace process and has invited the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan to take a leading role. Now, is the time for those leaders to step forward and publicly disavow Mashaal’s hatred and Holocaust revisionism,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, founder and dean and associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish human rights group. Mashaal made his comments about the Holocaust before an audience of 150 people at the Qaradawi Forum in Doha, Qatar. Responding to a question from a German participant at a Seminar in Qatar, Mashaal said in part, that “Germany is being blackmailed over the Holocaust,” adding that “I do not want to deny the facts of the Holocaust,” but, “we do not want to give in to the exaggeration… [of the Holocaust] being inflated and blown out of proportion…What Israel did to the Palestinians is many, many times worse than what the Nazis did to the Jews”. The Forum’s sponsor, Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, is the top authority of the Muslim Brotherhood and has issued fatwas in the past validating Palestinian suicide bombings--including by women-- as “martyrdom” operations. During his speech, Mashaal thanked Qaradawi for remaining resolute in his support for Palestinian terrorist operations even after September 11th..
The preceding story was provided by the Simon
Wiesenthal Center
Baruch Mazor, director of the Fisher Fund which filed the lawsuit, said that
thousands of people raised by survivor parents suffered from depression and
anxiety and could not function normally at work or home. He estimated that some
5 percent of Israel’s 400,000 children of survivors are in need of therapy.
VIENNA (Press Release)—Austria is offering rewards for the capture of two war
criminals believed to be alive and at large. The state is offering nearly US$
70,000 for information leading to the arrest and capture of Aribert Heim, an SS
doctor who killed concentration camp inmates with injections in the heart, and
of Alois Brunner, an aide of Adolf Eichmann who organized deportations of Jews
to death camps. Austria has been accused for decades of dragging its feet over prosecuting Nazi war criminals and for being too lenient when they were brought to court. Even though Austrians pervaded the ranks of the Nazi Party and the army, the country for decades portrayed itself as ‘Hitler's first victim’ because it was occupied and annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938. Heim, who was known as ‘Dr. Death’ in the Mauthausen Nazi camp, was born in 1914 and is presumed to be living in Spain or Latin America.
The preceding story was provided by the World
Jewish Congress
The findings
released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today revealed that half of the
Europeans surveyed believe Jews are not loyal to their country and more than one
third believe that they have too much power in business and finance. As to attitudes regarding Israel and the Middle East, the poll showed mixed findings, as was true in the earlier poll. For example, while favorable views of Israel increased, there was more sympathy for the Palestinians than Israel. The survey also found strong attitudes against Iran and Hamas. Asked about Iran's nuclear development, a majority believe Iran is developing a nuclear weapon and strongly support sanctions against Iran. (jump to continuation) AJC urges Latin America to unite against terror NEW YORK (Press Release)—The American Jewish Committee recalls the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires 13 years ago tomorrow, and is pressing Latin American nations, led by Argentina, to adopt comprehensive anti-terror legislation to prevent and stem the activity of terrorist groups, many sponsored by Iran, in the region. "Iran's destructive reach is global, from the furtherance of its nuclear program at home, to its key involvement, along with its proxy Hezbollah, in the AMIA bombing," said Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJC's Latino and Latin American Institute. "The impact of this event extends well beyond Argentinean society and the Jewish world. Its repercussions are felt throughout the Americas, Europe and the Middle East." AJC has repeatedly noted the increasing influence of Iran. Through Iran's strategic relations with Venezuela and growing ties with Bolivia and Nicaragua, Islamic radical groups have allegedly found a haven in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) shared by Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, from which the terrorists responsible for the attacks in Buenos Aires hailed. "The AMIA attack underscored how terror does not respect borders and makes us all potential victims. It is imperative that we successfully confront these forces and thwart their dangerous plans," said Siegel Vann, urging Latin American nations to consider the adoption of a list of terrorist organizations that mirrors the lists maintained by the European Union, Australia, the United States and Canada. AMIA is an international partner of AJC, which has been engaged with Argentina for five decades. From the first moments of the attack, AJC has stood with AMIA, with Memoria Activa representing families and friends of the victims, with the local Jewish community and with the Argentinean nation.
AJC
has taken a leadership role in keeping the memory of the attack, and the 85 who
died, alive in the court of public opinion and in urging successive Argentine
governments to advance the cause of justice. Siegel Vann expressed hope that the ongoing AMIA investigations will reveal more on the attack as well as on reasons for the long delays in the delivery of justice and closure for the families of the victims and for Argentina's Jewish community.
The preceding story was provided
by the American Jewish Committee
AJC urges Federal Bureau of
Prisons to revise policy that limits number of religious books in prison
libraries NEW YORK (Press Release) – The American Jewish Committee is urging the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to reconsider its policy of limiting access to religious texts. The BOP recently issued approved reading lists limited to 150 published works per religion.
“To arbitrarily cap the number of books available to inmates unjustifiably punishes those seeking both religious inspiration and texts that are essential for the proper observance of their faith,” wrote AJC General Counsel Jeffrey Sinensky in a letter to Harley G. Lappin, director of the Bureau of Prisons.
The bureau’s efforts to eliminate from prisons materials that promote hate and violence have effectively banned access to thousands of texts that would serve prisoners well on their path to rehabilitation, AJC wrote.
For example, absent from the Jewish list of approved texts is Maimonides’ Code of Jewish Law, which has served for more then a millennia as the authoritative text for the daily observance of Jewish law, as well as the Zohar, the primary text of Jewish mysticism.
Rather than arbitrarily denying access to religious texts, AJC is recommending as a practical alternative that the prisons bureau set up a system to screen each publication in the religious library, as well as any new materials that are requested, to determine whether they are suitable for the prisons.
“We are eager to work with you and other organizations to devise more prudent procedures that would keep hate and violence out of prisons but continue to allow prisoners access to all appropriate religious works,” Sinensky wrote to BOP Director Lappin. The preceding story was provided by the American Jewish Committee (Return to top) Lieberman delivers half political speech, half Torah lesson to Christian Zionist group WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) on Sunday, July 15, delivered the following remarks to the Christians United for Israel Conference: "Thank you for that kind introduction and that warm welcome. May I in turn greet you with the ancient words of welcome offered to pilgrims in Jerusalem - "Bruchim Habaim B'Shem Hashem" - blessed be those who come in the name of the Lord. That greeting is especially fitting for you because you have come to Washington not just as men or women, Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals. You are here as Christians United for Israel. You represent a powerful force of people of faith in America who have pledged to never forget thee, O Jerusalem. And I know, as a Christian friend likes to remind me, that there are a lot more Christian Zionists in America than Jewish Zionists. And, I know the support of Christian Zionists today is critical to Israel's security and strength, and to America's security and strength. So I am honored by your invitation to speak tonight, to thank you for what you are doing, to exhort you to continue to do more -- which is God's work, and to pray with you that you are successful. I begin by thanking your founder, Pastor John Hagee. I would describe Pastor Hagee with the words the Torah uses to describe Moses, he is an "Eesh Elo Kim," a man of God because those words fit him; and, like Moses he has become the leader of a mighty multitude in pursuit of and defense of Israel. You know his story - almost sixty years ago, a young John Hagee sat at his family's kitchen table in Channelview, Texas, heard the news about Israel's Declaration of Independence, and saw how moved his family was by it. Since then, he has been devoted to the defense of Israel, and to its vitality. He has done so because Israel's fight is his fight. Israel's values are his values. And Israel's hopes and dreams are his hopes and dreams. Pastor Hagee, I pray that God will bless you with all that you pray for, and I do so with great confidence because I know what the Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 12:3. If ever there was a man who will be blessed because he has blessed Israel, Pastor Hagee, it is you. And the same is true of all of you here tonight. You are a family of Americans who deeply believe that our nation and the nation of Israel share common origins, values, and bonds. You are a family of Americans who understand that today the same fanatics that shout death to America, also shout death to Israel. And you are a family that will not bend with the political winds because your support is rooted in your faith, which is steadfast, unwavering, and eternal. You reject the temptation of moral relativism. You understand that there is a difference between good and evil, between eternal and temporal, between Israel and other nations. Your values are rooted in the same history, ideals, and dreams that bind together Israel and America, and that form the foundation of these two great nations - both "faith-based initiatives." (jump to continuation)
By
Shoshana Bryen
This is entirely false. This moment is no clearer for Palestinians than 24 June 2002, when the President told them they had to choose and said that only if they chose well and followed through would the U.S. support Palestinian independence. Nor is it clearer than the day Israel withdrew from Gaza, leaving intact the valuable and profitable greenhouses they created. That day the Palestinians might have chosen coexistence, cooperation and economic enhancement. Yesterday was just another day. And the Palestinians do not choose freely. The President's remarks entirely skipped over the fact that Palestinians in Gaza are living under the gun - literally - of a victorious terrorist organization that threw the weaker terrorist organization out of town. How exactly would the President like the people of Gaza to express their choice? Last time we encouraged them, they voted for Hamas. If the Palestinians in Gaza want to choose Fatah now, Hamas isn't likely to care much. If they do repent their vote, why should we be thrilled? Fatah was known by the people to be so corrupt that even many secular Palestinians couldn't stand the idea of casting a ballot for Abu Mazen's party. They chose religious fanatics supported by Iran instead of secular criminals supported by the West. Hobson's Choice was presented as their choice and it remains that the people with the guns make the decisions. In any event, while the short term implications of choosing may differ, the long range ones do not. Hamas will not engage Israel at all; Fatah will talk about security and economic progress. But to extrapolate that Fatah then agrees that Israel is legitimate and Jews are entitled to sovereignty in the Middle East would be wrong. President Bush misuses the language - Israel does not need the Palestinians to "accept Israel's 'right to exist.'" That right was posited by the United Nations in 1948 and not subject to review. The Palestinians - and the Arab states - need to provide demonstrable acceptance of UN Resolution 242 with its requirement for acceptance of the "legitimacy of all the states in the region and their right to secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force."
The preceding commentary was provided by the Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs
.
PHILANTHROPISTS—Charles and Tanya Brandes have announced a major commitment to
San Diego Brandes Foundation to fund SDJA scholarships
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – What may be the
largest commitment ever made for private school merit scholarships in San Diego
was announced today by San Diego Jewish Academy and the Tanya and Charles
Brandes Foundation.
San Diego Jewish Academy is one of the country’s
premier Jewish day schools. Serving children from kindergarten through grade
12, SDJA challenges its students to achieve their full academic potential and
become individuals of strong moral and ethical character, while inspiring them
to make Judaism a vital and relevant aspect of their lives. For information,
please contact Judith Gross, Admissions Director, at
jgross@sdja.com or 858-704-3716. (Return to top)
The Well, a Christian church, schedules
three POWAY (Press Release)—In conjunction with its series, “The Secret Codes of God,” The Well of Poway, an orthodox Christian church, is presenting “Voices of the Holocaust” on three consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning tonight at 6:30pm. Special guest speakers are Lou Dunst (July 18), Mr. Horst Cahn (July 25) and Mr. Abraham Secemski (August 1). Lou Dunst is an Auschwitz survivor and San Diegan who speaks extensively on the Holocaust and related topics. When he was a teenager imprisoned in a series of Nazi concentration camps, he begged God: “Please let me live – if nothing else than to tell my story.” His is a gripping tale of heartache and suspense. Horst Cahn is a lecturer and author of the autobiography, Loss, Liberty and Love: My Journey from Essen to Auschwitz to the United States. Cahn was shot, beaten, tortured and nearly starved during his Nazi concentration camp nightmare. His entire immediate family (father, mother, sister, brother-in-law and infant niece) was murdered in the Nazi death camps. Abraham Secemski is a San Diegan who survived five different death camps in Poland, Germany, including Auschwitz, and Czechoslovakia. He survived a death march from Poland to Germany; he, his brother and sister are the only 3 survivors out of the 95 family members encamped. He was summoned in 1991 to testify against a former Nazi labor-camp commander and recall his terrifying memories. Their stories, both individually and combined, are ones that need to be told – and heard – time and time again. They were just teenagers during their imprisonment in various Nazi concentration camps. As the years go by and the number of these survivors dwindles, their stories of inhumanity, survival, faith and hope become ever more necessary to tell, as unpleasant as some may deem it to be. The Well of Poway is hosting these special speaking engagements to revere, honor and remember their struggle and share their message with the local community. All are welcome.
Service begins promptly at
6:30 PM on Wednesday evenings at The Well, located at 13604 Midland Road. For
more information, please call The Well at (858) 748-3940 or log onto
www.thewellpoway.org.
Youkilis drops off AL's list of top ten batters
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Home run balls dropping all over central Israel Yarkon Field at the Baptist Village, where the Miracle defeated Pioneers, 3-2 PETACH TIKVAH , Israel (Press Release)— It took a homerun at Yarkon Field today for the Modi'in Miracle to defeat the Petach Pioneers 3-2. After tying the game with his ninth homer of the season in the top of the seventh inning, Dominican Eladio Rodriguez came up big again in the homerun derby to decide the tie. After both teams sent up three batters each and ended up tied at 2-2, it took a final round for a winner to be named. After hitting all of Modi'in's homeruns in the first three rounds, Rodriguez crushed five balls over the wall in the final round to give the Miracle the 7-2 derby win and the overall victory. The Pioneers are protesting the game because their second baseman, Willis Bumphus, was not allowed to enter the homerun derby as a hitter because he was being used as a pitcher. The umpires ruled that a homerun derby pitcher is not permitted to bat as well. While manager Ken Holzman does not agree, his team falls 10.5 games out of first place unless Commissioner Daniel Kurtzer rules otherwise. Gezer Field, where the Blue Sox defeated the Tigers, 17-3 and 8-7 The Bet Shemesh Blue Sox and the Netanya Tigers played a doubleheader on Tuesday with the Sox easily winning the first game 17-3. Johnny Lopez, Jason Rees, and David Kramer all homered for Bet Shemesh, but the Blue Sox only collected five hits as Netanya pitcher Mike Kerfeld walked seven batters and allowed ten runs before being removed with one out in the first inning. The second game of the doubleheader was far more competitive as the Tigers continuously took the lead, but the Blue Sox kept doing just enough to pull even and finally win 8-7. Lopez, Bet Shemesh's first baseman from Florida, hit his ninth and tenth homers of the year while Gregg Raymundo also added two of his own. After third baseman Eric Holtz laced a two-run double to center in the fifth inning to give the Sox their first lead of the game, Miami-native Ray Rodriguez tied it up in the sixth with his second homerun of the season, going 2-for-3 on the game. But in the bottom of the seventh Holtz played the hero and capped off his 2-for-4 night with a walk-off homerun to drop Netanya 7.5 games out of first place. Sportek Field, where the Lightning defeated the Express, 12-2 It was a wild game in Tel Aviv as the Ra'anana Express gave up ten runs in the third inning to eventually lose to the Tel Aviv Lighting 12-2. The win means manager Steve Hertz's clubs remains two games behind the first-place Blue Sox. Lightning designated hitter Matt Brill continued his impressive season with a 3-for-4 night and three RBI to give him a .410 average. Tel Aviv's Dominican first baseman Stuart Brito also went 3-for-4 while knocking in two runs. The loss drops the Express eight games behind the Blue Sox. Summaries: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 HR R H E Modi'in 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 3 3 2 Petach Tikva 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 6 0 HR: Adalberto Paulino (4), Eladio Rodriguez (9) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Netanya 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 8 1 Bet Shemesh 13 1 0 2 1 0 x 17 5 2 W: Jason Benson (3-0); L: Mike Kerfeld (0-2); HR: Johnny Lopez (8), Jason Rees (11), David Kramer (1) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Netanya 3 0 0 1 2 1 0 7 10 0 Bet Shemesh 3 0 0 1 3 0 1 8 11 6 W: Scott Jarmakowicz (1-0); L: Ramon Rodriguez (0-1); HR: Gregg Raymundo (5), Johnny Lopez (10), Ramon Rodriguez (2), Eric Holtz (1) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Ra'anana 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 Tel Aviv 0 1 10 0 0 1 x 12 12 2 W: Joey Sherman (1-0); L: John Thew (2-1); HR: None Standings: Team W L % GB Bet Shemesh Blue Sox 14 4 .778 – Tel Aviv Lightning 11 5 .688 2.0 Modi'in Miracle 11 5 .688 2.0 Netanya Tigers 5 10 .333 7.5 Ra'anana Express 6 12 .333 8.0 Petach Tikva Pioneers 3 14 .168 10.5 Wednesday the Modi'in Miracle and Tel Aviv Lightning play a doubleheader at Gezer Field with the first game starting at 1 pm and the second at 5 pm. Meanwhile at 5 pm the Netanya Tigers host the Ra'anana Express at Sportek Field and at 7 pm the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox visit the Petach Tikva Pioneers at Yarkon Field at the Baptist Village. The preceding article was provided by the Israel Baseball League (Return to top)
Museum of Man, across the street from the building housing the Copper Age exhibit. Display photographs of the 6,000-year-old skeleton and artifacts found at the Cave of the Warrior. Below: some of the ceramics on loan from the Israel Museum at the Museum of Man. (Photos by Donald H. Harrison and Dan Schaffer) Journey to a time that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would have considered to be in the far-off past By Dan Schaffer SAN DIEGO—My friend Don Harrison phoned me about previewing a Copper Age exhibit connected to the Dead Sea Scrolls in Balboa Park. Don said that this one was one of two collections lent by the Israel Museum to the Natural History Museum (NHM) and to the Museum of Man (MOM). The NHM has the scrolls; the MOM has the copper. We met at the MOM with the Executive Director, Dr. Mari Lyn Salvador, and walked across the street to the low building next to the Alcazar Gardens, facing the California Tower. This collection of original objects, timelines, diagrams, written explanations, and large color photos tells of a time 6,000 years ago in and near the Negev within a 100-mile radius of Beersheba. In those days the northern Negev was greener with more rainfall and a year-round flowing river. Global cooling?
That was 2000 years before Abraham, over 2500
years in advance of the Exodus, and 4,000 years predating any of the Dead Sea
Scrolls. There was as much time between the Scrolls and the Copper Age
artifacts as there is between us and Abraham. Up to that time, I had never
heard of the Copper Age. In the next hour, I got a brief and fascinating glimpse
of it.
Copper Age objects were found near the Dead Sea
in 1961 in what came to called the Treasure Cave. An Israeli team led by Yigael
Yadin (war hero, cabinet minister, archeologist) was looking for more Dead Sea
Scrolls. Team members pried a large rock from the cave mouth and found a store
of over 400 copper pieces: mace heads, scepters, crowns, drinking vessels, with
bird and ibex designs, and other “prestige” ornaments. These were not playthings
for ordinary folk, who used stone or baked clay. What an exciting feeling to be within inches of just a few of the ancient, copper castings from the Treasure Cave. And these precious and unique creations in their display cases are only a part of what is contained in that long, welcoming room. Every artifact, chart and photo is accompanied by clear, concise, and easily readable explanations. The photos cover a 1997 expedition led by UCSD’s Dr. Thomas Levy. He is a professor of anthropological archeology and the author of the fully illustrated color catalog, Journey to the Copper Age-Archeology in the Holy Land, which supplements the exhibit. Dr. Salvador, MOM Executive Director, wrote the forward. Dr. Levy’s team of American, German, Israeli and Jordanian archeologists went to the copper mine at Faynan, Jordan-south of the Dead Sea, where the green copper ore used in the Treasure Cave artifacts likely originated.
Dr. Levy’s small team wanted to recreate the
mining methods, travel route, and smelting procedures used no later than the
Copper Age. The team’s donkeys carried the ore back to Shiqmim, near Beersheva.
This was the Chalcolithic “industrial” area where the ore may have been
refined. There they smelted small amounts of the green earth into metallic,
shiny copper. Kenneth Garrett of the National Geographic Society took the
pictures of the entire journey. The large, clear and engaging photos look down
on us at the MOM. Those photographs alone were worth the price of admission. Two other sections in the Copper Age room caught my eye. One was a group of ceramic and basalt cult objects unearthed at Gilat near Shiqmim. A pottery statue of a naked woman, probably a goddess, 6 inches tall, sits on a big upside-down bowl. She’s stylized, with long, seemingly boneless arms and hands and a round face with a beaked nose. Beaked nose figures were common then in the area. Her shapeless, rounded body is covered with red, painted stripes; her painted eyes look like a pair of archery bull’s-eyes. She has a handled milk churn on her head and holds a cup under her arm. An almost exact, full-sized ceramic duplicate jar from the same area and period is on exhibit near the lady. The milk was churned into butter, yogurt or cheese by sloshing the liquid back and forth until it gelled. A baked, clay ossuary (a bone holder) from farther north in Israel is part of this grouping as well. After death, bodies were exposed till only bones were left. The bones were then placed in these ossuaries. This one is a 15-inch-high oblong box with a peaked top and a large nearly rectangular opening, like a gaping mouth. Above the mouth are the same eyes and the same beaked nose as the woman’s statue. The ossuary is highly decorated with color designs and scalloped edges. A third cave highlighted in the exhibit is the Warrior Cave near Jericho. We see a Garrett photo of a full-sized male skeleton, buried with a bow, fiber wrappings, and a carnelian bead necklace. These people could weave from animal fur and decorate the textile edges, integrating craft skills with a sense of the aesthetic. They could produce food that would last, like yogurt and cheese. They worked metal. They farmed, worshipped, and had an idea of an afterlife. The metal objects for the favored few showed the existence of a privileged class—no more egalitarian hunting and gathering. Their age of inventions was as momentous them as is our silicon chip era to us 6,000 years later. I’ll be back a few times before the last day of the exhibit, February 4, 2008. Tickets are reasonably priced, and there’s ample parking in Balboa Park with shuttle service to the Museum door. Check out the MOM’s web site or call (619) 239-2001 for a lecture series that ties in with the Copper Age exhibit.
I came, I saw, I learned enough to know how
little I knew about this amazing slice of time. I am grateful to the Israel
Museum in Jerusalem for trusting our two local museums with these legacies and
especially to Dr. Osnat Misch-Brandl, the Israel Museum’s curator of
Chalcolithic and Canaanite Periods and the MOM’s liaison for the project in
Israel. Dr. Salvador says that Misch-Brandl has given to us “with a happy
heart.” It doesn’t get any better than that.
Klein added, "Unfortunately President Bush has shown by this major address on the Middle East that he continues to succumb to the illusion that Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah are moderate peace partners and has decided to have another throw of the dice on securing peace by outlining a program of massive rewards and preemptive concessions to Abbas and international negotiations aimed at leading to the creation of a Palestinian state. "By insisting that Palestinians face a choice between moderation as represented by Fatah and extremism as represented by Hamas, Bush has given Abbas and Fatah a free pass despite years of on-going terrorism and incitement to hatred and murder. If Abbas is to be praised as a peacemaker and lavished with funds and concessions, then why would he make the hard choices to fulfill vital steps like fighting terrorism and ending incitement to hatred and murder within the PA? There is simply no accountability expected of Abbas. Surely, if funds and concessions are to be given to him, shouldn't these follow only after he has taken these steps?
"This
announcement of strong and almost unqualified support for Abbas and Fatah simply
ensures that, as in the past, they will not fulfill their commitments to
peace-making and will therefore doom the President's policy. The President is
making same mistake as Bill Clinton & Yitzhak Rabin when they accepted the false
premise that Yasser Arafat was peaceful moderate and that major Israeli
concessions would bring peace.
"President
Bush would appear to be pursuing this misconceived
policy simply for the purpose of trying to appease Arab regimes and
international anti-American sentiment by appearing to be doing something to
further negotiations and the making of Israeli concessions that so many believe
are the key to their success. Lieberman-Christian Zionists (Continued from above) In a literal sense, Christians United for Israel was founded a little more than a year ago, in February 2006. But in a larger sense, it began more than 4,000 years ago with the first words God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 12:1: "Now get thee unto the land that I will show thee, and I will make thee a great nation." That was the covenantal promise God repeated to Isaac and Jacob and then to Moses, who, with God's help, delivered the children of Israel out of bondage to Mount Sinai where they received the Ten Commandments - their statement of national values and purpose - and then, 40 years later, brought them to the land that was promised to them, to the land of Israel. There, more than 3,000 years ago, King David entered Jerusalem and declared it to be the capital of Israel. He brought the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments to the City where his son, Solomon, built the Holy Temple to house them and to honor God's creation and God's law. Thus, in one place was established both the political capital of a people and the religious center of that people's faith. Almost 2,600 years ago, on a dark day in history, the Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The Jewish people went into a brief exile, returning 48 years later to rebuild it. It was during that time that Jesus of Nazareth preached, taught, and healed in Israel. But the Temple was to be destroyed once more, a little more than 1,930 years ago, by Titus. And again, most - though not all - Jews were forced to flee Jerusalem and Israel. For nearly 1,900 years, Jews in the Diaspora prayed every day that they be allowed to rejoin their brothers and sisters who had remained in the Promised Land and to reestablish a Jewish nation there. And countless Christians prayed those same prayers, particularly here in America. That collective yearning gave rise to a new political movement at the end of the 19th century - the modern Zionist movement. It was led by Theodor Herzl and a small band of allies - Christian and Jewish - throughout the world, who recognized the threat from the pervasive anti-Semitism that infected Europe and began the work to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Israel. Many people said the Zionists were naïve dreamers, but as Herzl responded, "If you will it, it is no dream." And will it they did. And work for it they did. In 1948, their dream was realized with the birth of the modern State of Israel. This is the long odyssey that has brought us here tonight. By standing with Israel today, each of you has joined that journey and taken up the torch that was lit in God's promise to Abraham 4,000 years ago, and carrying it forward to spread that light. I believe that Israel's rebirth in 1948 was divinely inspired by God, but I know that it was realized by the men and women here on earth who worked so hard to make it happen. Israel will be sustained by the work of men and women like you here on Earth. And I know you know how truly American is your support of Israel. Long before the miracle of 1948, the Nation of Israel was kept alive in the hopes and prayers and hard work of Christian Americans. In fact, from the very earliest days of our own nation's history, there has been an inseparable link between the promise of America and the promise of Zion. When William Bradford stepped off of the Mayflower onto Plymouth Rock in 1620, his first words were from Jeremiah, "Come let us declare in Zion the word of God." The first American missionaries to the Middle East sailed from Boston in the fall of 1819 with the goal of restoring Palestine to Jewish sovereignty. These brave Christian Zionists and their followers were not peripheral figures on the fringes of American history. They were mainstream Christian Americans. In the first half of the 19th century, the proposition that the United States should actively assist the Jews in returning to Palestine was widely held. As you know, many of our nation's founding fathers were Christian Zionists. The president of the Continental Congress, Elias Boudinot, predicted that "the mighty power of God" would return the Jews "to their beloved land of Palestine." John Adams wrote in 1819, "I really wish to see the Jews again in Judea an independent nation." And in 1844, a distinguished Christian professor of Hebrew at New York University became a national leader in the ingathering of Zionists. Jewish statehood, he wrote, would benefit all of mankind, forming a "link of communication" between humanity and God. That distinguished professor, as you may know, happened to share a name with one of his distinguished descendants, who also happens to be a great Christian Zionist today. The name: George Bush. And, when the modern state of Israel declared its independence on May 15, 1948, it was officially recognized eleven minutes later by another great Christian Zionist, President Harry S. Truman for the United States of America. These bonds for that purpose explain why America and Israel have stood together and will continue to stand together. Americans and Israelis are the children of freedom, freedom based on our shared faith in God, as our Declaration of Independence makes clear. We share democratic ideals, a culture of economic opportunity, and our political pluralism. These are the values we cherish—the principles that define not just who we are but who we hope to be. They are also, unfortunately, the values that are under attack today. Israel and the United States now confront a common enemy in the forces of radical Islam. For many years, Israelis have been on the front lines as targets of this extremist and perverse theology that will brazenly and unapologetically attack innocent humans, children of God. We say we are in a war against terrorism, but terrorism is only our enemies' methods, not their end. Radical Islam is—a totalitarian theology every bit as hateful, violent and expansionist as the fascism and communism we fought and defeated in the last century. And we must unite again as we did then - as Americans, regardless of party, faith, race, or nationality to defeat the evil that seeks to kill us and our families and destroy the civilized ideals that we cherish. You have come to Washington at a critical time for the future of our country. The war in Iraq is the defining issue for this Congress—but the decisions we will make in the days, weeks, and months ahead about Iraq will have consequences that reach far beyond the terms of anyone now in office. It is my deeply held conviction those who crave for a hasty retreat from Iraq are not only wrong, they are dangerously wrong—for the withdrawal they demand would be a moral and security catastrophe for the United States, for Iraq, and for the entire Middle East, including Israel. Let there be no doubt—an American defeat in Iraq would be a victory for Al Qaeda and Iran... the two most threatening enemies America and Israel face in the world today The fact of the matter is, you cannot claim to be tough on terrorism while demanding that our military withdraw from Iraq, because it is the terrorists—Al Qaeda—that our military is fighting in Iraq. You cannot claim to be committed to defeating Al Qaeda, while demanding that we abandon the heart of the Middle East to Al Qaeda. And you cannot claim to be tough on Iran, while demanding the very thing that the mullahs in Teheran want most of all and why they are engaged in the cold blooded murder through proxies of our troops in Iraq—the retreat of the American military from the Middle East in defeat, leaving a vacuum that Iran will rush to fill, and asserting its dominance over the entire region. My friends, as President Reagan once said, now is the time for choosing. If we stand united through the months ahead, if we stand firm against the terrorists who want to drive us to retreat, the war in Iraq can be won and the lives of millions of people can be saved. But if we surrender to the barbarism of suicide bombers and yield the Middle East to fanatics and killers, to Al Qaeda and Iran, then all that our men and women in uniform have fought, and died for, will be lost, we will be left a much less secure and free nation, and our Middle East allies - including Israel - will be endangered. Fortunately, you here tonight know that evil will not prevail if good people act. And I know you will not allow Iran and Al Qaeda to triumph over America and Israel. I also know that you are familiar with the Book of Esther. I am particularly fond of this story because its heroine is Esther, which in Hebrew is Hadassah. And Hadassah is the name of my beloved, my wife - so it is special to me. The Book of Esther tells us about the cruel Persian leader who sought to exterminate the Jews. But, a Jewish woman named Queen Esther bravely stepped forward and convinced the king to save her people. Remember, when she first expressed her reluctance to advocate the cause of her people before the King, her uncle Mordechai said to her, "Think not with thy self that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then will relief arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether have not been brought to the king's house for such a time as this?" Dear friends, brothers and sisters in faith, you have heard Mordechai's call "for such a time as this." You are in this time like Joshua and Caleb in their time. Let me explain how I mean that you are like Joshua and Caleb, which grows out of this day in the Jewish religious calendar. This is the first day of the Hebrew month of Av. The celebration of the new month is usually festive, but this day begins a somber day period of reflection and ever mourning concluding in the fast day of Tisha B'av, the ninth day of Av, corresponding this year to July 24, which is the day on which the first and second Temples were destroyed. Jewish tradition teaches that another event occurred on the ninth day of Av that speaks to us today and instructs us how to avoid the destruction that occurred on Av ninth, and that the story told in chapter 13 of the Book of Numbers where Moses selects out leaders of the Israelites—"men of distinction"—to explore The Promised Land and report back, and all of them but Joshua, son of Nun and Caleb, son of Yephunneh, bring back a report that is cowardly because it lacks faith. After they acknowledged that the land they had seen was indeed "flowing with milk and honey," they described the land was populated by giants. As they were quoted in Numbers 13:33, "We appeared as grasshoppers to them, and that is how we appeared to ourselves." But Joshua and Caleb disagreed, "We can surely ascend and conquer the land, we can surely do it," because they trusted in the promise God had made to Israel. Of that group, only Joshua and Caleb made it to the Promised Land of Israel. Dear friends, you Christians United for Israel clearly follow in the footsteps of Joshua and Caleb. Your faith is strong, and so is your confidence. And so great will be your effect. I thank you and pray that God will bless you and all that you do."
(Return to top) A majority identified Hamas as a terrorist organization and supports the European decision not to provide foreign aid to the Palestinian government until Hamas renounces terrorism, and agrees to recognize Israel and agreements signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Asked about
boycotts against Israel by UK-based organizations, 43% of British respondents
said they opposed them while 37% expressed support for them. "The increase and high percentage of respondents in Hungary who hold negative views of Jews are disturbing" Foxman added. "More than a decade after the fall of Communism, we hoped that such anti-Jewish attitudes would have begun to diminish rather than increase. On the other hand, respondents in The Netherlands demonstrated their tradition of tolerance by holding the least anti-Semitic attitudes." Foxman said he was, "especially concerned that the survey found a large percentage of all respondents, and a majority in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, believe that American Jews control U.S. policy on the Middle East, an old canard that has been resurrected in mainstream America and bolsters existing European attitudes." Respondents across the continent were asked a series of indicator questions representing the most pernicious notions of anti-Semitism and whether or not they thought the following four statements were "probably true" or "probably false."
• Jews are more
loyal to Israel than to this country. Respondents were also asked whether they agree or disagree with the following statement • The Jews are responsible for the death of Christ Finally, respondents were asked • If their opinion of Jews was influenced by actions taken by the State of Israel and whether they believed the violence directed against European Jews was a result of anti-Jewish feelings or anti-Israel sentiment. Findings Summary Attitudes Toward Jews • Overall, half of those surveyed in the six countries believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their own country, with a majority of respondents in Austria, Belgium, Hungary and the United Kingdom saying they believe that this statement is "probably true." • High levels of those surveyed across Europe still believe in the traditional anti-Jewish canard that "Jews have too much power in the business world." Overall, nearly 35% of all respondents believe this stereotype to be true; in Hungary it is 60%. • Similarly, European respondents still adhere to the notion that "Jews have too much power in international financial markets." Overall, 35% of those surveyed cling to the traditional stereotype, in Hungary it is 61%. • Large portions of the European public continue to believe that Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust. Overall, 44% of those surveyed believe it is "probably true." A majority of respondents in Austria, and Hungary believe it to be true. • Overall, 20% of those surveyed continue to blame Jews for the death of Jesus. • Overall, 23% of respondents say that their opinion of Jews is influenced by the actions taken by the State of Israel. Of those whose opinions are so influenced, nearly two-thirds -- 64% -- say that their opinion of Jews is worse as a result of the actions taken by Israel. Attitudes Toward Israel •Overall, attitudes toward Israel have changed only slightly since 2005. Respondents in Belgium (35% up from 26%), The Netherlands (39% up from 28%), Switzerland (33% up from 27%) and the United Kingdom (30% up from 27%) now view Israel more favorably, while Israel's favorability rating has dropped in Austria (20% down from 31%) and Hungary ( 17% down from 22%). •When asked to think about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict levels of sympathy for the Israelis have increased in every country. Sympathy for the Palestinians has decreased in every country, except Belgium (31% up from 28%) and the United Kingdom (32% up from 27%). Country by Country Findings on Anti-Semitic Attitudes
In responding
"probably true" to the statement, "Jews are more loyal to Israel than their own
country," the 2007 survey found:
Austria – 37%, up
from 24% in 2005
Austria – 54%, up
from 46% in 2005 ADL commissioned First International Resources to conduct the survey. Fielded in Europe by Taylor Nelson Sofres, it was conducted in the native language of each of the countries among the general population. The margin of error for each country is +/-4.5% at 95% level of confidence.
The preceding article was provided by the
Anti-Defamation League |
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