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Latest news briefs from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Monday, March 8, 2004
(JTA) - Annan peace plan
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan reportedly is promoting a new plan for peace between Israel, Syria and Lebanon. Israel's daily Ma'ariv reported the plan Monday, saying it would require all three parties as well as Syria's Lebanese proxy militia, Hezbollah to halt violence and abide by an international monitoring committee. With calm restored, negotiations then would start on the basis of U.N. resolutions, Ma'ariv said. According to the newspaper, Syria has responded positively to the plan but Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is cool, preferring to put his trust in Washington as the chief power broker in the Middle East.
(JTA) - A victory for Haider
The party of far-right Austrian leader Jorg Haider won a surprise victory in a regional election. Sunday's victory by Haider's Freedom Party paves the way for him to retain his job as governor of Carinthia province; it also increases the possibility that he will make a national comeback. Several years ago, Haider praised Hitler's "decent employment policies" and described Nazi Waffen SS troops as "men of character." He later apologized for the remarks. The Freedom Party became part of Austria's government in 2000, but Haider later resigned as head of the party under international pressure.
(JTA) - Gaza tensions
Palestinians said Israeli troops killed a 16-year-old in the Gaza Strip. Monday's reported killing came amid Hamas vows to avenge an Israeli raid Sunday that killed 14 Palestinians, most of them Hamas fighters, in two of the terrorist group's Gaza strongholds. Israeli military officials said operations in Gaza were being stepped up to counter increased terrorist activity following Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's announcement that most Israeli settlements in Gaza would be evacuated by the end of the year.
(JTA) - Denver synagogue vandalized
More than 100 people cleaned swastikas off a Denver synagogue. Sunday morning's cleaning at the BMH- BJ Congregation came after the swastikas were painted on the synagogue last Friday night. The synagogue's rabbi, Daniel Cohen, said the vandalism may have been sparked by Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," which critics say blames Jews for the death of Jesus.
(JTA) - Remark riles memorial board
The architect of Berlin's Holocaust memorial apologized for an offhand remark about the company that manufactured the gas used in concentration camps. At the last meeting of the memorial's board of trustees, Peter Eisenman reportedly said his New York dentist had asked him in reference to his gold fillings, "Do you know that you have Degussa in your mouth?" The Degussa firm, in charge of graffiti-proofing the memorial under construction, was nearly dropped from the project because of its ties with the firm that made the Zyklon-B poison gas used in Auschwitz. Eisenman, who is Jewish, said he meant no offense by the remark, but some of the trustees were upset.
(JTA) - Kosher recruits
Women reportedly are being recruited as kosher inspectors for Israel's military. Israel's daily Yediot Achronot said the plan by the army rabbinate, intended to free up male conscripts for other duties such as administering Jewish services, had been decided on in secrecy to forestall opposition from fervently Orthodox rabbis. Military chaplains gave their approval on condition that the first female recruits hail from respected religious high schools. No date has been set for the first batch of recruits to undergo training, the newspaper said. Israeli army kitchens all keep kosher.
(JTA) - N.Y. federation leader dies
Peggy Tishman, a former president of the New York Jewish federation, died last Friday at 84. Tishman served as the first president from 1986 to 1989 of the newly formed UJA-Federation of New York. She also was a board member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
(JTA) - Prostitute's lawsuit
A foreign woman forced into prostitution in Israel is suing her pimps for $500,000. Documents released by Tel Aviv District Court on Monday said the plaintiff, identified only by her first initial, N., decided to file suit after the Israeli couple that imprisoned her in their home and pimped her to as many as 30 customers a day were jailed on slavery charges last year. Her attorney called the lawsuit unprecedented and said he hoped it would bring about a crackdown on trafficking in foreign women in Israel. N., 22, said the couple "bought" her for $10,000 from an illicit agency that brought her to Israel.
(JTA) - End of the affair
A glamorous couple brought together in one of Israel's all-time hit reality television shows split up. Publicists said on Monday that Sharon Ayalon, the eponymous heroine of "Take Me, Sharon," had broken up with Yoav Shward, whom she had chosen out of 15 bachelors in last summer's dating show. They cited "busy schedules" in pursuing their respective endorsement and ad campaigns, though entertainment pundits were unanimous in ruling that it was never true love to begin with. It was not clear which of the two would get to see out the one-year lease at a deluxe beachfront apartment that was among the prizes of the show.
(JTA) - Gaza raid
Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians during a raid on Hamas strongholds in Gaza. Witnesses said at least seven of those killed in Sunday's raid on the Bureij and Nusseirat refugee camps were gunmen from the Islamic terrorist group. The army called the action early Sunday a retaliation for Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Gaza settlements. Six Palestinians died in a failed attack on Israelis at a Gaza border crossing last Friday.
(JTA) - Purim attack foiled
A major terrorist attack planned against Purim revelers in Jerusalem was foiled. According to the Shin Bet, a raid on a Palestinian terror cell in Ramallah prevented a suicide bombing in Israel's capital on Saturday. Further details were not immediately available, but the reported arrests allowed Israel to lower a high alert in Jerusalem that had caused massive traffic jams as incoming cars were searched by police.
(JTA) - Goldstein's massacre remembered
Jewish extremists marked the 10th anniversary of the "Hebron massacre" by Baruch Goldstein. Dozens of far-right settlers and Kach activists gathered in the Jewish enclave in Hebron and nearby Kiryat Arba for Purim celebrations in which praise was offered for Goldstein, who gunned down 29 Palestinians at the Tomb of the Patriarchs on Purim in 1994. The celebrations, which included toasts with a local wine named after Goldstein and poetry readings in his honor, were meant to have been held at his grave site in Kiryat Arba but were relocated after the Israeli army barred entry there.
(JTA) - Mubarak, Bush on the ranch
President Bush will discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on April 12. Mubarak will stay at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush wants Mubarak's assistance in promoting his plans to bring democracy to the Middle East. Additionally, the United States reportedly has agreed to offer Egypt incentives to help secure the Gaza Strip once Israel withdraws.
(JTA) - U.S. denies delayed withdrawal
U.S. officials denied that they are encouraging Israel to delay a proposed withdrawal from Gaza until after U.S. elections. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the report of such pressure, originating in Israel, "doesn't sound right to me." Last Friday, Israel's daily Ma'ariv said that the reports originated with Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who has made known his displeasure with the prospect of unilateral withdrawal.
(JTA) - Powell, Fayyad meet
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell encouraged the Palestinian finance minister to increase accountability. "What they talked about was improving the transparency and accountability of Palestinian finance, with a recognized goal of making sure the money didn't go to the terror none of the money ended up in the hands of the terrorist groups," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said last week after Powell met Salam Fayyad. The United States reprimanded Israel for a recent raid on Palestinian banks believed to be holding terrorist money. U.S. officials said such actions undermine moderate reformers like Fayyad.
(JTA) - Less suspect
Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum is no longer suspected of divulging state secrets while in Hezbollah captivity. Israeli officials said Sunday that Tannenbaum, who has been under Shin Bet interrogation since being repatriated in a prisoner swap with the Lebanese militia in January, could still be charged with criminal misconduct after he admitted he traveled to Abu Dhabi for illicit business deals. According to Ha'aretz, Tannenbaum told his interrogators that Hezbollah said it would try to recruit him as an agent after his return to Israel. Israel's state comptroller on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the prisoner swap after it was revealed last week that Tannenbaum's father-in-law used to work for the family of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
(JTA) - Bombing at Moscow school
A small homemade bomb shattered windows at a Jewish educational center in Moscow. The attack at the Mekor Haim Institute occurred last Friday night. The bomb was planted inside a vacant building next to the Jewish facility that belongs to Mekor Haim Institut. The building was given to the Jewish community in 2002 and was eventually to be torn down and replaced by a larger Jewish educational and community complex. Police opened an investigation. A police spokesman told JTA that investigators had no evidence so far that the explosion was motivated by anti-Semitism.
(JTA) - Cairo cold shoulder
An Egyptian official snubbed Israel's invitation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Camp David Accord. The London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported over the weekend that Fathi Srur, speaker of Egypt's Parliament, had turned down an invitation by Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to address Israel's Knesset. The event was to have taken place at the end of this month, on the anniversary of the Israeli-Egyptian peace deal. According to A-Sharq Al-Awsat, Srur said he would only accept Rivlin's invitation "when Israel withdraws from all occupied Arab lands and full peace is achieved." There was no immediate comment from Jerusalem.
(JTA) - Australia arrest
A suspect in a grenade attack on an Israeli police station was arrested in Australia. Sydney police said Sunday that Yehezkel Bohadana, an Israeli Jew, had been arrested at a nearby resort town, following an extradition request by Jerusalem. Bohadana is one of three suspects in a July 2000 grenade and rocket attack on a police station and detective's home in Nahariya in northern Israel. There were no casualties in the incident, which was believed to be mob related.
(JTA) - Anti-Semitism higher in N.Y.
Anti-Semitic incidents in New York spiked sharply during the last three months of 2003, a new report says. There were 57 such incidents during the last three months of 2003, as opposed to 31 during the same period in 2002, said the report released by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). But anti-Semitic incidents fell overall in 2003 compared with 2002. There were 108 such incidents last year, as opposed to 114 the year before, according to the New York City Police Department.
(JTA) - Rallies on war criminal banned
Weekend demonstrations planned in Italy regarding a pardon for a convicted Nazi war criminal were banned for fear of violence. After supporters of former Nazi officer Erich Priebke announced they would stage a rally urging an amnesty for the former SS officer, the Rome Jewish community and an association of World War II deportees had planned counterdemonstrations. Rome Prefect Achille Serra cited the "climate of tension" in the city over the planned rallies, which would have taken place simultaneously in the same part of the city. He said he decided to ban the rallies because of the possible repercussions on public order and security. Priebke, 90, is serving a life sentence for his role in the massacre of 335 Italians, including 75 Jews, in March 1944.
(JTA) - Canada moves against alleged Nazi
Canada began de-naturalization proceedings against a man accused of being a member of the wartime Trawniki guard. Jura Skomatchuk's unit was involved in hundreds of anti-Jewish operations, including the "Harvest Festival" massacre of more than 40,000 Jews in the Poniatowa, Majdanek and Trawniki concentration camps in October 1943. Skomatchuk, 83, was living in St. Catharines, Ontario. The Canadian government alleges that Skomatchuk covered up his past as an armed SS guard after entering Canada in 1952 and is therefore eligible for de-naturalization and deportation. He is the 21st person that Canada has accused of Nazi war crimes in recent years.
(JTA) - AMIA action wanted
Argentine Jewish leaders pressed for action on a still-unsolved bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The leaders met March 4 with government official to express their concern that not enough progress is being made in the probe into the July 18, 1994, bombing on the AMIA center, which killed 85 people. The lack of progress comes despite support from Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, who has attended a commemoration of the attack, to solve the case. In addition, secret files from the government and intelligence regarding the case were unveiled. In their meeting, the Jewish officials also pressed the Argentine government to clarify its position with Iran, which is believed to be behind the attack.
(JTA) - Group presses Argentina on Palestinian cartoon
The Simon Wiesenthal Center demanded that Argentina stop an anti-Semitic cartoon promoted by a local Palestinian representative. The center expressed its concern at a cartoon on the Web site of the National Palestinian Authority in Buenos Aires. The cartoon's headline is: "Israel rests on the American veto." The image shows U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan performing in front of an audience that includes a Jew with a hooked nose, bags filled with money and a hut with a Magen David. The cartoon is "an abuse of the diplomatic assignations given by the Argentine state," said the letter signed by Shimon Samuels, the Wiesenthal Center's director for international liaison, and Sergio Widder, the center's Latin American representative.
(JTA) - Forced emigration marked in Poland
The 36th anniversary of the forced emigration of 20,000 Polish Jews in 1968 is being remembered. The emigration took place during the Communist government's "anti-Zionist" campaign. Warsaw's mayor attended a wreath-laying ceremony Saturday at a memorial plaque at a Warsaw train station. Other events this week include a concert and panel discussion on contemporary Jewish identity in Poland, sponsored by the Israeli Embassy and the Beit Warszawa Jewish Cultural Association.
(JTA) - Polish interfaith priest dies
The Rev. Stanislaw Musial, a Jesuit priest who was a Polish Catholic leader in interfaith dialogue, died in Krakow at the age of 65. The Judaica Foundation-Center for Jewish Culture in Krakow announced that Musial, a member of its board, died last Friday. In a statement, the foundation called him a "friend, a wise and good man, the author of many important writings devoted to reconciliation between Poles and Jews."
(JTA) - Better than a pen-and-pencil set?
A mutual fund that invests in Israeli companies is offering an $18 free stock gift to U.S. children having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The Blue and White Fund invests in Israeli firms that are traded on U.S. stock exchanges. Only individuals with a Bar or Bat Mitzvah invitation or a proof from a rabbi are eligible. JTA END
(JTA) - Annan peace plan
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan reportedly is promoting a new plan for peace between Israel, Syria and Lebanon. Israel's daily Ma'ariv reported the plan Monday, saying it would require all three parties as well as Syria's Lebanese proxy militia, Hezbollah to halt violence and abide by an international monitoring committee. With calm restored, negotiations then would start on the basis of U.N. resolutions, Ma'ariv said. According to the newspaper, Syria has responded positively to the plan but Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is cool, preferring to put his trust in Washington as the chief power broker in the Middle East.
(JTA) - A victory for Haider
The party of far-right Austrian leader Jorg Haider won a surprise victory in a regional election. Sunday's victory by Haider's Freedom Party paves the way for him to retain his job as governor of Carinthia province; it also increases the possibility that he will make a national comeback. Several years ago, Haider praised Hitler's "decent employment policies" and described Nazi Waffen SS troops as "men of character." He later apologized for the remarks. The Freedom Party became part of Austria's government in 2000, but Haider later resigned as head of the party under international pressure.
(JTA) - Gaza tensions
Palestinians said Israeli troops killed a 16-year-old in the Gaza Strip. Monday's reported killing came amid Hamas vows to avenge an Israeli raid Sunday that killed 14 Palestinians, most of them Hamas fighters, in two of the terrorist group's Gaza strongholds. Israeli military officials said operations in Gaza were being stepped up to counter increased terrorist activity following Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's announcement that most Israeli settlements in Gaza would be evacuated by the end of the year.
(JTA) - Denver synagogue vandalized
More than 100 people cleaned swastikas off a Denver synagogue. Sunday morning's cleaning at the BMH- BJ Congregation came after the swastikas were painted on the synagogue last Friday night. The synagogue's rabbi, Daniel Cohen, said the vandalism may have been sparked by Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," which critics say blames Jews for the death of Jesus.
(JTA) - Remark riles memorial board
The architect of Berlin's Holocaust memorial apologized for an offhand remark about the company that manufactured the gas used in concentration camps. At the last meeting of the memorial's board of trustees, Peter Eisenman reportedly said his New York dentist had asked him in reference to his gold fillings, "Do you know that you have Degussa in your mouth?" The Degussa firm, in charge of graffiti-proofing the memorial under construction, was nearly dropped from the project because of its ties with the firm that made the Zyklon-B poison gas used in Auschwitz. Eisenman, who is Jewish, said he meant no offense by the remark, but some of the trustees were upset.
(JTA) - Kosher recruits
Women reportedly are being recruited as kosher inspectors for Israel's military. Israel's daily Yediot Achronot said the plan by the army rabbinate, intended to free up male conscripts for other duties such as administering Jewish services, had been decided on in secrecy to forestall opposition from fervently Orthodox rabbis. Military chaplains gave their approval on condition that the first female recruits hail from respected religious high schools. No date has been set for the first batch of recruits to undergo training, the newspaper said. Israeli army kitchens all keep kosher.
(JTA) - N.Y. federation leader dies
Peggy Tishman, a former president of the New York Jewish federation, died last Friday at 84. Tishman served as the first president from 1986 to 1989 of the newly formed UJA-Federation of New York. She also was a board member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
(JTA) - Prostitute's lawsuit
A foreign woman forced into prostitution in Israel is suing her pimps for $500,000. Documents released by Tel Aviv District Court on Monday said the plaintiff, identified only by her first initial, N., decided to file suit after the Israeli couple that imprisoned her in their home and pimped her to as many as 30 customers a day were jailed on slavery charges last year. Her attorney called the lawsuit unprecedented and said he hoped it would bring about a crackdown on trafficking in foreign women in Israel. N., 22, said the couple "bought" her for $10,000 from an illicit agency that brought her to Israel.
(JTA) - End of the affair
A glamorous couple brought together in one of Israel's all-time hit reality television shows split up. Publicists said on Monday that Sharon Ayalon, the eponymous heroine of "Take Me, Sharon," had broken up with Yoav Shward, whom she had chosen out of 15 bachelors in last summer's dating show. They cited "busy schedules" in pursuing their respective endorsement and ad campaigns, though entertainment pundits were unanimous in ruling that it was never true love to begin with. It was not clear which of the two would get to see out the one-year lease at a deluxe beachfront apartment that was among the prizes of the show.
(JTA) - Gaza raid
Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians during a raid on Hamas strongholds in Gaza. Witnesses said at least seven of those killed in Sunday's raid on the Bureij and Nusseirat refugee camps were gunmen from the Islamic terrorist group. The army called the action early Sunday a retaliation for Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Gaza settlements. Six Palestinians died in a failed attack on Israelis at a Gaza border crossing last Friday.
(JTA) - Purim attack foiled
A major terrorist attack planned against Purim revelers in Jerusalem was foiled. According to the Shin Bet, a raid on a Palestinian terror cell in Ramallah prevented a suicide bombing in Israel's capital on Saturday. Further details were not immediately available, but the reported arrests allowed Israel to lower a high alert in Jerusalem that had caused massive traffic jams as incoming cars were searched by police.
(JTA) - Goldstein's massacre remembered
Jewish extremists marked the 10th anniversary of the "Hebron massacre" by Baruch Goldstein. Dozens of far-right settlers and Kach activists gathered in the Jewish enclave in Hebron and nearby Kiryat Arba for Purim celebrations in which praise was offered for Goldstein, who gunned down 29 Palestinians at the Tomb of the Patriarchs on Purim in 1994. The celebrations, which included toasts with a local wine named after Goldstein and poetry readings in his honor, were meant to have been held at his grave site in Kiryat Arba but were relocated after the Israeli army barred entry there.
(JTA) - Mubarak, Bush on the ranch
President Bush will discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on April 12. Mubarak will stay at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush wants Mubarak's assistance in promoting his plans to bring democracy to the Middle East. Additionally, the United States reportedly has agreed to offer Egypt incentives to help secure the Gaza Strip once Israel withdraws.
(JTA) - U.S. denies delayed withdrawal
U.S. officials denied that they are encouraging Israel to delay a proposed withdrawal from Gaza until after U.S. elections. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the report of such pressure, originating in Israel, "doesn't sound right to me." Last Friday, Israel's daily Ma'ariv said that the reports originated with Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who has made known his displeasure with the prospect of unilateral withdrawal.
(JTA) - Powell, Fayyad meet
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell encouraged the Palestinian finance minister to increase accountability. "What they talked about was improving the transparency and accountability of Palestinian finance, with a recognized goal of making sure the money didn't go to the terror none of the money ended up in the hands of the terrorist groups," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said last week after Powell met Salam Fayyad. The United States reprimanded Israel for a recent raid on Palestinian banks believed to be holding terrorist money. U.S. officials said such actions undermine moderate reformers like Fayyad.
(JTA) - Less suspect
Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum is no longer suspected of divulging state secrets while in Hezbollah captivity. Israeli officials said Sunday that Tannenbaum, who has been under Shin Bet interrogation since being repatriated in a prisoner swap with the Lebanese militia in January, could still be charged with criminal misconduct after he admitted he traveled to Abu Dhabi for illicit business deals. According to Ha'aretz, Tannenbaum told his interrogators that Hezbollah said it would try to recruit him as an agent after his return to Israel. Israel's state comptroller on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the prisoner swap after it was revealed last week that Tannenbaum's father-in-law used to work for the family of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
(JTA) - Bombing at Moscow school
A small homemade bomb shattered windows at a Jewish educational center in Moscow. The attack at the Mekor Haim Institute occurred last Friday night. The bomb was planted inside a vacant building next to the Jewish facility that belongs to Mekor Haim Institut. The building was given to the Jewish community in 2002 and was eventually to be torn down and replaced by a larger Jewish educational and community complex. Police opened an investigation. A police spokesman told JTA that investigators had no evidence so far that the explosion was motivated by anti-Semitism.
(JTA) - Cairo cold shoulder
An Egyptian official snubbed Israel's invitation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Camp David Accord. The London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported over the weekend that Fathi Srur, speaker of Egypt's Parliament, had turned down an invitation by Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to address Israel's Knesset. The event was to have taken place at the end of this month, on the anniversary of the Israeli-Egyptian peace deal. According to A-Sharq Al-Awsat, Srur said he would only accept Rivlin's invitation "when Israel withdraws from all occupied Arab lands and full peace is achieved." There was no immediate comment from Jerusalem.
(JTA) - Australia arrest
A suspect in a grenade attack on an Israeli police station was arrested in Australia. Sydney police said Sunday that Yehezkel Bohadana, an Israeli Jew, had been arrested at a nearby resort town, following an extradition request by Jerusalem. Bohadana is one of three suspects in a July 2000 grenade and rocket attack on a police station and detective's home in Nahariya in northern Israel. There were no casualties in the incident, which was believed to be mob related.
(JTA) - Anti-Semitism higher in N.Y.
Anti-Semitic incidents in New York spiked sharply during the last three months of 2003, a new report says. There were 57 such incidents during the last three months of 2003, as opposed to 31 during the same period in 2002, said the report released by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). But anti-Semitic incidents fell overall in 2003 compared with 2002. There were 108 such incidents last year, as opposed to 114 the year before, according to the New York City Police Department.
(JTA) - Rallies on war criminal banned
Weekend demonstrations planned in Italy regarding a pardon for a convicted Nazi war criminal were banned for fear of violence. After supporters of former Nazi officer Erich Priebke announced they would stage a rally urging an amnesty for the former SS officer, the Rome Jewish community and an association of World War II deportees had planned counterdemonstrations. Rome Prefect Achille Serra cited the "climate of tension" in the city over the planned rallies, which would have taken place simultaneously in the same part of the city. He said he decided to ban the rallies because of the possible repercussions on public order and security. Priebke, 90, is serving a life sentence for his role in the massacre of 335 Italians, including 75 Jews, in March 1944.
(JTA) - Canada moves against alleged Nazi
Canada began de-naturalization proceedings against a man accused of being a member of the wartime Trawniki guard. Jura Skomatchuk's unit was involved in hundreds of anti-Jewish operations, including the "Harvest Festival" massacre of more than 40,000 Jews in the Poniatowa, Majdanek and Trawniki concentration camps in October 1943. Skomatchuk, 83, was living in St. Catharines, Ontario. The Canadian government alleges that Skomatchuk covered up his past as an armed SS guard after entering Canada in 1952 and is therefore eligible for de-naturalization and deportation. He is the 21st person that Canada has accused of Nazi war crimes in recent years.
(JTA) - AMIA action wanted
Argentine Jewish leaders pressed for action on a still-unsolved bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The leaders met March 4 with government official to express their concern that not enough progress is being made in the probe into the July 18, 1994, bombing on the AMIA center, which killed 85 people. The lack of progress comes despite support from Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, who has attended a commemoration of the attack, to solve the case. In addition, secret files from the government and intelligence regarding the case were unveiled. In their meeting, the Jewish officials also pressed the Argentine government to clarify its position with Iran, which is believed to be behind the attack.
(JTA) - Group presses Argentina on Palestinian cartoon
The Simon Wiesenthal Center demanded that Argentina stop an anti-Semitic cartoon promoted by a local Palestinian representative. The center expressed its concern at a cartoon on the Web site of the National Palestinian Authority in Buenos Aires. The cartoon's headline is: "Israel rests on the American veto." The image shows U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan performing in front of an audience that includes a Jew with a hooked nose, bags filled with money and a hut with a Magen David. The cartoon is "an abuse of the diplomatic assignations given by the Argentine state," said the letter signed by Shimon Samuels, the Wiesenthal Center's director for international liaison, and Sergio Widder, the center's Latin American representative.
(JTA) - Forced emigration marked in Poland
The 36th anniversary of the forced emigration of 20,000 Polish Jews in 1968 is being remembered. The emigration took place during the Communist government's "anti-Zionist" campaign. Warsaw's mayor attended a wreath-laying ceremony Saturday at a memorial plaque at a Warsaw train station. Other events this week include a concert and panel discussion on contemporary Jewish identity in Poland, sponsored by the Israeli Embassy and the Beit Warszawa Jewish Cultural Association.
(JTA) - Polish interfaith priest dies
The Rev. Stanislaw Musial, a Jesuit priest who was a Polish Catholic leader in interfaith dialogue, died in Krakow at the age of 65. The Judaica Foundation-Center for Jewish Culture in Krakow announced that Musial, a member of its board, died last Friday. In a statement, the foundation called him a "friend, a wise and good man, the author of many important writings devoted to reconciliation between Poles and Jews."
(JTA) - Better than a pen-and-pencil set?
A mutual fund that invests in Israeli companies is offering an $18 free stock gift to U.S. children having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The Blue and White Fund invests in Israeli firms that are traded on U.S. stock exchanges. Only individuals with a Bar or Bat Mitzvah invitation or a proof from a rabbi are eligible. JTA END
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