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WEB EXCLUSIVE: News Briefs
How Jewish candidates fared in 2008 elections
By JTA
Two new Jewish congressmen elected
By Eric Fingerhut
Two Jewish candidates were elected to Congress for the first time.
One of them—Jared Polis, 33—has made history as the first openly gay non-incumbent male elected to Congress. He will represent Colorado’s heavily Democratic 2nd Congressional District, which includes Boulder and other Denver suburbs.
Polis is a multimillionaire Internet entrepreneur who founded the Internet site for his parents’ Blue Mountain Arts greeting card company and donated more than $5 million to his campaign. In the campaign, he emphasized his background as a champion of public education—he is a founder of two Colorado charter schools and a six-year member of the state Board of Education. He also supports a universal health-care system and a quick end to the war in Iraq.
Also elected to Congress on Tuesday was John Adler, a Democrat who won an open seat in Trenton, N.J., that had been held for 20 years by Republican Jim Saxton, who is retiring. Adler, a longtime state legislator, is Jewish.
All Jewish freshmen returning
All six Jewish freshmen in the U.S. House of Representatives will return to Washington in January. The lawmakers, all Democrats who won their re-election bids on Tuesday, are: Steve Kagen in Wisconsin, Paul Hodes in New Hampshire, Ron Klein in Florida, John Yarmuth in Kentucky, Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona and Steve Cohen in Tennessee.
Kagen had the smallest margin of victory—about six points in a rematch of his 2006 race with Republican John Gard. All the others won at least 55 percent of the vote. That included Giffords, whose race against Arizona Senate president Tim Bee pitted former elementary and middle school classmates against each other.
Obama policies concern French Jews
A French Jewish umbrella group’s statement indirectly betrayed some of the community’s concerns over Barack Obama’s Middle East policy.
The statement was released following his election Tuesday.
"CRIF hopes that the new chief executive of the United States will firmly oppose the nuclear plans of the fanatical, aggressive and Holocaust-denying Iranian regime," said an English version of the statement, which slightly differed from the French.
The French version said the organization hoped Obama would "oppose" Iran’s nuclear plans "with determination, and without a utopian" view, or "angelisme," as the term appears in French.
Both the English and French statements said the organization "wishes that the new American administration will foster peace in the Middle East through realistic measures."
Though polls on the French Jewish reaction to the American election do not exist due to the country’s secular tradition, individuals in the Jewish community have expressed concerns in interviews with JTA over the level of Obama’s support for Israel because of what they perceive as his softer diplomatic approach toward terrorism and the Iranian threat.
In contrast, the French population as a whole overwhelmingly supports the newly elected president.
Recount expected in Franken-Coleman race
The U.S. Senate race in Minnesota between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and comedian Al Franken is likely to go to a recount.
With nearly 2.9 million votes cast, Coleman defeated Franken by 571 votes, 1,210,942 to 1,210,371, the Associated Press reported. The final margin was well within a state mandate for an automatic recount, which may not be finished until December.
The candidates, both Jewish, have fought an intensely bitter campaign. Franken, a Democrat, accused Coleman of corruption and Coleman used Franken’s satiric writings against him.
Peres hails Obama victory
Shimon Peres praised the election of Barack Obama as an opportunity to end the "world crisis" and as an "end of racism."
"It was an American election and a worldwide choice," the Israeli president said in a statement praising the Democrat for winning the presidency Tuesday. "I don’t recall any other election that practically all of humanity was following with hope and concern. I want to congratulate the newly elected President: young, fresh, promising, representing a change and introducing change. The changes that I can mention – it is an opportunity to escape the present world crisis and enter into a new era of cooperation, of productive economy and of human solidarity.
"In a way, it is an end of racism. There is no longer any way that any white man can claim superiority, nor any black person feel discrimination. We are the same people, and this election is a great statement to that effect."
Peres also praised Obama’s Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and revealed advice he had given Obama when he met him over the summer.
"When President Obama was here, he asked me what he can do for Israel," Peres said. "My answer was: be a great President of the United States of America. If you will be a great President of the United States of America, you will have great promise for Israel as well, and for all of the region and for all of our neighbors. Nobody should look at whose side the President is on – he just has to be on the side of peace."
Peres, an amateur poet, attached to the statement the full text of a letter he had written to Obama:
"Dear Mr. President,
The world needs a great leader.
It is in your making.
It is in our prayers.
God bless you."
Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, also welcomed Obama’s election, noting his tour of a town besieged until recently by terrorists based in the Gaza Strip.
"During Barack Obama’s recent visit to Israel, and especially during the tour we conducted together in the city of Sderot, the people of Israel were impressed by his commitment to the peace and security of Israel," she said in a statement.
President-elect Obama has proven his leadership and talents to the whole world, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a congratulatory statement.
“The special Israel-US relationship is based on shared values and interests and is characterized by ties of close cooperation. Israel and the U.S. have a common desire to advance peace and stability in the Middle East. We have no doubt that the special relations that prevail between the two countries will continue to strengthen during the Obama administration.”
Eng, Taddeo defeated
By Eric Fingerhut
A Chinese-American Jew and a Jewish Latina woman both lost their congressional bids.
Democrat Hank Eng, a recent convert to Judaism, was defeated by Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman, a Republican, in the race for retiring GOP lawmaker Tom Tancredo’s seat. No Democrat has won the seat since it was created in 1980. Eng, a New York native born to Chinese immigrants, married a Jewish woman and converted as his daughter approached bat mitzvah.
In South Florida, Colombian-born Democrat Annette Taddeo lost to 19-year GOP incumbent Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The Cuban-born Republican has long been a strong advocate for Israel and currently is ranking minority member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Only Jewish House Republican re-elected
By Eric Fingerhut
The only Republican Jewish member of the House of Representatives has been re-elected.
Rep. Eric Cantor, from Virginia’s 7th Congressional District in the Richmond area, serves as the chief deputy minority whip for the GOP and has been rumored as a candidate for an even higher position in the party leadership. His name also was floated as a possible running mate for John McCain this summer.
Lautenberg, Levin win again
By Eric Fingerhut
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg won his fifth Senate term in New Jersey and Carl Levin won his sixth in Michigan.
Lautenberg, 84, the Democrat, defeated Republican Dick Zimmer in one of two U.S. Senate races matching two Jewish candidates this year.
Lautenberg stressed his record as a protector of the environment and foe of big oil. Former U.S. Rep. Zimmer was best known for his sponsorship of the federal version of Megan’s Law, which requires notification of neighbors when a sex offender moves into a neighborhood.
Zimmer ran a tough race in 1996 against Bob Torricelli, but Lautenberg held a comfortable lead throughout the campaign this year.
Carl Levin, the Democratic Jewish chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, handily fended off a longshot challenge from Jack Hoogendyk, a state representative.
Third kosher slaughterhouse halts production
America’s third-largest kosher beef slaughterhouse has halted production because of a fire several months ago. North Star Beef in Buffalo Lake, Minn., which sells its meat under the Alle label, had to stop slaughtering Monday and Tuesday due to a fire in June that damaged the area where the meat is soaked and salted, the Forward reported Tuesday. Production had ceased for two weeks following the fire. The company is waiting for its insurance company to settle a $3 million business interruption claim. North Star Beef CEO Bill Gilger told the Forward that slaughtering should restart Wednesday. The break in production will contribute to a shortage of beef throughout America after the largest kosher slaughterhouse, Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, halted production last week due to legal problems. Agriprocessors’ slaughterhouse in Gordon, Neb., the fifth largest in the United States, shut down in October. “Whatever it is, there’s going to be a tremendous void in the market,” Rabbi Menachem Genack, the head of kosher supervision for the Orthodox Union, told the Forward.
Hezbollah official: Parts of Israel belong to Lebanon
A senior Hezbollah official said large parts of northern Israel belong to Lebanon. Nawaf Musawi, the organization’s head of international relations, said Monday that Israel’s pullback in 2000 left at least seven villages and 20 farms under Israel’s control and that the so-called “blue line” approved by the United Nations is simply a “withdrawal line.” The new claim is significant because it suggests Hezbollah will find new justifications to maintain its attacks against Israel. This belies Hezbollah's argument that it is a militia intent on protecting Lebanese sovereignty and not a terrorist group intent on Israel's destruction. Lebanon’s claim to the Shebaa Farms and the divided northern village of Ghajar remain a bone of contention in the region.
RJC robo-call highlights Nadler's Obama statement
The Republican Jewish Coalition has released an automated call highlighting a statement by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y) that was critical of Barack Obama. Nadler said Sunday that Obama "didn't have the political courage to want to make the statement of walking out" of Trinity United Church of Christ when he realized that Rev. Jeremiah Wright was "a nut" and "lunatic," because "you don't walk out of a church with 8,000 members in your district." The RJC quickly turned the remarks into a minute-long automated phone call to 300,000 Jewish households in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Florida on Monday. Calling Wright's church "anti-Semitic" and "anti-American," the call plays a portion of Nadler's comments and then asks, "If Obama doesn't have the courage to do the right thing here at home, can he stand up to dictators and tyrants who seek to do us harm?" Nadler made the remarks after an appearance at a Boca Raton synagogue on behalf of Obama, in response to a group of congregants who were peppering him with questions about Obama's relationship with Wright. The conversation was captured on video by Pamela Geller, who blogs as "Atlas Shrugs," and posted on Youtube Sunday. On the video, Nadler does preface his remarks about "political courage" by saying he has "no personal knowledge" of the matter and his statement is merely "my guess." Nadler said in a statement Monday afternoon that "I made a thoughtless comment yesterday which does not reflect the way I feel about Barack Obama." "I strongly support Barack Obama for president, because he has the values and political leadership to bring the change our country needs," Nadler said.
Livni: No rush to interim agreement
Israel will continue participating in the peace process as long as its political and security interests are met, Tzipi Livni said. Israel’s foreign minister met Tuesday with Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch in advance of a meeting scheduled for Thursday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “The world needs to back the process being conducted and not ask Israel for shortcuts that will harm its ability to secure its needs,” Livni told Welch. In an interview Monday with Ynet, Livni said she will not rush to sign an interim agreement with the Palestinians by year’s end, the target date set by the United States. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that the sides would not be able to reach the goal. Livni granted the rare one-on-one interview in advance of a meeting Sunday of the Mideast Quartet in Sharm el-Sheik to mark one year since the Annapolis peace conference. She and Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia are scheduled to deliver a joint progress report. "I am going there to present the Israeli standpoint before the foreign ministers and Quartet brass, and to present what we have accomplished," Livni told Ynet. "I will tell them that Israel is genuine in its desire to continue the negotiations. However, I intend to continue these talks as they have been conducted thus far. "The talks aim to negotiate the various points of all the issues on the agenda, and so far this is how they have gone. I have no intention of capitulating to any sort of pressure to produce interim documents.”
Israel's U.N. envoy: Another Holocaust is possible
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations warned that another Holocaust could begin with the threats of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Gabriela Shalev addressed the U.N. General Assembly at a session convened to discuss and approve a work plan submitted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Program. “We cannot ignore the troubling reality that today, more than 60 years after the Holocaust, we hear from this very same podium a leader of a member state who calls for the destruction of another member state and denies the Holocaust,” Shalev told the council, referring to the Iranian president’s threats against Israel. “In this hall, all member states swore 'never again.' It is therefore incumbent upon us not merely to condemn such statements, but to act immediately and with resolve against a member state whose leaders declare such despicable and dangerous words. For in the end, the Nazi Holocaust did not begin in the gas chambers; that is where it ended. The Nazi Holocaust began with the dangerous words of men.” Next week the United Nations will mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the German pogrom of Nov. 9, 1938. Shalev praised the international body for its decision three years ago to hold an annual Holocaust memorial and to require the secretary-general to submit an annual report about U.N. activities to teach the lessons of the Holocaust. Several countries requested the floor to speak, including ambassadors and representatives from the United States, Russia, Canada and Austria.
'Scud Stud' Shai joins Kadima
Nachman Shai, the Israeli army’s calming voice during Gulf War Scud missile attacks on Israel, joined the Kadima Party. The party announced Monday that Shai, who acquired the name the "Scud Stud" for his efforts in the 1991 war, would join Kadima, though he has not been promised a position or a guaranteed slot on the party’s list in the upcoming elections. Shai currently serves as senior vice president of the United Jewish Communities and its director-general in Israel. "I think there is a time to come down from the stands and enter the playing field," he was quoted as saying in the Jerusalem Post. "I know the field well and I have been involved in many ways, but I decided this time to become a player." With his soothing voice and calm demeanor, Shai helped to calm Israelis sitting in sealed rooms during radio broadcasts after Scud attacks. He is best remembered for instructing panicked Israelis wearing gas masks to “drink water.” Jewish Agency chairman Ze'ev Bielski also is considering joining Kadima, the Post reported. On Sunday, former lawmaker Benny Begin and former Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman Miri Regev announced that they would join the Likud Party. Lt.-Gen. (res.) Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon, the IDF's ex-chief of general staff, also said Monday that he was considering joining Likud or forming a new party to the right of Likud.
Rosen joins Middle East Forum
An ex-AIPAC staffer accused in a classified information case is working for a Middle East think tank. Steve Rosen, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's former foreign policy director, is working for Middle East Forum, directed by conservative scholar Daniel Pipes. Rosen is to deliver a talk in New York next week on the implications of new governments in Israel and the United States for policy toward Iran. Rosen's indictment four years ago on charges of obtaining and disseminating classified information is still languishing in the system; a federal trial may take place in the first half of 2009.
Student project in Melbourne school glorifies Hitler
A hand-drawn swastika and text appearing to glorify Hitler were displayed on a school notice board in Melbourne, sparking outrage from the Jewish community. The Education Department is investigating the Oct. 31 incident, which appeared in a junior high school in an inner-city suburb, according to the Herald Sun newspaper. “Germany has many great things about it, but I will start with only one: Adolf Hitler,” wrote one of the children. “Hitler was one of Germany's . . . most powerful dictators ever.” John Searle, the chairman of B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, said in a statement he was “deeply concerned” that neither the principal nor any of the teachers were offended by the poster. “It was only after concerned parents intervened that the poster was apparently removed,” he said. He said further Holocaust education was required at schools. But Principal Megan Smith defended the work. “Perhaps some of the wording is unfortunate, however it does not in any way glorify Hitler or the Nazis,” she told the Herald Sun. “We do not condone what Hitler or the Nazis did. I am sure no offense was meant."
Germany: Block compensation bid
Germany wants to block Italy's demand for compensation in a recent war crimes case concluded in Rome. Germany's Foreign Ministry indicated it would seek a ruling from the International Court of Justice in The Hague, arguing that international law offers immunity to countries and to those serving in their military, accordign to der Spiegel magazine. The magazine reported that some diplomats worried about a potential flood of international lawsuits seeking recompense for damages due to "historical injustices" and that there would be no end to such suits. Germany already rejected the Oct. 21 verdict of Italy's High Court in Rome demanding payment of $1.3 million in personal damages to nine Italian families whose relatives were victims of a June 1944 Nazi massacre of 203 civilians in the northern Italian town of Civitella. The court sentenced Max Josef Milde, a German sergeant involved in the massacre, to life in prison, in absentia. Reportedly there are 51 similar cases awaiting trial in Italy alone. The German Foreign Ministry said that financial compensation to Italy had been resolved through the 1961 Bonn treaty, under which the German government paid billions in compensation to Italy. The Italian court has argued that the treaty only applied to the treatment of Italian Jews.
Vandals attack new Ukrainian war memorial
Vandals attempted to damage a new war memorial at a Jewish cemetery in southwest Ukraine. Unidentified persons made an attempt to damage a not-yet dedicated memorial to victims of political repression and Romanian soldiers who were killed during World War II. The vandals succeeded in moving the memorial and damaging the fencing at the site, erected in the city of Chernovtzy last week. Law enforcement agencies are investigating the case, but no arrests have been reported.
Ivanka Trump starts conversion process
Ivanka Trump has begun the process to convert to Judaism. The daughter of real estate tycoon Donald Trump began the conversion process at Kehilath Jeshurun, an Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s East Side, Ynet reported Oct. 31. Trump, 27, is engaged to Jewish businessman Jared Kushner. A former model, she is the vice president of real estate development and acquisitions for her father's Trump Organization. The couple will wed next year.
By Eric Fingerhut
Two Jewish candidates were elected to Congress for the first time.
One of them—Jared Polis, 33—has made history as the first openly gay non-incumbent male elected to Congress. He will represent Colorado’s heavily Democratic 2nd Congressional District, which includes Boulder and other Denver suburbs.
Polis is a multimillionaire Internet entrepreneur who founded the Internet site for his parents’ Blue Mountain Arts greeting card company and donated more than $5 million to his campaign. In the campaign, he emphasized his background as a champion of public education—he is a founder of two Colorado charter schools and a six-year member of the state Board of Education. He also supports a universal health-care system and a quick end to the war in Iraq.
Also elected to Congress on Tuesday was John Adler, a Democrat who won an open seat in Trenton, N.J., that had been held for 20 years by Republican Jim Saxton, who is retiring. Adler, a longtime state legislator, is Jewish.
All Jewish freshmen returning
All six Jewish freshmen in the U.S. House of Representatives will return to Washington in January. The lawmakers, all Democrats who won their re-election bids on Tuesday, are: Steve Kagen in Wisconsin, Paul Hodes in New Hampshire, Ron Klein in Florida, John Yarmuth in Kentucky, Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona and Steve Cohen in Tennessee.
Kagen had the smallest margin of victory—about six points in a rematch of his 2006 race with Republican John Gard. All the others won at least 55 percent of the vote. That included Giffords, whose race against Arizona Senate president Tim Bee pitted former elementary and middle school classmates against each other.
Obama policies concern French Jews
A French Jewish umbrella group’s statement indirectly betrayed some of the community’s concerns over Barack Obama’s Middle East policy.
The statement was released following his election Tuesday.
"CRIF hopes that the new chief executive of the United States will firmly oppose the nuclear plans of the fanatical, aggressive and Holocaust-denying Iranian regime," said an English version of the statement, which slightly differed from the French.
The French version said the organization hoped Obama would "oppose" Iran’s nuclear plans "with determination, and without a utopian" view, or "angelisme," as the term appears in French.
Both the English and French statements said the organization "wishes that the new American administration will foster peace in the Middle East through realistic measures."
Though polls on the French Jewish reaction to the American election do not exist due to the country’s secular tradition, individuals in the Jewish community have expressed concerns in interviews with JTA over the level of Obama’s support for Israel because of what they perceive as his softer diplomatic approach toward terrorism and the Iranian threat.
In contrast, the French population as a whole overwhelmingly supports the newly elected president.
Recount expected in Franken-Coleman race
The U.S. Senate race in Minnesota between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and comedian Al Franken is likely to go to a recount.
With nearly 2.9 million votes cast, Coleman defeated Franken by 571 votes, 1,210,942 to 1,210,371, the Associated Press reported. The final margin was well within a state mandate for an automatic recount, which may not be finished until December.
The candidates, both Jewish, have fought an intensely bitter campaign. Franken, a Democrat, accused Coleman of corruption and Coleman used Franken’s satiric writings against him.
Peres hails Obama victory
Shimon Peres praised the election of Barack Obama as an opportunity to end the "world crisis" and as an "end of racism."
"It was an American election and a worldwide choice," the Israeli president said in a statement praising the Democrat for winning the presidency Tuesday. "I don’t recall any other election that practically all of humanity was following with hope and concern. I want to congratulate the newly elected President: young, fresh, promising, representing a change and introducing change. The changes that I can mention – it is an opportunity to escape the present world crisis and enter into a new era of cooperation, of productive economy and of human solidarity.
"In a way, it is an end of racism. There is no longer any way that any white man can claim superiority, nor any black person feel discrimination. We are the same people, and this election is a great statement to that effect."
Peres also praised Obama’s Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and revealed advice he had given Obama when he met him over the summer.
"When President Obama was here, he asked me what he can do for Israel," Peres said. "My answer was: be a great President of the United States of America. If you will be a great President of the United States of America, you will have great promise for Israel as well, and for all of the region and for all of our neighbors. Nobody should look at whose side the President is on – he just has to be on the side of peace."
Peres, an amateur poet, attached to the statement the full text of a letter he had written to Obama:
"Dear Mr. President,
The world needs a great leader.
It is in your making.
It is in our prayers.
God bless you."
Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, also welcomed Obama’s election, noting his tour of a town besieged until recently by terrorists based in the Gaza Strip.
"During Barack Obama’s recent visit to Israel, and especially during the tour we conducted together in the city of Sderot, the people of Israel were impressed by his commitment to the peace and security of Israel," she said in a statement.
President-elect Obama has proven his leadership and talents to the whole world, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a congratulatory statement.
“The special Israel-US relationship is based on shared values and interests and is characterized by ties of close cooperation. Israel and the U.S. have a common desire to advance peace and stability in the Middle East. We have no doubt that the special relations that prevail between the two countries will continue to strengthen during the Obama administration.”
Eng, Taddeo defeated
By Eric Fingerhut
A Chinese-American Jew and a Jewish Latina woman both lost their congressional bids.
Democrat Hank Eng, a recent convert to Judaism, was defeated by Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman, a Republican, in the race for retiring GOP lawmaker Tom Tancredo’s seat. No Democrat has won the seat since it was created in 1980. Eng, a New York native born to Chinese immigrants, married a Jewish woman and converted as his daughter approached bat mitzvah.
In South Florida, Colombian-born Democrat Annette Taddeo lost to 19-year GOP incumbent Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The Cuban-born Republican has long been a strong advocate for Israel and currently is ranking minority member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Only Jewish House Republican re-elected
By Eric Fingerhut
The only Republican Jewish member of the House of Representatives has been re-elected.
Rep. Eric Cantor, from Virginia’s 7th Congressional District in the Richmond area, serves as the chief deputy minority whip for the GOP and has been rumored as a candidate for an even higher position in the party leadership. His name also was floated as a possible running mate for John McCain this summer.
Lautenberg, Levin win again
By Eric Fingerhut
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg won his fifth Senate term in New Jersey and Carl Levin won his sixth in Michigan.
Lautenberg, 84, the Democrat, defeated Republican Dick Zimmer in one of two U.S. Senate races matching two Jewish candidates this year.
Lautenberg stressed his record as a protector of the environment and foe of big oil. Former U.S. Rep. Zimmer was best known for his sponsorship of the federal version of Megan’s Law, which requires notification of neighbors when a sex offender moves into a neighborhood.
Zimmer ran a tough race in 1996 against Bob Torricelli, but Lautenberg held a comfortable lead throughout the campaign this year.
Carl Levin, the Democratic Jewish chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, handily fended off a longshot challenge from Jack Hoogendyk, a state representative.
Third kosher slaughterhouse halts production
America’s third-largest kosher beef slaughterhouse has halted production because of a fire several months ago. North Star Beef in Buffalo Lake, Minn., which sells its meat under the Alle label, had to stop slaughtering Monday and Tuesday due to a fire in June that damaged the area where the meat is soaked and salted, the Forward reported Tuesday. Production had ceased for two weeks following the fire. The company is waiting for its insurance company to settle a $3 million business interruption claim. North Star Beef CEO Bill Gilger told the Forward that slaughtering should restart Wednesday. The break in production will contribute to a shortage of beef throughout America after the largest kosher slaughterhouse, Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, halted production last week due to legal problems. Agriprocessors’ slaughterhouse in Gordon, Neb., the fifth largest in the United States, shut down in October. “Whatever it is, there’s going to be a tremendous void in the market,” Rabbi Menachem Genack, the head of kosher supervision for the Orthodox Union, told the Forward.
Hezbollah official: Parts of Israel belong to Lebanon
A senior Hezbollah official said large parts of northern Israel belong to Lebanon. Nawaf Musawi, the organization’s head of international relations, said Monday that Israel’s pullback in 2000 left at least seven villages and 20 farms under Israel’s control and that the so-called “blue line” approved by the United Nations is simply a “withdrawal line.” The new claim is significant because it suggests Hezbollah will find new justifications to maintain its attacks against Israel. This belies Hezbollah's argument that it is a militia intent on protecting Lebanese sovereignty and not a terrorist group intent on Israel's destruction. Lebanon’s claim to the Shebaa Farms and the divided northern village of Ghajar remain a bone of contention in the region.
RJC robo-call highlights Nadler's Obama statement
The Republican Jewish Coalition has released an automated call highlighting a statement by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y) that was critical of Barack Obama. Nadler said Sunday that Obama "didn't have the political courage to want to make the statement of walking out" of Trinity United Church of Christ when he realized that Rev. Jeremiah Wright was "a nut" and "lunatic," because "you don't walk out of a church with 8,000 members in your district." The RJC quickly turned the remarks into a minute-long automated phone call to 300,000 Jewish households in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Florida on Monday. Calling Wright's church "anti-Semitic" and "anti-American," the call plays a portion of Nadler's comments and then asks, "If Obama doesn't have the courage to do the right thing here at home, can he stand up to dictators and tyrants who seek to do us harm?" Nadler made the remarks after an appearance at a Boca Raton synagogue on behalf of Obama, in response to a group of congregants who were peppering him with questions about Obama's relationship with Wright. The conversation was captured on video by Pamela Geller, who blogs as "Atlas Shrugs," and posted on Youtube Sunday. On the video, Nadler does preface his remarks about "political courage" by saying he has "no personal knowledge" of the matter and his statement is merely "my guess." Nadler said in a statement Monday afternoon that "I made a thoughtless comment yesterday which does not reflect the way I feel about Barack Obama." "I strongly support Barack Obama for president, because he has the values and political leadership to bring the change our country needs," Nadler said.
Livni: No rush to interim agreement
Israel will continue participating in the peace process as long as its political and security interests are met, Tzipi Livni said. Israel’s foreign minister met Tuesday with Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch in advance of a meeting scheduled for Thursday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “The world needs to back the process being conducted and not ask Israel for shortcuts that will harm its ability to secure its needs,” Livni told Welch. In an interview Monday with Ynet, Livni said she will not rush to sign an interim agreement with the Palestinians by year’s end, the target date set by the United States. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that the sides would not be able to reach the goal. Livni granted the rare one-on-one interview in advance of a meeting Sunday of the Mideast Quartet in Sharm el-Sheik to mark one year since the Annapolis peace conference. She and Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia are scheduled to deliver a joint progress report. "I am going there to present the Israeli standpoint before the foreign ministers and Quartet brass, and to present what we have accomplished," Livni told Ynet. "I will tell them that Israel is genuine in its desire to continue the negotiations. However, I intend to continue these talks as they have been conducted thus far. "The talks aim to negotiate the various points of all the issues on the agenda, and so far this is how they have gone. I have no intention of capitulating to any sort of pressure to produce interim documents.”
Israel's U.N. envoy: Another Holocaust is possible
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations warned that another Holocaust could begin with the threats of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Gabriela Shalev addressed the U.N. General Assembly at a session convened to discuss and approve a work plan submitted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Program. “We cannot ignore the troubling reality that today, more than 60 years after the Holocaust, we hear from this very same podium a leader of a member state who calls for the destruction of another member state and denies the Holocaust,” Shalev told the council, referring to the Iranian president’s threats against Israel. “In this hall, all member states swore 'never again.' It is therefore incumbent upon us not merely to condemn such statements, but to act immediately and with resolve against a member state whose leaders declare such despicable and dangerous words. For in the end, the Nazi Holocaust did not begin in the gas chambers; that is where it ended. The Nazi Holocaust began with the dangerous words of men.” Next week the United Nations will mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the German pogrom of Nov. 9, 1938. Shalev praised the international body for its decision three years ago to hold an annual Holocaust memorial and to require the secretary-general to submit an annual report about U.N. activities to teach the lessons of the Holocaust. Several countries requested the floor to speak, including ambassadors and representatives from the United States, Russia, Canada and Austria.
'Scud Stud' Shai joins Kadima
Nachman Shai, the Israeli army’s calming voice during Gulf War Scud missile attacks on Israel, joined the Kadima Party. The party announced Monday that Shai, who acquired the name the "Scud Stud" for his efforts in the 1991 war, would join Kadima, though he has not been promised a position or a guaranteed slot on the party’s list in the upcoming elections. Shai currently serves as senior vice president of the United Jewish Communities and its director-general in Israel. "I think there is a time to come down from the stands and enter the playing field," he was quoted as saying in the Jerusalem Post. "I know the field well and I have been involved in many ways, but I decided this time to become a player." With his soothing voice and calm demeanor, Shai helped to calm Israelis sitting in sealed rooms during radio broadcasts after Scud attacks. He is best remembered for instructing panicked Israelis wearing gas masks to “drink water.” Jewish Agency chairman Ze'ev Bielski also is considering joining Kadima, the Post reported. On Sunday, former lawmaker Benny Begin and former Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman Miri Regev announced that they would join the Likud Party. Lt.-Gen. (res.) Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon, the IDF's ex-chief of general staff, also said Monday that he was considering joining Likud or forming a new party to the right of Likud.
Rosen joins Middle East Forum
An ex-AIPAC staffer accused in a classified information case is working for a Middle East think tank. Steve Rosen, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's former foreign policy director, is working for Middle East Forum, directed by conservative scholar Daniel Pipes. Rosen is to deliver a talk in New York next week on the implications of new governments in Israel and the United States for policy toward Iran. Rosen's indictment four years ago on charges of obtaining and disseminating classified information is still languishing in the system; a federal trial may take place in the first half of 2009.
Student project in Melbourne school glorifies Hitler
A hand-drawn swastika and text appearing to glorify Hitler were displayed on a school notice board in Melbourne, sparking outrage from the Jewish community. The Education Department is investigating the Oct. 31 incident, which appeared in a junior high school in an inner-city suburb, according to the Herald Sun newspaper. “Germany has many great things about it, but I will start with only one: Adolf Hitler,” wrote one of the children. “Hitler was one of Germany's . . . most powerful dictators ever.” John Searle, the chairman of B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, said in a statement he was “deeply concerned” that neither the principal nor any of the teachers were offended by the poster. “It was only after concerned parents intervened that the poster was apparently removed,” he said. He said further Holocaust education was required at schools. But Principal Megan Smith defended the work. “Perhaps some of the wording is unfortunate, however it does not in any way glorify Hitler or the Nazis,” she told the Herald Sun. “We do not condone what Hitler or the Nazis did. I am sure no offense was meant."
Germany: Block compensation bid
Germany wants to block Italy's demand for compensation in a recent war crimes case concluded in Rome. Germany's Foreign Ministry indicated it would seek a ruling from the International Court of Justice in The Hague, arguing that international law offers immunity to countries and to those serving in their military, accordign to der Spiegel magazine. The magazine reported that some diplomats worried about a potential flood of international lawsuits seeking recompense for damages due to "historical injustices" and that there would be no end to such suits. Germany already rejected the Oct. 21 verdict of Italy's High Court in Rome demanding payment of $1.3 million in personal damages to nine Italian families whose relatives were victims of a June 1944 Nazi massacre of 203 civilians in the northern Italian town of Civitella. The court sentenced Max Josef Milde, a German sergeant involved in the massacre, to life in prison, in absentia. Reportedly there are 51 similar cases awaiting trial in Italy alone. The German Foreign Ministry said that financial compensation to Italy had been resolved through the 1961 Bonn treaty, under which the German government paid billions in compensation to Italy. The Italian court has argued that the treaty only applied to the treatment of Italian Jews.
Vandals attack new Ukrainian war memorial
Vandals attempted to damage a new war memorial at a Jewish cemetery in southwest Ukraine. Unidentified persons made an attempt to damage a not-yet dedicated memorial to victims of political repression and Romanian soldiers who were killed during World War II. The vandals succeeded in moving the memorial and damaging the fencing at the site, erected in the city of Chernovtzy last week. Law enforcement agencies are investigating the case, but no arrests have been reported.
Ivanka Trump starts conversion process
Ivanka Trump has begun the process to convert to Judaism. The daughter of real estate tycoon Donald Trump began the conversion process at Kehilath Jeshurun, an Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s East Side, Ynet reported Oct. 31. Trump, 27, is engaged to Jewish businessman Jared Kushner. A former model, she is the vice president of real estate development and acquisitions for her father's Trump Organization. The couple will wed next year.
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