It takes a Widow

9/11 widows call for new investigation after revelations of White House, commission ties

by Nick Juliano

Global Research, February 5, 2008

The widows whose political activism was largely responsible for the establishment of a commission to investigate the September 11 attacks say a new book revealing the backstory of the 9/11 Commission proves that their initial concerns about its executive director were correct and demonstrate the need for another investigation.

Philip Shenon, who covered the proceedings for the New York Times, has written a new book, The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation, which was released Tuesday. The book reveals the close ties between commission executive director Philip Zelikow and White House advisers Karl Rove and Condoleezza Rice.

The Commission also reveals that aside from one staff member, no one on the 9/11 investigative panel reviewed what was perhaps the most robust treasure trove of pre-9/11 intelligence on al Qaeda -- records from the National Security Agency, which conducts electronic surveillance and codebreaking for the US Intelligence Community. more

USA/ Regardez de près le vote juif

J'ai lu attentivement l'article rédigé par Michel Gurfinkiel. La partie la plus surprenante de l'article se trouve vers la fin:

"Le choix, dès lors, est clair. Chez les démocrates, plutôt la sénatrice de New York, Hillary Clinton, que le sénateur de l'Illinois, Barack Obama, musulman propalestinien tentant de se faire passer pour un chrétien modérément proisraélien (jusqu'à ce qu'il soit élu sénateur, Obama était présent à toutes les manifestations propalestiniennes, y compris celles où paradait Edward Said). Et au niveau national, plutôt les républicains que les démocrates.

La plupart des Juifs orthodoxes ou ultra-orthodoxes – 20 % environ de la population juive américaine, soit un peu plus d'un million d'âmes sur un peu plus de cinq millions - ont compris.

Et la plupart des Juifs non-orthodoxes – jusqu'ici acquis au parti démocrate - comprennent peu à peu, à mesure que pâlit, de primaire en primaire, l'étoile de Mme Clinton."

Je ne comprends vraiment pas pourquoi, après tout l'effort des représantants de la communauté juive de New York de dénoncer les courriels qui circulaient sur la toile, et qui accusaient Obama d'être musulman et anti-semite, que M. Gurfinkiel continue à insister qu'Obama est musulman et pro-palestinien. Obama s'est aussi prononcé plusieurs fois pour affirmer qu'il était catholique, et qu'il est membre d'une église à l'Illinois (qui aurait honoré l'arche-ennemi des juifs, Louis Farrakhan).

Il suffirait peut-être de rappeler aux juifs, qui d'ailleurs n'ont pas besoin des conseils de M. Gurfinkiel, qu'ils savent exactement pour qui il faut voter pour s'assurer que les Etats-Unis continuent leur soutien de l'Israël. Nous le faisons depuis des décenies. C'est ironique que je suis entrain d'écouter les nouvelles pour les primaires du Super Tuesday, et que la gagnante à New York est Mme Clinton. Elle a aussi remporté le Massachusetts, malgré que deux de la famille Kennedy aient soutenu le sénateur de l'Illinois. Ainsi que l'état de New Jersey. L'état qu'il nous reste à voir est la Californie, où le reste de la majorité des juifs se trouve. Donc, je dirais qu'il n'y a pas besoin de souiller la réputation d'un candidat ou un autre. Ce n'est pas "classy" comme on dit aux Etats-Unis.

Il est juif mais une partie de lui-même est arabe.

05.02.2008 | 11h58
lematin.ma

Judaïsme: Les juifs du Maroc ont su résister à la tentation de l'amnésie

André Azoulay, conseiller de S.M. le Roi, a affirmé que les juifs du Maroc ont su résister à la tentation de l'amnésie, indiquant qu'aujourd'hui, près d'un million de juifs dans le monde se réfèrent avec force et conviction à la profondeur de leurs racines marocaines.

S'exprimant lors de l'ouverture, dimanche soir, des "Journées du judaïsme marocain", organisées à Paris du 3 au 17 février, M. Azoulay a qualifié cette manifestation de "moment d'exception et de moment historique". "Nous célébrons le judaïsme marocain et le bonheur et la fierté de beaucoup d'entre nous d'avoir su résister à la tentation de l'amnésie", a-t-il souligné.

"Généralement en effet, nous Juifs, nous avons une mémoire douloureuse.

L'inquisition, les millions de morts de l'holocauste, les pogromes et toute cette tragique litanie qui a forgé la destinée du monde juif en diaspora. Au Maroc, notre mémoire nous dit autre chose et notre histoire nous a heureusement enseigné une autre leçon", a relevé M. Azoulay devant une assemblée de plus de 500 personnes, précisant qu'"il y a aujourd'hui près d'un million de juifs qui, dans le monde, se réfèrent avec force et conviction à la profondeur de leurs racines marocaines".

Pour André Azoulay, ces centaines de milliers de juifs, qui cultivent et transmettent à leurs enfants, leur patrimoine, leur culture, les rites, leur musique, leur langage, leur cuisine, "illustrent la pérennité de notre communauté et ils sont aussi l'espoir pour ceux qui comme moi ont toujours pensé que le Maroc occupe une place singulière dans nos histoires". Continuer..

Related Posts: Judaisme: Le Maroc, un exemple de tolérance
Atlantic Andalusia festival celebrates joint Arab-Jewish heritage
Musulmans et Juifs se rencontrent à Essaouira

Will someone please stop the stoning?

Thanks to Viviane Paolini for this article

Caned sisters now face stoning for adultery
From correspondents in Tehran
February 04, 2008 10:01pm

TWO Iranian sisters convicted of adultery face being stoned to death after the supreme court upheld the death sentences against them, the Etemad newspaper reported.

The two sisters were found guilty of adultery – a capital crime in Islamic Iran – after the husband of one of the pair presented video evidence showing them in the company of other men while he was away.

The penal court of Tehran province had already sentenced the two sisters identified only as Zohreh, 27, and Azar (no age given) to stoning, the daily said.

Mr Solati explained that the two sisters had initially been tried for "illegal relations" and received 99 lashes. However in a second trial they were convicted of "adultery".

The pair admitted they were in the video presented by the husband but argued there was no adultery as no scene on the video showed them engaged in a sexual act with the other men. more

ed: there is somewhat of an anachronism in a society which seeks to use nuclear power, and still believes that women should be stoned to death. When they come out of the stone age, perhaps they should consider those options. Nations that use prehistoric practices need to be boycotted to the hilt, so that the powers which hold them hostage to this barbarism can fall. Unfortunately, that is never the case, as the people themselves have always paid dearly for those sanctions.

Related Articles: End death by stoning, Iran urged

Moslem Women in Australia "tricked" by ABC

Thanks to Viviane Paolini for this article.

By Paul Maley
February 05, 2008 12:09am

Watched ... ASIO has monitored Rabiah Hutchinson for the past 20 years
say she is the 'matriarch' of radical Islam in Australia / Vanessa Hunter

• Women thought interviews were for Australian Story
• Concerned the final doco portrays them as traitors
• ABC admits it may have said it was for Australian Story
  

Two Muslim women say their participation in an ABC documentary pitched as a "bridge-building" exercise between Islam and the wider community has left them fearful for their safety.

Raisah bint Alan Douglas and 54-year-old Rabiah Hutchinson, the so-called "matriarch" of radical Islam in Australia, have accused the makers of an ABC documentary, Jihadi Sheilas, of deceitful and unethical conduct, saying they were tricked into participating in what they fear will be a misleading documentary.

Yesterday, the women delivered a formal letter of protest to the ABC's Sydney headquarters.

Ms Hutchinson said she had already been subject to a verbal attack as a result of the documentary, scheduled to screen tonight. more

Accrochage sanglant entre Egyptiens et Palestiniens

Al Arabiya : Rafah
lundi 4 février 2008 - 18h05

Un Palestinien a été tué et une vingtaine de personnes ont été blessées, dont plusieurs militaires égyptiens, dans l’accrochage survenu cet après-midi au point de passage Salaheddine entre les deux parties de Rafah.

Selon « Al Arabiya », des Palestiniens voulaient forcer le passage vers l’Egypte quand les policiers et garde-frontières égyptiens ont tiré et lancé des bombes lacrymogènes.

A Jewish Renewal Understanding of the State of Israel

April 02, 2008
By: Rabbi Michael Lerner

Jews did not return to Palestine in order to be oppressors or representatives of Western colonialism or cultural imperialism. Although it is true that some early Zionist leaders sought to portray their movement as a way to serve the interests of various Western states, and although many Jews who came brought with them a Western arrogance that made it possible for them to see Palestine as "a land without a people for a people without a land," and hence to virtually ignore the Palestinian people and its own cultural and historical rights, the vast majority of those who came were seeking refuge from the murderous ravages of Western anti-Semitism or from the oppressive discrimination that they experienced in Arab countries.

The Ashkenazi Jews who shaped Israel in its early years were jumping from the burning buildings of Europe--and when they landed on the backs of Palestinians, unintentionally causing a great deal of pain to the people who already lived there, they were so transfixed with their own (much greater and more acute) pain that they couldn't be bothered to notice that they were displacing and hurting others in the process of creating their own state.

Rabbi Lerner makes a great deal of sense

Moshe Kantor's house of lords

By Anshel Pfeffer
23:08 04/02/2008

An interview with European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor is hardly that.

Throughout the 45-minute audience in his presidential suite - since that is what it is - questions are brushed away, treated at best as minor intrusions and at worst as signs of gross ignorance on the part of the interviewer. Kantor has a clear vision for the future of the Jewish people, and now that he sits at the helm of the largest representative body of European Jewry, he is going to push that vision with all his considerable strength.

Despite living in Geneva for the last 15 years, the Moscow-born 53-year-old is still the ultimate caricature of the Russian oligarch, an image he lives to the full, haranguing his secretary and bodyguards, snapping at his publicist. At more peaceful moments he gazes benignly down at his supplicants, which he somehow manages to do despite his relatively short stature. This is Jewish leadership not to be trifled with.

Kantor, who made his fortune in the metal business, was in Jerusalem last week to attend the board of governors meeting of the World Jewish Congress - not that the EJC is in anyway subordinate to this world-wide forum, he insists. The European organization, representing 3 million Jews across the continent, is a fully independent entity, he says. Don't miss the rest!

Day trip to Auschwitz

Thank you Elyane Bassiano for sending this article

From The Times

February 4, 2008
Two sixth-formers from every school in England are to visit Auschwitz to learn about the Holocaust, under a government-funded initiative to help to ensure that the lessons of the Nazi genocide live on with a new generation.

Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, wants the teenagers who take part to educate their classmates and communities in turn by giving them their own accounts of the death camp in Poland where more than one million Jews, Roma, Sinti, gay, disabled and black people were put to death.

The Government will fund the greater majority of the cost of each student’s trip. While their school must find £100, the Education Department will find the remaining £200 per trip over the next three years. more

A Must-Have Book for all Jews

edited by Aimée Kligman
I thank Professor Ada Aharoni for letting me know about this new publication, which she has co-edited with Aimée Pelletier and Levana Zamir.

Title: HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE JEWS OF EGYPT IN MODERN TIMES

Description: This magnificent and unique book is published by the WCJE -The World Congress of the Jews from Egypt.It is the Proceedings of the WCJE World Congress at Haifa University, in June 2006, and it contains 30 articles, by thirty world famous researchers, including the works of the three editors. The book is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Haim Aharoni(Ada's husband),who was a world famous scientist, an active member of the WCJE Board, and adviser for the Congress.

The 544-page book is in English, French, and Hebrew, and contains beautiful historical

pictures of a model multicultural society that is no more.

For more information, further information, please send an e-mail to Levana Zamir.

How to order:

USA orders - the price of the Book is US$55 freight prepaid, by registered airmail.

EU orders - the price is EU38,00 (for UK price is LS 25,00)

Please send your check directly to the Publisher:

Keness Hafakot
P.O.B. 18260
Tel-Aviv 61182
Israel

or, to pay by credit card or Paypal, click here or email David Lisbona

Comment libérer le soldat Gilad Shalit ?

4 févr. 2008

"Israël vient de recevoir une lettre du caporal Gilad Shalit, enlevé en juin 2006, et détenu dans la bande de Gaza. C'est la deuxième fois qu'une lettre de Shalit est remise aux autorités israéliennes, prouvant qu'il est encore en vie", rapporte Yediot Aharonot. "Cette nouvelle lettre prouve également que le Hamas souhaite remettre sur le tapis un accord d'échange de prisonniers", poursuit le quotidien.

Il y a quelques mois, des médiateurs égyptiens avaient remis aux autorités israéliennes une liste de noms de prisonniers palestiniens dont la libération pourrait se faire en échange de celle de Shalit. "Dimanche 3 février, une réunion de hauts responsables a eu lieu dans le bureau du Premier ministre, Ehoud Olmert, pour discuter de cette affaire. Les services de renseignements intérieurs s'opposent à la libération de Palestiniens ‘ayant du sang sur les mains'. Les discussions se poursuivent pour aplanir les divergences et assouplir les critères de libération des détenus palestiniens, afin de permettre le retour de Shalit."

Related Posts: PRC Leader: Kill Jews Everywhere
Freed Female Hamas Activist Calls for More Kidnappings
Reflections of a Frustrated Zionist

Sauver le quartier juif de Budapest

févr. 2008
Dániel Kacsoh
Magyar Hírlap

Considéré comme un patrimoine archéologique et architectural remarquable, ce quartier fait l'objet de la convoitise des promoteurs, relate le quotidien hongrois Magyar Hirlap. Ses habitants sont entrés en résistance.

Associations et experts internationaux tentent de freiner la fièvre immobilière qui menace désormais l'ancien quartier juif de Budapest, étendu sur les VIe et VIIe arrondissements de la capitale. Mais sur le terrain, les habitants ont les plus grandes difficultés à convaincre les autorités locales, qu'ils suspectent de collusion avec les promoteurs immobiliers, de la justesse de ce combat.

"Nous attendons de la municipalité qu'elle représente les intérêts des habitants du quartier", s'énerve une vieille dame, ce mercredi soir à la mairie du quartier d'Erzsébetváros, dans le VIIe arrondissement de la capitale. L'objet de son mécontentement : au n° 8 de la rue Nagydiófa, sur l'emplacement d'un immeuble vieux de cent cinquante ans, la mairie a donné l'autorisation de construire un immeuble de sept étages, avec parking souterrain sur trois niveaux.

Pour protester contre ce projet, les habitants ont demandé à rencontrer des représentants de la municipalité et de l'investisseur. Le maire adjoint, Gábor Davosa, leur a d'emblée affirmé que l'immeuble d'un étage au n° 8 de la rue Nagydiófa serait démoli ; que sur son emplacement, l'investisseur Autóker Zrt avait l'autorisation de bâtir un immeuble avec des logements de copropriété, qui dépassera de 25 mètres les immeubles avoisinants.

"La municipalité ne peut rien faire puisqu'elle n'est pas propriétaire de l'immeuble. Quant au plan d'aménagement, renouvelé en 2001, il permet la démolition de l'ancien immeuble et la construction d'un nouvel édifice", a lancé Davosa, provoquant la stupéfaction de l'auditoire. En savoir plus

JUSTICE FOR JEWS: that means YOU

We are reminding you that the House of Representatives resolution 185** (see below) will be discussed this THURSDAY in the Foreign Affairs committee.

For a list of your representatives see:
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/members.asp?committee=full&subnav=subcommittees

**House Resolution 185 calls attention to the fact that Jews living in Arab countries suffered human rights violations and were made refugees. This Resolution asks the President to ensure that in all international forums, when the issue of "Middle East refugees" is discussed, US representatives will ensure that any explicit reference to Palestinian refugees is matched by a similar explicit reference to Jewish and other refugees, as a matter of law and equity.

THERE ARE FOUR KEY PLACES TO SEND FAXES – THEY ARE LISTED BELOW

DEMOCRAT SIDE

Alan Makovsky

Senior Staff Member / Overseeing H.Res. 185

202-225-5021 or 6735 (Voice)

202-225-6735 (Fax)

REPUBLICAN SIDE

Alan Goldsmith
(Jr. Prof. Staff – Overseeing H.Res. 185)

202-206-8467 (Voice)

202-226-7269 (Fax)

Chairs:

Tom Lantos (D-CA) Voice: 202-225-3531 Fax: 202-226-4183

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) Voice: 202-225-3931 Fax: 202-225-5620

We need to stand together as a group, and so something. And make our voices heard, and that means a few minutes of your time for a cause that underlines our very essence of being.

Thank you.

Suicide Bombings again in Israel

Source: CNN Added February 4, 2008

A suicide bomber detonated explosives in a shopping mall in the southern Israeli town of Dimona on Monday morning, killing at least one person and wounding 11 others, police said.

A police officer at the mall shot and killed a second potential bomber who was knocked down by the initial blast. Authorities plan to conduct a controlled explosion to neutralize the explosives belt he was wearing.

Of the 11 wounded, one was seriously injured, two received moderate injuries and eight had light wounds. Read full article »

• Story Highlights
• NEW: Hamas spokesman: "It's a natural response to all Israeli crimes"
  
• Police kill second potential bomber seen trying to detonate an explosives belt
  
• Blast also wounds 11 in Dimona, about 50 miles south of Jerusalem
  
• Most recent reported suicide bombing in Israel was in January 2007

ed: Dimona is a town in Israel which lies about 40 miles from the Egyptian border. A window of opportunity existed for potential bombers with the breach of the wall between Gaza and Egypt.

Iraqi Jew Buys Nazi Portrait

Would you pay 3,000 pounds for this painting? If you don't recognize the subject, it is none other than Heinrich Himmler of Nazi infamy.

What strikes me is that the painter is Jewish (Jasper Joffe), and most of his paintings are of voluptuous, seductive women. The Himmler thing seems to be a broken chord in the many strings of a musical instrument...The buyer of the painting is none other than collector Charles Saatchi, and is expecting a backlash from the UK's Jewish population.

I suppose when you have that much money, and you are 64, you do what you want. More interesting will be the new buyer for this work. It was formerly owned by Nigella Lawson's (of cooking fame) husband.

For Saatchi, who has often made unconventional purchases of art for his gallery, it may very well be the shock value of the subject which propelled him to acquire the work.

Jews could be key to 'Tsunami Tuesday'

Feb 4, 2008 0:23
JPost.com

Most of America's Jews will be heading to the polls on Tuesday, making what could be a decisive contribution to the presidential nominating process.

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton waves as she takes the stage at a rally at Augsburg College in Minneapolis Sunday.
Photo: AP

Though a small proportion of the voting public, Jews are located in large numbers in strategically significant states - New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois, Massachusetts - in the "Super Tuesday" primaries. The 20-plus states voting on February 5 contain two-thirds of the country's Jews, as well nearly half of the delegates to this summer's national conventions.

Jewish voters could play a big part in deciding who gets the nod, especially since they tend to vote at higher levels than the general public - being both an older and more politically active constituency. They also heavily lean Democratic, which is the closer race. Republican Jews are expected to largely back McCain, since they tend to vote more moderately than other Republicans and appreciate the war hero's strong national security credentials.

Among Democrats, the Jewish communities in the home states of Obama and Clinton are expected to predominantly support the local candidate - Obama in Illinois and Clinton in New York.

New York Jews should be particularly significant because the state's delegates to the national convention are apportioned according to voting in each congressional district, with certain districts weighted to receive more delegates because of their high Democratic turnout in past national elections. Jews are overrepresented in those districts. more

Rape, abuse: 10 female prisoners awarded $15.5 M

Posted: 2008/02/02
From: Mathaba

Ten U.S. female inmates of who say male workers raped and sexually abused them in a state prison were awarded 15.5 million U.S. dollars Friday. The jury's decision was unanimous, and the panel's foreperson took the rare step of apologizing to the women on behalf of citizens of Michigan.

more

Barack Obama's Middle East Expert

A very provocative article by Ed Lasky of the American Thinker. It focuses on Obama's choice of Robert Malley as the expert of the Middle East, and part of the candidate's foreign policy advisors. It is impossible to agree with Ed Lasky on all of his points, as people become guilty through associations he makes. He goes very far in calling George Soros anti-Israeli; and he also generalizes about the U.S.' allies and friends. Yet he never mentions the fact that said friends and allies are at times the worst dictators and repressors of freedom in the world. I take exception to that.

Worth the read, especially if you're a U.S. voter.

Israel gearing up for Another War

Global Research, February 3, 2008

Press TV (Iran) - 2008-02-02

Israel calls for shelter rooms to be set up in a bid to prepare the public for yet another war, this time, one of raining missiles. "The next war will see a massive use of ballistic weapons against the whole of Israeli territory," claimed retired general Udi Shani.

Shani did not specify whether by 'the next war' he meant a battle against the residents of the Gaza Strip, the Lebanese or the war many speculate Israel will wage on Iran allegedly over its nuclear program, which the recent US National Intelligence Estimate conceded to be void of nuclear arms development intentions. more

A Time for Peace in LA

What: A Time for Peace - An Inspirational evening of sacred Sufi music from the Turkish and Pakistani traditions and devotional music from the Moroccan-Jewish and Yemenite-Jewish music heritages.

Who: The Yuval Ron Ensemble, featuring Najwa Gibran, vocal soloist, with appearance by Whirling Dervish of the Melevi Order- Aziz.

Where: Islamic Center of Southern California
434 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90021.

The Location of the Concert is a sacred space! The public is asked to attend dressed in a manner, which is respectful and appropriate for a place of worship.

When: Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 7:30pm
Money: tickets are $20 at the door, no advanced sales.
Info: Tel: 310-415-6747 info@yuvalronmusic.com or
Calendar page at www.yuvalronmusic.com

Find out more

Israeli Extravaganza in San Francisco

Saturday, February 9th 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Congregation Beth Israel-Judea
625 Brotherhood Way, near Highway 280 and Lake Merced,
San Francisco 94132-2992

***FREE ADMISSION***FREE PARKING***ALL AGES WELCOME***

Enjoy live Israeli folk music with Achi Ben Shalom, leader of the band Adama, who is also musical director of the Nigunim choral ensemble and the East Bay Jewish Folk Chorus. Guided Israeli folk dance instruction will be provided by Bruce Bierman, artistic director of the Jewish Dance Theatre. Lyrics to the songs in the first set will be projected onto a screen so non-dancers can sing along if they like.

In the second music set, experience the new sound of young Israeli music as performed by the popular Israeli Band Kol Creation, with Lior Ben-Hur and Yaniv Assouline. You can have a natural henna tattoo applied by Darcy, of the Henna Lounge, and there will be refreshments, informational tables, Israeli-made items for sale, and a big raffle drawing at the end of the evening.

This event in honor of Israel @ 60 is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel, San Francisco Hillel, the Israel Center of the Jewish Community Federation, TZAVTA, the Jewish Community Relations Council, JIMENA, B nai B rith and BBYO.

Everyone - young and old, dancers or not -- is encouraged to attend. Schmooze, tap your feet to the music, eat, dance, drink and have a great time at the biggest community bash we ve had in a long time!

For more information, contact Sonya Hicks, Chair of Adult Education at Congregation Beth Israel-Judea (415)678-0327 or go to www.bij.org Posted by jmwc at February 3, 2008 01:27 PM

Les Retrouvailles: Une rencontre d'Albert Pardo

Depuis que nous avons fait connaissance, Albert Pardo et moi nous écrivons très souvent; ses missives sont toujours chaleureuses, encourageantes et pleines d'humour. Je me sens priviligiée de le connaitre. Le courier du matin m'apporte photos et commentaires d'une recontre d'Albert, qui suit ci-dessous.
rédaction d'Aimée Kligman

mardi, 08 janvier 2008 A

Albert et Mireille Pardo, une belle rencontre !

Par un après-midi frileux, un peu avant noël, je suis allé faire connaissance à Marseille, d’Albert et Mireille avec qui j’étais en lien par Internet depuis plusieurs mois. Une rencontre pleine d’émotion et de tendresse avec ce vieux couple né en Egypte dans les années 20 et l’ayant quitté par la force des choses fin 56. Nous avons bavardé tout l’après midi, eux égrenant leurs souvenirs et moi leur racontant l’Egypte d’aujourd’hui, autour d’une tasse de thé et des délicieuses pâtisseries confectionnés par Mireille dans la pure tradition égyptienne.

Et ils s’aiment comme au premier jour de leur rencontre ! Pour faire leur connaissance, allez faire un tour sur leur site. NOTE d’Albert PARDO :

Originaire de la Région Grenobloise, Josiane Bellochovique est installée au Caire depuis une quinzaine d’années. Son hobby ? Réaliser des reportages photographiques merveilleux un peu partout en Egypte et principalement au Caire qui nous font battre le cœur de nostalgie : que de beaux et impérissables souvenirs qui affluent en nous grâce à elle !!! Je vous recommande de visiter son magnifique blog .

Une petite précision : Mireille est née au Caire en 1926 et moi, à Alexandrie en 1919.

Travel to Egypt, Umm al Donya

ed: the January 2008 issue of Condé Nast Traveler, one of the pillars of the luxury travel rag sheets, published quite a spread about Cairo in an article entitled " The Metropolis of Miracles". This is the kind of article that one nestles with on a comfortable armchair or couch with a steaming cup of tea.

It is authored by Susan Hack and includes a lovely slide show (with constant commercial interruptions) of mostly black and white photography.



A sunset felucca sail is the best way to end the day.
There's a rental dock near the Four Seasons at Nile
Plaza, and town hours will set you back ten dollars.
Want the newfangled? A Buddha Bar opened last fall.

• The Metropolis of Miracles - the article
• Places + Prices: Cairo
• Launch slideshow

Canadian Inquiry Blames Israelis for Deaths in 2006

By IAN AUSTEN

Published: February 2, 2008

OTTAWA — A Canadian military inquiry’s report released Friday blames Israeli forces for the “tragic and preventable” deaths of a Canadian soldier and three other United Nations observers in Lebanon in July 2006.

The board of inquiry was convened because of the death of Maj. Paeta Hess-Von Kruedener, a Canadian assigned as a United Nations observer in southern Lebanon when Israel invaded the region during fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.

While Israel does not deny that it killed the observers, it says the episode was unintentional. The report said that because the Israeli military offered limited cooperation with the inquiry, it could not determine exactly why the bomb was dropped. But it said Israel apparently ignored warnings to stop the attack.

Read entire report

La Saga des Juifs d’Egypte

Merci à Fortunée Dwek de nous avertir de cet évènement.

Le 02/02/2008 : Soirée
A 19h30 : LA SAGA DES JUIFS D’EGYPTE

13ème SOIREE DE LA MEMOIRE

LA SAGA DES JUIFS D’EGYPTE

Il fut un temps où l’Egypte était de ces couleurs sable et ocre que le soleil et le bonheur embellissent. Un pays conté par ma grand-mère où les robinets étaient en or – des bijoux-, et dans lequel la vie s’écoulait comme les épices sur le marché. L’Egypte de mes origines se confond avec celle de mes livres d’histoire, ce n’est plus qu’un trésor enfoui, qui s’échappe et se reconnaît parfois au détour d ‘une odeur ou d’un double « rr » saisi au vol dans la rue…

Conférence du professeur Joseph DAVIDOVITS, membre de l’association internationale des Egyptologues,

LA BIBLE AVAIT RAISON

Pour illustrer cette saga, seront parmi nous de nombreuses personnalités du monde artistique : peintres, sculpteurs, caricaturistes, qui exposeront leurs œuvres, scénaristes, écrivains, conteurs juifs d’Egypte… La soirée se déroulera autour d’un magnifique repas aux odeurs et aux couleurs exotiques du pays, dans une ambiance musicale des années 50. Pour réservation et renseignements, nous contacter au 06 88 17 15 23 (Liliane Samuel) ou 01 39 60 26 21 (Raoul Sberro) ou secretariat@cceee.org

Sephardic Jews, Sarkozy and Israel

Sarko’s Jewish roots are irrelevant. His strong support among Sephardic Jews reflect his tough stance against the antisemitic violence that flared up during the second Intifada. Many Sephardim live near or in the “hottest” banlieues and suffered the brunt of Muslim anti-Jewish hostility. Although this new form of European antisemitism has since declined, it would be tragic to dismiss it. To his credit, Sarkozy did not.

Sarko will initiate a rapprochement with Israel. Given the dysfunctional state of Israeli politics and the 40 years of bad blood between the two countries, he won’t get far. (Hard to believe that France was once Israel’s closest ally.) The contour of French support for a two-state solution around the 1967 lines will not change. Is Sarko pro-Israel? Yes. Does it matter? No. France has the largest Jewish population in Europe and the world’s third biggest (as well as Europe’s largest Muslim population) but there is no “Jewish vote” and no French AIPAC.

Sarko is likely to have done well with Jewish voters (he got an astounding 90% of he absentee ballots in Israel).

France’s interests in the Levant coincide with America’s. Methods have differed in the past but, after the fiascos of the Iraq and Lebanon wars, they will increasingly converge. Sarko will work to contain Syrian and Iranian influences. Paris will see eye-to-eye with Washington about Hezbollah and will bark alongside against Iran’s nuclear intentions while opposing military action.

Read the entire Reality Based Assessment on Sarkozy

Romanceros and Cantikas: songs of the Sephardic Jews

Muammer Ketencoğlu is the first name that comes to mind in Turkey when Balkan music or Rembetiko is concerned. Both his back catalogue and his expertise have been of great help to ethnomusicologists working. His latest album, "Smyrna Recollections," is a live example of the multicultural past of İzmir (Smyrna), rendered musically.

Jak Esim recounts how the Jewish population -- especially the Sephardic Jews who spoke Ladino -- formed an essential part of the multicultural musical life in Smyrna. Romanceros reminiscent of Spanish folk ballads which the Sephardis preserved long after this form was forgotten in Spain and Kantikas, a song form that Sephardis formed throughout their life in new lands, but in their native Ladino language. In this album "En este Mundo" is an example of Kantikas while "Alma Miya" is a typical Romancero.

Learn More

The man who called Jews a "disease"

I don't think I can live long enough to publish every instance of virulent anti-semitism that has taken place in the world. It's always the case of one event topping the next, and the next, and the next.

I am certain that David Ahenakew is not the first, nor the last, to feel that Jews are a "disease". What may set him apart from ordinary Jew haters is the fact that he was Canada's Assembly of First Nations chief. I suppose the name has gravitas, but perhaps the chief didn't.

He apparently also blamed the Jews for the Second World War, and justified the Holocaust. Way to go David. Most interesting were the comments he made to the Saskatoon Assembly, and subsequently a taped interview with the paper of the same city, where he said "that Hitler was trying to "clean up the world" when he "fried six million of those guys" during the war." Ahenakew was fined $1000 in 2005. If only I had been the judge in this case..Adding insult to injury, the decision was overturned in 2006. I guess anything is permissible if one is angry and thus, it is perfectly legal to to ahead and demonize any one group of humans.

Poor guy was also stripped of his order of Canada. What's a man to do these days?

It seems that Ahenakew will be in court once again, for a retrial. His lawyer calls the move "vindictive". Must have picked up that adjective from his client. The guy, after all, is 74 years old, in poor health, and has already apologized. What more do you want him to do? I think a just punishment wouldn't come in the form of money: I would have him do some fund raising on behalf of the Jewish people.

Barry Frydlender : Israël : présent composé.

Exposition temporaire :
du 20 février 2008 au 25 mai 2008 : Barry Frydlender : Israël : présent composé.
Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme
Hôtel de Saint-Aignan
71, rue du Temple - 75003 Paris

Que dit l’œuvre d’un artiste utilisant la photographie sur un pays où l’image est, plus qu’ailleurs, un enjeu politique ? Barry Frydlender, comme tétanisé par l’usage qui fut fait de ce médium pendant la première Intifada (1987-1993), préféra d’abord y renoncer. Puis la découverte de ce que le travail numérique pouvait apporter à l’image, dans son décalage avec la réalité, lui permit de renouer avec la photographie en 1994. Dans une volte-face au travail de photojournalisme et au culte du bon cliché au bon moment, dû à un oeil providentiel, « the right man at the right place at the right time », Frydlender introduit patience et modestie dans la photographie. Dans ce qui est une question d’espace, il invite le temps. Il n’est pas le seul, bien sûr. Mais, dans « le bruit et la fureur » qui caractérisent la présentation d’Israël que nous livrent journaux et télévisions, la mise en image de la durée et du temps qui s’écoule confère une réelle étrangeté à ses oeuvres.


Les formats panoramiques de Barry Frydlender sont trompeurs ; on pourrait y voir une fresque sociale d’Israël : des Juifs et des Arabes, des jeunes et des moins jeunes, des babas cool et des hassidim, des travailleurs immigrés et une jeunesse qui rêve d’indolence. Ses photographies, de groupe ou de foule, le plus souvent prises en extérieur, nous emmènent vers un objet inattendu. Tentons-nous d’embrasser l’ensemble, que notre regard, happé par telle physionomie, telle inscription, un objet perdu, un geste éloquent, commence à scruter, éplucher, parcourir lentement, examiner, comparer. Que se passet-il ? Frydlender nous conduit vers le moment d’après, nous esquisse le paysage-autour : il contre l’instantané pour dérouler temps et espace, en abolir les limites. Le travail numérique, le collage, sur les dizaines, parfois les centaines de clichés qui composent le panorama, rusent avec l’immédiat : le soleil ne cesse de se coucher, les gens d’avancer, intérieurs et extérieurs subissent des extensions improbables qui nous donnent à voir plus que la réalité (Pitzutsiah). À la séduction indéniable de ses fresques aux couleurs attrayantes, qui semblent décrire une sorte de vie enjouée, Frydlender ajoute subrepticement sens multiples, ironie et inquiétude. Comme si le texte qui sous-tendait toutes ses photographies était un « où allons-nous ? ».

Une tension qu’il s’agit de dé-jouer se cache dans les moments saisis : le jeu des enfants, à la frontière invisible entre quartier juif et quartier arabe (Jaffa/Bat Yam), une réunion bucolique des Juifs ultra-orthodoxes hors contexte, hors de leur cadre naturel (Bénédiction), les jeunes dans la joie d’une sortie scolaire au musée de l’Armée, surpris par des torrents d’eau (Déluge). C’est dans un étirement de l’espace, mais aussi dans la sédimentation photographique, que l’artiste insère cette réflexion sur le temps qui passe. Il crée une attente : il n’y a pas d’instant, le présent n’existe pas, si ce n’est dans un continuum, gros d’espoirs, gros aussi de menaces. Sédimentation de la mémoire photographique, extension de l’espace, absorption de la durée, les images de Barry Frydlender ne s’arrêtent pas là ; l’artiste est également un virtuose des signes jouant sur les rapprochements formels, sur les parallèles et les relectures du texte biblique dans un présent très profane. Ses photographies se jouent des mots, des noms, lancent des signaux qu’il nous invite à déchiffrer.

Barry Frydlender est né en 1954 à Tel-Aviv. Il y vit et y travaille. Ses oeuvres ont été montrées, depuis le début des années 1980, en Israël et dans de nombreuses manifestations artistiques à travers le monde. Parmi ses dernières expositions personnelles, citons celles qui ont été présentées à la cathédrale Sainte-Anne d’Arles, dans le cadre des Rencontres de la photographie, en 2005 ; au Museum of Modern Art de New York et au Tel Aviv Museum of Art, en 2007.

Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme
Hôtel de Saint-Aignan
71, rue du Temple 75003 Paris
téléphone : (33) 1 53 01 86 60
administration : (33) 1 53 01 86 53
télécopie : (33) 1 42 72 97 47
mél : contactez-nous

ed: Pour visualiser "la photo la plus sombre" du photographe, cliquer ici.

Anne Frank: On Stage in Madrid in February - Bad Taste?

AFP PHOTO/HO

Cuban actress Isabella Castillo (L) plays Anne Frank
in the upcoming musical set to open Feb. 28 in Madrid.
The show's director, Rafael Alvero, said he got the
idea for the musical after visiting the tiny Amsterdam
apartment where Anne and her family hid from
the Nazis during World War II when he worked
in the Dutch city for a record label 10 years ago.

“The Diary of Anne Frank: a Song to Life” is set to open in one of Madrid’s biggest theatres, Teatro Calderon, on February 28 and run to July. Alvero, who heads the Spanish federation of cinemas, insists it is “very faithful” to the diary Anne wrote during 25 months in hiding.

But Buddy Elias, her 82-year-old cousin who heads the Swiss-based Anne Frank Fonds that holds the sole copyright to “The Diary of a Young Girl,” remains fiercely opposed. “We are very much against it, the Holocaust is not a theme to be made into a musical,” Elias told AFP by telephone. more

Muslim Advisory Group Officially Launched in London

Posted: 2008/02/01
From: Mathaba

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Thursday used an Islamic feast reception at his office to formally launch the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group ''NMWAG'' that was set up last November.

"Muslim women have a huge role to play in helping us build a stronger, better society. That is why I am delighted today to mark the official launch of the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group," Brown said.

"They will be role models, showing the breadth of Muslim women's achievements, and ambassadors for the grass roots, speaking direct to the heart of government on vital issues such as education and employment," he said. more

Mentally Retarded Women Used in Suicide Bombings

Fri, Feb. 01, 2008

The scene above is the result of two females who were blown up today as a result of remote controlled bombs which were strapped to their bodies. So, if you were planning to go shopping, this would not have been the day to do it. However, check with Condi Rice every once in a while as she will tell you how well and how far we have come in Baghdad. Why, I think it was a few days ago that I heard Bush tell us that the surge is working so well in Iraq that 20,000 soldiers are coming home. Gee, I wonder if there were any special deals in that Iraq market that I may have missed.

What is even more sickening about these acts of homicide is the fact that these women were classified as mentally retarded, and may have been coerced to stake their lives. I guess this is someone's idea of maintaining a perfect gene pool, by getting rid of the bad apples. But they took with them 91 people, which is a phenomenal amount of innocent lives. Newly released yesterday was the figure of over 1 MILLION innocent Iraqis who lost their lives since the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003. I would consider this genocide sanctioned by the government of the United States.

The stagers of this particular attack picked a clear crisp day, when they knew the pet market would be crowded with shoppers. How can they possibly secure the country, if they cannot even secure the capital? We are going into our fifth year...and when I think that one of the presidential candidates indicated we may be there for another 100 years, I urge everyone who is a U.S. citizen to vote on the democratic ticket. There have been too many deaths, too many errors, too many scandals, - in the name of something wearing the "veil" of democracy. There is nothing democratic about this invasion. I don't recall an invitation either.

I have tried not to politicize this blog with American foreign policy, but the female angle was particularly upsetting, as one of the women had been diagnosed with down syndrome, and was a seller in the market. If this is a new strategy, there aren't enough troops in the world that could restore peace to the region.

Related article

Gunmen attack Israeli embassy in Mauritania

Police report unidentified men attack Israeli mission in capital of Nouakchott, wounding several people. Attack follows recent public calls by political parties to sever diplomatic ties with Israel.

Reuters
02.01.08, 07:12 / Israel News

Unidentified gunmen attacked the Israeli embassy in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott early on Friday, wounding some people, police and emergency services said. According to reports, five people were injured in the attack, including one foreign national.

Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen fired at the embassy compound while shouting "Allahu Akbar," and that the embassy's guards responded with fire. more

British Muslim calls for Destruction of Israel

01/02/2008

By Bernard Josephs

A controversial British Muslim activist has called for the destruction of Israel during an angry debate with a prominent Israeli academic. Azzam Tamimi, founder of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought, was filmed in London last month by Iran’s Press TV channel telling Chatham House academic Yossi Mekelberg to “go back to Germany”.

The footage was picked up by the media-monitoring organisation, Memri. Dr Tamimi — who came to prominence as a spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, and who is an associate of the Hamas leadership — added: “Why should Palestine be a Jewish state? Why?”

Dr Mekelberg, an associate fellow of the Middle East programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, tried to move the discussion on to a “constructive” footing. But Dr Tamimi launched into a vitriolic attack on Israel and Jews. He said he did not “give a damn” about “the Jews who came from Europe and elsewhere in the world to dispossess my people and to turn us into a population of refugees... I want to see Israel come to an end because Israel is a colonial entity created on my homeland.”

As Tel Aviv-born Dr Mekelberg stressed the need for justice for all, an enraged Dr Tamimi interjected: “Justice? You go back to Germany. That’s justice.”Why, he asked, should Palestinians be “made to pay for the crimes of the Nazis? “If the Nazis killed the Jews, why should the Jews come and live in my mother’s house, on my father’s land? If that is terrorism then I am a terrorist.”

Dr Mekelberg replied: “Instead of me questioning your right for Palestine and you questioning my right for Israel, let’s both of us recognise that we have some right on some of it.”“Never,” snapped back Dr Tamimi. “I will never recognise that you have a right to land stolen from my people.”

Then Dr Mekelberg said: “You won’t find a solution, and that is a tragedy.”

Write your comments please!

La Plus Belle Femme du Monde

Je suis tellement heureuse d'apprendre qu'ils n'ont pas choisi un sac d'os! Je suis aussi tout à fait d'accord avec leur choix: Zeta Jones est superbe!

La société de cosmétiques "Nephria Cosmetics" a interrogé 8.000 femmes pour élire la plus belle femme du monde. C'est l'actrice d'origine galloise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, qui a remporté le maximum de suffrages devant Brigitte Bardot et Audrey Hepburn.
Pas trace d'Angelina Jolie ou de Jennifer Aniston dans le top 50...

Une fermeture progressive pour L'Egypte

Copyright © 2008 Reuters

Par Iousri Mohamed

ISMAILIA, Egypte (Reuters) - L'Egypte a refermé jeudi des brèches dans sa frontière avec la bande de Gaza et y a déployé des renforts de police.

Les forces égyptiennes ont acheminé du ciment et des sacs de sable pour refermer les brèches, une semaine après leur ouverture par des activistes du Hamas qui ont fait sauter des barrières à l'explosif afin de permettre à des dizaines de milliers de Gazaouis d'entrer en Egypte en dépit d'un bouclage à la bande de Gaza par Israël.

L'Egypte a aussi commencé à interdire aux véhicules palestiniens de se rendre en Egypte, mais elle autorise les camions égyptiens chargés de ravitaillement à pénétrer dans la bande de Gaza pour y décharger leur marchandise, ont rapporté des témoins.

Selon une source proche des services de sécurité, quelque 50.000 Palestiniens sont entrés jeudi en Egypte et 20.000 autres séjournent chez des proches à Rafah et dans des villes voisines. En savoir plus

Related Posts: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Jews and Arabs together in Protest?

Thu, Jan. 31, 2008
By Neturei Karta International

Orthodox Jews to Join Other Arab Organizations in Protest Against the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Annual Dinner, and Against the Recent Atrocities in GAZA

NEW YORK, Jan. 31 --The following is a statement by Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, a spokesman for Neturei Karta International:

AIPAC: (An Institution Perpetuating Atrocities and Catastrophe)
Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, a spokesman for Neturei Karta International, Jews United Against Zionism, stated at a recent meeting:

"Philanthropists, government representatives and well meaning people, should be apprised of the reality, that supporting Zionism and the State of 'Israel' does not help Jews or Judaism, but on the contrary only helps to perpetuate the tragic impasse and constant bloodshed in the Middle East, both of Arab and Jew.

"Not supporting the State of 'Israel' does not make one, in any way, less of a friend of the Jewish people and most certainly does not label one an anti-semite."

The Rabbi added that, "It is a great embarrassment to us that the Palestinians have suffered so much for so long at the hands of those who masquerade as representatives of the Jewish people. Zionism is a movement that disregards the Jewish faith and its teachings on every area of life, including its commandment that we seek peace and justice towards all people."

Entire article

If you wish to join the protest:

January 31, 2008 9:36 AM EST
Place: Outside the Marriott Marquis Times Square, NYC
Date: Thursday, January 31, 2008
Time: 6:00 PM

Baruch on Broadway

By Allan Nadler

Wed. Jan 30, 2008

" Like all its precursors, this newest Spinoza play concludes, very predictably, with the black candles, the sounding of the shofar and the sonorous public recitation of the long text of the horribly cruel banishment from his people of one of the greatest Jewish minds. Thankfully, however, that ending is the play’s only unsurprising moment, and “New Jerusalem” — thanks both to its intelligently original script and its highly gifted cast — is thoroughly engaging, deeply thoughtful and, incredibly enough, given its very sober subject, at times riotously funny."

For entire review

Founder of Israel's Black Panthers dead at 57

Lawrence Joffe

Thursday January 31, 2008

The Guardian

The Moroccan-born social campaigner Sa'adia Marciano, who has died in a Jerusalem hospital, aged 57, was the founder and public face of Israel's Black Panthers protest movement, and one of the most charismatic, if tragic, figures in Israeli society. He battled ceaselessly for Israel's poorer Sephardim and Mizrahim (Jews of Spanish and oriental origin) and at his death was still campaigning to provide food and heating for Jerusalem's needy.

Marciano was born the sixth of 11 children in Oujda, a town on the Moroccan-Algerian border. He emigrated to Israel in 1950 after violence between local Arabs and Jews. He is survived by his wife Vicky; they had a son.

Read the fascinating account of his group and its achievements here.

New UN exhibit pays tribute to those who rescued Jews during Holocaust

"The Holocaust: Stories of Rescue"29 January 2008 – The Holocaust demonstrated that human beings are capable of great cruelty, but also of great courage and strength in the face of evil, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today at the opening of a new United Nations exhibit focusing on the courageous men and women who helped rescue Jews during World War II.

The two-part exhibit, entitled “The Holocaust – Stories of Rescue,” tells the story of individuals who stood up to rescue Jews “when so many others turned a blind eye or collaborated in the murder of Jews and other minorities,” stated Mr. Ban.

“The photographs are profoundly moving portraits of people who, through their conscience and courage, without regard for religious differences, risked their lives to shelter their Jewish neighbours, friends and strangers,” said the Secretary-General. MORE

Related stories
Memory of Holocaust victims honoured through series of UN events
Holocaust Remembrance Day is a time to teach tolerance – Ban Ki-moon
Holocaust remembrance is a call to action, Assembly president says
Actor, advocate George Clooney named UN Messenger of Peace

Moroccan Jews happiest; Ashkenazis healthiest

So that means that Sephardic Jews lose on both counts: we aren't happiest, and we aren't healthiest. I take solace in the fact that this "scientific" study centered on Jews in Israel, and was exclusive of Jews in the diaspora.

It has finally been scientifically proven: Israelis of Moroccan descent are extremely satisfied with life in Israel, where as Polish Jews appear decidedly less contented, this according to a unique study conducted by the Ruppin Academic Center Institute for Immigration and Integration and published in Yedioth Ahronoth Sunday.

The study, which examined the quality of life of Israelis of various ethnic origins, also uncovered that Polish Jews appear to be in far better health than those of Moroccan descent.

Amit found that Israelis born in Far-Eastern and African countries had rated their quality of life far higher than Jews of European descent. Ashkenazi Jews, paradoxically, seemed to be in far better health than their Sephardic counterparts. Read the Entire Report

Palestinians Are Not The Only Refugees

January 28th 2008
New York
by Stanley Urman

For the very first time, President George Bush raised the issue of Jews from Arab countries. He did this while on his official visit to Israel. In an article headlined, "Bush aware of Jewish Refugee' Plight," The Jerusalem Post said the U.S. President was "very conscious" that Jewish refugees fled to Israel from Arab lands after the 1947-49 war, and that one of the points that came up in Bush's discussion was the number of Jewish refugees that were created in the period after 1948.

This report of President Bush's interest in the plight of Jews from Arab countries, comes after the December visit to the White House by Maurice Shohet, a long time member of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries’ (JJAC), International Steering Committee. Joining Mr. Shohet at the White House were Professor Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl, parents of slain Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl, all of whom spoke to President Bush on the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab counties.

This followed the recent Annapolis Peace Conference, where JJAC issued a declaration which stated, inter alia: "The exclusion and denial of rights and redress to Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries will prejudice authentic negotiations between the parties and undermine the justice and legitimacy of any agreement." In preparation for Annapolis, JJAC sent a letter to President Bush asking that the issue of Jews from Arab countries be discussed in the context of Middle East refugees.

continued

Stanley A. Urman is the Executive Director of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries

Weekly Edition: Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, 2008

This week on Thirteen, don't miss Sunday's all day celebration of Jewish culture in America with encores of
The Jewish Americans and The Jews of New York.

2-DVD Set: The Jewish Americans Donate $100 now

DVD: The Jews of New York Donate $100 now

Thirteen/WNET New York . 450 West 33rd St .

New York, NY 10001 . (212)560-2888

Rio judge bans float on Holocaust

ed: someone there found their brain!

A Brazilian judge has banned a group from parading in the Rio carnival with a float depicting the victims of the Holocaust and a Hitler figure.
The judge issued the injunction after a lawsuit brought by the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro, Fierj. more

Related Post: Holocaust-themed Rio Carnival float causes strain

L'Orchestre de Paris retrouve Daniel Barenboïm comme pianiste

Après une longue absence, le pianiste israélien Daniel Barenboïm a retrouvé mercredi soir comme pianiste l'Orchestre de Paris, dont il a été le directeur musical de 1975 à 1989, lors d'un concert très attendu à la salle Pleyel et devant une salle comble.

Au premier rang d'une assistance enthousiaste, on remarquait la ministre de la Santé Roselyne Bachelot, la princesse Caroline de Hanovre et son époux, ainsi que Stéphane Lissner, surintendant de la Scala de Milan, qui, au finale, ont applaudi debout le pianiste israélien. En savoir plus

Hamas: Iran is Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

By Willard Payne
(unedited for grammar)

Night Watch: CAIRO - It is extremely significant the first meeting Egypt President Hosni Mubarak had on Wednesday, concerning the control of the Rafah Terminal on the Egypt-Gaza border, was with the Speaker of Iran's Majlis (Parliament) Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel.

It is an acknowledgement of Tehran's role in causing and controlling the situation through Hamas, which Iran had explode the wall a week ago. The explosion was symbolic of not only opening up the border and the Sinai Peninsula to Palestinian militants but also of opening up Cairo and Hosni Mubarak to Tehran's influence.

The explosion was Iran's way of being subtle; the inference being worse would happen if Tehran's view was not given a serious hearing. Xinhua and Egypt's official news agency MENA reported no details of the meeting were released or even the duration of the meeting but I suspect Haddad-Adel told Mubarak Egypt should not interfere with the Palestinians using the Sinai as another front against Israel. Otherwise, Egyptian security would be attacked also.

Read on

Trying to End Mubarak's reign and Succession

University students, many of them members of the Muslim Brotherhood,

carried banners supporting Palestinians, during a demonstration

outside Cairo University last week. (AMR SHARAF/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

By Jeffrey Fleishman
Los Angeles Times / January 29, 2008

CAIRO - Egypt's main Islamist party and other opposition groups are strengthening their appeal by using images of desperate Palestinians streaming out of the Gaza Strip to provoke wider protests against the 26-year-old regime of President Hosni Mubarak.

Demonstrations in Cairo and throughout the country by the Muslim Brotherhood and other political groups ostensibly have been staged to declare Egyptian solidarity with Gaza residents. But they are also aimed at weakening Mubarak, whom the groups criticize for oppression, economic shortcomings, and close ties to Washington. more

Holocaust-themed Rio Carnival float causes strain

By Pedro Fonseca

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A Carnival float with a pile of model dead bodies commemorating the Holocaust is causing unease before the lavish parades in Rio de Janeiro this weekend. The Viradouro samba organization, or school, plans to feature the grim display when it marches in the Sambadrome parade strip on Sunday, despite objections from a local Jewish group.

Viradouro insisted its Holocaust float is not meant to offend anyone.

"The float is extremely respectful, it's a warning, it's something shocking that we don't want to happen ever again," said Paulo Barros, Viradouro's artistic director. View the whole article.

Let us show you a darling place to live: the Sinai

Report: Chief Rabbi says move Gazans to a Palestine in Sinai

By Saul Sadka

Full report

ed: I want whatever he is smoking.

Modesty or Insanity?

Fashion Statement: Jewish Burqas

I had trouble believing what I was reading; then I paused. Why should I be shocked? Don't all religious fanatics pose out worldly situations? In this regard, the theory seems to hold. So, let's give a hand to the ultra-orthodox Jewish women of Ramat Beit Shemesh who have given up their scandalous wigs and long black skirts (yeah, that really made them look like trollops!!) in favor of burqas. Afghan envy?

Well it is reported that the rabbis don't like it, and the religious authorities don't like it. What on earth are these people thinking? Are they living in a make believe world of some sort? Why is it that I find this borderline psychotic?

Are we to expect stoning next?

Sephardi genealogy comes of age

By SCHELLY TALALAY DARDASHTI

Jewish genealogy is no longer the sole realm of Eastern European Ashkenazim.

CRYPTO-JEWS in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico: Dr. Stanley Hordes of the University of New Mexico. Photo: Courtesy

Many begin the quest for information about their Sephardi ancestors each day, assisted by increasing new resources.

Modern Sephardi Jewry includes descendants of Jews expelled from Spain during the Inquisition as well as Oriental or "Mizrahi" Jews who lived in the Middle East, Near East and Central Asia - all non-Yiddish speaking, non-Ashkenazi Jews. Researchers, assisted by DNA projects, are also investigating the Sephardi roots of some Eastern European Jews.

RELATED

• Genealogy Expert: Tracing family roots from Lithuania
• Blog: The Sephardi Perspective
• Blog: Tracing the Tribe
• Malka's SephardicGen.com
• Stein's Sephardim.com

Sephardi genealogy research wasn't so important in the early 20th century, relates Dr. Yitzhak Kerem, a specialist in Greek Jewry, who sees genealogical research as "another way to learn history."

When Jews began expressing ancestry interest after the success in the 1970s of Alex Haley's Roots, American Jewish culture was Ashkenazi - Sephardim weren't the Jewish mainstream. Shelomo Alfassa of the International Sephardic Leadership Council says the issue was a numbers game, as the American Sephardi population was exponentially smaller than the Ashkenazi one.

American Sephardim were busy blending in, offers Dr. Jeffrey Malka, a Virginia-based author and researcher. "They didn't want to draw attention to being different; many were ignorant of their own history," while genealogist and businessman Alain Farhi disagrees: "Sephardi genealogy always existed, but wasn't publicized or discovered by the masses or the American genealogist." continued..

Florida's Jews throw support to Clinton

According to exit polls, Jewish voters were among Clinton's most enthusiastic endorsers. They backed Clinton by 53% to Obama's 26% and John Edwards 13%, which was slightly more for the New York senator than among all voters. Overall, 50% went for Clinton, 33% chose Obama and 14% selected Edwards, who ended up dropping out of the race Wednesday.

more

JewSchool Breaks the Silence: Mark the Dates

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Jewschool announces the U.S. premier of Breaking the Silence’s exhibit of photographs and video testimonies from soldiers who served in occupied territories, collected and presented by Breaking the Silence, bound for Philadelphia on Feb 9th - 24th and in Boston on March 1st - 16th! The exhibit features over 100 photographs and video testimonials, with guided tours led by former Israeli soldiers. A sneak peak is available here.

Why come to the U.S.? Breaking the Silence proposes no political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, only that one is needed urgently. It is a cop-out to say that human rights abuses are by “a few bad apples.” Breaking the Silence’s contribution to the discussion — in Israeli and now American and American Jewish society — through “I did it myself” credibility that the system of occupation “actively rots the apples” of Israel’s young soldiers. They know, they saw it, they did it. The information presented here is crucial to everyone’s understanding — right or left — of the costs and benefits of occupation to Israel’s moral fabric.

SCHEDULE

Breaking the Silence Exhibit:
Israeli Soldiers Talk About the Occupied Territories

Philadelphia: February 9 - February 24
The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
Opening Night Reception on Saturday, February 9 at 7 pm

Boston: March 1 – March 16
Hosted by Harvard College’s Progressive Jewish Alliance
Harvard University’s Whitehead Center for International Studies
1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Opening Night Reception on Saturday, March 1 at 7 pm

Sponsored by Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom: The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, Harvard College’s Progressive Jewish Alliance, Hashomer Hatzair, Jewschool.com, Meretz USA, the Union of Progressive Zionists, Open Society Institute’s Documentary Photography Project, and the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

For Updates check this website: www.BreakingTheSilenceExhibit.org

Egypt: The Great Flip Flopper

It goes to show that if I am gone long enough, Egypt can switch its position on censorship in less than 48 hours, thus saving me the trouble of double analysis. In a surprising turnaround, Egypt withdrew censorship of Western literature from its highly publicized 40th Cairo International Book Fair. The Fair is currently under way in Cairo.

Among the taboo-ed books were the writings of Milan Kundera (one of my favorite authors), as well as Morocco's Mohamed Choukri's "For Bread Alone". The latter included some reference to teenage sex and drugs (facts of life in the Arab world, and coincidentally banned in the Arab world). Other authors, not mentioned, were also confiscated on Monday, but released today.

The Fair is dominated, as expected, with Islamic works. I don't understand how you can tag a "Fair" as international if you limit its boundaries based on local criteria. If the Fair were truly international in scope, I would expect that perhaps fifty percent of the offering to be in Arabic, but the balance to represent the rich and eye opening writings from the rest of the world. How ironic and sad that the country that once housed the greatest library in humanity (the first in Alexandria, rather than the rebuilt one) has so little to show in modern times.

Related Articles: Egypt Censors Book Fair; Egypt about-turn on Fair Censorship

Where do Jewish Professionals go?

This release was sent in by Heshy Shayovitz, webmaster of JewCentral.com

There's lots of information on the internet. There's even lots of information geared toward Jews that offer current events, politics and social issues etc but there isn't much to help Jews succeed in the real world. That's where JewCentral.com comes in.

It offers informative, how-to and inspirational content to help Jewish professionals succeed. Articles are written by successful Jewish professionals about their field of expertise. A section for tips on the homepage provides tips that help the reader achieve more in less time. The forums are open to discuss relevant issues with other professionals.

Two of the most popular features are Jewish Jobs and Jewish Dating. Jewish Jobs consolidates dozens of articles to acheive career goals and over 50 sites dedicated to jewish jobs. Jewish Dating does the same for dating. It offers insider views to many popular dating services and tips finding your right match.The site also includes links, Jewish movie reviews and more. JewCentral's award winning content is geared toward Jewish Professionals, no fluff, not the same old news and politics, just information to help you reach your goals.

Winograd Panel Says Israel Failed in Lebanon War

By David Rosenberg and Jonathan Ferziger

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- An Israeli commission of inquiry determined that both Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government and the army failed in setting a strategy for the 2006 war against Lebanon's Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militia.
The long-awaited report will probably add to pressure on Olmert, whose government has also been battered by charges of corruption, to either step down or call early elections. The prime minister has said he won't quit and denied the corruption allegations.

"This war was a big and serious failure,'' Eliyahu Winograd, the retired judge who led the panel, told a news conference releasing its findings today in Jerusalem.

Veterans and the parents of soldiers who were killed in the fighting are demanding that Olmert take responsibility for the failures and resign. The month long conflict left 163 Israelis dead while failing to stop Hezbollah rockets from hitting Israel.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Ferziger in Tel Aviv at jferziger@bloomberg.net

Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise

Etat de l'Union ; droits de l'homme ; image des Etats-Unis ; économie ; Irak ; immobilier.Dessin de Tab.

Dans son dernier discours sur l'état de l'Union, le 28 janvier, Bush a entre autres appelé les Américains à garder confiance dans leur économie, menacée de récession, et la classe politique à ne pas mettre en péril, par un retrait selon lui prématuré, la réussite de la mission des militaires américains en Irak. Commentaire du Washington Post : la présidence de Bush restera dans l'Histoire comme celle "des occasions manquées et des entreprises avortées".

ed: j'ai eu le malheur d'avoir écouté ce discours; c'est comme si cet homme est sequestré du vrai monde.

2008 Conference on Jewish Genealogy

2008 conference registration and hotel registration now live

I have received notice that you can now go to www.chicago2008.org for early registration to the conference. Also be sure to check the site for changes and new additions to the program.

The Conference is taking place in Chicago, August 17-22, 2008.

Related Post: 2008 Genealogy Conference has New Website

Hello God? It's Sid, can you hear me now?

Thank you Liliane Saltiel for sending this take on modern Judaism.

Elie Weisel in Davos, Switzerland

It is very difficult to look at Elie Weisel and not shudder. Here he was, in a semicircle of dignitaries from all over the world, the visionaries, the CEO´s and he was slouched in his armchair. His hair looked as if it hadn´t been combed in decades and he seemed to follow the conversation with his hand holding up his chin. Next to him was Tony Blair, masticating his words, as all British people have a tendency to do on his ¨vision¨of peace in the Middle East. How ironic is this?

For the first time since he gave up sitting on Bush´s lap, Blair seemed to make sense. At that point, I thought I saw Weisel nod, but perhaps it was just an illusion. He indicated, with clarity, that in spite of all the good intentions of those negotiating on the political ladder, there is a clear disconnect between them in the facts on the ground. And those of us who are spectators know that all too well.

The moderator turned to Elie, and asked if he thought Bush could realize peace and two separate states by the end of his term. His answer was logical, but somehow I wasn´t convinced that the fatigue on both sides to which he referred would be the clincher of the deal. He claimed to be an optimist, and so it is perhaps this amazing trait in this man which is coloring his comments. Elie, himself, looked extremely tired and for a minute, I put myself into his head and decided that he must have felt surrounded by a bunch of clowns. And this, without any disrespect to the speakers. Clearly, this man is of a different caliber.

Though many topics were covered, such as economics, global warming, micro loans, wireless connectivity in remote places, I was most interested in the discussion about the middle east. Though I had no planned to have the privilege to listen to any of the Davos conferences, I happened to be lucky that during my vacation, I had access to CNN International.

Related Post: Davos, the Place to be..

In Quest of the Perfect Drink

I hope to be having as many of those as I can find.....heavenly cactus juice!!

Yad Vashem launches Arabic Web site

Jan 24, 2008 16:21

JPost.com

In an attempt to combat Holocaust denial in the Arab and Muslim world, Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial on Thursday inaugurated an Arabic-language Web site, seeking to provide an educational tool for Arabic speakers as well as Arab countries where the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust is not taught in schools.

Yad Vashem launches Arabic Web site

"From now on, Arabic speakers will also be able to learn the truth about the the Holocaust without intermediaries that act from hate," said Science, Culture, and Sport Minister Ghaleb Majadle, Israel's first Muslim cabinet minister, at the official ceremony launching of the Web site.
"The Holocaust was not just against Jews, but an unparalleled horrible crime against all of humanity," he said. more

Related Reading: Yad Vashem's Arabic portal

Chinese Jewish girl finds true love on kibbutz

Jan 25, 2008 2:10

JPost.com

It was a case of East meets West in the Middle East Thursday night when Shoshana Rebecca Li, a descendant of the Jewish community of Kaifeng, China, married Ami Emmanuel, a new immigrant from Florida, at Jerusalem's Great Synagogue.

"For me, to have a proper religious Jewish wedding in Israel, it is a dream come true. I am very excited," Li, 29, said prior to the ceremony. Emmanuel, 25, said he never believed he'd marry an Asian woman until he met Li at Kibbutz Sde Eliahu's Hebrew ulpan in May.

"I had heard about the old Jewish community of China and I love Asian women, but I thought it was far-fetched. I also thought that even if I had found a Jewish Chinese woman, the rabbinate would have never approved," he said. more

Related Post: The Guy Who Dared to Tell Chinese they're Jews

The following video was recommended by Palestinian Media Watch; in Arabic with English subtitles

Viviane Paolini sent this blog entry which appeared on the 22nd on Lenny Ben-David's website

Hamas Jungend Palestinian Children, R.I.P. -- Rehabilitate Immediately Please
The next phase of the Mohammed al-Dura controversy is expected to be played out in a French court next month. The dubious authenticity of the iconic Mohammed al-Dura video tape seven years ago draws attention to the young age of many of the victims of the Middle East conflict. One such youth, Ahmed Bustam, is a 16-year-old Palestinian boy from Gaza who will probably die a violent death by the time he is 18. One day his name will appear in a story about Gazan youth who tried to plant a bomb on the fence between Gaza and Israel or in a story about a Kassam rocket crew killed by an Israeli missile before they could launch their volley from a teeming alleyway in Gaza.

Someone should be blamed and even brought to trial for Ahmed’s eventual death. Undeniably, Ahmed and thousands of Palestinian children like him are victims of an international war crime and violations of international law. Of course the international kangaroo courts generally blame Israel, but the real culprits who should be put in the dock are the late Yasser Arafat, his Palestinian Authority successors and the leadership of Hamas.

Ahmed Bustam’s name first appeared when he was interviewed in the Gazan neighborhood of Zeitoun by the Daily Telegraph (UK) on May 12, 2004 after six Israelis soldiers died when their armored personnel carrier hit a mine. Ahmed “gleefully recalled how he had approached the destroyed vehicle and removed the head of an Israeli soldier,” the Telegraph related. "People were running after me and we were kicking the head," he said. "We were spitting on it. When we heard a helicopter we started running. I carried the head of the Jew and ran away from the area and I took it to the people in the resistance."

Kicking a human head? What kind of kid plays soccer with a human head? The answer is clear: any Palestinian kid who grew up steeped in Hamas’ hateful propaganda, any Palestinian kid taught to kill, torture and maim by his school teachers, mosque preachers, summer camps, and kiddie television shows.

The pathological brainwashing of Palestinian children preceded Hamas’ takeover of Gaza. One month prior to the outbreak of the Al Aqsa Intifada in late September 2000, New York Times reporter John Burns saw the writing on the children’s wall. On August 2, the Times published Burns’ “Palestinian Summer Camp Offers the Games of War.” Burns described the 90 summer camps across the Palestinian territories – areas ceded by Israel to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords – where 25,000 teenagers were training in the use of firearms, the making of Molotov cocktails, the methods of kidnapping Israeli leaders, and conducting ambushes. But no alarm bells were set off in the United Nations or in the offices of the international human rights watchdogs.

The Palestinians discovered that they were onto something good: if teens could be trained to be killers without any international outcry, why not pre-teens? The Palestinian Authority and Hamas expanded their military training to six year olds! Today YouTube viewers can watch dozens of video clips of Palestinian kindergartens acting out attacks on Israelis with children in uniform and carrying toy guns, or of children extolling the acts of suicide bombers, or of Palestinian TV costumed characters torturing cats. "Since birth,” Sam Kiley wrote in the London Times seven years ago, “Palestinian children have been pumped full of religious fundamentalism which promises paradise for those who die for the cause of free Palestine... Approving or not, the Palestinian authorities have done nothing to stop children playing with their lives. Let's face it, dead kids make great telly." ("A Deadly Game" - Oct. 19, 2000)

In 2002, Yasser Arafat was asked by a Palestinian TV interviewer if he had a message to send to Palestinian children. His response: “The child who is grasping the stone facing the tank - is it not the greatest message to the world when the hero becomes a shahid [martyr]?” [PA TV, January 15, 2002]

An Ugly and Deadly Precedent

One has to go back 70 years to the Hitlerjugend, Hitler Youth, to find children steeped in such depravity. When Hitler took control over the German state the indoctrination of children in National Socialist ideology became an important objective. Speaking at the Reichsparteitag in 1935, Hitler declared, “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the Future!” The Hitlerjugend were indoctrinated in Nazi philosophies and hatred already in the 1930s. Thus by the time World War II broke out, and after years of training, they filled the ranks of the Gestapo and the SS. As explained by one SS commander, “Immature youths had to be transformed into men who lived according to the fundamentals of the SS as fanatic warriors, willing to sacrifice all and give no quarter.”

One such youth was Alfons Heck who joined the Hitlerjugend at the age of 9. "I belonged to Hitler body and soul,” he related. According to Heck’s own account, he and eight million other German Hitler Youth cared for nothing but to win the war or die for Germany and its leader. As a teen, he fought on the French front. When the war ended he was tried and sentenced to a month of hard labor, exhuming mass graves of French prisoners. He refused to believe the atrocities blamed on the Nazis. He admitted that it took 30 years to accept a sense of guilt for the Holocaust.

So pervasive was the Nazi ideology that Heck and millions of Germans were forced to undergo a process of denazification. Nazi officials and their doctrines and practices had to be uprooted from the all cultural, media, political, judicial, and economic institutions. The re-education plan – more like a detox program -- took years to finally cleanse the Nazi poison from the German body politic.

Ahmed Bustam and hundreds of Palestinian youth have been -- and are still being – poisoned, and in some cases fatally. The Oslo process and the “Roadmap” abysmally failed to change the culture of hate that suffuses the Palestinian world. The veteran American negotiator Dennis Ross once reviewed the failed negotiations and admitted that “no negotiation is likely to succeed if there is one environment at the negotiating table and another on the street."

In a 2002 interview, Condoleezza Rice was asked about the Palestinian glorification of suicide bombers. "What does that picture of a baby dressed as a suicide bomber say about the hopes of Palestinians for life with the Israeli people as good neighbors?” she responded. “You know, we've all, in our lives, had experiences with hatred. I certainly have in Birmingham, Alabama. And it all starts with recognizing that the other person is human and deserves a future. If you're going to send your babies and your teenagers to kill other teenagers, something has broken down in this concept of humanity."

[The indoctrination and martyrdom of Palestinian children should at least serve to shut up the Palestinians’ Lady Haw-Haw, Hanan Ashrawi, who took great umbrage when the Palestinian Authority was charged with using Palestinian children as cannon fodder. “"Not even animals would send their children into battle," she said in November 2000. Similarly, in an interview with the Jordan Times in early 2001, Ashrawi said: "The most blatantly racist slur is the Israeli theft of our humanity as parents. In an attempt to rob us of our most basic feelings for our children, we are accused of 'sending children out to die' for the sake of 'scoring media points'."

How many Palestinian children – including the iconic Mohammed Dura – have died just so that the Palestinian movement could score points, even if it meant committed war crimes against their own children?

According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Courts, the Palestinian recruitment and training of children are violations of international law. [“Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into the national armed forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities.”

President Bush and Secretary of State Rice have come and gone from the Middle East, promising to press forward to achieve Middle East peace. But, unless far-reaching education-for-peace programs are launched and a comprehensive de-hamasization program is introduced by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad, Bush’s initiative will do little more than earn frequent-flier miles for its advocates.

Resources:

Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace

Teach Kids Peace

Palestinian Media Watch

The Papercut Haggadah

Archie Granot is a papercutting artist bordering on genius. I have had the pleasure of dealing with him through my paper business, and now as a friend. He has been working on the Papercut Haggadah for the last ten years. The complete Haggadah will be shown for the first time at Yeshiva University Museum with the opening scheduled for the evening of March 5, 2008. He has sent a press release to announce the event and I am showing it below:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Archie Granot
1 Agron Street Jerusalem, Israel 94625
Tel: 972-2-624-3844
USA Toll Free: 1-866-475-7697
Email
Website

December 18, 2007

Unique Haggadah Masterpiece Completed

Completely hand cut Papercut Haggadah by renowned Jerusalem artist Archie Granot to debut in New York in early 2008.

Jerusalem, Israel - Nearly ten years in the making, The Papercut Haggadah by Archie Granot was recently completed by the preeminent papercut artist Archie Granot. Each word in this 55 page Haggadah, which tells the story of the Jewish holiday of Passover, is hand cut in precise, calligraphic lettering and illuminated by multiple layers of paper hand cut in abstract, geometric designs. It is the only all papercut Haggadah ever created and is believed to be the only completely abstract Haggadah.

While the tradition of illustrating Haggadahs goes back centuries, Archie Granot's challenge was to create a Haggadah unlike anything that had preceded it. Each page is a unique work of art with continuity imposed by the uniform cut of the text itself. Yet the final result is a series of individual pages that come together as a unified work of art. Each page of the Haggadah measures 53cm x38cm (21" x15") with some pages weighing more than 5 pounds. The Haggadah was commissioned by a private collector and will be shown in public for the first time in the spring of 2008 at Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York City). (ed: I plan to attend)

A facsimile edition of the Haggadah is in the planning stage. Acclaimed for his impressive and innovative works, Archie Granot has distinguished himself by his use of multiple layers of paper and geometric interlace. According to Professor Bezalel Narkiss of The Center for Jewish Art at The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, "The papercuts of Archie Granot are a special phenomenon in contemporary art. In spite of the restrictions he has put upon himself to use the traditional technique of papercutting, he has managed to develop an impressive individual style.


He proves that the revival of the technique need not be a repetition of the motifs and style.


Additional information

UK criticized for seeking Muslim women's help to combat extremism

The British government was accused Wednesday of attempting to co-opt Muslim women as virtual ''informers'' in its campaign against radicalization as opposed to addressing problems they face through discrimination and unemployment."

It is important to empower women to play a greater role in the public life, regardless of their religious persuasion, but the Government seems only intent in focusing on Muslim women to tackle extremism," Muslim News editor Ahmed Versi said. more

Afghan Journalist Sentenced to Death

Feminist Daily News Wire
January 24, 2008

Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh, a 23 year old journalist in Afghanistan, was sentenced to death for distributing information regarding the role of women in Islam.

A three judge panel in Mazar-i- Sharif found Kambakhsh guilty of “distributing blasphemous material”, BBC Newsreports. "According to...the Islamic law, Sayed Perwiz is sentenced to death at the first court," explained head of Balkh's court, Shamsur Rahman. "However, he will go through three more [appeal] courts to declare his last punishment."

Kambakhsh was arrested in October of last year after some of his university classmates said he was making fun of Islam and distributing an internet article that accused the Prophet Mohammad of ignoring women’s rights, stated Reuters.

International journalist organizations are appealing to the Afghan government to release Kambakhsh. Reporters Without Borders released a statement saying that his trial was "carried out in haste and without any concern for the law or free expression, which is protected by the constitution."

Media Resources: Reuters 01/23/08;
BBC 01/23/08;
Reporters Without Borders 01/22/2008

Saudi Women may dip One Toe in 21st Century

By Daily News Egypt
January 22, 2008

DUBAI: Women in Saudi Arabia can now stay in a hotel or a furnished apartment without a male guardian according to a decision by the Ministry of Trade, reported the Gulf News on Tuesday. Meanwhile, government officials said Riyadh is planning to lift the ban on women drivers. more

ed: Saudi Arabia was severely criticized by the EU recently, especially about this male escort business. Though Saudi Arabia dismissed the criticism, it seems to have been propelled to do something about it at home.

Canada Pulls Out of Durban Conference

Ottawa pulls out of conference set to be held in South Africa, cites concerns event is likely to descend into "regrettable anti-Semitism".

The so-called Durban II conference ''has gone completely off the rails'' and Canada wants no part of it, said Jason Kenney, Canada's secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity. Officials said they believed Canada was the first nation to announce it will not attend the conference in Durban, South Africa.

''Canada is interested in combating racism, not promoting it,'' Kenney said. ''We'll attend any conference that is opposed to racism and intolerance, not those that actually promote racism and intolerance.''

The 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban turned into ''a circus of intolerance,'' Kenney said, when Arab and Muslim countries criticized Israel. Israel and the United States walked out in protested, but the former Liberal Canadian government remained to speak up for Israel. more

Davos: The Place to Be Jan 23-27, 2008

Personally, I couldn't afford to go, but I don't have to worry. If I were to go as a journalist, there's no fee to attend. But if you are one of the dignitaries, be prepared to part with about US$50,000. For those not familiar, Davos (Switzerland) is the place for the World Economic Forum, and started today. Anyone worth their mettle is there, though some that are there should take their mettle home. Deals are made, predictions are thrown left and right, and if you are rubbing elbows with George Soros, chances are you will NEVER be bored. Yes, Soros, one of the world's billionaires, is Jewish. shhh

Try to skip anything that Condoleeza Rice has to say, unless you have some Pepto Bismol at hand. I didn't, and that was a grave error. However, I could be consoled immediately by moving over my ear to hear Hamid Karzai. Bill Clinton, a regular at Davos, could not attend due to his powerful campaign on behalf of Hillary. Likewise, Mc Cain missed so he could run for president.

The New York Times has a marvelous comprehensive tidbit list of what's going on, and to keep tabs on developments, please follow this link.

His Vision of the U.S Holocaust Museum

Wed. Jan 23, 2008
By Michael Berenbaum

Miles Lerman, who was central to the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, died January 22 after a long illness.

Lerman was chairman of the campaign that raised the $190 million necessary to build, equip and endow the museum. Shortly after it opened, he was named as its chairman. He guided the museum board through the first seven years of its creation.

Lerman’s grandest vision was to have the museum be a repository for artifacts and archives. In accomplishing this, he faced opposition from the museum’s director, who pioneered the artifactless museum. Lerman charged ahead, and soon enough the artifacts began to arrive — the railroad car of the type used to transport Jews to Treblinka from Warsaw, the concentration camp barracks from Birkenau, the shoes from Majdanek, canisters that had stored Zyklon B, suitcases, combs, shaving kits and toothbrushes from Auschwitz. The magnitude of the artifacts soon won over even Lerman’s former detractors. more

Congrès international sur le terrorisme à Madrid avec Clara Rojas

Agence France-Presse
Madrid

Un Congrès international sur les victimes du terrorisme aura lieu mardi et mercredi à Madrid avec la participation de l'ex-otage de la guérilla colombienne, Clara Rojas, qui s'est exprimée lundi dans la capitale espagnole sur la situation en Colombie.

Suite

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Abid Katib / Getty Images

Thousands of Palestinians crossed the Rafah border into Egypt
after gunmen breached the wall overnight on Jan. 23

By Kevin Peraino |
Newsweek Web Exclusive

Jan 23, 2008

This picture does what no conference, no plans, no road map can do. It shows people, deprived of basic living needs making a dash for the Egyptian land, after the wall sealing off Gaza from Egypt came down. Say what they will, but I don't think this is staged. This is real. And the PR War is certainly not being won by the West, George Bush and his fabulous ideas, nor Israel. Over the last few days, the world has unanimously condemned the tighter measures implemented by the Israeli Government over Gaza. The UN, usually powerless, also raised an eyebrow over what seemed to be developing into a humanitarian catastrophe. Egypt, took off the white glove, and called for an end to the "seal-off". Olmert is in another planet. I just don't know how this man can get up every morning and do what he does.

I have read countless accounts of people demanding he resign, and take responsibility for the needless deaths of Israeli soldiers during the Lebanon War. While this is happening, he can look squarely in the camera and say that as far as he's concerned, the people in Gaza can walk. How to make friends and influence enemies. Don't consult with Olmert.

"This is what happens when Bush visits! Bush gave them permission to do this!"

more

Photo Exhibit in Maine features Injustice

This Jewish couple was photographed in Budapest, Hungary at the end of World War II. Even though the city had been liberated by Soviet troops, the couple was afraid to remove the Star of David from their lapels. Jews in German-occupied countries were required to wear the identifying stars, the removal of which was punishable by death. This photo was taken by the Jewish and Ukrainian-born photographer Yevgeny Khaldei. (Image courtesy of Sam Zaitlin Collection)

The exhibit will open in Saco, Maine on January 31, 2008. The exhibit includes photos taken by renowned civil rights photographers Ernest C. Withers and Danny Lyon and World War II-era photographers E.O. Goldbeck and Yevgeny Khaldei. The photos are from the collection of current Biddeford resident and former Saco Mayor Sam Zaitlin. Find out more..

European Commission-Israel conference on racism (and other disgusting habits)

A joint European Commission-Israel conference on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism opened yesterday in Jerusalem.

The two-day seminar, which is being attended by 12 senior education officials from 11 countries around the world - including the Belgian Education Minister and the deputy ministers of education from Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic - will include a day-long visit to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, and various working sessions at the Foreign Ministry.

"There is a much greater awareness and willingness to deal with these problems in Europe today than in the past," said Aviva Raz-Shechter, Director of the Department of anti-Semitism and Holocaust Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The issue of Palestinian incitement in the media against Israel will not be raised at the conference due to its focus on Europe. (ed: and on Europe they need to focus: it's a hotbed for those very issues)

Hizbullah presents soldiers' body parts online

This is just hideous. A culture such as this one that can do this is nothing short of pornographic.

Shiite organization launches Hebrew website featuring images of IDF soldiers' body parts, which its leader claims to be holding since Second Lebanon War

Itamar Eichner
Published:
01.23.08, 09:47 / Israel News

Hizbullah on Tuesday launched a website in Hebrew featuring images of IDF soldiers' body parts, which the Shiite organization's leader Hassan Nasrallah claims to be holding since the Second Lebanon War.

is it any wonder that some Israeli ministers have called for Nasrallah's death?

The website features shocking pictures of body parts and IDF uniform. At the top of the site, Hizbullah wrote in Hebrew, "These images are examples of what we have. They are presented as a verification of the remarks made by Hizbullah secretary-general, Mr. Hassan Nasrallah, on Wednesday, January 2, 2008. more

For Women Who Need a Good Laugh

Thank you Barbara Kallman for this much needed humor.

NEW DRUGS FOR WOMEN

D A M N I T O L
Take 2 and the rest of the world can go to hell for up to 8 full hours.

E M P T Y N E S T R O G E N

Suppository that eliminates melancholy and loneliness by reminding you of how awful they were as teenagers and how you couldn't wait till they moved out.

ST. M O M M A'S W O R T

Plant extract that treats mom's depression by rendering preschoolers unconscious for up to two days.

P E P T O B I M B O

Liquid silicone drink for single women. Two full cups swallowed before an evening out increases breast size, decreases intelligence, and preven ts conception.

D U M B E R O L

When taken with Peptobimbo, can cause dangerously low IQ, resulting in enjoyment of country music and pickup trucks.

F L I P I T O R

Increases life expectancy of commuters by controlling road rage and the urge to flip off other drivers.

M E N I C I L L I N

Potent anti-boy-otic for older women. Increases resistance to such lethal lines as, "You make me want to be a better person."

BUYAGRA

Injectable stimulant taken prior to shopping Increases potency,duration, and credit limit of spending spree.

J A C K A S S P I R I N
Relieves headache caused by a man who can't remember your birthday, anniversary, phone number, or to lift the toilet seat.


A N T I-T A L K S I D E N TA
spray carried in a purse or wallet to be used on anyone too eager to share their life stories with total strangers in elevators.

N A G A M E N T

When administered to a boyfriend or husband, provides the same irritation level as nagging him.

Review Essay: The Psychology of Hysteria

David Sasha, of the American Muslim (TAM) website authors an interesting critique starting with the Book "1967: Israel, the War, and the Year That Changed the Middle East (Tom Segev" and subsequent publications. I found it intelligent and worthwhile.

Link

David Sasha's review originally appeared in the The Sephardic Heritage Update Newsletter 282, October 2007

Some references worth looking into, if you don't already know them:

Avi Shlaim - "very rarely addressed his Middle Eastern identity"
Meron Benvenisti - "His father, David Benvenisti, once on the path to becoming a Sephardic rabbi from Salonika, turned prominent Uber-Zionist"
Benny Morris - "dangerous revisionist turncoat to a a reactionary who wishes that all the Arabs were expelled from Israel"
Ben-Dror Yemini - "an infamous self-hating Israeli Sephardi who pens anti-Sephardi articles for Ma’ariv".
Jacqueline Kahanoff - "forgotten Jewish Egyptian author who was ahead of her time"
Tom Segev - "The First Israelis" book featured a stinging and angry recounting of the episode of the stolen Yemenite babies.

Have You Hugged a Jew Today?

It's hilarious and some people of course are screaming "anti-semitism". Enough with that refrain please; let's save it for the real, hideous cases of anti-semitism. I will be posting something later today about the European symposium on this very subject. Now they've got major anti-semitism, so when someone on Facebook decided to do this "hug-A-Jew" thing, let's not rise up in arms, please.

Read about it, it might get you to join Facebook. I finally gave in after I had too many of the readers of Women's Lens prodding me to join. It's fun, but I find that it is limited. There is no cross over of any of the platforms, so in other words, you cannot retrieve that info if Facebook decides to take a dive.

If you want to see real antisemitism, look at the picture below:

Don't forget to hug-a-jew!

Congressional Resolution on Jewish Refugees

Received from Stanley A. Urman

JANUARY 22, 2008

e Issue

For over 2,500 years, Jews in substantial numbers resided in areas that are today Arab countries (e.g. Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, etc.) - fully 1,000 years before the advent of Islam.

In 1948, the status of Jews in Arab countries worsened dramatically as many Arab countries declared war, or backed the war against Israel. In virtually every Arab country, Jews were uprooted from their homes and their individual and communal properties were seized and/or confiscated without any compensation provided.

2) House Resolution on Jewish Refugees

House Resolution 185 calls attention to the fact that Jews living in Arab countries suffered human rights violations and were made refugees. This Resolution asks the President to ensure that in all international forums, when the issue of "Middle East refugees" is discussed, US representatives will ensure that any explicit reference to Palestinian refugees is matched by a similar explicit reference to Jewish and other refugees, as a matter of law and equity.

This bi-partisan effort is being spearheaded in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) along with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-NJ); and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY).

3) Action Required!

House Resolution 185 will be considered by the Foreign Affairs Committee in the first week of February. It is important for Committee members to know that the Jewish community and its representative organizations support this Resolution.

Here is how you can help!

1) Please write, indicating your support for House Resolution 185, to the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Congressman Tom Lantos: [link]

2) Please contact Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and/or your Representatives, via email, to express your support for H.Res.185. A list of members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee can be found here: [link]

3) Please fax your letter to the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, a list of fax number is here: [link]

• Here is a link to a sample letter
  

For More Information visit...

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC)

Jews Indigenous to the Middle East (JIMENA)

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) is a coalition of Jewish communal organizations operating under the auspices of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the American Sephardi Federation in partnership with the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League, B'nai Brith International, the Jewish Public Council for Public Affairs and the World Sephardic Congress.

JJAC 15 West 16th St. - New York, NY 10011 - 917-606-8262 - 212-294-8348 (fax)

S. Daniel Abraham Founding Chairman

Stanley A. Urman Executive Director

Shelomo Alfassa Director, US Campaign

Annual Middle Eastern festival Feb. 4-April 20

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.
Jan. 22, 2008

links by Aimee Kligman

Events will include a concert of the music of Egypt and Turkey by Bloomington's own world music ensemble Salaam, an Afghan kite making workshop for families, an Arabic translation seminar and two evenings of dance performances.
Other highlights will include "Objects of War," a video art show by Beirut artist Lamia Joreige at the School of Fine Arts Gallery, and an exhibit of Coptic textiles dating from the third to 12th centuries at the IU Art Museum.

More details here.

Le Nouvel An des Arbres

Cette fête fut introduite sur la terre d’Israël par les Cabbalistes à Safed au 16^e siècle. Ils l’ont intitulée « jour de la dégustation des fruits ». On mange des fruits et on en apprécie la saveur. On jouit des fruits de l’arbre qui sont la nourriture de l’homme, et cette jouissance nous fait collaborer avec Dieu dans l’acte même de la Création.

En Savoir Plus

Related Post: The Kabbalah and Tu B'Shevat

Je remercie ma soeur, Viviane Allegra Stambouli, de m'avoir envoyée ces merveilleuses photos d'Israël:

A Jerusalemite couple shops for fruits for Tu B'Shvat.

Dried fruits and nuts in the shuk.

Dried fruits, some candied.

Fresh dates, a Tu B'Shvat favorite.

Star fruit

Pomegranates remain in season since Rosh HaShana.

Dried kiwi

Dried pears and Pomelas

An Otzar HaAretz Shemitta (sabbatical) observant store in the shuk selling Jewish
produce according to the Otzar Beit Din method and other Jewish legal mechanisms.

Assorted apples "without 'kedushat shevi'it' (sabbatical holiness)"

Pre-packaged selections of dried fruits and nuts for Tu B'Shvat

Uziel, a Yemenite Jewish healer, sells juices, hot drinks and tinctures made
from home-grown Etrogs (citrons) and other ingredients grown on his Jerusalem-area moshav.

Almonds

"Small pistachios"

Candied Kumquats and Etrogs (Citron).

Roasted salted sunflower seeds, referred to as 'garinim' or 'garinim shechorim'
to differentiate them from dried watermelon or pumpkin seeds.

Tomatoes on the vine

Chestnuts, grown increasingly in Israel.

All photos appeared in the Israel National News

Not Married, Married, Not Married

22/01/08
Carla Bruni quashed rumors that she had secretly married Mr Sarkozy. I don't think the topic deserves more comment than this.

Related Post: Nicolas Sarkozy Secretly Weds Singer Carla Bruni

"Mais enfin, quel est l'objectif recherché à Gaza ? "

18 janv. 2008

Les raids israéliens dans la bande de Gaza en représailles aux tirs de roquettes palestiniens n'ont abouti qu'à une escalade de la violence. Yediot Aharonot met sévèrement en cause la ligne politique du gouvernement Olmert, ainsi que la confusion de ses décisions militaires.

Selon ses collègues, il s'agit d'une preuve incontestable que les leçons de la deuxième guerre du Liban ont été intégrées. Pourtant, à certains égards, la gestion de la guerre à l'été 2006, aussi pitoyable qu'elle fût, reste toujours meilleure que celle de la crise actuelle. Avant que le gouvernement Olmert ne s'embarque dans la guerre au Liban, il avait présenté ses cibles – peut-être étaient-elles imaginaires, injustifiées et absurdes – mais, au moins, nous avions des cibles. Aujourd'hui, quelle est notre cible ? ue la confusion de ses décisions militaires. suite

EJP | Voices | European Jewish leader supports Turkey’s EU membership

PARIS (EJP)--- During a recent visit to the Turkish capital of Ankara European Jewish Congress President Pierre Besnainou met with Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan and foreign minister Abdullah Gull.

Erdogan talked about the “harmonious relations based on shared values” between Turkey and its 20,000 member Jewish community. Besnainou expressed his satisfaction over the progress made by Turkey in its battle against racism and anti-Semitism in the country. The European Jewish leader also expressed his support for Turkey’s EU membership, saying that it is “in the interest of the EU itself” and that “Turkey is a country that can also positively contribute to the stability of the region." more

ed: this is going to be a long drawn affair, because the majority of EU members are opposed to having Turkey join, including Sarkozy. Though Turkey has been very cooperative with its Jews historically, it is still considered a muslim state. There lies the conundrum.

Women's Lens Mailbox: WCJE

David Lisbona has advised me that the WCJE (World Congress of Jews from Egypt ) will be having its second annual symposium at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv on March 12, 2008.

The program is in PDF form, and you can view it here:

WCJE-Dahan Center BIU -Second Exodus of Jews from Egypt symposim Mar2008-Eng programme.pdf513K View as HTML Download

Wish I could be there to see some of the people I have heard from by email! But it's all in Hebrew, which is something I don't speak....oh well..

It couldn't be any uglier than this....

The man you see on the right is Yahia Jaradi, a Yemenite Jew (his arms are crossed). He is surrounded by Satmar Jews, an ultra-orthodox, Hassidic sect that I had never heard of until yesterday. I am not sure that I was happier after I saw this documentary, but I certainly was better informed.

Yahia, and his wife, Lauza were coerced by this sect in their native Yemen to emigrate to the USA, rather than go to Israel. As an aside, the group is virulently anti-zionist, anti-Israel and actively solicit families to avoid making aliyah, and come to the US instead. Though they have a foothold in Brooklyn, this drama occurred in Monroe Country, upstate New York. How do they convince them to make the journey? They promise them the world on a silver platter, so to speak. A job, a home, housing, a Jewish education for their children (in Yiddish, mind you) and all the comforts you can imagine.

The documentary was made in 2005 by Israeli film director Nitzan Gilady (also of Yemeni origin) who disguised himself as a Hassidic Jew in order to gain access to this very closed community. If you know the rest of the story, please bear with me. Yahia and Lauza have 5 beautiful children; the youngest is about 3, a girl named Hadia. Since the focus of the story is on the girl's death and the anguish experienced by Yahia and Lauza at not being able to even see their daughter's body, we are not made aware that their other children are taken away from them with the pretense that they are unfit parents, and placed in "Jewish homes". Mothers out there, I don't need to tell you what I'd be doing if that happened to me.

Though no charges have been pressed against Lauza, who becomes a prime suspect in her daughter's death, it seems that everything possible is being done to get rid of the Jaradis, since they are now of no use to the Satmars, who have what they need. The children bring them revenue from the families who have "adopted" them. Sounds like kidnapping? Yes, and to boot, charge these fellows with fraud, extortion, endangerment, violation of human rights, - did I miss anything? We get to know another woman who has also "lost" all of her six children. What I'd like to know is where is the justice/criminal system here? Hello, New York, do you hear me?

Lauza is pregnant, but convinced to leave for Israel, lest they come and arrest her. Yahia is distraught with grief at losing his child, and the prospect of losing his wife, at least temporarily. Here, the Satmar reassure him that he can stay in the county until he recovers his children, then he can join his wife. He never sees that day, and a year later, is Israel bound. There, they welcome a new son as we see the celebration of the Milah. All well and good.

What has happened to the children in the U.S.??? Nobody knows..It is indicated at the end of the documentary that Israel was attempting to bring the children home to their parents. Well, has anyone seen them? To my knowledge, the Satmar Jews have not made any headlines in the last few years, otherwise, I would have known their existence. So they get to keep the money, the children, and continue to do their dirty business. If anyone knows anything about the outcome, or any ongoing negotiations, please give a heads up. I am sick to death about this story.

Jews of Yemen, please don't come to the US unless it is without the help of these crooked people. We have Sephardic communities here who speak Hebrew just like you, and pray the same way you do. In fact, none of us really care much about Yiddish; it's too much like German. I know that poverty is a catalyst in making the decision to leave, but don't be taken hostage. The moment you set foot in the country, the Satmar will take your passport so that you cannot move until they have taken what they need from you. Your children. Go to Israel, or wherever you think you will be happy. Do not feed this monster.

Related articles: The Village Voice
The New York Times
Ruth Diskin Films

Watch a short video preview here

Olmert: No fuel? Gazans can walk

Published: 01.21.08, 15:11
Israel News






Israel won't allow for a humanitarian crisis in Gaza but has no intention of making Gazans' lives easier, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday during a Kadima faction meeting.

Olmert promised that, "We will not let the residents of Gaza lead a comfortable and pleasant life" while the residents of Sderot walk around in fear.

"As far as I am concerned, all of Gaza's residents can walk," he added.

To see the YNET news video, click here.

Save the dates: NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival February 7-14

A reminder to those who may have missed our earlier post:


The American Sephardic Federation/Sephardic House, in association with Yeshiva University Museum, announces the 2008 New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival line-up, celebrating a dozen years of thought-provoking films. With the expansion to multiple locations, this one-of-a-kind event running February 7–14, 2008, will offer a deep look through the lens of the Sephardic viewpoint, past, present and beyond.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.ticketweb.com, through the Center for Jewish History Box Office, 15 West 16th Street. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and one hour prior to screenings, or by calling 917-6O6-82OO.

Festival Venues:

American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
The JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Avenue at West 76th Street

For further information on the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival please visit: www.americansephardifederation.org

more

related post: 12th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival

US won’t return Egyptian torture victim to Egypt

First Published: January 21, 2008

CAIRO: In an unprecedented move, a federal judge in the United States intervened with the US government’s decision to return Sameh Khouzam, an Egyptian national and one of Egypt’s torture victims, to Egypt after receiving diplomatic assurance from the government that he will not be tortured upon his return.

"I cannot express how thankful and relieved I am to be a free man again. I am so grateful to my lawyers and to the American court system for stopping the government from sending me back to Egypt where I know I would be tortured," said Khouzam, in a statement released by the ACLU. more

Related articles on the web: No decider needed when law is clear

Egyptian Convicted Of Murder Released From Pennsylvania Prison

Max Liron est arrivé

Hier, dimanche 20 janvier, avait lieu, dans la villa Hollywoodienne de Christina Aguilera, la Brit Milah (circoncision) de son fils Max Liron, né le 12 janvier dernier.

Cette cérémonie, pratiquée au huitième jour de l'enfant, concrétise l'entrée de l'enfant dans la communauté juive. On parle aussi « d'alliance contractée entre Dieu et les enfants d'Israël ». Le second prénom de l'enfant, Liron, qui signifie ma chanson ou ma joie en hébreu, prend ainsi tout son sens.

Pour l'occasion, la chanteuse et son mari Jordan Bratman, tous deux de confession juive, avaient exclusivement convié leurs très proches... suite

Egypt urges Israel, Hamas to end crisis in Gaza

And a crisis it has become; the entire world is now aware that the people in Gaza are hostage to this situation. It needs to end.

21 Jan 2008, 10:09 GMT

CAIRO, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Egypt has urged Israel to halt what it described as collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza and called on Islamist group Hamas to stop firing rockets into the Jewish state, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday to warn him of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Egypt's state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

Large parts of the coastal strip plunged into darkness on Sunday when its main power plant shut down after Israel blocked fuel supplies and closed the border to the Hamas-run territory. more.

Sephardic Mayor Uzi Cohen dies in Israel

Uzi Cohen, respected by thousands at his funeral in Ra'anana.
Photo: Joel Leyden

Ra'anana, Israel ----- January 19, 2008 ....... The sleepy, affluent Tel Aviv suburb of Ra'anana, Israel awoke Friday to the news that its Deputy Mayor, Uzi Cohen had died the night before from a massive heart attack. He succumbed to heart failure at the young age of 55.

But then again anyone who checks insurance statistics will see that many men hear the sirens of ambulances between 50 - 55. It is not an easy age for men. And for Cohen it must have been ten times as hard. more

Anti-Semitism in Venezuela —again?

Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Sun, 01/20/2008 - 04:37.

Two dozen heavily armed special police from the Venezuelan Interior Ministry searched the Hebraica community center in Caracas last month, ostensibly looking for weapons or evidence of "subversive activity." There were no arrests or seizure of property. The Venezuelan Jewish community's umbrella organization, the Confederation of Israelite Associations of Venezuela (CAIV), protested the raid as an "unjustifiable act" aimed at creating tensions between the community and the government of President Hugo Chávez. "It seems that the only interpretation is that this was an intimidation by the government," CAIV president Abraham Levy Benshimol told New York's Jewish weekly The Forward, noting that the raid came on the eve of the referndum on Chávez's proposed constitutional reform. "We're facing the first anti-Jewish government in our history,” added Hebraica president Simon Sultan.

Read the rest on Bill's Blog

Read about the raid on the Hebraica Community Center here

NYC Native Suzanne Pleshette Dies at 70

Known for her smoky voice and role as Bob Newhart's no-nonsense wife in The Bob Newhart Show, Suzanne Pleshette died at age 70 last night. Pleshette had suffered from lung cancer in recent years.

Pleshette was born in NYC and attended LaGuardia High School, aka the High School for the Performing Arts. She started on Broadway in 1957, eventually replacing Anne Bancroft in The MIracle Worker, and started to star in some TV series around the same time. Her first memorable Hollywood role was in the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds (she plays the schoolteacher Annie).

Fun fact: In 1990, Pleshette played Leona Helmsley a TV movie, Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean (Pleshette was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe).

Related Post: The Queen of Mean dies at 87

Egyptians brave dangers at sea for jobs in Italy

Egyptian men travel in the town of Tatoun, Egypt.

Italy has a strong influence on growth and even
street names because so many men have found
success in Italy.

By PAUL SCHEMM and MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press

TATOUN, EGYPT — In this town in one of Egypt's poorest provinces, lavish villas with rooftop swimming pools and escalators tower over mud brick houses. Main streets are named Roma and Milano, and men in traditional Egyptian robes admit to having developed a taste for espresso.

Italy looms large in the life of Tatoun. Thousands of the town's young men make the dangerous, illegal journey across the Mediterranean to Italy to flee grinding poverty, high unemployment and rising prices at home. more

Related articles: Egypt's New Exodus, $7000 for a Chance to Work in Europe

Souvenirs d'Egypte en Photos

Merci a Iosseff Hakim d'envoyer ces beaux souvenirs

Vendeur de limonade

Vendeur d'artichauds

Naissance d'un tarbouch

Patissier

Le Journal du Caire

Diseur de bonne aventure

Détente Royale

Cocher de fiacre

Jews in Caucasus and Armenia: Mountain Jews

The Jews from the Caucasus region are known as Mountain Jews and these people are one of the oldest inhabitants of the region. ‘The distinct identity of Mountain Jews is believed to have crystallized by the eight century, which waves of Jewish immigrants began migrating to the Caucasus from Persia. Members of the community spoke Dzhuhuri – a kind of “Persian Yiddish” – a Farsi dialect with a heavy mixture of Hebrew’.

Although the Jews were known to live in Armenia in ancient times, most of them had emigrated from the region in the early years. However, in the early 19th century they began arriving in the region mainly from Persia and Poland, creating Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities in the city of Yerevan.

The number of the Jewish community increased after the World War Two when Moscow sent a number of Jews from the different territories of the Union to Yerevan. After the war the number of Jews was estimated over 5,000. Despite the number of the Jews dramatically decreased in the 1970s and the 80s, the Jews maintained their position in Armenia as one of the major minorities. In brief, the Jewish community had managed to survive, and thrive under the Muslim, Christian and communist rulers in Armenia until the end of the Soviet Union. more

La Communauté Juive de Roumanie

« Il reste très peu de juifs à Iasi », affirme Olga Chimir, qui est depuis 26 ans l’administrateur du cimetière. Elle ajoute que sur la colline de Pacuret on trouve pas moins de 200.000 sépultures de personnes juives, occupant une superficie de 23 hectares. Il n’y a pas de documents attestant avec précision le nombre de tombes qui existent dans le cimetière. Selon les chefs de la communauté juive de Iasi, il y en aurait 100.000, alors que certains ouvrages parlent de 140.000.

La communauté juive de la ville de Iasi compte de nos jours environ 500 personnes. Ils sont pour la plus part âgés (souvent plus de 70 ans), certains ayant survécu à l’Holocauste. Ceux qui sont encore en vie essaient de garder très vive dans leur mémoire une époque déjà révolue. A l’évocation du Pogrom, des trains de la mort, des bombardements de la guerre, la voix devient hésitante lorsqu’ils parlent, et le fil de leur hi