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Friday February 2, 2007

Shorts: U.S.

Penalty unlikely in use of cluster bombs

Israel probably violated the terms of its purchase of U.S.-made cluster bombs, U.S. officials say, but — unlike the last time Israel used the deadly munitions in Lebanon — it’s unlikely to face repercussions.

The Bush administration delivered a classified report to Congress on Monday, Jan. 29, regarding Israel’s use of the cluster bombs in civilian areas last summer in its war against Hezbollah.

Israel has said that it used the bombs in civilian areas long after civilians had fled in response to Israeli warnings, a fact that the report recognized. Washington pundits said the United States will continue to sell cluster bombs to Israel since they were used in a defensive war against terrorist factions. — jta

Former CIA chief: Let Pollard go

A former CIA director said he thinks Jonathan Pollard should be released.

“My view is that a 20-year sentence is enough,” James Woolsey, who directed the spy agency from 1993-1995, told Arutz Sheva, an Israeli radio station. “The close relationship between the U.S. and Israel, a democracy, is also a consideration.”

Pollard, a former U.S. Navy analyst, is serving a life sentence for spying for Israel. U.S. Jewish groups and Israeli leaders for years have advocated for his release, saying that others convicted of similar crimes have served shorter sentences. But previous efforts to release Pollard have been frustrated by the opposition of the U.S. intelligence community. — jta

Muslim group, Boxer make up

A Muslim advocacy group said it has resolved its conflict with a Jewish U.S. senator who rescinded her award to one of the group’s executives.

“We have addressed the issues related to this unfortunate and unnecessary incident, and have agreed with Senator Boxer that we should all move forward to build a nation in which people of all faiths work together to promote respect and tolerance,” a statement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a release after its meeting Jan. 23 with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Boxer had awarded Bassim Elkara, who heads Sacramento’s CAIR chapter, a “certificate of achievement” in November, but rescinded the award earlier this month after a campaign by a number of conservative groups.

CAIR, founded in 1994, at one time vigorously defended Hamas and Hezbollah, terrorist groups that target Israel. In recent years, however, it has taken a tougher line against al Qaida and terrorism in general, and has avoided ties with Hamas and Hezbollah. — jta

Judge rejects complaint in AIPAC case

The judge in the classified information case against two former AIPAC staffers dismissed their request for a hearing on what they called violations of grand jury leak laws.

In a decision Friday, Jan. 26, Judge T.S. Ellis said media reports on the case cited by lawyers for Steve Rosen, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s former foreign policy chief, and Keith Weissman, its former top Iran analyst, appeared to quote law enforcement officials and did not stem from deliberations inside the grand jury room.

“The reports cite no grand jury transcripts, reveal no grand jury testimony, name no grand jury witnesses,” the judge said. — jta

Lawmaker advocates for Yemeni Jews

A Jewish lawmaker called on Yemen to help members of its Jewish population who fled their homes due to threats from Muslim extremists.

A statement from U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) said he had spoken to Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi. Qirbi said the Jews of Sa’ada would be returning to their homes, but it couldn’t be confirmed that they did so.

“A number of government levels from a number of countries were involved in” seeking a solution, said Stanley Urman, executive director of Justice for Jews in Arab Countries. “There seems to be an evolving resolution.”

In January a local al Qaida faction threatened the 45-member community with murder, looting and abductions if they did not leave their homes, so community members moved to a hotel. The Yemeni government said it would look into Jewish property losses and make restitution, according to Ackerman. — jta

Congresswoman urges Mideast envoy

A Jewish congresswoman introduced a resolution urging the Bush administration to appoint a special envoy to the Middle East.

“The days of intermittent attempts to solve the difficult issues between Israelis and Palestinians must come to an end,” Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) wrote to colleagues earlier this week.

“The time to take diplomacy off the backburner and into the forefront of American international efforts is now. A special envoy, with the mission of securing a lasting peace through negotiation, must be quickly dispatched to the region. Time is not on our side.”

As a young woman, Davis spent a year in Israel working on a kibbutz. — jta

Orthodox group questions X-ray machines

Agudath Israel of America raised concerns with U.S. authorities about X-ray security machines. In a release, the Orthodox organization said it was not satisfied with Department of Homeland Security assurances that “cloaking” software made the images less explicit.

“For many passengers, however, the religiously observant among them, ‘less explicit’ may fall far short of an acceptable standard of modesty,” Agudah said.

It said the department was demonstrating a willingness to cooperate, noting that the Transportation Security Administration several years ago agreed to provide separate rooms for searches involving the removal of wigs or hats out of respect for the modesty of religious travelers. — jta

Minister donates kidney to rabbi

A Philadelphia Reform rabbi received a kidney donated by a local Methodist minister.

Rabbi Andrew Bossov’s surgery Jan. 22 was made possible by the Rev. Karen Onesti’s organ donation. The procedure, performed at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, was a success.

The clerics, who both lead congregations in the suburb of Mount Laurel, N.J., have known each other for about four years.

Bossov, 47, was first diagnosed with kidney problems some 10 years ago due to medication he was taking. He began dialysis about a year ago and was placed on a transplant list. When Onesti learned of Bossov’s situation at the monthly interfaith meeting they attend, she offered one of her kidneys. The two have become ambassadors for organ donation, telling their story to various media outlets. — jta

JDub, Matisyahu settle

Chassidic reggae star Matisyahu and JDub, the Jewish nonprofit record label that discovered him, have settled a breach of contract dispute.

Matisyahu retained JDub in a management capacity under a four-year contract after he signed with a Sony Records subsidiary two years ago. But days before Matisyahu’s best-selling “Youth” album was released in 2006, he notified JDub that he had retained another manager, Gary Gersh, even though he had three years remaining on his JDub contract.

Instead of going to court, the two parties reached an amicable settlement, JDub announced Jan. 24.

“We really do wish him well and we are proud of the work we did,” said Jacob Harris, JDub’s director of artist development. — jta

North American astronauts visit Israel

A pair of North American astronauts are in Israel to attend memorial services for Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut, who was killed in the 2003 Columbia space shuttle crash.

Joseph Tanner from NASA and Steve MacLean from the Canadian Space Agency were scheduled to take part in memorial events this week for the Columbia crew.

“When Ilan was in space, we all felt the excitement and uniqueness of his task,” said Rona Ramon, the astronaut’s widow. “Space captures the imagination. I am glad to be with Steve and Joseph today, who are good friends who continue to perpetuate Ilan’s memory.”

The Columbia burst into flames after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003. All seven crew members were killed. — jta

Survivor seeks restitution for posters

A Holocaust survivor is seeking the restitution of his father’s Nazi-looted poster collection.

The Associated Press reported that Peter Sachs of Florida was a year old in 1938 when the Nazis seized the collection and his family fled to the United States. Sachs returned to Germany for the first time Tuesday, Jan. 30 in an attempt to retrieve the thousands of first-run prints, which could be worth up to $50 million.

His father, Hans, the foremost poster collector in Germany when Nazi official Joseph Goebbels seized his collection, received $50,000 in compensation from Germany after the war, when it was believed the posters had been destroyed. In fact, 4,300 prints remain and are on display at the German Historical Museum, which inherited them from East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. — jta

Hadassah founder to be honored

The National Women’s Hall of Fame announced that Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah, will be inducted.

Szold was born in 1860 in Baltimore to Hungarian immigrant parents. Besides the founding of Hadassah, she is credited with the creation of night schools in America and Youth Aliyah in pre-state Israel, which brought over thousands of children from Europe during World War II.

The announcement Jan. 25 said the other 2007 inductees include five historical figures and four living people of varied careers, including an engineer, a social reformer, an environmental advocate and an astronomer.

Some 217 women are in the Hall of Fame. — jta