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Thursday September 27, 2007

Shorts: World

Holocaust memorial unveiled in Ukraine

A new Holocaust monument was unveiled Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Ukraine. The monument is located in the village of Loev in western Ukraine, where the Nazis and local collaborators killed more than 2,000 Jews in September 1941. Its construction was initiated and funded by parliament member Aleksandr Feldman, president of the Jewish Foundation of Ukraine, with the assistance of the local administration. — jta

India to launch Israeli satellite

An Indian missile will launch the IDF’s most-advanced satellite to date, capable of transmitting tiny images in all weather conditions.

The satellite is called Tecsar and was developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries for the Israel Defense Forces. It will be the first Israeli satellite with the radar capabilities to allow the camera to take pictures of targets under cloudy and foggy conditions. It also is the first time Israel is launching a satellite aboard an Indian missile. The decision to launch the missile from India was reached three years ago during a visit there by then-Defense Ministry director-general Amos Yaron. — jps

Cathedral to build Frank annex replica

A replica of the Amsterdam room where Jewish teenager Anne Frank wrote her diary will be housed in a British cathedral as part of a commemoration of the Holocaust, organizers said last week.

The re-creation of her secret annex at Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral will be part of the Anne Frank Festival and open a few weeks before the northwest port city hosts Britain’s Holocaust Day commemorative service Jan. 27, marking the anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation.

Exhibition organizer Jerry Goldman acknowledged that he had reservations about placing the exhibition in a place of Christian worship. He recognized that some Jews may be offended. Still, he said, “I don’t think they [Jews] will have issues with it being there, because they will understand the value of it coming to Liverpool.” — ap

Blair’s wife fights for British spy

The wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair is fighting for recognition of a British spy who fought the Nazis. Attorney Cherie Booth appeared in a London court Sept. 21 to help gain legal recognition for Paul Rosbaud, who tried to undermine the Nazis.

The Austrian-born Rosbaud’s efforts are mostly unknown because documents pertaining to his activities are sealed in the archives of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service. Booth and Rosbaud’s nephew, Vincent Frank-Steiner, are trying to force the intelligence service to release the documents.

A scientific journalist, Rosbaud provided information on Hitler’s weapons program to Britain and warned the world of the Reich’s nuclear ambitions. Rosbaud, who died in 1963, was recruited by and worked closely with Maj. Frank Foley, a British diplomat and spy in prewar Berlin who as a passport control officer saved thousands of Jews from concentration camps. No date for the conclusion of the case has been established. — jta

Ancient gravestones a ‘sensation’

Jewish gravestones from as early as the 12th century were found in southwest Germany. Some 20 Jewish gravestones were found during excavations for planned housing construction next to the wall of the old Jewish cemetery in the community of Mainz. The stones are among the oldest ever found in the Rheinland-Pfalz region, experts said. Construction plans have been halted pending a decision from the Berlin-based Orthodox Rabbinical Council.

An on-site meeting held recently included representatives of the Jewish community, the city, the rabbinical conference, landmarks preservationists and construction foremen. Jewish studies expert Andreas Lehnardt of Mainz told a German news agency that the find was a “sensation” and some of the stones included the names of famous learned rabbis. — jta

Ghetto worker payments criticized

A one-time $2,795 payment by the German government for survivors who were forced to work in Jewish ghettos established by the Nazis is “embarrassingly insufficient,” a critic said.

The statement came in response to a decision by the German government Sept. 19 to compensate Jewish ghetto workers who had not yet received any payments.

While many victims of the Nazis’ forced labor program received compensation through a German slave labor fund that ended payments at the end of last year, an estimated 50,000 who were forced to work in ghettos established by the Nazis, most notoriously in occupied territories such as Poland, did not qualify. They have not yet received any financial compensation for their labor. — ap

Neo-Nazi march in disguise?

A protest against the Iraq war in Prague’s Jewish Quarter is really a neo-Nazi march, a Czech group says.

The planned march by the Young National Democrats is really a front for the extreme right National Resistance, which got municipal approval for a demonstration on Nov. 10, the 69th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Tolerance and Civil Society group has told the Czech press.

The group said the march is being led by one of the country’s most active neo-Nazis. March organizers said they expect 150 participants. Counter-demonstrators in Prague for such events typically far outnumber nationals and extremists. — jta

AEA resolution criticizes Israel

A 144-nation atomic energy conference criticized Israel Sept. 21 for refusing to put its nuclear program under international purview.

Besides the United States, only Israel voted against the resolution, while 53 nations backed it and 47 abstained. The remaining nations were absent for the highly unusual vote — only the second in the 16 years the issue has been on the agenda of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The move was clearly aimed at Israel, which is considered to have nuclear weapons despite its “no tell” policy on the issue. Israel counts on the United States as its chief ally for support — both in the outside world and in forums such as the conference. — ap

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