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Thursday November 15, 2007

Shorts: U.S.

O.U. promotes ‘Jerusalem Sabbath’

The Orthodox Union called on its synagogues to observe a “Jerusalem Sabbath” ahead of the Palestinian-Israeli talks.

In a statement, the Orthodox umbrella group called the Nov. 16 to 17 campaign “part of its multifaceted campaign to keep Jerusalem from being divided during Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations at Annapolis and beyond.” — jta

Bobover rebbe’s glasses for sale

A woman is trying to sell the late Bobover rebbe’s eyeglasses for $350,000.

A posting on eBay lists the glasses, “worn daily for over two decades by the Grand Rabbi Solomon Halberstam,” for the hefty sum. Shipping is listed at $125.

“Right now there are many people who are interested, but no one has bid yet,” said Daniel Givotovsky, who said he posted the glasses on behalf of a seller whose husband was the rebbe’s optometrist. — jta

Jewish lawyers push for humane executions

A group of Jewish lawyers is pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure that the death penalty is humane.

The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists hopes that the humane principles of Jewish law will help sway the high court as it considers a case regarding the humanity of killing prisoners by lethal injection.

The Washington-based group filed an amicus brief this week with the court in the case of Ralph Baze and Thomas C. Bowling v. Jonathan D. Rees, which questions whether death by lethal injection, as currently administered in Kentucky, is in violation of the Eighth Amendment right to protection from “cruel and unusual punishment.”

The lawyers’ group contends that “any method of administering capital punishment that fails the contemporary standards of rapid and painless death is unacceptable.”

In its brief, the group cites the directive in Leviticus to “love your neighbor as yourself” as a prohibition of unethical methods of capital punishment. The case argues whether the current triple cocktail of an anesthetic, a drug to paralyze muscles and another to stop the heart is painful and antiquated. — jta

AJC member gets top House post

A lawyer active for years in the American Jewish Congress has been named general counsel for the House of Representatives.

Irv Nathan was named to the post by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco. The appointment took effect this month.

Nathan, like Pelosi, a Baltimore native, is a past member of the AJCongress’ executive committee and has litigated church-state issues on the group’s behalf.

As general counsel, Nathan will take the lead role in congressional battles with the Bush administration over access to records and witnesses related to a number of cases. — jta

Rabbis, imams put differences aside

Jewish and Muslim clergy gathered for the first American summit of rabbis and imams last week.

Organized by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, the summit in New York brought together a handpicked group of 25 rabbis and imams from major cities across the country.

Sessions explored commonalities between Jewish and Muslim approaches to ritual and texts. Workshops were intended to promote cooperation between synagogues and mosques on issues of mutual concern. — jta

Albright, Cohen tapped to head genocide project

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum recruited two Bill Clinton-era Cabinet secretaries to launch a genocide prevention project.

Madeleine Albright, a former secretary of state, and William Cohen, a former defense secretary, will head the Genocide Prevention Task Force.

Other participating bodies are the U.S. Institute of Peace, a government-funded think tank, and the American Academy of Diplomacy, an association of former U.S. diplomats that seeks to promote excellence in the corps. — jta

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