San Diego Jewish World

                                            Friday Afternoon
, June 29, 2007    

                                                                      Vol. 1, Number 60
 

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6/29/07 SDJW Report
(click on headline below to jump to the story)

International and National
Katsav resigns as Israel's president in plea bargain

Wexler wants EU to declare Hezbollah 'terrorist'

Anti-Semitic vandalism at Ottawa cemetery

EJC President calls on Venezuela's Chavez to curb anti-Semitism

Alarmed by teen glorification of WWII fascism, Wiesenthal Center urges education in Croatia

Ahmadanejad's twisted logic in Holocaust denial

American Jewish Committee names attorney
Victoria Schonfeld assistant executive director


Rep. Steve Kagen says he'll send pay raise back

Commentary
Immigration bill defeat disappoints HIAS chief

Columnist tells responses to his anti-WJC column

Regional and Local
Baby Cheer at Seacrest Village

Sports
Jews in Sports
Advertisements
Anderson Travel
JCC Fitness
Jewish American Chamber of Commerce
Seacrest Village Retirement Communities

Katsav resigns as Israel's president in plea bargain
over sexual harassment 

JERUSALEM (WJC)—Israel’s suspended president Moshe Katsav has confessed to sexual misconduct under a plea bargain that spares him more serious charges and possible prison time. Katsav will be convicted of sexually harassing and molesting two female staff as well as witness tampering, Israel’s attorney general Menachem Mazuz announced on Thursday.

Katsav will receive a suspended prison sentence and pay compensation to the complainants. The deal allows Katsav to escape a possible indictment on charges that he raped a former aide, for which he could have spent as much as 18 years in prison. A poll conducted by the ‘Yedioth Ahronoth’ newspaper and the Dahaf Institute found that 69 percent of the public opposed the plea bargain arrangement for Katsav.

Today, Katsav, who had long denied wrongdoing in the case, formally resigned from the presidency. Knesset speaker Dalia Itzik will continue to serve as acting president for the next two weeks until Shimon Peres takes over the presidency.

The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress

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Wexler wants EU to declare Hezbollah 'terrorist'

WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—Congressman Robert Wexler (Democrat, Florida), a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, will travel to France next week and meet with leading French officials, including Foreign Minister Kouchner and members of the French National Assembly. Wexler also plans to meet with the leaders of the Jewish and Muslim communities in Paris.

The purpose of Congressman Wexler’s visit will be to strengthen US-French bilateral relations following the recent election of President Nicholas Sarkozy. Congressman Wexler will also focus on US-French and US-EU cooperation in the Middle East specifically as it relates to Israel, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip and the terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas. Last week, Wexler held a hearing in the Subcommittee on Europe that brought needed attention to the threat posed by Hezbollah to France, the EU and international community. Congressman Wexler’s hearing shed light on Hezbollah’s vast network in Europe and how its omission from the EU list of terrorist groups has strengthened its operational capabilities in the Middle East and globally. At the hearing Wexler called on President Sarkozy and EU governments to add Hezbollah to the EU’s terrorist list.

During the visit Wexler will also focus on defense, security and non-proliferation cooperation as it relates to thwarting Iran’s nuclear weapons program, securing Afghanistan and bringing the Balkans fully into the transatlantic community. Additional topics of discussion will include the growing French role in Darfur and Chad, Turkey’s European Union’s (EU) accession and constitutional process, Ballistic Missile Defense cooperation, and Russia.

“America, France and Europe face difficult foreign policy challenges from Afghanistan to Lebanon and from Iran to Sudan. I look forward to deepening the US-Franco partnership and transatlantic relations, both of which are central to global security and stability,” Congressman Wexler said. “I believe America has an important new partner in President Sarkozy, and I look forward to working with his government to address common threats to the United States, France, Europe and Israel.”

The preceding article was provided by the office of Congressman Wexler
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Anti-Semitic vandalism at Ottawa cemetery

OTTAWA, Canada (WJC)—Police in this Canadian capital, are investigating a third incident of vandalism at a Jewish cemetery in three months.

The ‘Ottawa Citizen’ newspaper reports that tombstones were found overturned on Tuesday night, June 26, at the cemetery on Bank Street. In addition, some footstones were destroyed and the irrigation system was destroyed.

In April, vandals spray-painted neo-Nazi graffiti on a wall at the cemetery. The same month, vandals overturned a number of tombstones. "We believe these recurring events are linked.“ a police spokesman told the newspaper.

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EJC President calls on Venezuela's Chavez to curb anti-Semitism

MOSCOW (Press Release)—The newly elected President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC) Viatcheslav (Moshe) Kantor, has called on the Government of Venezuela and President Hugo Chávez, who is currently visiting Russia, to address the issue of escalating anti-Semitism in Venezuela.

Kantor, who is also president of the Russian Jewish Congress, stated that Venuezuela should make every effort to ensure the free and safe existence of the local Jewish community, and to counteract efficiently manifestations and acts of anti-Semitism and xenophobia in the country.

Kantor was elected President of the European Jewish Congress by the EJC General Assembly on Tuesday June 26.

The preceding article was provided by the European Jewish Congress

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Alarmed by teen glorification of WWII fascism,
Wiesenthal Center urges education in Croatia

LOS ANGELES (Press Release)—The Simon Wiesenthal Center protested to the Croatian government over the open display of WWII-era fascist symbols, banners and uniforms by fans at a recent concert in Zagreb. The headliner act, “Thompson”, proudly promotes Croatian ultranationalism in their music, sometimes celebrating heroes of the Ustashe--the fascist party who sided with Hitler during WWII--and heroes of the 1991 Balkan war, some of whom are suspected war criminals. Especially alarming to the Center was a song expressing nostalgia for the concentration camps Jasenovac and Stara Gradiska, where at least 90,000 Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and anti-fascist Croatians perished at the hands of the Ustashe.
       
In a letter to Neven Jurica, the Croatian Ambassador to the U.S., Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center, expressed alarm at the concert, saying that while the Center respects Croatia’s democracy, “…it is clear that this kind of behavior, left unanswered, will not only mock the victims of the past but threaten the future of democracy.”
       
Cooper urged the Ambassador that Croatia’s youth need to fully understand the horrors of the past by adding significant revisions to the current exhibition at the Jasenovac camp site to name those who ran the camp and to “directly and fully explain that it was Ustashe’s racism, antisemitism and xenophobia that spawned Jasenovac.”

Cooper also urged the Croatian government to push legislation that would ban the use of Ustashe symbols, much in the same way that Germany and Austria ban the use of the swastika. Such a bill had been previously rejected by the Supreme Court on a technicality.

The Wiesenthal Center’s Israel Director, Efraim Zuroff, also protested to the Croatian government. Zuroff, who heads the Center’s efforts to bring WWII war criminals to justice, played a key role in the arrest, deportation and conviction of Dinko Sakic, the commandant of Jasenovac, in 1999. The Wiesenthal Center was also instrumental in the 1984 arrest of Ustashe Interior Minister Andrija Artukovic
 
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A Herald in Zion....
   
      Notes from Mevasseret Zion
                                           
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

  Ahmadanejad's twisted logic in Holocaust denial

MEVASSERET ZION, Israel—The not-so-hidden agenda behind that recent ‘Holocaust Conference’ organized by Iran’s President Ahmadanejad was, naturally, to deny that the Shoah ever happened. How anyone can come up with such a preposterous idea, especially considering the numerous eye-witnesses and copious documentation bequeathed by the perpetrators, is difficult to grasp.

There is method in Ahmadanejad’s madness, however. If Israel exists because of the Holocaust one needs only to deny the latter in order to delegitimise the former. Ahmadanejad thinks that Israel should be wiped off the map, hence once the Holocaust is dismissed from history Iran can finish the job undertaken by the Nazis.

Israel did not come into existence as a result of the Holocaust, though it undoubtedly helped. The fact is that numerous Jewish towns, villages, agricultural settlements and institutions existed before 1948, when Israel gained independence. Zionists had been settling the area for at least sixty years beforehand. Incidentally, the internationally renowned Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is currently celebrating its seventieth anniversary

.Israel gained its independence once the British Mandate ended. The UN resolution of 1947 called for the partition of the area between Arabs and Jews. At that time the Jewish population of Israel was 650,000 and already then had all the trappings of an independent sovereign entity, including the Jewish Agency, the Federation of Labour, and a Provisional Council of State (later the Knesset).

I recently read a book containing the diaries written in Hebrew between 1919 and 1936 by a girl who later became a leading author of children’s literature in Israel, Yemima Tchernovitz. The vivid accounts of the life of young people in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in those years and the sense of mission at being present at the creation of an independent entity long before the Holocaust occurred or the state of Israel was established are truly inspiring. No-one who reads the book can have any doubts about Israel’s existence long before the Final Solution.


The foregoing article was reprinted from the AJR Journal (Association of Jewish Refugees) in England.

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Nancy Harrison of Anderson Travel presents: Adventures in Cruising

Watch this ad for a different cruising photo each day. The adventure can be yours!

My thanks to Abe & Bea Goldberg and Ruth Kropveld for sharing photos of their family cruise on Holland America's Ryndam.

Call Nancy Harrison at (619) 265-0808 to help you book a cruise from San Diego or anywhere. Or click this ad to go right to her email.


                                                                        

Aboard Holland America Ryndam
San Diego  to Mexico cruising


Aircraft carrier USS Midway, now a
museum ship, is in background as Ryndam
readies to leave on a cruise for Mexico



 

American Jewish Committee names attorney
Victoria Schonfeld assistant executive director

NEW YORK (Press Release)— Victoria Schonfeld has been named Assistant Executive Director for Strategic Planning for the American Jewish Committee.

 

“It is a great privilege to join the extraordinary professional staff of the American Jewish Committee,” said Schonfeld. “I look forward to actively helping to guide this leading global advocacy organization from strength to further strength in its second century of making a difference for the Jewish people.”

 

In this new executive position at AJC, Schonfeld will be responsible for global strategic planning, as well as direct involvement in legal, financial and “troubleshooting” matters.

 

“AJC is fortunate to have Vicki Schonfeld, with a distinguished legal career in some of the nation’s leading law and financial firms, on board,” said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris. “She has a deep understanding of, and commitment, to AJC through her involvement with our organization. Vicki is an individual of exceptional character, accomplishment and intellect.”

 

Schonfeld comes to AJC after more than 30 years as a highly regarded corporate and securities lawyer, most recently as a partner in the New York office of Goodwin, Procter LLP. She previously worked at the law firms of Wilmer Cutler Hale and Arnold & Porter, and was a senior officer at Paine Webber Inc. and Mitchell Hutchins Asset Management Inc.

 

Schonfeld has been an active member of AJC’s national Board of Governors and the New York Chapter’s Executive Committee.  She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a Harlan Fiske Scholar at Columbia University School of Law. She was a Wexner Heritage Fellow and has been active in Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York.  She will start at AJC in September.

 
 
The preceding story was provided by the American Jewish Committee

Rep. Steve Kagen says he'll send payraise back

WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—
Congressman Steve Kagen (Democrat,Wisconsin) is refusing to accept the pay raise Congress voted itself this week."I will return to the U.S. Treasury any amount paid to me in excess of the payments I began to receive as of January 2007,” Kagen said.

Congressmen and Senators currently earn $165,200 per year.  The House of Representatives approved an annual pay raise in a procedural motion Wednesday night not to block an automatic cost-of-living raise of about $4,400. 

Congressman Kagen is planning to use his pay raise to pay down the national debt.  The Treasury Department has set up an account that accepts contributions for reducing the debt.  Kagen will write a check for the difference and mail it to: Attn Dept G Bureau Of the Public Debt, P. O. Box 2188, Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188

  The preceding story was provided by the office of Congressman Kagen
 

 

           Commentary
              
Please send your letters to sdheritage@cox.net,
or to San Diego Jewish World, PO Box 19363, San Diego,
CA, (USA) 92119. Please include the name of the city where you live.

 Immigration bill defeat disappoints HIAS chief


By Gideon Aronoff

NEW YORK (Press Release)—HIAS – the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society – is extremely disappointed in the Senate’s failure to move forward with a comprehensive immigration bill that would have helped millions of immigrants and their families. Giving way to partisan politics, the Senate blocked an opportunity to change the status quo of illegality, exploitation, and human suffering. Instead of delivering a real solution, the Senate delivered a huge blow to making progress.

While we are deeply disappointed that so many of our elected officials chose to oppose moving forward with legislation that would have benefited so many hardworking immigrant families in this country and provided an orderly pathway for others to come, we applaud those Senators who voted to keep the debate alive, and therefore, the opportunity to improve the legislation in the House of Representatives. We commend those Senators for choosing leadership and courage to restore greatness to America’s tradition of being a welcoming nation.

HIAS has consistently urged Congress to adopt comprehensive immigration reform that: offers a path to citizenship to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows; creates wider legal channels for future workers and worker protections; reunites families; and includes enforcement and border security measures that are meaningful, effective, and humane. Since the first Jewish immigrants arrived in America three hundred and fifty years ago, the Jewish community understands well what it means to come to this country to seek freedom and opportunity and be with family members. This generation of immigrants must not be denied that same opportunity.

The Jewish community also knows better than many that strong enforcement and border security policy is in our national interest and must be a priority. At the same time, the security of the United States can only be enhanced with comprehensive reform that combines effective and targeted enforcement policies with future worker and legalization programs that are workable and fair. Attempts to tighten enforcement while providing legal opportunities for the current undocumented immigrant population and future flows of immigrant workers will allow the best targeting of enforcement resources on those migrants who pose the greatest danger of terrorist or criminal connections rather than maintaining the current situation where immigration agents are forced to waste resources chasing busboys and nannies. It is also critical that our approach to enforcement must be one that respects the dignity of human rights and life.

HIAS will continue to make this a high priority and push for comprehensive immigration reform that will, once and for all, repair our broken system in way that our nation wants and deserves. Without action from our elected officials in Congress, we are left with the status quo of migrant deaths in the desert, sweeping raids in the workplace that separate families and displace essential workers, prolonged waits for family reunification, and a chaotic and inhumane immigration and enforcement policy. This is not the answer. And to be sure, today’s status quo will not be tomorrow’s. With each day that passes without comprehensive immigration reform, the status quo will worsen. More families will be kept apart. More immigrants will be desperate to come to this country without safety. More immigrants will live with fear and without the opportunity to become a part of American society. We call on Congress and the Administration to put aside politics and do what’s right for this country. We must continue toward a solution that is practical and fair.

 Aronoff is president and chief executive officer of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

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Columnist tells responses to his anti-WJC column

 
By Dov Burt Levy

BOSTON, Mass.—I called in my June 16 column for the World Jewish Congress to quietly close its doors and go out of business. Here is a sample of the many responses I received.

Reader: "Scandalous that the organization has come to its current state when you consider the noble efforts of Gerhart Riegner in WJC's earliest days." (Professor Emeritus, Public Affairs)

DBL. Thanks for the reminder about Dr. Riegner, the WJC representative in Geneva, who first alerted the world to the mass murder of Jews in Germany and Poland with his now famous telegram in August 1942 to Rabbi Stephen Wise, president of WJC, and to a Jewish member of the British Parliament.

Reader: "Yes, I find these facts [about WJC] troublesome. But do we know anything about the effectiveness of this organization? Have they played a key role in any Jewish issues? Have they partnered with other organizations to create compelling results? How are they seen by others working on Jewish issues? Would you feel differently if the organization had a record of effectiveness? Just questions. I have no idea who they are and what they do." (Professor Emeritus, Public Administration)

DBL: That you don't know who they are and what they do speaks to what they don't do. Yes, WJC had a record of accomplishment in its earlier years, providing evidence of the Nazi killings in 1943, blowing the whistle on former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim's hidden German military service, publicizing the dormant bank accounts in Switzerland belonging to Holocaust victims and negotiating its disbursement and more. But the past ten years or more have been a barren wasteland of one-man rule of the organization, with minor accomplishment or transparency. Their $15 million annual budget in the three years, 2003-2005, raises the question, is this enough bang for the donors' bucks?

I don't disparage Jewish philanthropy. The tradition that 'big earners be big givers' has served the Jewish community very well. Without them, we wouldn't have Jewish hospitals, Brandeis University, Operation Birthright, Jewish community centers or day schools, on and on.

I care, though, when 80 percent of the WJC money is raised from ordinary people who respond to solicitations in the mail. Their 2005 budget showed contributions of $10 million (yes, they took $5 million from reserves), with about $2 million coming from President Bronfman and a foundation; the rest from individual donors responding to fund-raising in the mail — sending large blue envelopes, containing a pen, asking for a signature on an anti-Semitism petition to the United Nations, and by the way, a contribution to WJC?

I dislike that the organization's name sounds like the UN of the Jewish world. The WJC's CEO is called Secretary-General. Takes my breath away!

And you ask how WJC relates to other Jewish organizations? Stephen Herbits, who resigned as WJC Secretary-General last week following the Lauder election, had come on board as a consultant five years ago to steady the organization as the outcry about mismanagement and financial irregularities hit the press. When Rabbi Singer, the Secretary-General for a quarter of a century, was fired, Herbits took the Secretary-General title.

Here is what Herbits said about the ADL and AJC to writer Craig Horowitz, as told in a New York magazine story titled, "Machers in Meltdown." Herbits apparently was angry because he thought his sister Jewish organizations were bad mouthing WJC.

Herbits told the reporter, "As you talk to the leaders of the other Jewish organizations, check their accomplishments against their governance. They've got perfect governance and no f--king accomplishments."

Herbits' statement indicates that things were not going well in the New York Jewish organizational world. But what kind of dumb pool room language is that for a top World Jewish Congress official to use with a journalist who was bound, no doubt delighted, to quote him exactly?

Would I feel differently had the WJC accomplished great things? Sure, I wouldn't have written the column.

Reader: "Right on. Why not start a new organization and call it the New WJC? That way you could get some of the money by mistake. (Professor Emeritus, Psychology)"

DBL: You've said it all.

The foregoing column also appears in the current issue of The Jewish Journal-Boston North

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Here at the San Diego Jewish World, we see things a little differently than our esteemed friend Dov Burt Levy. Whatever mistakes may have been made in the previous era of the World Jewish Congress, under different leadership, the organization is today led by Ronald Lauder, a former U.S. ambassador whose record of service to the worldwide Jewish community has been stellar. We think on the basis of Lauder's accomplishments in the past, we should all wish WJC a bright future.  Our own publication utilizes WJC's  releases tracking news of importance all over the Jewish world, and we are grateful that WJC helps keep far-flung Jewish communities in touch with each other.  At the same time, we respect writer Levy and know that he too wants the best for the Jewish world.  Recognizing that good people sometimes disagree, we are committed to providing in this space a forum for Jewish opinion.

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Jews in the News          
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 Like you, we're pleased when members of our community are praiseworthy, and are disappointed when they are blameworthy.
Whether it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of what's being said in general media about our fellow Jews. Our news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are,  if you see a story of interest, please send a summary and link to us at sdheritage@cox.net and we'll acknowledge your tip at the end of the column. To see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.

*The procedural vote in the Senate on the Immigration Bill, which led to its sidelining, divided the 13 Jewish members: 11 in favor of proceeding, and 2 voting with the majority to block the legislation.  In favor of proceeding were Democrats Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both of California; Russell Feingold and Herb Kohl, both of Wisconsin; Frank Lauterberg of New Jersey; Charles Schumer of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon; Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Indendent Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.  Voting to stop the bill's progress were Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

*
Justice
Stephen Breyer wrote the dissent in 5-4 Supreme Court decision that sided against the Louisville and Seattle school districts for utilizing race as a factor in determining school assignments. Breyer said unless race is taken into account, nothing can be done to reverse the situation in which 2.4 million students in 2002 attended schools with less than 1 percent white students. His opinion was concurred in by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg  An editorial is in today's Los Angeles Times took issue with the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.  In another decision, Breyer and Ginsburg were part of a 5-4 majority decision written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy saying that Texas could not execute a severely mentally disabled man for murder because the inmate could not understand the reasons. The story by Henry Weinstein is in today's Los Angeles Times. The two Jewish justices were in the minority in another 5-4 decision in which the court said manufacturers may set minimum prices for their products to be sold retail.  The story by David G. Savage and Daniel Yi is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*
An effort by U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Democrat, Illinois) to eliminate Vice President Dick Cheney's budget, in response to Cheney's assertion that his office is not part of the executive branch, died in the House of Representatives on a 217-209 vote against the idea. The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. 

*
Avigdor Feldman, an attorney for Israel's former president Moshe Katsav said he believed Katsav could have been acquitted of rape charges, but would have gone through "hell" first. It was easier to have him plead guilty to one charge of touching a woman's leg and another of hugging a woman, both without permission, rather than to let the case go to trial.  The New York Times News Service story that led to the plea bargain and Katsav's resignation as president is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*
The suggestion by Don Harrison, publisher of the San Diego Jewish World, that the City of San Diego consider the economic impact of nominating historic properties for tax reductions, has drawn some negative comment from readers of the Voice of San Diego where the interview appeared.  Ron May called Harrison's commentary "a cheap shot."


*
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, hasn't started his 30-month prison sentence yet, but he has been assigned a prisoner number.  It is No. 28301-016, according to an Associated Press brief in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*
Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown has appointed David Mi
iband, described as the son of "leftist Jewish academics" as Foreign Minister.  Miliband's wife is an American.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Comedian Don Rickles says that just like his father, whom he calls a "Jewish General Patton," he cannot tell a joke.  His famous insults are ad libs, no matter how many times he recycles them.  The story by Arthur Spiegelman of Reuters is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*
The Associated Press has reported that opera star
Beverly Sills is gravely ill with lung cancer. The story is in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

*
In the controversy over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania) suggests it would be better to compromise with the White House and have unrecorded conversations with White House aides than to have a court fight which lawyers could delay interminably.
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  Whistle Blower
News Sleuths
Watching the media gathering and
reporting the news of Jewish interest


Date: June 29, 2007

Time: Noon
Place: United Nations
Briefing officer:
Michèle
Montas, spokesperson for Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
Source: United Nations, New York
Subject: Senator Norman Coleman & whistle blower

Question
It’s reported that United States Senator Norm Coleman wrote to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday about what he called “a whistleblower” on the whole United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) situation.  He said he wrote to the Secretary-General.  So, I wanted to make sure that that letter’s been received, and to know what the Secretariat’s response is on whether the individual named in this letter is a whistleblower and should be afforded protection.  And also, I’ve become aware that those security guard television sets -- they’re out on First Avenue and inside the building, which have, like, pictures of people not to be let into the building -- now includes this individual’s photo.  So I’m wondering if we can find out how such a photo gets included, and whether that’s consistent with being a whistleblower.

Spokesperson:  I will find out whether, first, the letter was received, and second, whether the picture of the person is included.  But I’m not sure I can find that out. But I can try.

Question:  Also, what will the Secretary-General’s response be to this request that an alleged or purported whistleblower should be protected?  What will be done in that regard?

Spokesperson:  I can tell you that the Secretary-General has already discussed this with different senior advisers in this building, and this is being taken care of.  And it is a concern.

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The Jewish Grapevine                                                  
                 

BIBLE-INSPIRED EXHIBITS—Among the Israelis who were in San Diego for the Dead Sea Scrolls preview parties and grand opening were Pnina Shor, chief conservator of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Duby Tal, an aerial photographer whose arresting photographs of the Dead Sea area, are part of the display.  A television cameraman quickly learned one aspect of a "conservator's" job when Shor stepped up behind him and told him in no uncertain terms not to shine the camera's ultra-bright light on any of the two thousand year old pieces of parchment.... Tal's beautifully detailed landscapes, which not only are displayed in the exhibition  but which are also available in book form at the museum's special Dead Sea Scrolls' gift shop, told reporters that he holds his camera by hand, rather than mounting it to the airplane, as some photographers do.  He obviously is steady handed.  Wondering how to get tickets to the Dead Sea Scrolls?  Here's a link to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune that provides all the information.... The Escondido Art Association plans an exhibition of artists' works on animal subjects July 5 through August 4.  The San Diego Union-Tribune reports in a story by Pat Sherman the exhibit will be called "Noah's Art."

CONGRESSIONAL PAYRAISE—Congresswoman Susan Davis sent out a news release explaining that though it passed, she voted against giving members of Congress a pay raise.  Said the release: “With budgets as tight as they are, we should not be sending the message that a pay raise for Congress sends,” said Davis.  “Many families are struggling to make ends meet, buy a home, or put their kids through college.  This raise says we are putting our needs before theirs.”  The raise went forward on a vote of 244-181.

MAZAL TOV—Keri Jucha, 11,  was honored as a local hero at he Del Mar Fair.  Hospitalized after a sinus infection invaded her brain following a family visit to Israel, she began making and selling jewelry to raise money for a large movie-style screen now in use at Rady's Children's Hospital—a goal for which she raised $8,000....  Betty & Rabbi Simcha Weiser are celebrating the birth of their second grandchild today, born to their daughter and son-in-law Malka & Baruch Harris in Queens, New York.  He weighed in at 6 pounds 11 ounces, and, Weiser, headmaster of Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, is looking forward to the brit milah when the future Torah scholar will be named.  The Weiser's first grandchild, Yael, was born in March to Yisroel & Malka Liza Weiser of Far Rockaway, New York.  Upcoming, on July 30, the Weiser's son, Chanan, will be married in Toronto to Goldie Michalwicz.  The Weisers have four other children, ages 18, 16, 12, and 7....

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Regional and Local


BABY CHEERSix babies and toddlers between the ages of one and four happily played with the residents in the Joseph and Dorothy Goldberg Healthcare Center at Seacrest Village in Encinitas.  One resident took a moment to admire three year old Destiny’s pink dress and to help her with a puzzle.  A toddling baby named Kate charmed the crowd with her new walking antics. The residents become more animated and involved when the little ones play.  Baby Cheer visits the healthcare center the first Wednesday of every month, and they are eagerly welcomed by all.  Pictured is a volunteer and Destiny with Seacrest residents Shirley, Mae, Ruth and Nathan.  (Seacrest Village photo)
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            Jews in Sports

Unless otherwise indicated, source for these stories is today's edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune, to which we gratefully provide the links below.

BASEBALL— Jason Kinsler salvaged a double out of 1-3 day at the plate, in which his Texas Rangers were defeated 5-2 by the Detroit Tigers.  His batting average at the end of play Wednesday stood at .241.  Teammate Scott Feldman pitched an inning and a third in relief, giving up two earned runs.  His earned run average is now in nose bleed country: 6.67. ... Brad Ausmus batted a respectable 2 for 5, bringing his average up to .264, as his Houston Astros defeated the Colorado Rockies 8-5.  All the attention properly went to teammate Craig Biggio, who got his 3,000th career hit, then 3001, 3002—in all a five-hit day ...  Pirates relief pitcher John Grabow just needed four pitches to strike out the only batter he faced, lowering his earned run average to 5.95.  However, Pittsburgh fell 9-7 to the Florida Marlins.

BASKETBALL—Commissioner David Stern is pictured with Greg Oden after the Ohio State star was chosen by the Portland Trail Blazers as the first pick in the NBA draft.  The photo, contrasting the two men's heights, easily could have been captioned "the long and the short of it."

TENNIS—In Wimbledon action, the Israeli doubles team of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram defeated Alex Kuznetsov of the United States and Mischa Zverev of Germany in a hard fought contest, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Also, Israeli Harel Levy teamed up with Rajeev Ram of the United States to defeat Slovakian teammates Dominik Hrbaty and Michal Mertinak, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. In women's doubles, Israeli Tzip Obziler and American Ashley Harkleroad were defeated by China's Peng Shuai and Yan Zi, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

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