Last month, the Department of Energy awarded a contract to purchase 10.7 million barrels of crude oil for the Strategic

Petroleum Reserve to the European petroleum traders Vitol and Shell Trading. The total cost of these contracts was $553 million.
It is estimated that last year, these two companies provided over 40% of Iran's gasoline imports.

And the Department of Energy has outstanding contracts to purchase 6.2 million more barrels of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve from Shell Trading and Glencore, which also sells gasoline to Iran.

Although Iran produces a surplus of crude oil, it lacks the capacity to refine that oil into usable fuel. As a result, it must import some 40 percent of the gas it needs.

During the presidential campaign last fall -- including in the debates -- then-Senator Obama urged sanctions aimed at exploiting this weakness as a way of pressuring Iran short of war: "If we can prevent them from importing the gasoline that they need... that starts putting the squeeze on them."

Last month -- thanks in part to RJC's grassroots efforts -- the Senate adopted a Kyl amendment to next year's budget to prevent any expenditures to these companies that do business with Iran's energy sector.

The current Kyl amendment applies that principle to funds appropriated in this supplemental funding bill.

Preceding provided by the Republican Jewish Coalition


RAND Corp. says U.S. should not overestimate Iran's global clout

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)--Iran's rise as a regional power presents a key foreign policy and security challenge to the United States, but its reach may be more limited than Western conventional wisdom suggests, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.

U.S. strategy must recognize Iran's role as an influential, but not omnipotent, player in the Middle East and work to exploit existing barriers to Iran's harmful activities, while simultaneously seeking areas of engagement, the study finds.

The study by RAND, a non-profit research organization, finds that a Cold-War-style containment approach mischaracterizes the threat from Iran, risking missed opportunities and potentially damaging other U.S. interests in the region. A combination of containment and engagement is more likely to succeed.

The report, "Dangerous But Not Omnipotent: Exploring the Reach and Limitations of Iranian Power in the Middle East," is an in-depth survey of the strategic challenges posed by Iran, as well as limitations to its power projection.

According to the authors, the Islamic Republic does not seek territorial aggrandizement or, despite its rhetoric, the imposition of its revolutionary ideology onto neighboring Middle Eastern states. Instead, the authors find that Tehran feeds off longstanding grievances with the status quo, particularly in the Arab world, often playing the role of "arsonist and fireman" to exaggerate its clout in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq.

Specifically, the report focuses on four key areas: the Iranian regime's underlying perception of itself in the world as a regional and even global power; its conventional military buildup and aspirations for asymmetric warfare; its support for militant non-state organizations in Iraq and Lebanon; and Tehran's ability to exploit pan-Arab causes, such as Palestine, and anti-Western sentiment.

"Iranian power projection and ambitions in the Middle East are among the most pressing foreign policy issues facing the United States," said Frederic Wehrey, the report's lead author and a senior policy analyst at RAND. "But Tehran's aspirations are circumscribed by barriers in the regional system it is trying to influence, as well as its own domestic disarray, limited conventional capacity, and frequent strategic missteps."

The report finds that Iranian power faces serious liabilities that the United States can exploit. Despite its outward assertiveness and revolutionary rhetoric, the regime's strategic calculus is tempered by some pragmatic tendencies. Key aspects of the Islamic Republic's developing military capabilities, particularly ballistic missiles and naval tactics, increasingly threaten U.S. and allied interests. Yet its large conventional forces are structurally weak, suffer from unrealistic training, and require considerable resources.

Tehran's close relationships with so-called "proxy" groups like Hamas and Hizballah do not necessarily translate into direct Iranian control over their activities. And while Iran has at times been successful in exploiting Arab popular opinion on Palestine and the nuclear issue, it has often overplayed its hand, provoking sharp criticism in the Arab media, the study finds.

To exploit these limitations on Iranian power, the authors recommend a new approach that integrates elements of engagement and containment. This includes:

• Applying increased multilateral pressure on Iran's nuclear ambitions while deescalating unilateral U.S. pressure on Iran;
• Pursuing bilateral U.S.-Iranian dialogues in areas of common interest, such as stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, narcotics trafficking, and humanitarian crises
• Issuing unambiguous statements about U.S. interests and intentions in the region; and
• Engaging in efforts to build a cooperative, multilateral regional security framework that is simultaneously inclusive of Iran and sensitive to the needs of U.S. friends and allies in the region.

Other authors of the study are David E. Thaler, Nora Bensahel, Kim Cragin, Dalia Dassa Kaye, Nadia Oweidat, and Jennifer Li of RAND, and Jerrold D. Green of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

The report, "Dangerous But Not Omnipotent: Exploring the Reach and Limitations of Iranian Power in the Middle East," is available at www.rand.org.

The study was prepared by RAND Project AIR FORCE, a federally funded research and development center for studies and analysis aimed at providing independent policy alternatives for the U.S. Air Force.

Preceding provided by RAND Corporation


PUZZLE--Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal puts together a puzzle of the European Union as students at Israeli multicultural school look on. Photo: Yossi Zwecker

TEL AVIV (Press Release)— Pupils at "Bialik-Rogozin," a multicultural school, celebrated "Europe Day" on Wednesday, May 20, with representatives of the European Union.

The pupils - Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, immigrants and refugees from Sudan and Darfour – noted Europe Day in a special exhibition and performance.

Head of the Delegation of the EU to Israel, Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal, hosted Ambassadors of nine European countries: Italy - Ambassador Luigi Mattiolo, Sweden – Ambassador Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier, Austria – Ambassador Micheal Rendi, Belgium – Ambassador Benedicte Frankinet, Czech Republic – Ambassador Micheal Zantovsky, Latvia - Martins Perets, and Bulgaria – Ambassador Dimiter Tzantchev.

Preceding provided by Fleischer Communications in Israel


Auschwitz Album from Yad Vashem
documents mass murder process

Jay Jacobson of Minneapolis forwarded to San Diego Jewish World this link to a video made by Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center and Museum on the basis of a photo album about Auschwitz.

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Community leaders criticised for
not supporting Marcus Einfeld

SYDNEY - Former federal minister Barry Cohen has taken the Jewish community to task, claiming it has not supported jailed former judge Marcus Einfeld.

Cohen called for Einfeld's prison term to be reduced and criticised media emphasis on his Jewish identity.

Einfeld has lodged an appeal against the severity of his sentence and his lawyers issued a statement last week saying the grounds of the appeal would be disclosed shortly.

Cohen said a three-year prison sentence, with a minimum of two years before parole, imposed on the former Federal Court judge and human rights advocate after he pleaded guilty to perjury over a speeding fine, was excessive.

"Give me a break ... murderers are getting less than that," Cohen said.

A 12-month suspended sentence or weekend detention would have been more appropriate punishment for perjury committed by a first-time offender in poor health, he said.

The former Hawke government frontbencher said Einfeld was being punished harshly "because he spent a lifetime as a prominent citizen".

"I think the Jewish community should be jumping up and down about it. If, after all Marcus has done for the Jewish community, we can't rally behind him as individuals, then the game stinks," Cohen said.

He said the Jewish community could not allow someone like Marcus Einfeld to be "pilloried" and called for his "years of service" to be remembered.

In addition to his service to global human rights, Einfeld played a prominent role in Jewish communal projects.

He visited the Soviet Union to talk to refuseniks, and had a strong involvement in the World Jewish Congress.

Cohen, whose father Lou attended the same school as Einfeld's father Syd, has appeared on public speaking platforms with the former judge for some 40 years.

Cohen lambasted the media for emphasising Einfeld's Jewish identity, as the story of his perjury charges developed.

Media reports of Einfeld "constantly mentioned that he was a prominent Jew." said Cohen.

"You don't mention that others are prominent Catholics, Protestants, Church of England [Anglican]."

Cohen has written an article for the Australian edition of The Spectator, in which he claimed Einfeld's sentence was harsh, compared to sentences for far more severe crimes.

In the article, Cohen listed some of Einfeld's achievements, including his roles as a United Nations peace laureate, inaugural president of the Australian Paralympics Federation, Austcare Ambassador for Refugees, and director of Sydney's 2000 Olympic bid.

Cohen's comments came as sources told said there was a groundswell of support for Einfeld's sentence to be reduced.

After Einfeld's sentencing, Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot said he was concerned the Jewish community might "cast him adrift" and have no regard for the great things he achieved and treat him like "some sort of leper".

Pediatrician is Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for the kids

SYDNEY - Paediatrician Dr Jonny Taitz isn't a
mountain-climbing man, but that is not stopping him from attempting to scale Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, for a cause close to his heart.

South African-born Taitz, 39, and 20 other trekkers including Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey will take off in a few months to climb the 4800-metre high mountain in northeastern Tanzania.

The goal is to raise $1 million for The Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which buys state-of-the-art equipment for children's hospitals.

Called The Ultimate Burn, the hike will start on Wednesday, July 29.

"I'll give it my best shot," said Dr Taitz, who admitted it will be the first time he has taken part in a serious hiking expedition.

"I'm worried about altitude sickness, but I'm fit and working out. It's a great challenge and a good cause. It's both my passions combined."

So far, Dr Taitz, from Sydney's Children's Hospital in Randwick, has raised $50,000 for the charity from a fundraising dinner held in Bondi earlier this month.

About 110 people attended the event with guest speakers including former Australian Olympic athletes Jane Flemming and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor. Still, he's aiming to raise more.

"The state government provides the bread and butter, but charities such as Humpty Dumpty purchase the world-class equipment that allows us to provide the international-level of care," he said.

Established in 1996, Humpty Dumpty originally formed to support children's services at Royal North Shore Hospital.

In more than decade, it has grown to assist more than 50 children's hospitals and health services across New South Wales and two children's hospitals in East Timor.

Aussie swimmers to tackle US Olympic star at Maccabiah Games

SYDNEY- "Awesome", "awe-inspiring" and "amazing". From these reactions it's plain to see the Aussie swim team won't be intimidated when coming up against the fastest Jewish swimmer ever at this years Maccabiah.

It was confirmed last week that seven-time American Olympic medallist Jason Lezak would bypass his fifth trip to the world championships in favour of swimming for the first time at the Jewish Olympics.

"I now have the opportunity to go to the Maccabiah Games in Israel, fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine," he said.

"This is a decision I made which is as much about giving back to the Jewish community and exploring my heritage as it is about the performance on the world stage.

"I'll be representing my country and my heritage as a Jewish athlete and I'm very proud of that."

Lezak, 32, is best known for his barnstorming finish in the freestyle relay at last year's Bejing Olympics, where he posted the fastest ever split to mow down France's Alain Bernard. (See video below)

He was the captain of the US swim team in Beijing.

Australia's top ranked swimmer David Schnabl said: "Lezak was the crucial element in aiding Phelps for his second gold medal in his pursuit for eight.

"Having his presence at the Games will raise the profile of swimming at Maccabiah."

Australian team coach Guy Eylon agrees: "It'll be just like when Lenny Krayzelburg swam in 2001. The stands were packed back then, everyone wanting to get a glimpse of Lenny. And every swimmer at that meet could feel the buzz."

Lezak came through the Maccabi ranks as a junior, competing at the JCC North American Games.

Giving back to the organisation won't be limited to what he does in the pool. Lezak is lending his name to an awareness campaign for the Maccabiah and will appear at fundraising events hosted by Maccabi USA.

But the charity may hurt some of Australia's medal hopes. Sprint specialist David Goltsman has been handed a mighty hurdle just two months out from his first Maccabiah experience.

"So, I have seven weeks to train and then I'm racing a world champion" Goltsman said, tongue in cheek. "Yeah, I'll take him."

The overriding feeling in the Australian team is of excitement, even for the swimmers in other age divisions, such as junior sprinter Julian Kowal.

"It reminds us and the world that Jewish athletes can be the very best.... It should inspire us," he said.

Lezak now adds to a distinguished list of American Olympians to compete at the Maccabiah, including Krayzelburg and the great Mark Spitz.



Spotlight king dies at 63

MELBOURNE- Founder of the Spotlight retail group and leading community benefactor Ruben Fried, 63, died on Tuesday morning, May 13, after a long battle with cancer.

An active member of the community, along with his brother Morry Fraid, the Fried and Fraid families support many Jewish and non-Jewish causes, most notably Hatzolah, Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah Colleges, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

The funeral took place on last week, officiated by Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner at the Lyndhurst Chevra Kadisha cemetery.

Fried, along with his brother Fraid, began selling fabrics at discounted prices from their parents stall at the Queen Victoria Market.

Today, the Spotlight group is one of Australia's most successful retail businesses, employing more than 6000 staff in stores across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong. Fried remained
active in the business until his premature passing.

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Spotlight's Steven Carey said: "Ruben provided leadership, creative vision and a straightforward approach to business with an entrepreneurial style second to none.

"Ruben was a mentor to many, employer to thousands, generous philanthropist and friend to everyone."

Fried is survived by his wife Vivienne, three children and seven grandchildren.



The Maccabi conundrum

MELBOURNE—Maccabi Australia's constitution dictates that
its members should be exclusively Jewish, but for years it has not been policed. That is about to change.

The issue of non-Jewish players representing Maccabi clubs is as old as the roof body itself.

Some say the best way to grow Maccabi is for its clubs to play at the highest level possible and that recruiting non-Jews to achieve this is acceptable.

Others argue that if this practice is permitted, the fundamental tenets of the organisation will be eroded and it will cease to exist in its current form.

It is an issue that divides the community, and the clubs alike, with many of them choosing to field exclusively Jewish players, sometimes at the cost of elite-level competition, while others are more malleable.

Maccabi Australia currently has 9000 members and is the largest Jewish organisation in the country.

But the fact remains that the Maccabi Australia Incorporated (MAI) constitution, which governs the national body and the states, has always dictated that clubs should consist exclusively of Jewish players, without exception.

The issue is that until recently it was a policy MAI did not police. But last week, the elephant in the room became too large to ignore and the organisation issued a directive that all clubs
have until December 31, 2010, to jettison their non-Jewish players, or risk losing their Maccabi affiliation.

Maccabi Victoria president Miles Clemans said that while the directive to remove existing non-Jewish players was complicated, and perhaps difficult for some to comprehend, it was a necessary step.

"We recognise there are massive sensitivities involved," Clemans said.

"It is very hard to ask a player, Jewish or non-Jewish, to leave a club, but we feel that the grace period -- the end of next year -- gives
clubs a chance to recruit exclusively Jewish players and gradually see the exit of those who are not complying with the constitution."

The matter of being an exclusive club is fraught. There is the question of who Maccabi deems to be Jewish, the risk the decision could strain goodwill between the organisation and the wider
sporting community and, in many cases, the alienation of valued clubmen.

The club's legal right to be exclusive, however ethically contentious, is legally protected under the Equal Opportunity Act, which allows a club to discriminate if it is deemed to be acting to "preserve a minority culture."

While the percentage of non-Jewish players representing Maccabi is low, it is widespread and affects clubs at most levels in all states, mainly on the soccer pitch.

In Melbourne, the North Caulfield Maccabi Football (Soccer) Club (NCMFC) is one of the teams that will be affected by the directive.

The side plays in State League Division 3 South East competition and fields several non-Jewish players and has done so for many years.

Franklin Ngwa is a case in point. Discovered by NCMFC vice-president Harry Zaitman playing in a park in 2004, he was invited to try out at the club and became a regular player over the
following two seasons, before returning to his native Cameroon in 2007.

The 21-year-old, who has no family in Australia, came back to Melbourne late last year and was living in the northern suburb of Epping when he approached NCMFC coach Andrew Freund and asked if he could pull on the boots again.

"I met Andrew [Freund] and he helped me out. He got me a place to live, he got me a job as well," Ngwa said.

"I can say that Maccabi is like a second family. Not only on the soccer field but off it. I have really good friends there and we meet at training mostly, so [having to leave] would be a big blow for me."

Ngwa said the club wouldn't be the same if it decided to ask its non-Jewish players to leave.

"You shouldn't mix sport with politics, religion, or ethnic groups. But it was really different when I came to Caulfield, I didn't feel left out, it was totally different ... I felt like I was one of them. If you say 'only Jewish players' it will feel very different."

North Caulfield will now be forced to choose between Ngwa and Maccabi before the deadline in 19 months.

The junior and senior soccer clubs in Melbourne and the senior soccer club in Sydney all declined to comment to The AJN.

Chairman of Sydney's Maccabi Hakoah Youth Development League (YDL) John Marcuson said only: "The Maccabi Hakoah YDL Junior Club will be seeking guidance from MAI to ensure compliance to
both their letter and to the requirements of our football competition."

Lydia Dowse of Football Federation Victoria (FFV) said the organisation's board would meet later this month to discuss the matter and the FFV would have "no official position until that point".

The AJAX Football Club, which plays in C grade of the Victorian Amateur Football Association, maintains an exclusively Jewish playing group, although, like many Maccabi clubs, it employs non-Jewish coaches.

President Brian Goldberg admitted that if Maccabi gave it the green light, his club would recruit selectively from outside the Jewish community.

"Capping [the number of non-Jewish players] is one option. Allowing a minority [of non-Jews] to play each year is a way of overcoming that fear of an open door policy. In my experience, if you keep the culture true to what it is, then the majority of players attracted will be your core group of Jewish players."

President of the Maccabi Rugby Club in Sydney, David Greenstein, agreed. "That would be a good compromise -- to hedge against us running out of players we can have X amount of players, who
ordinarily wouldn't qualify for membership to the club.

"I think it's more important for the Maccabi Rugby Club to remain in existence than for the constitution of Maccabi to be strictly imposed on the club."

Should clubs choose to continue flouting the letter of the constitution -- as they have for decades -- there is a significant danger Maccabi could lose clubs that choose to secede rather
than part with non-Jewish players.

But MAI president Harry Procel is prepared to lose the non-compliant clubs, arguing that a policy allowing a capped number of non-Jews to play for Maccabi teams was not an option.

"The difficulty is you can't be a little bit pregnant here," Procel said. "Is it okay to have one [non-Jewish player], is it okay to have two,
is it okay to have three ... where do you draw the line? One of the reasons I've spent 42 years of my life involved in Maccabi is because of the Jewish aspect of the organisation."

The issue has caused considerable debate in the Jewish community, with one side strongly supporting the move, while on the other side the argument has been strongly put forward that if non-Jewish clubs would adopt an attitude of excluding Jewish members loud howls
of anti-Semitism would be shouted from the rooftops.

In other words - you are condemned if you do or if you don't.

Recognising "the quiet achievers"

MELBOURNE - The Annual B'nai B'rith Menorah Awards now in their 32nd year, were established in 1978 to recognise those volunteers who work quietly behind the scenes providing valuable
service to the community, and in most cases never being publicly recognised for their work.

Each year four individuals are selected and at a special function are presented with their awards.

Their services to a wide range of both Jewish and non-Jewish community organisations and causes in many cases span over four or five decades, and there are many names submitted for the
consideration of the Menorah Awards committee for each year, with four of the most outstanding selected to receive an award.

The event has become a highlight on the communal calendar, and large attendance are recorded on the award night. This year's recipients worked for a wide spectrum of causes, ranging from the Victorian Jewish Ex-servicemen and women, The Family Abuse Crisis Centre, The Jewish Museum, Jewish Education and Israeli related causes.

Australian Bureau chief Fabian may be contacted at fabiang@sandiegojewishworld.com



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