Jewish Russian Telegraph

Abbas: Today Gaza, Tomorrow Jerusalem

Natan Sharansky's One Jerusalem blog posts:

Palestinian Prime Minister: Today Gaza, Tomorrow Jerusalem

Posted by The Editors on July 28, 2005 at  7:46 PM

One of Israel's most experienced diplomats keeps telling people: Listen to what they say, it generally is a preview of what they are going to do.

Yesterday, on a trip to Gaza with Abbas at his side, the Palestinian Prime Minister declared: "We are telling the entire world, today Gaza tomorrow an independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital."

Undoubtedly, encouraged by the undeserved praise from Secretary of State Rice, the Palestinian leadership sees clear sailing to what they refer as their "homeland" with the capital Jerusalem. In their dreams they will enter Jerusalem with the body of their terrorist founder Arafat and bury him on the Temple Mount.

Months ago, many would have dismissed this as a fantasy, but today, with Israel's Vice Primer predicting Jerusalem will be divided, we had better take it seriously.

Once again, I urge our American friends to contact Senator Sam Brownback and express support for his united Jerusalem legislation. Brownback is determined to push for passage of this legislation but he needs our help. [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Alex Koifman, Larry Lowenthal, American Jewish Committee, and Judge Roberts

Larry Lowenthal, Executive Director of the Boston chapter of the AJC (American Jewish Committee), writes in the Jewish Advocate about Judge Roberts nomination:

Jews, like all other Americans, have studied the reports on John Roberts, President Bush’s impeccably credentialed, but personally enigmatic nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

We learn that he is “charming, modest, and outgoing;” a man of “integrity,” with an “even temper” and a “respectful demeanor;” that he is possessed of a “great sense of humor”; able to draw a rapport with most people he meets; a man who “makes everyone comfortable”; a very “affable” man, a “nice” man, a brilliant legal scholar and an astonishingly thorough litigator.

But Jews worry that Roberts’ endearing style may not reflect his substantive positions. We know that he is fundamentally a conservative, but his personal attitudes toward issues of specific concern to the Jewish community—abortion, gay rights, affirmative action, civil liberties, church-state separation, environmental protection, gun control, gender equality, and freedom from unreasonable government actions--remain ambiguous or hidden.

Jews—like all Americans—face a tantalizing question: is John Roberts simply a respected jurist with an apparently unblemished legal career, or is he an ideological partisan who will radically alter our way of life for decades to come? [Download larry_lowenthal_open_ed_in_ja.doc ]

Larry's op-ed raised quite a few eyebrows in the Jewish Russian community of Boston.
Here is what Alex Koifman, Board Member of the Boston chapter of AJC, had to say on the topic in his public letter to Larry Lowenthal:

Hi Larry,

You wrote:
...his (Roberts') personal attitudes toward issues of specific concern to
the Jewish community-abortion, gay rights, affirmative action, civil
liberties, church-state separation, environmental protection, gun control,
gender equality, and freedom from unreasonable government actions--remain
ambiguous or hidden.

Since when are these specific concerns to the Jewish Community?  These are the Left's concerns.  Therefore, it should be stated so.  I would not mind if we associated ourselves with the Left, but unfortunately it is hard for some of us, because the Left today are the biggest anti-Israel bigots.

As a political organization we should be building bridges.  What bridges are we building here?  Not even to minorities, because they are not for gay rights and abortions.  When was the last time gays paraded for Israel?
Minorities?  The Left is parading against Israel with absolute disregard of the Jewish "concerns".  Look what is happening with divestment efforts at home - in Somerville and Harvard/MIT.

On the other hand we are alienating our biggest allies - Conservatives.
Are we in a lose-lose situation here? And I do not just mean this because
Roberts will get confirmed.

Sincerely,

Alex Koifman, AJC Board Member

Good for you, Alex. We are getting sick and tired of being fed by the Jewish Establishment talking points distributed by the Democratic party operatives.  How about Republican ones for a change.
Here is an email we recieved from Ken Mehlman, RNC Chairman:

Judge Roberts is a fair-minded and compassionate jurist. He has received the highest rating from the American Bar Association and graduated at the top of his class from Harvard Law School. He has argued before the Supreme Court 39 times, and has been called one of the best Supreme Court lawyers in the nation. His legal knowledge and skills are impeccable, and his integrity is unquestionable.

Public reaction to the President's nomination of Judge Roberts has been overwhelmingly favorable. Recent polls show 59 percent of Americans think he should be confirmed by the Senate, and prominent Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed their support for him.

By the way -- Ken Mehlman is Jewish, so is Alex Koifman, so am I, so are about a million of Russian Jews in the US. According to the AJC's own data,  75% of Russian Jews voted for President Bush in 2004. It is time for the American Jewish establishment to kick off their bad habit of adopting  leftist positions without much thought and deliberation. This habit is bad for the health of the community.

Background posts on jrtelegraph:

David Harris, Eecutive Director of AJC, meets with the Jewish Russian community of Boston.

Natan Sharansky on voting patterns of Russian Jews.

posted by: Greg (Zvi) Margolin

The Muslim mind is on fire

Very insightful piece via Hugh Hewitt via LittleGreenFootballs:

Opinion: The Muslim mind is on fire
Youssef M. Ibrahim
July 26, 2005

DUBAI -- The world of Islam is on fire. Indeed, the Muslim mind is on fire. Above all, the West is now ready to take both of them on.

The latest reliable report confirms that on average 33 Iraqis die every day, executed by Iraqis and foreign jihadis and suicide bombers, not by US or British soldiers. In fact, fewer than ever US or British soldiers are dying since the invasion more than two years ago. Instead, we now watch on television hundreds of innocent Iraqis lying without limbs, bleeding in the streets dead or wounded for life. If this is jihad someone got his religious education completely upside down.
 
Palestine is on fire, too, with Palestinian armed groups fighting one another - Hamas against Fatah and all against the Palestinian Authority. All have rendered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas impotent and have diminished the world's respect and sympathy for Palestinian sufferings.

A couple of weeks ago London was on fire as Pakistani and other Muslims with British citizenship blew up tube stations in the name of Islam. Al Qaeda in Europe or one of its franchises proclaimed proudly the killing of 54 and wounding 700 innocent citizens was done to "avenge Islam" and Muslims.

Madrid was on fire, too, last year, when Muslim jihadis blew up train stations killing 160 people and wounding a few thousands.

The excuse in all the above cases was the war in Iraq, but let us not forget that in September 2001, long before Iraq, Osama Bin Laden proudly announced that he ordered the killing of some 3,000 in the United States, in the name of avenging Islam. Let us not forget that the killing began a long time before the invasion of Iraq.
   
Indeed, jihadis have been killing for a decade in the name of Islam. They killed innocent tourists and natives in Morocco and Egypt, in Africa, in Indonesia and in Yemen, all done in the name of Islam by Muslims who say that they are better than all other Muslims. They killed in India, in Thailand and are now talking of killing in Germany and Denmark and so on. There were attacks with bombs that killed scores inside Shia and Sunni mosques, inside churches and inside synagogues in Turkey and Tunisia, with Muslim preachers saying that it is okay to kill Jews and Christians - the so called infidels.
 
Above all, it is the Muslim mind that is on fire.

The Muslim fundamentalist who attacked the Dutch film director Theo Van Gogh in the Netherlands, stabbed him more than 23 times then cut his throat. He recently proudly proclaimed at his trial: "I did it because my religion - Islam - dictated it and I would do it again if were free." Which preacher told this guy this is Islam? That preacher should be in jail with him.

Do the cowardly jihadis who recruit suicide bombers really think that they will force the US Army and British troops out of Iraq by killing hundreds of innocent Iraqis? US troops now have bases and operate in Iraq but also from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.

The only accomplishment of jihadis is that now they have aroused the great "Western Tiger". There was a time when the United States and Europe welcomed Arab and Muslim immigrants, visitors and students, with open arms. London even allowed all dissidents escaping their countries to preach against those countries under the guise of political refugees.

Well, that is all over now. Time has become for the big Western vengeance.

Visas for Arab and Muslim young men will be impossible to get for the United States and Western Europe. Those working there will be expelled if they are illegal, and harassed even if their papers are in order.

Airlines will have to right to refuse boarding to passengers if their names even resemble names on a prohibited list on all flights heading to Europe and the United States.

What is more important to remember is this: When the West did unite after World War II to beat communism, the long Cold War began without pity. They took no prisoners. They all stood together, from the United States to Norway, from Britain to Spain, from Belgium to Switzerland. And they did bring down the biggest empire. Communism collapsed.

I fear those naïve Muslims who think that they are beating the West have now achieved their worst crime of all. The West is now going to war against not only Muslims, but also, sadly, Islam as a religion.

In this new cold and hot war, car bombs and suicide bombers here and there will be no match for the arsenal that those Westerners are putting together - an arsenal of laws, intelligence pooling, surveillance by satellites, armies of special forces and indeed, allies inside the Arab world who are tired of having their lives disrupted by demented so-called jihadis or those bearded preachers who, under the guise of preaching, do little to teach and much to ignite the fire, those who know little about Islam and nothing about humanity.[link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Israel: Summary of Orange March; People and Army are United

Summary of the Orange March by JRTELEGRAPH:

Thank you to Rabbi Pinchas Polonsky for providing Jewish Russian Telegraph with relevant background links on what has happened at Kfar Maimon. In a nutshell: there were at the camp between 30 to 60 thousand people at various points of time. People came from all all over the country.

Sharon's government, in its infinite wisdom, has conducted an unprecedented military deployment against its own peaceful, civilian population. Police which at first issued a permit, panicked when realized the real scope of the protest action. On Tuesday morning they started illegally confiscate buses, and take away keys from bus drivers.

Despite attempts of the media, and Sharon's government to create a hysterical, dangerous situation, the march was peaceful, protesters and soldiers were mutually very friendly. There were a few nut cases (expected in a crowd of 60 thousand), there were a few provocateurs. But they had no impact whatsoever. A few thousand people made it to Gush Katif through the blockade. Soldiers were not very anxious to enforce orders. In some instances they were blocking the gates, but, at the same time, pointing to a round about way to go through the blockade.

According to a lot of opinions, if the crowd pushed through the barrier, demoralized soldiers and policemen would not be able or willing to prevent the crowd from advancing. Nevertheless, the leaders of the action decided not to risk violence and to disband in order to give people some rest and to come up with a follow up plan.

Leaders of the action believe that the action was a success. We believe so too. You would not be able to find this information in the Israeli's leftist media which have forgotten their obligations of a free press in a democratic state, instead they continue their hysterical scream about nearing civil war. No way, don't dream, ladies and gentlemen of the self-selected liberal elite. This won't happen.

People and army are united.

Source of pictures: http://rotter.net
Click to enlarge

posted by: jrtelegraph

Rabbi Gitik at Shaloh House on 8/02/2005

Good speaker, hot topic, flyer attached.

Lecture and flyer in Russian 
Download gitik_boston_822005.doc


posted by: jrtelegraph

Ary Rotman Speaks to Decision Makers

Ary Rotman, President of the Russian Jewish Community Foundation met with students of the summer program of the Russian School of Mathematics.

Click on pictures to enlarge
left -- Ary Rotman speaks with children, right -- Ary and Inessa Rifkin, Director of Russian School of Mathematics

pictures courtesy of Gene Baskin

Here is the text of Ary's talk addressed to the children:

Good evening!

Mr. and Mrs. Rifkin asked me to tell you about newly created RJCF. Before I begin I want to ask you a few questions.

How many of you speak Russian? How many of you who were born in this country and speak Russian? Did you enjoy the camp? Very good!

Mr. and Mrs. Rifkin in a few short years were able to create a community, and you are part of it, where kids can learn and have fun at the same time.

One of the goals that RJCF has is to create a community of Russian speaking Jews residing in the greater Boston area. There are about 50k of us here.

Why is creating a community important?

Let me give you an example. How many of you know the expression “iron curtain”?

Those of us who lived in the ex-Soviet Union lived behind the iron curtain. We couldn’t travel the world to visit our relatives in Israel or any other countries, or emigrate from the Soviet Union.

In the late ‘60s a bunch of Jewish activists gotten together and began the fight for free emigration for Jews to Israel.

They created such force that it lifted the “iron curtain”. Even the KGB couldn’t resist that force.

Can you imagine if 50,000 Russian Jews will organize how big force it can become?

Another goal that RJCF has is to raise money for deferent causes taking place in the Russian Jewish community, and to help Israel.

Let me give you another example.

A couple of years ago Dr. Mila Magitsky decided to raise money and purchase an ambulance for the city of Jerusalem.

She with her 200 friends was able to raise $60,000. Two hundred people raised $60,000. Sounds like a lot of money, right?

Can you imagine if there were 2000 people involved in that project? What about 20,000?

In order to raise a lot of money you need to be able to contact thousands of people, not just a few hundred. And that is only possible to achieve if behind the fundraising efforts stays an organization, an institution, a foundation.

Well, that foundation will become RJCF.

I am asking you to take my business cards and give them to your parents. Ask them to get on our website, read our Mission Statement, learn about our activities and ask them to get involved.

Our first fundraiser will take place this year on the 6^th of November in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Cambridge.

Let me close with the word of rabbi Hillel: “….if it’s not now- when?”

Thank you!

posted by: jrtelegraph

Somerville Divestment Update

From Somerville Journal:

Citing 'disrespect,' aldermen punt divestment
Thursday, July 21, 2005

 The Board of Aldermen met at City Hall last Thursday, July 14. Ward 7 Alderman Bob Trane was absent. The board's next meeting will be Aug. 11.

     Several people expecting a repeat of this past winter's dramatic meetings on divestment were disappointed Thursday.

     Somerville Divestment Project, the group that has called for the city to divest bonds from Israel and companies who do business there, submitted a petition in attempt to get the divestment question on the ballot for the Nov. 8 election.

     About a dozen people on each side of the divestment issue attended Thursday's meeting and quietly waited for the aldermen to reach the ballot question, which was the final agenda item, no. 99.

     Alderman Bill Roche, of Ward 1, said early in the meeting that the board typically suspends its rules to allow an "important agenda item" to come up sooner than scheduled. But he said SDP should not have the rules bent in their favor because of their behavior at December meetings when the board voted against divestment.

     "They disrespected this board," Roche said. The group caused a disruption by chanting and singing in the aldermanic chambers, elsewhere in City Hall and outside on the lawn, he said.

     "I don't think they deserve the courtesy they're looking for, after the way they behaved last December," Roche said.

     The board voted 6-4 against suspending the rules to move the ballot question item up on the agenda, so the motion failed because it did not have a two-thirds majority in favor. Aldermen Walter Pero, Bill White, Bill Roche and Bruce Desmond voted against changing the agenda for SDP.

     Later, the aldermen quickly settled the ballot question proposal by voting 10-0 to have the Committee of the Whole address the issue at an upcoming board meeting rather than a regular session, such as Thursday's meeting.[link]

Meanwhile "grassroots" activists -- or, in simpler words, left-wing America and Jew-hating saboteurs are hiring "volunteers".
From Craigslist:

Grassroots canvasser 6:00 - 8:30, 5 or 6 days a week 
 
Reply to: job-86083958@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-07-22, 1:28PM EDT


The Somerville Divestment Project is hiring people to
go door-to-door in a petition campaign to educate the
public about human rights violations against
Palestinians as part of a Ballot Question Campaign in
the City of Somerville for divestment from Israel
Bonds and companies. Workers will use a list of known
supporters. 

Ideal Candidates will have an engaging personality and
a commitment to bringing about justice in Palestine
based on international conventions and laws. 

See www.divestmentproject.org for more details about
campaign 

The job requires working from hours of 6:00 to 8:30, 5
to 6 days a week 
including Friday and Sunday nights. 

If interested call 
1 617 230-2835 

Job location is Somerville
Compensation: $10 / hr 
This is a part-time job.
This is at a non-profit organization.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this
job poster.
please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services
products or commercial interests.

A couple of question from JRT: Whose blood/oil money are shelling out $10 per hour for this work?
Is well-meaning JCRC up to the task?

posted by: jrtelegraph

Ted Kennedy Gets an Earful from Massachusetts Soldiers

Washington Times reports:

July 22, 2005  

By Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough

GIs criticize
    Soldiers from Massachusetts and Hawaii who work at the U.S. military detention facility at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, gave visiting home-state senators a piece of their mind last week.
    Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, and Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat, met with several soldiers during a visit led by Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican.
    Pentagon officials said soldiers criticized the harsh comments made recently by Senate Democrats.
    Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, last month invoked widespread military outrage when he compared Guantanamo to the prison labor systems used by communist tyrant Josef Stalin, Cambodia's Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler.
    "They got stiff reactions from those home-state soldiers," one official told us. "The troops down there expressed their disdain for that kind of commentary, especially comparisons to the gulag."
    A spokesman for Mr. Kennedy had no comment [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

 

FJC Takes Legal Action Against Authors of Anti-Semitic Petition

FJC (The Federation of Jewish Communities of CIS) reports:

MOSCOW, Russia - The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia will file a lawsuit in aims of bringing to justice the authors of a letter demanding the prohibition of Jewish religious organizations.

"At first the Jewish community simply wanted to ignore such acts, because the main goal of the letter's authors was to draw attention to themselves. However, apparently, the only way to fight this may be a personal court examination for each individual inquisitor," explained Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar.

According to Rabbi Lazar, each of the letter's authors will summoned to a corresponding lawsuit, the documents for which will already be drawn up in the near future "The goal of this examination is to show that the accusations of this letter's authors are false and that various facts of Jewish life indicated in their appeal are slanderous," underlined the top Jewish leader.

Just days ago, on July 18th, the authors applied to the Russian Federation Prosecutor's office, demanding that they forbid all Jewish religious organizations. Calling themselves "Russian patriots", these individuals submitted an application to Moscow's Basmanny Court, which requests the Prosecutor to open criminal proceedings against Jewish leaders.

In the meantime, the collection of signatures of those who support the banning of Jewish organizations continues. At the time that they submitted their appeal, 15,000 signatures had already been collected.

On his part, Chief Rabbi Lazar considers that authors of this "letter of 15,000" aimed to try raise their personal popularity. "In our country, where many people live in a critical material situation, such actors are attempting to gain popularity, playing on the ambitions of underprivileged people to find those guilty for their misfortune," stated Rabbi Lazar. "However, by going this way in Russia, a country of many nationalities and many religions, such actions are not directed at specific Jews or at another people, but most of all, against the state itself and civil society."[link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Four MS-13 Related Arrests in Lynn

Mara Salvatrucha related activity in Greater Boston.

Boston Globe reports:

Four tied to MS-13 part of crackdown

By Cristina M. Silva, Globe Correspondent  |  July 23, 2005

Four suspected members of the violent gang MS-13 were among the 10 people arrested this week in the third roundup of undocumented immigrants in the area since June, authorities said.

The arrests included Carlos Sanchez, 18, of Lynn; Jacobo Pleitez, 18, of Somerville; Juan Gamez, 24, of Lynn; and Miguel Chacon 22, of Somerville. They were arrested in Lynn, police said.

''Our gang unit has done a pretty good job of identifying the members of the gang and tracking them," said Lieutenant Dave Brown, a spokesman for the Lynn Police Department. ''We are watching them" and other gangs in the area.

The four were charged with immigration offenses, but the arrests also were part of an antigang enforcement initiative, said Paula Grenier, a spokeswoman for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Chelsea police have been working on two summer initiatives to clear gang members and troublemakers from city recreation areas and to identify residents wanted for violent crimes and drug offenses, said Chelsea Police Captain Brian Kyes.

Early Wednesday, Chelsea officers working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested six people wanted for deportation proceedings who also had outstanding warrants for violent crimes or drug dealing. [link]

MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, was started in Los Angeles two decades ago and has spread to dozens of cities in North and Central America.

The gang is composed of members from several Latin American countries.

In the Boston area, MS-13 members have been tied to a series of violent acts over the past few years, including an assault and battery on a police officer, two shootings, a machete attack, and a double rape involving two deaf women in Somerville in 2002.[link]

Last month, Newt Gingrich hosted a Fox News Special “American Gangs – Ties to Terror?”. Former Speaker said:

“Fueled by the global nature of the drug trade, gangs are increasingly international operations,” said Speaker Gingrich.  “With the infrastructure in place to move and distribute drugs across the border, the danger exists that they will use their network to, for the right price, traffic terrorists and weapons into the country.”  [link]

“Gang members have become adept at using their legal protections to their advantage,” said Gingrich.  “For instance, sanctuary laws make it difficult for local police to act against illegal aliens who may be in gangs.”  [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph