JUNE 13 In Jewish History
823:
Birthdate of Charles the Bald, who as Holy Roman Emperor refused to comply with
anti-Semitic edicts of Amulo, the Archbishop of Lyon. In doing so, Charles was following in the
footsteps of his grandfather Charlemagne who had also refused to comply with
anti-Semitic edicts issued by Christian clerics.
1299:
Pope Boniface VIII allowed Jews accused by the Inquisition the right to know
who their accusers were.
1489:
Joshua Solomon Soncino completed the printing of Talmud Babli Hullin. During 1489, Soncino also completed the
printing of Talmud Babli Shabbat and Talmud Babli Baba Kamma
1782(1st
of Tammuz, 5542): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1777:
Marquis de Lafayette arrives to help the colonists in their War for Independence Lafayette Washington Lafayette Metz Lafayette
1843:
In Boston, a dinner was held at Faneuil Hall to celebrate the completion of the
Bunker Hill Monument. Judah Touro was honored for his role in the building of
the memorial. Bostonian patrician Amos
Lawrence had pledged to give ten thousand dollars to the project if anybody
would match his contribution. Touro, who
was living in New Orleans, heard about the challenge and immediately sent ten
thousand dollars to Boston. The toast read at the banquet said,
Amos and Judah
venerated names,
Patriarch and
prophet, press their equal claims
Like generous
coursers, running neck and neck
Each aids the other
by giving it a check,
Christian and Jew,
they carr out one plan,
For thous of
different faiths, each is in heart a man
1870:
An article published today entitled “Prophetic Disraeli” reviewed “Lothair,”
the first novel published by Benjamin Disraeli after he became Prime Minister
and discusses the as yet untitled sequel
that includes several Jewish characters and themes.
1877:
Joseph Seligman, the famous New York financier arrived at the Grand Union Hotel
in Saratoga Springs, NY, as he had every summer for the past ten years. When he
asked for his rooms the manager told Seligman that “he was required to inform
him that” Judge Henry Hilton, the owner of the hotel, “has given instruction
that no Israelites shall be permitted in future to stop at this hotel.” After overcoming his astonishment Mr.
Seligman asked, “ Do you mean to tell me that you will not entertain Jewish
people?” The manager replied, “That is our orders, Sir.” Seligman wanted to know the reason for this
asking, “Are they dirty, do they misbehave themselves, or have they refused to
pay their bills.” The manger replied
that these were not the reason. “The
reason is simply this.”Business at the hotel was not good last season and we
have a large number of Jews here. Mr.
Hilton came to the conclusion that Christians did not like their company, and
for that reason shunned the hotel. He
resolved to run the Union on a different principle this season and gave us
instruction to admit no Jew.” The manager expressed his personal regret at this
turn of events since Mr. Seligman had been coming there for years, but he had
to obey orders. An angry Mr. Seligman returned to New York where he wrote a
“bitter and sarcastic letter to Hilton” and then informed his friends as to
what had happened. [Editors Note – the treatment of Mr. Seligman would touch
off a minor cause célèbre. It would also mark the “official start” of a period
of increasing anti-Semitism in the United States that would include the public
banning of Jews from a variety of Christian only hotels, neighborhoods, country
clubs and other such institutions as well as the banning of Jews from certain
professions & occupations and the creation of quota system, the most
invidious of which was the one having to do with admittance to institutions of
higher learning. You might think of this period as an era of Jewish Jim Crow
and would persist into the last decades of the 20th century.]
1878: Lucien Levy, who took his own life for reasons which are still not clear, is to be buried today at New York’s Salem Fields Cemetery with services provided by Mishkan Israel, the congregation to which the family belongs. Survivors include his widow, brother Henry and a sister, Mrs. Henry Block, all of New York City.
1878: At a summit of European powers (Berlin Congress) discussing the Balkan region, civil rights were "guaranteed" for Rumanian Jews. The populace and the government soon ignored this order.
1880:
It was reported today that there are approximately 500,000 Jews living in
Morocco most of whom are descendants of Jews who were exiled from Europe during
the Middle Ages. They “are oppressed,
hated degraded and persecuted” in Morocco in a fashion worse “than in any other
country.” The Jews work in “various arts and trades” displaying “the ingenuity,
pliability and tenacity of their race.”
1882:
Joseph Wolf and Meyer Morris, two recent Jewish refugees who have just arrived
from Russia remained in jail because they could not pay the fine assessed them
for having attacked and beaten an official of the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society.
1884:
Birthdate of Sophie Tucker. Born Sonia Kalish, she was known as "the last
of the red hot mammas."
1885(30th
of Sivan, 5645): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1885:
In New York a bill was signed “to amend the Penal Code in regard to Jews and
the observance of Sunday.
1886:
The remains of James K. Gutheim who was the rabbi at Temple Sinai, lay in state
at the New Orleans Reform congregation until three o’clock this afternoon when
they were taken to the Metairie Cemetery in suburban New Orleans for final
internment.
1888:
It was reported that the staff of the Hebrew Journal plans to sponsor a
reception to raise funds for the Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Agency.
1889:
New York state Senator Jacob A. Cantor is invited to the opening reception of
the exclusive Harlem Club. When a member
learns that Robert Bonyge has proposed Cantor for membership, he publicly tells
Cantor, “Jake I have known you for a long time, and I am a friend of yours, but
I must stell yout that in this club we draw the line at Hebrews.”
1893: The British government is willing to to
receive a preliminary draft.
1898:
Emile Zola published his open letter (J'accuse) in defense of Captain Alfred
Dreyfus in Paris
1898:
TheYukon Territory is formed, with Dawson chosen as its capital. In 1902, when
Dawson’s Jewish population reached its high point of 200, Solomon Packer was
one of its leading merchants.
1904(30th
of Sivan, 5664): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1912:
Orville and
Katherine Wright arrived at the home of Arthur L. Welsh's in-laws, Mr. and Mrs.
Paul Harmel two days after his fatal accident.
1912:
Funeral services were held for Arthur L. Welsh at Adas Israel in Washington
D.C. Joseph Gulshak, the congregation’s
cantor delivered the euglogy as the congregants looked at his talist draped
casket.
1912:
Portuguese government continues to favor a plan which is reported to be
prepared to give Jews extensive concessions.
1917:
Birthdate of Israel Kugler, a leader of teachers’ and Jewish labor
organizations. Born in Brooklyn, to Eastern European immigrant parent, he
served in the Navy during World War II and was educated at City College and at
New York University. In addition to his work as an organizer, he was a
professor of social science in the CUNY system and author of the book “From
Ladies to Women: The Organized Struggle for Women’s Rights in the
Reconstruction Era.”Kugler’s parents were involved in the Workmen’s
Circle/Arbeter Ring, which is the national Jewish labor organization, and
Kugler’s own children were sent to Workmen’s Circle shules (part-time Yiddish
schools). After he retired from teaching and organizing in 1980, Kugler was
elected president of the Workmen’s Circle. He held the office for two terms,
until 1984. Kugler was also active in other progressive Jewish organizations,
serving as an officer of the Jewish Labor Committee and of the Forward
Association, the not-for-profit holding company of this newspaper. Philip
Kugler followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a vice president of the
American Federation of Teachers. He passed away in October of 2007 at the age
of 90.
1917:
Fourteen German bombers attacked London dropping more than one hundred bombs
killing over 162 civilians. Some of the
bombs landed on school where fifteen students were killed and another 27 maimed
for life prompting some parents to send their children out the British
capital. Among those sent out were Lev Winogradsky, the future media mogul who
became Lord Grade and his brother Boruch Winogradsky, the famed theatrical
impresario who became Lord Delfont
1918:
Fire in a synagogue results in the total destruction of the famous Hebrew
library in Belgrade. The collection contained many rare manuscripts.
1918:
During WW I, Lester Bergman a Private serving with the 5th Regiment
of the U.S. Marine Corps which was part of the AEF, attacked a German machine
gun nest in fighting in the Bois de Belleau. This conspicuous bravery would
lead to him being award the Silver Star.
1920:
The Ahdut Ha'Avoda Party convenes in Kinneret. It decides to establish the
Haganah organization for a countrywide Jewish self-defense.
1920:
Birthdate of Joseph Gurwich, who as Joseph Gurwin, became a wealthy businessman
and philanthropist. Unfortunately, he was also a victim of the great swindler,
Bernard Maddoff
1921(7th
of Sivan, 5682): Second Day of Shavuot
1924:
Bnei Brak founded on the coastal plain east of Tel Aviv. The Bnei Brak of today
was established by charedi Jews from Poland, and is famed for its many yeshivas
and Chassidic communities. Judah Moses Tiehberg, the grandson of the
Aleksandrow Rebbe who was murdered at Treblinka re-established the dynasty at
Bnei Brak in 1953. In Biblical times Bnei Brak was located in the land of the
tribe of Dan. Its most lasting fame comes from the story in the Haggadah about
Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues.
1925:
In Manhattan Louis and Ralphina Steinhardt Lowenstein gave birth to Louis
Lowenstein, founding partner of Kramer Levin and “an influential business law
professor and former corporate executive who for nearly three decades dissected
the excesses of Wall Street and warned of the dangers of short-term investing” (As reported by Dennis Hevesi)
1926(1st
of Tammuz, 5686): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1926:
It was reported today that Rabbi Max Drob, President of the Rabbinical Assembly
of JTS will be one of the speakers to address the upcoming annual convention of
the Rabbinical Assembly of the Jewish Theological Seminary
1925:
Birthdate of
Louis Lowenstein, an influential business law professor and former corporate
executive who for nearly three decades dissected the excesses of Wall Street
and warned of the dangers of short-term investing
1928:
Florenz Ziegfield signs a contract with MGM
to produce movie musicals.
1929:
Western hero Wyatt Earp passed away. Earp was not Jewish, but his last wife
was. She arranged for him to be buried in a Jewish cemetery.
1931:
Shortstop Louis Brower made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers.
1931: Birthdate of Dr. Irvin David Yalom Emeritus Professor
of Psychiatry at Stanford University and recipient of the American Psychiatric
Association’s Oscar Pfister Prize (for important contributions to religion and
psychiatry) in 2000.
1933:
In Berne, anti-Semitic pamphlets were distributed at meeting of the "Bund
Nationalsozialistischer Eidgenossen" (BNSE) which was addressed by Emil
Sonderegger, a former leading general in the Swiss Army.
1934(30th
of Sivan, 5694): Rosh Chodesh Tamuz
1935:
James J. Braddock defeated Max Baer to become heavyweight champion of the
world. Baer had only been Heavy Weight
Champion for a year. There was always a
question as to whether or not Baer was really Jewish. He had been born in Nebraska
1936: According to an article published in the New York
Times, “a factor in the current Palestine disorders that is little known to
the general public is a long-standing political feud between the two leading
Arab families, for which the Jews happen to be convenient scapegoats.” Much of
the violence stems from a conflict between the Husseini family, which has
filled the posts of Grand Mufti and President of the Supreme Council, and the
more moderate Nashashibis who are led by the former Mayor of Jerusalem.
1938:
Birthdate of Morton H. Halperin “an American expert on foreign policy and civil
liberties. He served in the Johnson, Nixon and Clinton administrations and in a
number of roles with think tanks, universities and other organizations such as
the Council on Foreign Relations and Harvard University.”
1939: Five Arab villagers were slain early today in Baled
Es-Sheikh, near Haifa. An armed gang, dressed in European clothes, dragged the
five men from their homes and shot them. A sixth villager was reported to have
been abducted. The Arabs claimed that the attackers were Jews.
1939:
In what appears to be an outbreak of inter-Jewish strife between Revisionists
and Laborites, “seventy persons carrying clubs studded with nails” attacked the
Revisionists headquarters in Tel Aviv injuring one severely and five slightly.”
1939:
“Eddie Cantor and his wife are guest of the 18,000 members of the Greater New
York Chapter of Hadassah at a luncheon in the Café Tl Aviv in the Jewish
Palestine Pavillion at the World’s Fair”
at the same time that they are celebrating their 25th wedding
anniversary.
1941:
Birthdate of Esther Ofarim, a sabra who became a popular Israeli entertainer
and singer.
1941:
The Petain Government, also known as the Vichy Government, ingratiates itself
with the Nazis by announcing that 12,000 Jews have been sent to concentration
camps for hindering Franco-German cooperation.
1942:
Nine Jews were hanged in Warta , 2 in Lask, and
2 in Lodz Ghetto as a tool to scare Jews from resisting deportation.
1942: Three thousand Jews are deported from
the Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia
1942: British Ambassador to the Vatican
Francis d'Arcy Osborne observes about Pope Pius XII that his "moral
leadership is not assured by the unapplied recital of the Commandments."
British comments must be taken with a grain of salt. After all, they were the ones who had written
the White Paper locking the Jews out of the only place that would accept them.
1943:
Mark Rothko, together with
Adolph Gottlieb and Barnet Newman published the following brief manifesto in
the New York Times:
"1.
To us art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by
those willing to take the risks.
"2.
This world of imagination is fancy-free and violently opposed to common sense.
"3.
It is our function as artists to make the spectator see the world our way not
his way.
"4.
We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large
shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the
picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal
truth.
"5.
It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one
paints as long as it is well painted."
[Rothko
said "this is the essence of academicism".]
"There
is no such thing as a good painting about nothing.
"We
assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which
is tragic and timeless. That is why we profess spiritual kinship with primitive
and archaic art."
1945:
Weizmann decried Churchill’s letter rejecting the request for an end to
restrictions on Jewish immigration into Palestine as an insult to our
intelligence. A bitter Weizmann declared, “If Churchill had wanted to settle
things, he would have done so.” “For
Ben-Gurion, Churchill’s letter was ‘the greatest blow they (the Zionists) had
received.’
1948(6th
of Sivan, 5708): Shavuot
1948(6th
of Sivan): Rabbi Abraham Mordecai Alter, the Gur rebbe, passed away
1948:
Shear Yashuv Cohen, the future chief rabbi of Haifa arrived at a Jordanian
prison camp after having fought in the failed defense of the Old City of
Jerusalem.
1948:
Rumania Finland Israel
1949:
Birthdate of Brandon Tartikoff television executive with ABC and NBC. He was involved in the creation of
such groundbreaking hits as “The Cosby Show” and “Hill Street Blues.” He passed
away in 1997.
1950:
“An air transport agreement granting equal rights in Israel and the United
States for airlines designated y the two governments was signed in Teel Aviv
today by Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett and United States Ambassador James G.
McDonald. This is the first air
agreement between Israel and a foreign country and the first agreement with the
United States on any subject.”
1950:
An airplane bearing Jordanian markings which belonged to Arab Airways was
forced to land after it attempted to fly over the southern Negev. The pilot,
who was an American, cooperated with the intercepting Israeli aircraft and the
landing took place without incident. The
Israelis have made repeated requests to the international community to avoid
such over-flights due to the state of war that still exists in the region.
1950:
Eddie Cantor completed his day of touring immigrant camps by having lunch at
the immigrant transit camp at Natahnya. While the Jewish entertainer who has
raised millions for Jewish causes since the 1930 ate, he was eyed with great
interest and curiosity by the six hundred orphans living at the camp.
1951: The
Jerusalem Post
reported that Israel Suez Canal to Israeli shipping. Migdal Gad, a
new immigrant town of 10,000, held its first municipal elections. There were
1,950 eligible voters. No ice for home supply was distributed in Haifa
1951:
Nine Jewish Kremlin physicians were "exposed" as British/US agents.
This became known as the Doctors' Plot. It was part of Stalin’s last push to
get rid of the Jews of the Soviet Union . Only
his death averted what could have been a worse mass murder than the Holocaust.
1953(30th
of Sivan, 5713): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1954:
Cornerstone laid for Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM).
1954:
The New York Times features a review of “The Spark and the Exodus,” in
which Benedict and Nancy Freedman “have tried to recreate one of the tragic
periods of Jewish history: the Czarist oppression, the pogroms that fired the
Zionist dream of establishing a home land in Palestine.”
1965(13th
of Sivan, 5725): Philosopher, author and
intellectual Martin Buber passes away. There is no way to do write just a few
words about Buber. His impact was too
great in too many spheres. The best way
to honor his memory is to take try and read a little bit of Buber. Whether it is something as complicated as I
and Thou or as relatively simple as a collection of Chasidic tales, there
is something for all of us.
1966:
Birthdate of mathematician Grigori Perelman.
True confession – I do not have a clue as to what his work is all about
but the experts say the Russian born genius is best known for his work in
comparison geometry. He has also
published papers purporting to prove Thurston's Geometrization Conjecture and
Poincare’s Conjecture. So far, nobody
has found the flaw in his work
1966:
Birthdate of Ben Horowitz, the native of London who was raised in the United
States where he became a “high tech entrepreneur and investor.”
1972(1st
of Tammuz, 5732): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1973:
General Benjamin “Benny” Peled, the head of the Israeli Air Force, told Defense
Minister Moshe Dayan that in the event of another war with the Arabs, a
pre-emptive air strike would be critical to Israeli success. Dayan assured him that if the government
thought that the Arabs were about to attack, the air force would be given the
same operational latitude that it had in 1967. [Editor’s note: One wonders if
Dayan remembered this conversation in October of 1973 at the outbreak of the
Yom Kippur War.]
1974:
A Gallup
1976: The
Jerusalem Post
reported that the former Air Force chief Mordechai Hod was granted a draft
agreement allowing him to set up a separate air-freight company in Israel New York Fifth
Avenue Israel Israel Ben-Gurion Airport
1978:
The IDF withdraws from Lebanon
1986
(6th of Sivan, 5746): First Day of Shavuot
1986
(6th of Sivan, 5746): Musical great Benny Goodman passed away. The
clarinet was his instrument of choice. In the Big Band Era, he was known
as "The King of Swing." He gave jazz, or at least his style of
it, a certain touch of panache when he played Carnegie Hall, which in those
days was the High Temple of High Culture.
1988:
Birthdate of Gabe Carimi, the offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears who played
his college football at Wisconsin where he won the Outland Trophy in 2010. Carimi’s nickname is “the Bear Jew.”
1990: David Levy began serving as Israel’s Foreign Minister replacing Moshe Arens
1991:
The New York Review of Books featured
a review of Wartime Lies, the first novel by Louis Begley.
1999: The New York Times featured reviews of books by
Jewish authors and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including “The
Nanny and the Iceberg” by Ariel Dorfman and “Between Memory and Desire: The
Middle East in a Troubled Age” by R. Stephen Humphreys.
2002:
Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, saw landmarks of the revived Jewish
quarter in the Kazimierz district
2004: The New York Times featured reviews of books by Jewish authors
and/or of special interest to Jewish readers including the recently released
paperback edition Heart,You Bully, You Punk by Leah Hager Cohen
2004:
The world takes note of what would have been Anne Frank’s 75th
birthday.
2005(6th
of Sivan, 5765): Composer David Leo Diamond passed away.
2005(6th
of Sivan, 5765): First Day of Shavuot. Showing
an uncanny knack for revitalization, this previously neglected festival has
gained new life in the opening decade of the 21st century in America
2006:
On his first ever visit to China Israel China
2006:
The New York Times reported that an
international team of archaeologists has recorded radiocarbon dates that they
say show the tribes of Edom Edom Jordan Edom Judah Judah
2007:
The History Channel International presents two showings of “Great Spy Stories:
Mossad.” ”Born in the crucible of Israel
2007: Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak defeated Labor MK Ami Ayalon
in the Labor Party primary.
2007: Vice Premier Shimon Peres is elected President of Israel by
the Knesset.
2007: “The 350th anniversary of the readmission of Jews to the
British Isles was commemorated by a service at Bevis Marks Synagogue in the
presence of Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Lord Mayor, and Prime Minister
Tony Blair. The synagogue is the only one in Europe which has had continuous
services for over 300 years.”
2008: The New York Times
featured a review of Travel Pictures by Heinrich Heine and translated by
Peter Wortsman. In this work, “religion captivates” the poet who was born
Jewish, rejected and became “a Protestant convert out of convenience. Of the
three religions that dominated Europe he
writes, “Catholicism: “I see no pleasure in a religion in which our dear God,
God help us, is dead, and it smells of incense just like at a funeral.”
Protestantism: “A harmless religion, as clean as a glass of water, but it
doesn’t do you any good either.” Judaism: “I wouldn’t wish it on my worst
enemy. It gives you nothing but scorn and shame. I tell you, it’s no religion
at all, just a lot of hard luck.”
2008:
In a landmark ruling today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit held that Agudas Chasidei Chabad of United States (Chabad) may
pursue its claims in a U.S. federal court against the Russian Federation, the
Russian Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication, the Russian State Library,
and the Russian State Military Archive to recover a collection of sacred
religious books and archives. The D.C. Circuit held that a U.S. Moscow Russian Federation Russian Federation Soviet Union .
"This is a landmark ruling," said Marshall Grossman, a partner in
Bingham McCutchen's Santa Monica Santa Monica Washington , D.C. Washington United
States
2008: The Third International Festival of New Jewish Liturgical
Music began today in Milwaukee in partnership with The Wisconsin Society For
Jewish Learning, Inc.
2009:
At Temple Judah
in Cedar Rapids Iowa, Tessa Cohen, daughter of Brian and Terri Cohen, is called
to the Torah as Bat Mitzvah. Tessa has completed her 7th grade year at Oak
Ridge Middle School. She is an excellent student who plays tuba in band,
electric bass guitar in jazz band and string bass in orchestra as well as
singing in chorus and show choir. She also enjoys playing her tuba with the
Musical Shabbat Band at Temple. Tessa has been playing soccer for 8 years. In
her last game she had an awesome save as goalie and scored a goal with her left
foot! Tessa’s other interests are cooking, especially cake decorating, and
preserving the environment. As part of her mitzvah project, Tessa is accepting
donations to the Indian Creek Nature Center in lieu of gifts. Thanks to Tessa,
Am Yisrael Chai!
2009: Unknown assailants fired a Kassam rocket from Gaza
tonight. No one was wounded in the rocket attack and the Kassam, which hit the
Sdot Negev region, did not cause any damage. In related news, Gaza emergency
services reported that an 18-year-old was electrocuted this afternoon in a
smuggling tunnel under the Gaza-Egypt border. More than a dozen Palestinians
have died in tunnel accidents this year.
2010: “Sondheim on Sondheim” is scheduled to have its final performance
at Studio 54 in Manhattan.
2010(1st of Tamuz, 5770): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
2010: The New York Times
featured reviews of books by Jewish authors and/or of special interest to
Jewish readers including Witz by Joshua Cohen and The Icarus
Syndrome: A History of American Hubris by Peter Beinart.
2010: The 30th Greater Chicago Jewish Festival is
scheduled to take place at St. Paul Woods in Morton Grove, Il.
2011: The funeral of Al Schwimmer, who smuggled planes to Israel
during the War for Independence and was the founder of Israel’s Aircraft
Industry, is scheduled to be held today.
2011: The Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning in New York
City is scheduled to host its annual Exhibition and Reception where it will
present the works of The Artists Beit Hamidrash and The Writer’s Beit
Hamidrash.
2011: Sheri Blumberg is scheduled to facilitate a discussion of “Hillel:
If Not Now, When?” by Joseph Telushkin at the Jewish Museum in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin.
2011: Israel Police arrested three Yitzhar settlers today,
charging them with incitement to racism and violating the Shin Bet Security
Service laws for a website that calls for "price tag" attacks on Palestinians.
The three, students of extremist Rabbi Yitzhak Ginzburg, operate "The
Jewish Voice" website, which reports news on settlements and outposts,
criticizes the IDF, shows sympathy for "price tag" attacks and
publishes articles by Rabbi Ginzburg. The site also reports on Shin Bet
attempts to recruit agents. The police searched the suspects' homes early this
morning and confiscated computers. They also arrested a minor suspected of
setting fire to a Palestinian field. The four were being questioned and will
most likely be released during the day. The "Jewish Voice" website
responded by saying the arrest is a violation of its right to freedom of
speech. "These actions remind us of dark regimes," it said in a
statement. In 2003, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein decided to indict rabbi
Ginzburg for incitement to racism. Ginzburg published a book called Tipul
Shoresh ("Root Treatment") which compared Arabs to a cancer.
2011: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi offered to
take personal steps to try to restart stalled peace talks between Israel and
the Palestinians, telling Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Rome today that
he would be willing to host negotiations in Sicily. In a press conference of
the two leaders following a meeting that both sides said went well, Berlusconi
reiterated his opposition to the United Nations recognizing a Palestinian state
at the UN General Assembly in September. Berlusconi told Palestinian Authority
chairman Mahmoud Abbas two weeks ago that it was a bad idea. "We don't
think a unilateral resolution can help advance peace, not by Palestinians or by
Israelis," Berlusconi said. "The way to advance peace is via
negotiations. I would be happy to host peace talks here in the city Erice [on
the coast of the island of Sicily]." Berlusconi said he supported
initiating a Marshall Plan to build a Palestinian state economically. Ten
Italian companies have agreed to open factories in the West Bank, and 10
tourism companies agreed to come to the West Bank to encourage Italian tourism.
He emphasized the need of the Hamas to accept the demands of the quartet. Asked
why the Italian government recently upgraded the Palestinian representative to
Italy to the level of ambassador if Rome opposes unilateral steps, Berlusconi
said he did not see a contradiction. "The goal of this decision was to
persuade the Palestinians that they have something to gain from coming to the
negotiating table," Berlusconi said. Following a joint cabinet meeting,
eight Israeli ministers signed agreements with their Palestinian counterparts.
Such a meeting was also held in February 2010 in Jerusalem, and another is
planned for next year in Jerusalem. The Israelis and Italians agreed on the
following joint statement: "In the wake of fundamental changes in the
Middle East, the governments if Italy and Israel share the conviction that a
just and lasting solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict must be reached as
a result of direct negotiations between the parties based on the principle of
two states for two peoples, with the state of Israel as a Jewish state and the
homeland of the Jewish people and an independent, democratic, contiguous, and
viable state of Palestinian as the homeland of the Palestinian people, living
side by side in peace, security, and mutual recognition.
2011: Lisa Pulver, the co-founder and
director of the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit at the University of New
South Wales, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the annual
Queen’s birthday honors list announced today. Pulver also is a professor of
indigenous health at the university. Pulver is president of the Newtown
Synagogue, in Sydney’s inner west, and a board member of the Lowitja Institute,
Australia’s premier Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led health research
body. (As reported by JTA)
2011: Israel Police arrested three Yitzhar settlers
today, charging them with incitement to racism and violating the Shin Bet
Security Service laws for a website that calls for "price tag"
attacks on Palestinians.
2012: Cellist Elad Kabilio and pianist Reanana Gutman are
scheduled to perform as part of MusicTalks which aims to break down the
barriers between musicians and the chamber music audiences.
2012: The Jewish Community
Relations Council of Greater Washington’s 2012 Annual Gala is scheduled to take
place this evening at Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah in Potomac, MD.
Copyright; June, 2012; Mitchell A. Levin melech3@mchsi.com
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