ZOA lauds Rep. Sherman for pushing George Galloway investigation

NEW YORK — The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) applauds U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, for calling on Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Douglas Shulman to investigate the activities of George Galloway, a radical Israel-bashing member of the British Parliament; his organization called Viva Palestina; and an entity called the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organizations/Pastors for Peace, to determine whether they have been soliciting funds for Hamas, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Congressman Sherman has also urged Dr. Michael V. Drake, the Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, to thoroughly investigate the activities of a student group called the Muslim Student Union, which sponsored a campus event on May 21, 2009, at which Galloway solicited funds on behalf of Viva Palestina.

In three separate letters to federal officials dated December 1, 2009, Congressman Sherman expressed concern about whether an organization known as Viva Palestina, headed by George Galloway, may be soliciting funds for the terrorist group Hamas.  The Congressman noted that Galloway is the leader of Viva Palestina convoys to Gaza and has spoken publicly on behalf of Viva Palestina.  Citing a statement that Galloway made during one of the Viva Palestina convoys to Gaza in March, Congressman Sherman called it “compelling evidence that the major purpose of Viva Palestina is to provide material support to Hamas”:

“We are giving you now 100 vehicles and all of the contents and we make no apology for what I am about to say.  We are giving them to the elected government of Palestine, to Prime Minister Ismail Haniya [a high ranking Hamas official].  Here is the money.  This is not charity.  This is politics. . . . We are giving this money now to the government of Palestine.  If I could, I would give them 10 times, 100 times, more [emphasis in Congressman Sherman’s letter].”

The Congressman noted in his letters to federal officials that “Viva Palestina itself is not a 501(c)(3) entity” and that its legal status was not ascertainable.  It “apparently uses a 501(c)(3) conduit, the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organizations/Pastors for Peace (IFCO), to accept charitable donations . . . .”

The Congressman also cited evidence that he received from the ZOA – a videotape of Galloway soliciting funds at the University of California, Irvine, on behalf of Viva Palestina on May 21, 2009.  According to the videotape, Galloway states:

“The convoy is the first thing . . . If you can’t come, then help those who are fundraising to send others.  There are many ways that you can do it . . . Please take it.  It’s a small colored leaflet, Viva Palestina USA, which tells you how you can raise the funds, how you can help this great cause.”

In his letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Congressman Sherman urged the Attorney General to investigate Galloway, Viva Palestina USA and IFCO immediately.  Congressman Sherman said, “Clearly, people and organizations in the United States cannot be allowed to solicit funds for foreign terrorist organizations.  That such solicitation is occurring during the middle of the day at a public university is truly frightening.”

In his letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Congressman Sherman requested that the Secretary “investigate . . . immediately to determine whether Mr. Galloway and his foreign associates should have any outstanding visas revoked and any future admittance into the United States barred . . . and whether Viva Palestina, its affiliates, and its leadership should be designated . . . as supporters of a Foreign Terrorist Organization.”  Congressman Sherman emphasized, “The borders of the United States should not remain open to individuals that provide support to recognized terror organizations” (italics in original).

In his letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, Congressman Sherman called on the IRS to “investigate . . . immediately to determine whether the Internal Revenue Service should revoke IFCO’s 501(c)(3) status . . . .”  Congressman Sherman emphasized, “The taxpayers of the United States should not and cannot support the activities of recognized terror organizations” (italics in original).

In a letter to UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake, also dated December 1, 2009, Congressman Sherman noted that UC Irvine was already “cooperating with local authorities” and “conducting an internal investigation” into the Muslim Student Union event on May 21, 2009, at which Galloway solicited funds for Viva Palestina.  Urging that the university’s probe be thoroughly conducted, the Congressman alluded to previous letters he had written to the Chancellor, in which he had expressed concern about the Muslim Student Union’s programs that “appear[] intended to encourage violence against the State of Israel and propagate the spread of anti-Semitism.”  In his December 1^st letter, Congressman Sherman said:

In the past we have discussed the actions of the MSU in the context of First Amendment rights; soliciting funds for terror organizations is a far different matter. Students using a public university’s resources to provide material assistance for terror are in clear violation of federal law.

The Congressman referred to the videotape evidence provided by the ZOA, showing that at the May 21^st Muslim Student Union event, Galloway had solicited funds at UC Irvine on behalf of Viva Palestina USA.  Calling the evidence of fundraising “alarming,” Congressman Sherman said:

“I strongly urge you to review this evidence in your investigation.  I believe your investigation will confirm that the UCI MSU [Muslim Student Union] has solicited funds for a terrorist organization (or knowingly aided and abetted such solicitation).  After you confirm these facts, I believe you will, at a minimum, prevent the MSU from operating on campus unless and until its leadership is purged of those responsible.”

Morton A. Klein, the ZOA’s National President, and Susan B. Tuchman, Esq., the Director of the ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, praised Congressman Sherman for urging investigations into whether funds are being solicited in the U.S. and on our college campuses for the terrorist group Hamas in violation of federal law:  “Last September, the ZOA raised concerns about the Muslim Student Union’s event at UC Irvine, at which the Muslim Student Union and George Galloway solicited funds for Viva Palestina.  Based on university records, the Muslim Student Union solicited funds without UC Irvine’s approval and indeed misrepresented to UC Irvine that the event was not going to be a fundraiser.  Our concerns were heightened by evidence that Viva Palestina may well be providing material support and resources to the terrorist group Hamas in violation of federal law.

“The ZOA sent detailed information about its concerns to Congressman Sherman and numerous other officials, including UC Irvine’s chief campus counsel and the U.S. Department of Justice.  We were gratified when UC Irvine’s chief campus counsel immediately responded by thanking us for bringing the matter to the university’s attention and informing us that the university had referred the matter to law enforcement and initiated its own internal probe.  Last week, the university informed us that the internal probe is ‘underway.’

“For years, students have complained to us that UC Irvine has not enforced the university’s own policies when it comes to the Muslim Student Union.  In this current situation, the Muslim Student Union has itself publicly admitted that it violated the university policies on fundraising.

“UC Irvine is looking into the conduct of not only the Muslim Student Union, but also that of university officials who were present at the Muslim Student Union’s event on May 29^th and knew or should have known that unauthorized – and possibly illegal – fundraising was taking place.  These officials did nothing to stop the solicitation of funds for Viva Palestina.  And when one official submitted a report about the event to the Vice Chancellor, he did not even mention that funds had been solicited there.

“We are pleased that other groups and organizations have taken a strong stand in support of the federal government and UC Irvine investigating what occurred at the university on May 21, 2009.  We thank Congressman Sherman for taking a leadership role on this serious matter, which could show that the UC Irvine campus was used as a base for fundraising for the terrorist group Hamas in violation of federal law.  Hopefully, Attorney General Holder, Secretary of State Clinton, and IRS Commissioner Shulman will heed Congressman Sherman’s calls for an immediate investigation.  And Congressman Sherman’s letter will hopefully reinforce the need for UC Irvine to conduct a thorough investigation which, when completed, holds wrongdoers fully accountable for their misconduct.”

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Preceding provided by the Zionist Organization of America

The Amazing Adventures of a New Machiteynista

Dan & Ris
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By Jeanette Friedman

NEW YORK — With three daughters and as a celebrations journalist who writes about how to make a wedding fantastic (always, I just realized, from the bride’s point of view), it’s a new experience to become the mom of the groom. Especially such a groom!

It began at my granddaughter’s bat mitzvah, when Dan, the Mobius man, social media guru of Jewish masses, brought his significant other, Morissa Golden, aka Ris, to meet the matriarchs. My mother is the Brooklyn Babi of distinguished rabbinic descent. Her sister-in-law and the rest of the family were all under one roof, very convenient. (That was a green idea. It saved lots of gas running around the various boroughs of New York and the West Bank of the Hudson.)

The next day, my youngest, my only boy, a grown man in everyone’s eyes but mine, let me know he was going to pop the question in two week’s time, and that I had better keep my mouth shut.  So I immediately called my oldest daughter who said, “Butt Out!”  so I did.

He then calls to tell me  it’s Ris’s birthday. I leave her a birthday message and she calls back. “What do you want for your birthday?” I asked.  “I’ll see if I can arrange it.”

“Your son,” she replied.  And I said, I would wrap that up for her.

I immediately emailed Dan and asked him to put on a huge gift bow with a birthday card from me and to hand himself over to Ris. He ignored me.

Came Thanksgiving…was I brining a turkey for the kids? Nope. I wasn’t. He was heading up to Syracuse to ask Ris’ parents for her hand in marriage. Cool beans! So off they went on a MegaBus and the wi-fi sucked. I couldn’t find out what was going on. Dan posted something about a surprise on facebook, and I waited for the call.

It came on Thanksgiving p.m. Mazel Tov! The wedding was scheduled for the Fourth of July in her parents’ backyard in Syracuse.  No problem. Not much. Do we drive, get a bus, catch a plane, take a train?  And should we charter something for the old ladies? Talked to Ris’s Mom and Dad. They worried about not being observant! Who cares? They must be nice people because Ris is a class-A1 mensch.

Twittered the news immediately, facebooked it at the exact moment Dan did, sent an email to all my colleagues, friends and family and made only four phone calls—to my mom, my mother-in-law and two old aunties who wouldn’t know a computer if they God forbid fell over one. My, how life has changed!

Suddenly, Dan’s cell phone seems to work! He takes my calls and answers emails. Wow! And he emails a photo of the Bling—an antique diamond set in platinum. When he wanted to spend more, Ris said save the money for a roof over their heads. Smart lady.

Monday, Ellen, Ris’ mom, thankfully decides 150 people schlepping to her backyard in Syracuse isn’t green. Do it in Brooklyn where the friends and family are. Botanical Garden, their first choice Dan says, costs thousands. Have I got any ideas…and oh, yeah, this is going to be a Halachically correct wedding, but, “We are going to blow away the minhagim, the customs, and do things our way.”

The matriarchs were going to have to watch the bride and groom circle each other instead of the bride walking around in circles by herself. It is said she thus builds the walls of their future home, but these two believe they are partners for life. No one gets to run rings around anyone else! And his Dad and I would share giving a blessing during the ceremony.  Yes!

With the Botanical Gardens so expensive, Prospect Park, right across the street is an option. The Parks Department  says weddings cost $25 and a $300 bond in case you wreck the grass. The two sites are the Grecian Pavillion and the Oriental Garden. (The Oriental Garden was where the denizens of Crown Heights would go to do Taschlich [the casting of the bread on the waters] on the second day of Rosh Hashanna. Many a match was made there!)

BUT—you can’t have a wedding on the Fourth of July because everyone and his brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and 3^rd cousins twice removed will be bar-b-cueing  in the park, and  my oldest daughter, the specialty cake decorator and catering wannabe, says, “Whoa, everyone, Fourth of July is during the Three Weeks.”

Pick another date. Ok. June 27 it is.

She’s the practical daughter who has attended hundreds of weddings. She asks, “What about the heat in the summer when rivulets of sweat trickle down anatomical areas while you dance around? And what if it rains? I’ve been at weddings where I had to stand ankle deep in mud.”

“Hey,” I say, “Aren’t you the one who told me to butt out?!

She emails her brother. “Can’t do it on the Fourth. The Three Weeks. And it’s hot and where’s the dance floor?”

We are now looking at August.  I’ll keep you informed.

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Friedman is San Diego Jewish World’s bureau chief for the greater New York area.  We wish her, her son and daughter in law to be, and all else concerned a hearty mazal tov!

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Israelis line up to test whether they can donate bone marrow to American Alan Cohen

Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai is tested to see if he is a
possible donor for Alan Cohen
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NEW YORK (Press Release)–From Yeshivos to the IDF to the Knesset, from Haifa to Jerusalem to Beer Sheba, Ezer Mizion has undertaken a massive recruitment drive to save the life of its brother across the ocean.

Alan Cohen, a warm, friendly New Yorker who, up until recently led a placid life with his wife and two twin daughters, was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia with only weeks to live. A bone marrow transplant is his only chance of survival and to be successful, both donor and recipient must match genetically.  “I can’t face life without him,” said his sister, Susan, at a recent fund raising event as she begged the guests to give generously.

Ezer Mizion, the largest Jewish registry and the 4^th largest registry in the world, at this time does not have a genetic match for Alan. Due to the generosity of so many caring friends, funding is available for further genetic testing. Yeshiva students have extended their arms in a gesture of caring for a fellow Jew and thousands have been registered as potential donors. New IDF recruits have begun their army career with an act of compassion in the hope of being the one to save the life of a fellow Jew and on the December 7, the matter of most importance on the table of the Knesset was joining with Ezer Mizion to save Jewish lives.

In a truly unique show of solidarity, MK’s and their staff from the entire spectrum of Israel’s political arena turned up at the testing station set up especially for them in the Knesset building. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who had registered in a previous drive, stopped by to extend his wishes for the drive’s success. Eli Yishai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs, smiled as his blood flowed into the test tube to be typed by Ezer Mizion.

Massive media coverage has resulted in the plight of Alan Cohen being the talk of the day and over 13,000 converged upon Ezer Mizion’s 52 testing centers throughout Israel on December 8, in addition to the 10,000 who were tested from the start of the drive. As Alan is of Russian-Polish descent, material has been translated into Russian and Russian translators were available at each of the 52 stations to facilitate registration.

Further funding is urgently needed to enable Ezer Mizion to test each new registrant before it’s too late. Unfortunately, many more Jewish cancer patients around the globe are waiting in hope and prayer for the bone marrow transplant that will save their lives and an enlarged registry will enable so many more of our Jewish brethren to live.

For further information: Ezer Mizion, 1281 49 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219, 718 853 8400

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Preceding provided by Ezer Mizion

ADL says EU’s one sided resolution on Jerusalem undermines its credibility

NEW YORK (Press Release)–The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Tuesday criticized the conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process adopted by foreign ministers at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union, calling them “deeply flawed, based on a distorted view of the current situation and counterproductive to moving the peace process forward.”

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

“The EU action has seriously undermined its credibility as a member of the Quartet and an impartial participant in the peace process.  Despite efforts by several states to temper the even harsher language introduced by Sweden, this final product retains the two major flaws: prejudging the status of Jerusalem and thereby undermining negotiations; and putting the onus solely on Israel, thereby increasing the obstacles and providing further disincentives for Palestinians to negotiate.

“The conclusions are deeply flawed, based on a distorted view of the current situation and counterproductive to moving the peace process forward.  The whole affair raises serious questions about the EU role as interlocutor between Israel and the Palestinians. There was no mandate for the EU to take this action and many compelling reasons why they should not have.

“At a time when the government of Israel has repeatedly expressed a willingness to resume negotiations with the Palestinians and has made difficult unilateral concessions to demonstrate its commitment to doing so, the EU has chosen to be harshly critical of Israel and to give the Palestinians and Arab countries a pass.  It is difficult to see any reason for the Palestinian Authority or the Arab states to modify their steadfast unwillingness to move the peace process forward.  The EU action unduly complicates efforts to bring the parties back to the table.”

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Preceding provided by the Anti-Defamation League

Formulating the Afghan mission, Part II

By Shoshana Bryen

Second of two parts, click here for Part I

WASHINGTON, D.C. –President Obama’s speech at West Point was a study in isolationism. There was a blueprint for ending our deployment in Iraq, leaving Afghanistan to Afghan security forces and pushing the Pakistani government to fight extremists. We will “surge” for 18 months and then “ebb.”

It wasn’t sounding especially isolationist when the President enunciated two goals for American policy in Afghanistan:

• To disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and;

• To prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future.

It didn’t sound terribly isolationist when he put forward three elements of strategy:

• A military effort to create the conditions for a transition (to Afghan security control);

• A civilian surge that reinforces positive action, and;

• An effective partnership with Pakistan.

But, said the President-”Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. And now, we must come together to end this war successfully.” A retired Army general noted that “success” was used as an adverb to modify “end the war.” At least grammatically, the goal was not to succeed in Afghanistan, but to end the war.

That presaged the withdrawal phase of the speech. The President declined to engage in “a nation-building project (in Afghanistan) of up to a decade. I reject this course because it sets goals that are beyond what can be achieved at a reasonable cost, and what we need to achieve to secure our interests.”

“Too many Americans are worried about the future facing our children… we can’t simply afford to ignore the price of these wars.” He talked about a balance between domestic and military spending and said, “We must rebuild our strength here at home. Our prosperity provides a foundation for our power. It pays for our military. It underwrites our diplomacy. It taps the potential of our people, and allows investment in new industry. And it will allow us to compete in this century as successfully as we did in the last. That’s why our troop commitment in Afghanistan cannot be open-ended-because the nation that I’m most interested in building is our own.”

It cannot be done. America and the West are not at war only with something called “al Qaeda,” and “al Qaeda” itself defies quantifiable description. There is loose in the world a fascist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, anti-Western political agenda that is spreading through schools, the Internet and, in many dictatorial countries, closed media. It appears in Sunni form in al Qaeda and its offshoots and wannabes, but appears as well in Shiite supported forms-Hezbollah and even Sunni Hamas take money, arms and ideology from Iran.

The battle against terrorists and the states that harbor and support them will be long. If we’re only planning to give it 18 months and then go home, the “surge” will squander America’s most precious domestic resource-our soldiers.

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Bryen is special projects director for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. (JINSA). Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, longtime JINSA supporter and national board member.

Jewish Federations of North America mulling new formula for overseas allotments

NEW YORK (Press Release)–The Jewish Federations of North America convened the JAFI-JDC Work group Monday to begin planning how to move toward reaching a new agreement on allocations for overseas needs with the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).

John Ruskay, Executive Vice President & CEO, UJA/Federation of New York, characterized the meeting as a “serious positive first conversation.”

“This group created a table for fruitful and productive discussions, which included a review of key issues and initial brainstorming on the needs of our partners and gaining a greater understanding of the needs of the Jewish people worldwide,” said Kathy Manning, chair of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America.

At an earlier meeting yesterday of the Executive Committee of The Jewish Federations of North America, it was decided to continue allocating funds on the agreed-upon formula of 75 percent for JAFI and 25 percent for JDC, until a new agreement is reached.

The JAFI-JDC Work Group met at the New York headquarters of The Jewish Federations of North America. The 25-member panel includes representatives of all city size Federations, as well as leadership of The Jewish Federations of North America.

The panel is scheduled to meet again in January, with JAFI and JDC, to continue these discussions.

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Preceding provided by Jewish Federations of North America

San Diego Jewish Academy to host Festival of Mathematics on Sunday, March 21, for students who don’t compete on Saturdays

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)–The first Festival of Mathematics, a new math competition organized by San Diego Jewish Academy, will be offered on Sunday, March 21, 2010 and provides an alternative for students unable to participate on Saturdays, when academic competitions normally happen.

The SDJA Festival of Mathematics will take place at San Diego Jewish Academy in Carmel Valley and is supported by the Greater San Diego Math Council, sponsors of the traditional Saturday Math Field Day competitions that have attracted hundreds of schools and student participants over the years.

Because these contests are traditionally held on Saturdays, which is the Jewish Shabbat, “we have unintentionally precluded the participation of many Jewish students from these events,” said Greater San Diego Math Council president Bruce Arnold. “To redress this inequity, we will be developing and hosting a new event next year for middle and high school students to attend.”

“The GSDMC is very excited about the SDJA Math Festival program and has been a tremendous support in its development,” said Kristine Schneid, SDJA math teacher and Festival of Mathematics program chair. “In particular, the GSDMC has contributed to the financing and advertising of the program as well as the creation of competition events and materials.

“Bruce Arnold, Christi Cole, Reed More, Tammi Marshall and Erick Preibisius are GSDMC members who have made this program possible and have supported each step of the planning process with tremendous enthusiasm and guidance. Without them, this program would not be possible.”

Open to any student who prefers a Sunday rather than a Saturday competition, the festival will provide a number of events for middle school and high school students from schools throughout the western region of the country. Dual Digs I and II, Tri-team Attack and Fermi Quiz are team events involving problems sets based on specific mathematics curriculum topics. Chess and Sudoku are math games involving strategy and logic. Math Art and the Vectik Video are artistic expressions or interpretations of mathematics.

The idea for the festival originated last year from a 7^th-grade student who presented compelling reasons why participation in math competitions advances math skills, encourages teamwork and promotes a love of mathematics, said SDJA Upper School principal Dr. Jeff Davis.

“It was a fantastic idea,” Davis said. “We want it to grow into a big national program. This starts the ball rolling.”

The Greater San Diego Math Council is a volunteer group of San Diego educators committed to the advancement of mathematics appreciation and competency for students. In recent years, GSDMC has led or participated in a number of successful math-related events, including competitions, conferences, student activities and recognition of excellence in educators.

For more information, a brochure or to register students and schools for the SDJA Festival of Mathematics in San Diego on March 21, 2010, visit http://www.sdja.com/upper_school_flex.php?categoryId=10 or contact Kristine Schneid at: kschneid@sdja.com or call 858-704-3767.

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Preceding provided by San Diego Jewish Academy

San Diego Jewish Academy, one of the country’s premier K-12 Jewish day schools, challenges students to achieve their full academic potential and become individuals of strong moral and ethical character, while inspiring them to make Judaism a vital and relevant aspect of their lives.

For information, visit www.sdja.com or contact Renee Sherman, Admissions Director, at rsherman@sdja.com or 858-704-3716.

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More terrorism charges filed against David Headley

CHICAGO (Press Release) — New federal charges filed Monday  allege that a Chicago man, who was arrested in October for planning terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper and two of its employees, also conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years preceding the November 2008 terrorist attack on India’s largest city that killed approximately 170 people, including six Americans, and injured hundreds more. The defendant, David Coleman Headley, a U.S. citizen, earlier this decade allegedly attended terrorism training camps in Pakistan maintained by Lashkar e Tayyiba (Lashkar), and conspired with its members and others in planning and executing the attacks in both Denmark and India, federal law enforcement officials announced Monday.

Also Monday, a criminal complaint was unsealed in Federal Court in Chicago charging Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed (Abdur Rehman), a retired major in the Pakistani military, with conspiracy in planning to attack the Danish newspaper and its employees. Another Chicago man, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen and native of Pakistan, was arrested in October on federal charges filed in Chicago relating to the Danish terrorism plot.

Through his attorneys, Headley has authorized the Justice Department to disclose that he is cooperating in the ongoing investigation of both the Danish and Indian terror plots. He has remained in federal custody without bond since he was arrested in Chicago on Oct. 3, 2009. No date has been set yet for his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Headley, 49, was charged in a 12-count criminal information with six counts of conspiracy to bomb public places in India, to murder and maim persons in India and Denmark, to provide material support to foreign terrorist plots, and to provide material support to Lashkar, and six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of U.S. citizens in India.

The charges were announced by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the FBI’s offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., are also participating in the case.

“This investigation remains active and ongoing. The team of prosecutors and agents will continue to seek charges against the other persons responsible for these attacks. I continue to express my deep appreciation to the FBI agents and other members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their extremely hard work on this matter,” said Mr. Fitzgerald.

“This case serves as a reminder that the terrorist threat is global in nature and requires constant vigilance at home and abroad,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “We continue to share leads developed in this investigation with our foreign and domestic law enforcement partners as we work together on this important matter.”

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, said: “This case illustrates the importance of continued global cooperation to combat terrorism around the world. The FBI continues to strengthen relationships and to foster collaboration with our international partners to best ensure our collective ability to identify and disrupt international terror networks.”

According to the charges, after learning from members of Lashkar in late 2005 that he would be traveling to India to perform surveillance for Lashkar, Headley changed his name from Daood Gilani on Feb. 15, 2006, in Philadelphia, in order to present himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani. He later made five extended trips to Mumbai — in September 2006, February and September 2007, and April and July 2008 — each time taking pictures and making videotapes of various targets, including those attacked in November 2008.

Starting Nov. 26, 2008, and continuing through Nov. 28, 2008, 10 attackers trained by Lashkar carried out multiple assaults with firearms, grenades and improvised explosive devices against multiple targets in Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, the Leopold Café, the Nariman House and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, each of which Headley allegedly had scouted in advance, killing approximately 170 victims.

The six Americans killed during the three-day siege are identified in the charges as Ben Zion Chroman, Gavriel Holtzberg, Sandeep Jeswani, Alan Scherr, his daughter Naomi Scherr, and Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum.

Lashkar (the “Army of the Good”) operated in Pakistan for the principal purpose of fighting to separate from India portions of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It was designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization on Dec. 26, 2001. Headley allegedly attended Lashkar training camps in Pakistan that began in February and August 2002 and August and December 2003.

After being tasked in late 2005 with gathering surveillance in Mumbai and changing his name in early 2006, the charges allege that Headley traveled to Chicago in June 2006 and advised a person identified in the charges as Individual A of his assignment. Headley obtained Individual A’s approval to open an office of First World Immigration Services in Mumbai in 2006 as cover for his surveillance activities, the charges allege. Headley allegedly misrepresented his birth name, father’s true name and the purpose of his travel in his visa application.

After each trip that Headley took to India between September 2006 and July 2008, he allegedly returned to Pakistan, met with other co-conspirators and provided them with photographs, videos and oral descriptions of various locations. In March 2008, Headley and his co-conspirators discussed potential landing sites for a team of attackers who would arrive by sea in Mumbai, and he was instructed to take boat trips in and around the Mumbai harbor and take surveillance video, which he did during his visit to India starting in April 2008, the charges allege.

At various times, Headley allegedly conducted surveillance of other locations in Mumbai and elsewhere in India of facilities and locations that were not attacked in November 2008, including the National Defense College in Delhi, India.

Denmark Terror Plot–Regarding the Denmark terror plot, Headley allegedly conspired between October 2008 and Oct. 3, 2009, with Ilyas Kashmiri, as well as a person identified as Individual A, members of Lashkar and others to plan and carry out terrorist attacks, including murder and maiming, against the facilities of the Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper, and two of its employees, Editor A and Cartoonist A. In 2005, the newspaper published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, to which many Muslims took great offense.

Mirroring the initial charges filed against Headley in October, Monday’s charges allege that he met with co-conspirators while he was in Pakistan in late 2008 and discussed planning for the attack, including extensive surveillance work that he would perform. In late December and early January 2008, after advising Individual A of the planned attack and his intended travel to Denmark to perform surveillance of the newspaper’s facilities, Headley obtained Individual A’s approval and assistance to identify himself as a representative of First World and gain access to the newspaper by falsely expressing interest in advertising the business in the newspaper. At the same time, while in Chicago,
Headley exchanged emails with co-conspirators to continue planning for the attack and coordinate his travel to Denmark to conduct surveillance. Before departing Chicago, Headley obtained business cards that identified him as a representative of First World, according to the charges.

Headley allegedly traveled in January 2009 from Chicago to Copenhagen, Denmark, to conduct surveillance of the Jyllands Posten newspaper offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus and videotaped the surrounding areas. From January through May 2009, Headley met with coconspirators, including Kashmiri, on multiple occasions in Pakistan to review his surveillance and discuss plans for the attack, the charges allege, adding that Headley traveled in August 2009 from Chicago to Copenhagen to conduct additional surveillance and made approximately 13 videos. On Oct. 3, 2009, Headley was arrested at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, intending ultimately to travel to Pakistan to meet with, and deliver, the approximately 13 surveillance videos to coconspirators,
including Kashmiri.

The charges identify Kashmiri as an influential leader of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI), an organization that trained terrorists and executed attacks in the state of Jammu and Kashmir under Indian control and other areas. Kashmiri based his operations from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of western Pakistan, and area which served as a haven for terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda and the Taliban. Headley allegedly was introduced to Kashmiri as early as February 2009, and understood that Kashmiri was in regular communication with the senior leadership of al Qaeda.

Abdur Rehman complaint–The two-count complaint unsealed against Abdur Rehman, which was filed on Oct. 20, 2009, charges him with conspiracy to murder and maim persons in a foreign country, and providing material support to that foreign terrorism conspiracy. Abdur Rehman allegedly participated in the planning of a terrorist attack in Denmark, coordinated surveillance of the intended targets, and facilitated communications regarding the surveillance and planning with a member of Lashkar and Kashmiri.

Abdur Rehman, who was not named previously but whose alleged participation was described in the initial charges against Headley and Rana, allegedly played the central role in communicating with Headley and facilitating contacts with other co-conspirators in Pakistan, including members of Lashkar. During Headley’s trip to Pakistan in January 2009, Abdur Rehman took him to the FATA region of Pakistan to meet with Kashmiri and solicit the participation of Kashmiri and his organization in the planned attack on the Danish newspaper, according to the complaint against Abdur Rehman. A search of Headley’s luggage when he was arrested revealed a list of phone numbers, including a Pakistani number that he allegedly had used to contact Abdur Rehman.

The count against Headley charging conspiracy to bomb public places in India that resulted in deaths carries a maximum statutory penalty of life imprisonment or death. All of the other counts against Headley carry a maximum of life imprisonment, except providing material support to the Denmark terror plot, which carries a maximum prison term of 15 years.

The conspiracy to murder or maim persons in a foreign country charge against Abdur Rehman carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and the count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The prosecution of Headley and Abdur Rehman is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Collins and Victoria J. Peters from the Northern District of Illinois, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The investigation into the Mumbai attacks is continuing with the active participation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

The public is reminded that criminal charging documents contain mere allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Preceding provided by the U.S. Justice Department

Guess who came to dinner — and went?

By Gert Thaler

SAN DIEGO–As time goes by.

Tick tock.  Tick tock.   Not just minutes, days.  Years.  And more years.

I have recovered nicely from a pneumonia bout which necessitated having full time semi-nursing household support and I was lucky enough to be blessed with a delightful 23 year old who cared for my every whim.  The closeness allowed us to become more than patient/caretaker, employer/employee.  Warm friendship seems a better expression.

We talk.  She cooks. I eat.  Born in New Delhi, India but educated in California, the daughter of a now retired New Delhi Policeman, she has matriculated and almost finished nursing school.  We compare our cultures since I know very little of her people and their beliefs, their foods, their family lifestyle.

In comparison, she has never known a Jewish woman.

So we do not lack for conversation.

I spend a good deal of my recuperating snuggled into a large easy chair with my time divided between reading my favorite author, Daniel Silva, through my Kindle, plus newspapers and magazines and crossing my bedroom to my computer which has just been moved for easier access,  plus a lot of time watching movies.

I have a tendency to favor older movies.  And thus, today’s story.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and, more importantly, Sidney Poitier, was the featured movie and a film I have watched several times.

My friend was serving me a cold drink as the picture opened and I casually asked her if she had seen the movie lately.

“Lately?” she answered. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Do you know who those three actors are on the screen?”

“No”.

“No!! Not even one of them?”

I restarted the conversation by explaining that this movie was an ice breaker for the theme of a love affair between a black man and a white woman, the black actor being a star and retaining that status for a long period of years and a man who commands great admiration.

Sitting down to join me she watched in fascination as the story unfolded until its ending.

I asked her what would happen if she should bring home someone other than a man of her own culture and she said it would be unacceptable.  No discussion.

We talked about acceptance in a Jewish home and inter-religious dating and marriage.  A Pandora’s box was opened.

We continued talking about the movie and its theme all of which filled the air with questions about who Hepburn and Tracy were and a review of their past work.

A couple of days later, I was feeling better so my friend Doreen Casuto took me out for a movie and dinner at which her 21 year old son, Simon, joined us.   I asked if he had seen Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and in return I got a blank look.  Only Spencer Tracy was no stranger to him, until I mentioned that Poitier was also the star of the “Mr. Tibbs” movies. He vaguely recalled the character.

I looked in my mirror.  Has so much time gone by that such screen gems are like clouds floating out in space?  Am I and others of my generation the only ones left as fans of the era of Gigi; Stella Dallas;  Mr. Deeds Goes to Town;  Auntie Mame;  and Bus Stop?

Most major stars of those movies have gone to movie star heaven. Maurice Chevalier, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Rosalind Russell, Clark Gable.  Marilyn Monroe, too, except that with continuous publicity today’s youngsters are aware of her image.

There’s some wonderful, well produced and well acted work on our screens today.  But yesterday’s features gave most everybody great pleasure.  I know it will be hard for any 20 something person to believe but when I was 21 years old it cost 35 cents to see a movie, we brought our own candy bars, and popcorn had yet to make an appearance.

Last week’s night out cost $10.50 for a movie.  I don’t eat popcorn but if I had it would have been an additional $4.00 plus more than $2 for a drink.  The refreshment counter line is almost as long as the one at the  box office.

My heart does flip flops when I read of the millions raked in at the box office these days for movies starring total strangers to me.

Maybe that is supposed to be the way things go.

Yesterday’s stars no longer light up the sky and the twinkle is left in the hands of newcomers, so if a 21-year-old asks me if I can name three of today’s hottest box office draws I may very well fail their test.  Will I have missed much?

I doubt it.  Other than Meryl Streep and a couple of others, there will never be another Hepburn, Stanwyck or Russell.  For sure gone are the guys like Tracy, Brando and Cooper.  And those who never got to know them on screen are for sure the losers.

Furthermore, please don’t get me started on Paul Newman or Steve McQueen.

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Thaler is a longtime columnist of San Diego’s Jewish community.

WJC mourns passing of Count Otto Lambsdorff

NEW YORK (WJC)–Leaders of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) have expressed their grief upon the passing of Count Otto Lambsdorff, a former German industry minister and the chief negotiator of the German government in the negotiations for compensation to Nazi slave and forced laborers. Lambsdorff had died on Saturday aged 82. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder called Lambsdorff “a friend of the Jewish people, a committed Liberal Democrat and a fighter for justice and reconciliation.”

He said: “Count Lambsdorff was instrumental in securing the historic agreement in 2001 with German industry which finally enabled compensation payments to millions of victims of the Nazi injustice and to the establishment of the Future Fund. Without him, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to secure over  5 billion from businesses and the German State and to see a small amount of justice done to the victims of the Nazis. He was a representative of the new Germany which had learnt the lessons of the Nazi era.” WJC Deputy Secretary-General Maram Stern, who participated in the negotiations with the German government, also praised Lambsdorff’s role in securing compensation payments.

More than 1.6 million former slave and forced laborers received payments by the German Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future, and the remaining funds are used to support projects and initiatives that give support to the victims or aim to keep alive the remembrance of Nazi injustice for future generations.

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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress