Israel’s News Blog Magazine: Daily Stories Video and Photos

We are at home watching the shows and stories of the Holocaust. A day dedicated to the stories and the survivors here in Israel. There are 80,000 survivors in Israel that can barely survive and leave below the poverty line yet when they ask for help they are put through hell. Insurance monies, property taken from these people, claims money that were awarded all went to a group called the Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims in New York.

The Conference is the sole beneficiary of German compensation. Actually $1,070,000,000 worth of compensation. When properties were released after the fall of the Berlin wall in Germany it was this organization that collected the properties - a list that until today is not being revealed to survivors. This body is today one of the largest single property ownership groups in Europe.

Today when a survivor wants to get the money he is left, he needs to face a battery of lawyers controlled by this New York organization. Even today this organization refuses to provide a list of the properties that are held supposedly for the Holocaust survivors.

120,000 properties were received, worth $1,050,000,000. And this money is transfered to organizations and foundations that have nothing to do with the Holocaust and its survivors. Organizations that are in Brooklyn, Jewish Museums, and a whole network of organizations not related to the Holocaust in any way.

Not only that, in one case when the Conference received a property and then is faced with a claim from the actual property owner, the Conference demanded 50% of the money and threatened in writing the owner that they will take his house if he doesn’t pay up. Blackmailing Holocaust survivors!!! The CON gets worse and is aggressively covered up to the extent that employees are fired for asking the wrong questions.

There are 24 Jewish organizations that control the Claims Conference each having the same weight in decisions and allocations. And so Israel with its 80,000 survivors gets the same weight in deciding on the allocation of aid as for example South Africa with its 900 survivors.

The Conference allocates money for political favors and people on the board of directors are getting ridiculous salaries with administrative costs that are running in the millions. The term for this in the US is Self Dealing! It is Self Dealing that is now hopefully going to be investigated by the District Attorney of New York.

“Yirgon Uotzei Merkaz Europa”, an organization in Israel that received $9,000,000 from the Conference over the years, is managed by one of the guys close to the plate. That organization that supposed to help Eastern European jews is charging $4,000 a month for a room in their retirement home. It gives no breaks to Holocausts Survivors of course. The organization that received money and is supposed to help Holocaust education and support survivors has absolutely no such services or consideration to survivors. This year the organization will receive another $670,000.

To date 2,000 Holocaust survivors received assistance from the Conference.

Gideon Taylor the head of the Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims makes $450,000 a year!

Good People…

Another Israeli actress has landed the lead role in a Hollywood production. According to recent reports, Israeli actress Shirley Brener has nabbed the leading role in a new action film called “Streets of Blood”. She will be starring alongside Sharon Stone, Val Kilmer, and rapper 50 cents.

Brener will portray a drug addict who gets in trouble with the police. “I am excited about the filming, I feel like I am taking an additional step and this time opposite a Hollywood diva like Sharon Stone”, said Brener to the press.

More Israeli actresses are joining Natalie Portman in conquering the big screen. Last month inside sources hinted that Ayelet Zurer would star next to Tom Hanks in Ron Howard’s upcoming film “Angels and Demons”, based on Dan Brown’s bestselling novel. In 2001, Zurer made an unforgettable appearance in Steven Spielberg’s “Munich”, which launched her international career.

I have no doubt that our representatives are extremely talented, but in this business it also demands a lot of luck! Considering this international success, I hope these women are wearing a hamsa against the envious eye!

Also can be added to this impressive list, singer and songwriter Yael Naim whose hit song “New Soul” has been rocking American charts in the past few months.

Way to go!

When we heard this on the news today, people just couldn’t help smiling. A notable strange reaction to the news of someone’s death. But the truth is that when you hear that the man who invented LSD dies at the ripe old age of 102 (God Bless Him!) you have to wonder what the people behind the War on Drugs have to think…

Rest In Peace Dr. Hofmann

Picture: Alex Grey

Passover is over. Matzah left over can be an issue you need to deal with. The Jewish Robot marketing team is thinking of a few ideas for you

Thank you Rashi!

Media reported that on Monday, IAF attacked two terrorists who were located in Gaza strip; a mother and her four children residing near the terrorists were killed as well. Many Palestinians have criticized Israel’s aggression, but now it is unclear who holds responsible for this killing.

The Palestinians claim that the IDF killed the family, but the IDF claims that they the tragedy was actually caused by the explosives the terrorists used. IDF has responded to the ongoing rocket fire on Southern towns Sderot, and now on Ashkelon.

Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defense Minister, blames Hamas for this awful incident:

“We see Hamas as responsible for everything that happens in the area around Gaza, all of the strikes, and the IDF is acting and will continue to act against Hamas, within the Gaza Strip… Hamas is also responsible, through its operations within the civilian population, like the laying of explosives, for wounding some civilians who are not involved in the operations,”

It remains clear however, that this death leads to the next Qassam that leads to the next IDF attack. I wonder, will this vicious circle ever end?

**UPDATE
In the government meeting this morning Olmert opened with an expression of regret (as in sorrow) for the loss of the Gazan family. He also expressed sorrow for the residents of Sderot and the boy who’s leg was amputated recently in the southern town.

The Army’s investigation of the attack in Gaza revealed so far that an attack by an Israeli jet hit explosives. The secondary explosions caused a house to collapse killing the mother and her four children. The IDF is warning of hamsa use of the civilian population as human shields in their fight.

Don’t say we don’t get around. We for this from our man in San Diego, direct from Solana Beach. As a country that’s really all about the sea, Israel has had little experience with Sharks. There were a couple of Shark attacks in Eilat way back, but nothing major.

Once in a while we hear about some sharks being observed by fishermen but generally the only reason they would be found in the Red Sea would be because they were disoriented, lost or just old and looking for a final resting place.

Hope this is the last they hear about it in California…

Thank you Moshe!

If you run into people in Israel strangely scratching their heads, they might be German artists. Seven young artists from Berlin have chosen to express themselves in a very extraordinary way; they are spending seven nights and days in an Israeli museum in the company of lice.
Why? That’s a great question.

Is it art, gimmick, or the art of the gimmicks? This gallery has been loaded with provocations. Did these Germans intend to associate this unusual exhibition with the Holocaust? The Holocaust is still a very touchy subject in Israel. Holocaust survivors and their families might be offended, especially so close to Holocaust Memorial Day.

“We were aware that, as Germans in Israel, there was a risk we may be misunderstood, that we would open up wounds People ask about it - we had one woman who came and thanked us for making such a great statement against the fascist rhetoric of German history”, said one of the artist to the press.

Another artist explained that the group is exploring the theme of hosting.
I am a great supporter in freedom of speech, but some things just give the impression of being tasteless, even for the sake of art.
These German artists can enjoy their freedom of scratching. I am keeping away from this gallery.

Source:Ynet

The Bank of Israel site was hacked yesterday by a hacker calling himself “The Moorish”. The Moors were black Muslim invaders of the middle ages (remember Morgan Freeman in “Robin Hood Prince of Thievs”?). “The Moorish” is allegedly associated with a group of Algerian hackers called Team DZ.

The hacker signs off by quoting Malcolm X: “I’m nonviolent with those who are nonviolent with me.” and a link to a YouTube video featuring an armed uniformed movement. The flags being waved in the video bear the Muslim declaration of belief, the Shahada (disambiguation), in ornate lettering.

“As an anti-colonial Muslim, I fully support the armed resistance of the Palestinians, Iraqis and Lebanese against the US and Israel. I am serious about the liberation! By any means rendered necessary!”

“This is the only way by which oppressed people can emancipate themselves than from the Zionist and American oppressors…the oppressors have not conceded to non-violent measures; therefore, their victims have no commitment to non-violent resistance…”

Image: Ynet

The week long Passover holiday is an excellent opportunity to do some off the track touring in many parts of Israel. The Carmel mountain region is an area where many unusual places can be visited in the time space of only a few hours.

Taking advantage of excellent spring weather, my wife and I, along with another couple, began our tour by driving though the pastoral region on the eastern side of the Carmel range, which contains a number of forests, including a large one called Yaarot Menashe. Continuing north, we drove to a region containing several Druze villages and arrived at the quaint village of Julis, located east of Akko (Acre).

Julis is known as the long time place of residence of the Israeli Druze community’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Amin Tarif, whose tomb is located there. Shiek Tarif, who lived to the ripe old age of 95, was well known among Israeli political leaders, many of whom attended his funeral in 1993.

Asking where the tomb was located, a young Druze man took us there, even though it was out of his way. Arriving at the tomb, which one must normally coordinate permission to visit in advance, we were amazed that one can just walk in to the shrine, which is composed of two rooms, one containing the Sheik’s grave, and the other a shrine containing scores of photos of the Sheik with various Israeli notables, including several prime ministers. There were also a number of awards given to the Sheik by the Israeli Defense Forces, where Druze soldiers have served with honor since the creation of the state. The contribution that this minority population of 120,000 has made to Israel is evident; especially considering how the Druze community has been treated of successive Israeli governments over the years.

We also visited a very special private garden, known as Gan Yunis which turned out to be a real pleasure to see. The garden is owned and managed by one family who allow visitors to wander through it if arranged in advance. The garden contains several pools of water with small waterfalls flowing into them. There is also an abundance of native trees, plants and flowers as well as several varieties of birds in large aviaries. Part of the garden (more like a park) contains a small section of railroad track which is said to part of the original Turkish rail line that ran from Damascus and Lebanon through Palestine to Egypt. The owner of the garden is planning to open a restaurant there; and already many Druze weddings are held in this beautiful retreat.

After our visit to Julis, we drove to Akko to visit the old city, which was alive with visitors, from a number of countries, as well as locals who were shopping in the city’s “Kasbah” market. Akko is one of Israel’s oldest cities, whose origins go back more than 4,000 years. Our first site visited was a large Ottoman “Khan” hostel which originally hosted pilgrims and other travelers who arrived at Akko en rout to other locations in the Holy Land. In the center of the Kahn’s large court yard is the 400 year old Ahmad Basha El Jazzar Mosque which is open for prayer to local and visiting Muslims.

We next toured several of Old City’s many winding streets and arrived at one of the city’s largest churches the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, which was closed, even though it was Orthodox Palm Sunday. Not far from St. George’s Church is the only synagogue in Akko’s Old City, the Ramhal Synagogue. It was also closed when we arrived, but prayer hours are noted on a placard at it’s entrance. When we asked a middle-aged Arab women, who watches over the place, who actually prays there, she said in Hebrew “anashim me hutz le-Aretz (people from abroad)”.

The city’s Kasbah market is reminiscent of the Suk in Jerusalem’s Old City, although a bit smaller. Many local Arabs still shop there though, preferring its dark and crowded passageways to modern shopping malls located in the newer, Jewish section of Akko. Many Arabs still live in the Old City, and their presence there adds an oriental flavor to the city.

The city’s Crusader past is still evident, and two of the most popular Crusader sites there are the subterranean Knights of Hospitallers halls have been partially restored. Following the defeat of the Crusader forces at Hittin (near Tiberas) by Salah a’Din in July, 1187, Akko became the last major Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land, until finally being evicted 150 years later. In addition the Knight’s Halls, we also saw the subterranean tunnel built by the Templars during the 12th Century. The tunnel begins under what was once the Templar’s fortress, which was destroyed by the Ottomans for stones to be used in the city walls, and runs to the sea. It was believed to have been used as an escape route by the Templars in the event of being overrun by Moslem invaders. The tunnel is open for visitors for the price of 7 Shekels and special pumps prevent sea water from flooding the passageway, which in places is so low that we had to crouch to pass through. The Templar fortress is said to have been the strongest in Akko and was the last to fall to the “Saracens”. The Old City still has much of its original fortress walls, which held off the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte for several months, and ended his dreams of “conquering the world” in the early 1800’s. Visitors can walk on top some of these walls, parts of which are up to 3 meters thick. The Port of Akko still contains a number of fishing boats whose owners try to eke our a living by fishing despite a drastic decline in marine life due to increasing pollution form nearby Haifa and the ecologically dead Kishon River.

We also visited the Kahn al-Omadan which though vacant still retains its impressive columns and gives visitors an idea of the commercial importance of the city during the Ottoman Period. Although we did not visit the large (former) Turkish bathhouse of Haman al Basha, the guard at the entrance explained the bathhouse’s importance as a meeting place for Akko residents who would spend many hours in the spa’s warm waters as well as undergoing relaxing, genuine Turkish massages.

Dining out in the Old City is a bit of a problem during Pesach, unless one is acceptable to being served both matzos and pitas at the same time.

Akko and surrounding areas, including sights of Haifa are definitely worth visiting during week long festivals like Pesach and Sukkot.

IDF gets a special gift for Passover: Maya Bouskilla, a famous Israeli pop singer, has enlisted to the IDF at the age of thirty. The Israeli army service is mandatory for every young person at the age of 18, which means that Maya has joined about a decade past enlistment usual age, making her one of the oldest candidates to ever join the army.

Bouskilla evaded serving in the Israeli army, claiming to be religious. However, a few years later, Maya appeared in an advertising campaign for swimsuits that was not exactly modest, putting her religious orientation under serious doubt. The Israeli media passed a harsh critique on this move, which was rightly viewed as the adoption of a double standard. This was definitely not Kosher on her part!

Maya tells she has regretted dodging the army. Did Major General Elazar Sern make the Israeli singer change her mind? Stern has protested last month against the popularity of false claims of religion amongst young women, urging them to join the Israeli forces.

Is it simply a coincidence that Maya joins the army just as she releases her new album? Enlist to the army for public relations? It sounds too radical to me …

I say –if you’re gonna shoot, shoot, don’t sing!
Image: IDF Photo