ISRAELI LEADERS IN EUROPE FOR INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

Below is a portion of a news released published by Haaretz on January 27, 2010 about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to a Warsaw memorial to honour Holocaust victims. To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has laid a wreath at a memorial to Holocaust victims in Warsaw at the start of a visit to Poland.

Netanyahu met Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski on Tuesday and then visited Umschlagplatz, the spot where German Nazis in 1942 loaded about 320,000 Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto into cattle cars and sent them by train to the Treblinka death camp.

Meanwhile, President Shimon Peres is in Germany where he will address parliament to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday.

Netanyahu is also to meet Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk later in the day. On Wednesday, he is to attend observances of the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp where the Nazis killed over 1 million people, mostly Jews, during World War II.

WHEN YEMEN MEETS GAZA

ForeignPolicy.com published the following Op-Ed written by Matthew Levit on January 25, 2010 about foreign fighters from Yemen who have fled to Gaza to provide training to resistance fighters. To read it in its entirety, click on the title above.

The Christmas Day pants bomber traveled a well-worn path to global terrorism: through Yemen. From the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in the Gulf of Aden, to the role key Yemenis played in the September 11 plot, to the increasingly prominent role of Yemen-based leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf country has long been a terrorist hot-spot. Now, a small number of Yemeni jihadists have reportedly joined others from Syria, Egypt, France, and Belgium to fight a new war on an old battlefront: Gaza.

According to intelligence officials, up to a few dozen foreign fighters have entered Gaza from Yemen and other Middle Eastern and European countries. Some are experienced fighters there to provide training, while others seek to be trained and experience jihad. Some of the Europeans have even reportedly "come with their credit cards" and financed jihadist activities while in Gaza.

The influx is beginning to have an effect on what has traditionally been a local jihad. Groups such as Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade weave Palestinian nationalism and radical Islamism together but limit their operations to the Israeli-Palestinian front. Now, under the influence of more worldly jihadists, some Palestinian fighters are signing up for groups inspired by al Qaeda, fighting not for Palestine but for the whole Muslim umma.

LAUNCHING DIAMONDS IN SPACE

The following is a portion of an article written by Karin Kloosterman that was published on ISRAEL21c.org on January 25, 2010 about Scientists from Israel and the US that are working together to determine the durability of Israeli artificial diamonds as coatings for equipment used in space. To read the entire policy analysis, click on the title above.

When the Beatles wrote the song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds four decades ago they may have been alluding to something different, but today the song evokes a new US-Israel endeavor to launch diamonds into space.

The aim is to subject diamonds created artificially in an Israeli lab to real-life space conditions in order to test their durability as potential components of future instruments to be used beyond our planet.

Sent to space on a recent NASA mission, the diamonds were hung outside the International Space Station circling Earth in low orbit, about 215 miles above us in the sky. Researchers plan to examine the damaging effects on the diamonds of atomic oxygen in low orbit, which aggressively attacks carbon-based materials.

Project leader PhD candidate Ze'ev Shpilman from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology hopes to show that artificial diamonds can be an ideal coating for equipment used in the space environment.

THE FACE OF ISRAEL - AMID HAITI'S RUINS

The Austin American-Statesman published the following Op-Ed written by Frida Ghitis on January 25, 2010 about Israel’s amazing response in Haiti and the amount of buzz it is producing among Israeli’s. A portion of the Op-Ed is below, to read it in its entirety, click on the title above.

For once, the main topic of discussion in Israel has no connection to war, politics or even the Middle East. From huge newspaper headlines to private conversations in small towns, Israelis can't get enough information about the tragedy crushing Haiti.

Israelis seem determined to do all they can to help the inhabitants of a frail nation thousands of miles away, people with no connection to Israel other than the fact that they both have a history of suffering. Watching the Israeli response — one of the fastest, most effective of any country on Earth — it is striking to see the enormous gap between the grotesque image of Israel woven by its enemies and the reality of the country's character.

Israelis are not saints. The country has made mistakes, and its actions are legitimate subject for debate. In fact, nations that face armed conflict put their morality on the line every time they fight. But there is honest criticism that recognizes the country's difficult position, and there is vicious slander aimed at reaching malicious propaganda goals.

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SOCIAL ACTION/PUBLIC POLICY

PRESIDENT OBAMA TO SEEK UP TO $4B IN NEW EDUCATION SPENDING

The New York Times published the following news release from AP on January 28, 2010 about how President Obama will seek an increase in education funding to achieve goals he set out in his State of the Union Address. To read the entire news release, click on the title above..

President Barack Obama said Wednesday his administration will work with Congress to expand school improvements across the country, saying the success of children cannot depend on where they live.

As he prepares to ask Congress for billions of dollars in new spending for education, Obama said the nation's students need to be inspired to succeed in math and science, and that failing schools need to be turned around.

In his State of the Union speech, Obama also called on Congress to finish work on a measure to revitalize community colleges. And he called for a $10,000 tax credit to families for four years of college, and an increase in Pell Grants.

''This year, we have broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools,'' he said. ''The idea here is simple: instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success.

FOOD-STAMP APPLICATION FLUBS HURT HUNGRY TEXAS FAMILIES

The following is a portion of an article written by Robert T. Garrett that was published in the Dallas Morning News on January 13, 2010 about how delays in food stamp application processing is leaving many Texas families hungry during hard times. To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Texas' botched experiment with privatization of welfare application screening has caused "a five-year slide" in how fast and accurately the state handles food stamp applications, the federal government's top food and nutrition official says.

Now, the problems are punishing middle-class Texans who've recently lost jobs and are seeking government help – many, for the first time, says U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon.

Concannon met Tuesday in Austin with state Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs and leaders of a state eligibility division that runs about 300 local welfare offices.

"This is a blot on the state's performance record," said Concannon, the Obama administration's top food stamp official.

A PAYROLL TAX BREAK FOR JOBS

On January 25, 2010, The New York Times published the following Op-Ed written by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) about the need for more transparency in immigration detention centers. A portion of the Editorial can be found below. To read it in its entirety, click on the title above.

With the national unemployment rate at 10 percent, and more than 15 million Americans looking for work, ideas to spur job creation are at the forefront of everyone’s minds. While we may represent different political philosophies, we recognize that high unemployment — particularly long-term unemployment — is not a liberal problem or a conservative problem; it’s a national problem that takes a huge toll on families.

The idea for some sort of jobs tax credit is percolating again, but the jobs credit that existed in the late 1970s was of limited success, and it was excruciatingly complicated. Recalling this experience, members of Congress from both parties have been lukewarm to such a credit, and the idea was dropped from the stimulus package last year.

We have an idea that is simple, straightforward and easy to explain and administer. In fact, it is so simple that the legislative text of the proposal is only a few pages long — a rarity when it comes to tax policy.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT IMMIGRATION

Below is a portion of an Op-Ed written by Ruben Navarrette that was published in The Austin American-Statesman on January 22, 2010 about why he disagrees with the newly elected U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s (R-MA) views on immigration. To read the entire Op-Ed, click on the title above.

Sometimes conventional wisdom is wrong.

That's how it is with the assumption that Republican Scott Brown's victory over Democrat Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts Senate race means that there will be no immigration reform this year.

The senator-elect has said that he opposes what he calls "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. In fact, Brown already knows how to turn illegal immigration into a wedge issue. As a state senator, he recently introduced a bill that would require anyone suing employers for violating state wage laws to show proof of citizenship or legal residency.

That is one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. Under current law, just because people are in the country illegally doesn't mean they don't have legal recourse if employers don't pay them. That's how it should be. Ironically, Brown's bill would produce more of what he says he opposes: illegal immigration. By signaling to companies that they can get away with not paying illegal immigrants, we will only encourage employers to hire more of them.

Even so, I think the rumors about the death of comprehensive immigration reform are premature. Here's why:

• The debate isn't as simple as blue and red. There are Republicans who support comprehensive immigration reform and Democrats who oppose it, both because they fear fallout over supporting earned legalization and because they're beholden to unions who oppose reform if it includes a plan for more guest workers.

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THE IRAN REPORT

September 2007, the JCRC began a special section entitled “The Iran Report”.  Due to the looming serious nature of Iran and its politics within the global world, JCRCs across the country are providing community leaders with updated materials and articles concerning Iran, which will include political matters, divestment information, etc.  Both the United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) have issued joint statements indicating that the subject of Iran should be on the top of the agenda for local Jewish communities. 

The JCRC will continue to bring the community updates on the situation with Iran and its implications throughout the Middle East and the world.

JCPA RESOLUTION ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM

Adopted by the Board of Directors of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) on March 27, 2007.

STATE OF THE UNION: IRAN’S LEADERS FACE ‘CONSEQUENCES’

The following is a news release published by JTA January 27, 2010 in reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union address that included more emphasis on targeting and pressuring Iran’s leaders.

President Obama said Iran's leaders will "face consequences" for "ignoring their obligations" when it comes to nuclear transparency.

Very little of Obama's first State of the Union speech Wednesday dealt with foreign policy, and his intensive efforts to restart Palestinian-Israeli peace talks went unmentioned. However, toward the end of the speech, he turned to his initiative to reduce nuclear weapons development in North Korea and Iran.

"The international community is more united, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is more isolated," he said. "And as Iran's leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there should be no doubt: They, too, will face growing consequences. And that's a promise."

Obama failed to mention diplomatic outreach to Iran, the other track of his "dual track" strategy to contain Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program -- a sign that the White House feels it has exhausted the diplomatic option.

On the other hand, Obama's emphasis on targeting Iran's leaders suggested he still favored an international, multilateral effort to impose narrow sanctions, as opposed to unilateral broad sanctions targeting Iran's energy sector now under consideration in Congress.

On domestic issues, Obama reiterated his pledge to pass health care reform despite recent setbacks.

THE IRANIAN OPPOSITION, THE NUCLEAR ISSUE, AND THE WEST

The following is a portion of an article written by Michael Slackman that was published in The New York Times on January 25, 2010 about the recent statement from two opposition leaders in Iran that drops the call for a new election, despite their belief that the June election was still fraudulent. To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Two of Iran’s opposition leaders, Mohammed Khatami and Mehdi Karroubi, appear to have dropped their demand for a new presidential election, saying that while they still believe the vote in June was fraudulent, they accept Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the head of state, according to Iranian news services.

The statements from Mr. Karroubi, a former presidential candidate and speaker of Parliament, and Mr. Khatami, a former president, follow the lead of Mir Hussein Moussavi, another opposition leader, who on New Year’s Eve criticized the government but offered a prescription for solving the political crisis that for the first time did not include holding a new vote.

The recent statements, however, may have spread more confusion than clarity amid the smoldering political crisis that began in June when the government declared that President Ahmadinejad had won in a landslide. At the same time Mr. Karroubi’s statement was made public, his political party, Etemad Melli, issued a call for a “free election.”

HOW OBAMA CAN REVERSE IRAN'S DANGEROUS COURSE

The Washington Post published the following Op-Ed written by columnist Robert Kagan on January 27, 2010 about why he thinks President Obama can make the world a safer place by helping Tehran achieve a new form of government. A portion of the Op-Ed can be found below. To read it in its entirety, click on the title above.

President Obama has a once-in-a-generation opportunity over the next few months to help make the world a dramatically safer place. It's not by negotiating an arms deal with Russia, or strengthening the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or by making that elusive climate-change deal with the Chinese, worthy though those initiatives may be. It is by helping the Iranian people achieve a new form of government. Given the role that the Islamic theocracy in Tehran has played in leading and sponsoring anti-democratic, anti-liberal and anti-Western fanaticism for the past three decades, the toppling or even substantial reform of that regime would be second only to the collapse of the Soviet Union in its ideological and geopolitical ramifications.

Imagine an Iran whose educated, inventive and highly cultured people were allowed to flourish, fully enmeshed in the global economy and society. Imagine the effect on the Muslim world and the greater Middle East of a modernizing, prosperous Iran that held regular, free and fair elections. Those who have long advocated a "grand bargain" were right to talk about the immense global benefits if Iran could be integrated into the international order. Their big mistake was thinking such a bargain could be had with benighted and virulently anti-Western leaders. But the bargain would be grand if the present government could go the way of the Brezhnevs and Ligachevs.

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CRISIS IN DARFUR

February 2009 marked the sixth anniversary of the beginning of the violence in Darfur, Sudan.  For six years a government-backed militia known as Janjaweed (which in Arabic means, “evil men on horseback”) has continued to engage in a systematic program of expulsion, rape and murderous violence in Darfur, Sudan.  Millions of people now live in displacement camps lacking adequate food, water, shelter, healthcare, and sanitation. Attacks on \civilians continue.  As Jews, we have a particular moral responsibility to speak out and take action against genocide.  

The JCRC remains committed in its fight to end this battle and will continue to bring you facts and articles about this ongoing genocide. (For further information on Darfur, visit the JCRC web site “International” section at www.jcrcdallas.org.)

SUDAN IN CRISIS

Explore the history, people and politics behind one of the world's bloodiest conflicts in this interactive web site by The Washington Post.  Click the title above to be connected to this site.

DARFUR PEACE TALKS RESUMED IN DOHA

Below is a news release that was published on SaveDarfur.org on January 25, 2010 about new rounds of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels.

A new round of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebel movements of Darfur kicked off on Sunday in Doha, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

A statement issued Sunday said a delegation representing the national unity government of Sudan under Sudanese Presidential Adviser Ghazi Salahuddin and a delegation of the Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) arrived in the Qatari capital to start talks under the auspices of chief negotiator for the United Nations and African Union Djibril Bassole.

However, the report said the delegation representing Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the ruling partner, and other opposition factions, are yet to arrive there to join the talks. "All parties concerned will engage in expanded talks in preparation for starting negotiations on the final resolution," the statement said.

The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Thursday urged the conflicting parties in Sudan's restive Darfur region to sign a lasting and comprehensive peace deal to solve the crisis.

JEWS SHARE A SPECIAL BOND WITH SUFFERING PEOPLE IN HAITI, DARFUR

The Vancouver Sun published the following article written by Barbara Yaffe on January 27, 2010 about the solidarity Jews have with the people suffering in Darfur and Haiti. To read the entire article, click the title above.

If solidarity is built through shared suffering, the state of Israel surely has a special bond with countries afflicted by crisis.

Israel, forged after the Holocaust, has been particularly quick to respond to the suffering of those affected by a genocide in Darfur, and more recently, the earthquake in Haiti.

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a Polish concentration camp where Jews were gassed, starved or worked to death for no other reason than because they happened to be Jewish. Others, non-Jews deemed enemies of Hitler's Nazi regime, also were tortured and murdered in such camps, built in the 1930s and 1940s throughout eastern Europe.

In 2005 the United Nations General Assembly declared Jan. 27 to be an International Day of Commemoration to Honour the Victims of the Holocaust.

REPRESSION UNDERMINES SUDAN ELECTIONS-RIGHTS GROUP

Below is a portion of a news release that was published by Reuters on January 24, 2010 about the harassment of those who speak out against the National Congress Party in Sudan. To read the entire news release, click on the title above.

Repression of political opponents in both Sudan's north and semi-autonomous south is undermining the prospects for Sudan's first democratic elections in 24 years, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday.

After decades of north-south civil war, a 2005 peace deal shared power and wealth and enshrined democratic reform in Africa's largest country. It outlined elections set for April as well as a southern Sudanese referendum on independence in 2011.

But delays in implementing the deal have fuelled mistrust between the north and south. A law forced through last month by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's dominant National Congress Party giving Sudan's feared intelligence services wider powers has further compounded matters.

"The Khartoum government is still using its security forces to harass and abuse those who speak out against the ruling National Congress Party," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. "That is no environment for holding free, fair and transparent elections."

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