Wife says Pollard’s health unstable; plans for Obama’s visit
(JNS.org) Esther Pollard, the wife of imprisoned Jewish spy Jonathan Pollard, said after visiting her husband that his medical condition was not stable.
On Wednesday, Esther returned home to Israel after visiting Jonathan at a federal prison in North Carolina. She now plans to meet with a number of Israeli politicians—including Yair Lapid, Shelly Yachimovich, Tzipi Livni and Zehava Gal-On—and is preparing with the Committee to Free Jonathan Pollard to advocate for her husband’s freedom during President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to the Jewish state, Israel Hayom reported.
In December, it was reported that Jonathan Pollard was hospitalized after collapsing in prison. Pollard, 58, was arrested by U.S. authorities in 1985 over spying for Israel and later received a life sentence—making him the only person in U.S. history to receive a sentence of that magnitude for spying for an American ally, which has led his advocates in Congress and elsewhere to call his punishment disproportionate to the crime. He will be eligible for parole in 2015.
Obama urges ‘diplomatic solution’ for Iran during State of the Union address
(JNS.org) President Barack Obama, in State of the Union address Tuesday night, urged a “diplomatic solution” for the Iranian nuclear threat and said the U.S. stands with Israel “in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.”
Obama, who is set to visit Israel this spring, said those are “the messages I will deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month.”
“The leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon,” Obama said.
He added, “And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.”
National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) Chair Marc R. Stanley said in a statement that Obama’s “strong words in support of Israel” Tuesday “reflect his unyielding commitment to the safety and security of the Jewish state.”
“From his leadership on the Iron Dome missile defense system and his vocal support for Israel’s right to defend itself to his commitment to achieving peace, the President has been Israel’s most important ally,” Stanley said. “We appreciate that the President reaffirmed his commitment to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran tonight, and that he continued to make clear that he stands with Israel as its neighbors experience instability and violence.”
The Obama administration has repeatedly stressed that there is “time and space” for diplomacy and sanctions to solve the Iranian issue. The nuclear threat has been an area of tension for Obama and Netanyahu, regarding the setting of a “red line” that, if crossed, would prompt U.S. military action against Iran. Obama has thus far resisted Netanyahu’s calls for a red line, calling those calls “noise” in an interview with the CBS program “60 Minutes” last year. The two leaders would be well-served finding common ground on the Iranian issue when Obama visits Israel, American Thinker political correspondent Richard Baehr told JNS.org last week.
“There is a special need for [U.S.-Israel] coordination on Iran, especially if sabotage or military action against Iran is a possible option, as it certainly is at least for Israel,” Baehr wrote in an email.
NJDC’s Stanley said Tuesday night that because of Obama’s “exceptionally strong support for Israel,” the group is “eagerly anticipating his upcoming trip to the Jewish state.” Baehr is less optimistic, saying last week that Obama and Netanyahu “have met several times before, never with great warmth or accomplishment.”
Benedict XVI haunted by Nazi-era childhood during tenure as Pope
(JNS.org) Since the sudden resignation announcement of Pope Benedict XVI on Monday due to health and age concerns, the retiring German Pope’s Nazi-era childhood and his relationship with the Jewish people is again being discussed.
As Joseph Ratzinger (his original name), the outgoing Pope joined the Hitler youth at the age of 14. Later he was drafted into the German military but deserted it. Although he was eventually exonerated of any actual Nazi allegiance or anti-Semitism in his past, this continued to haunt Benedict throughout his eight years as Pope.
“When he was elected pope a lot of alarm bells went off in the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, according to ABC News. But the Wiesenthal Center investigated the Pope’s past and found little evidence of a personal allegiance with Nazi views. “The fact that he was in the Hitler youth—if you were a young child during the Third Reich and you didn’t go, you’d be condemned,” Hier said.
However, although Pope Benedict called the Holocaust a “dark time” in his life, both he and his predecessor Pope John Paul II pushed for the sainthood of Pope Pius XII, who has been widely accused of silence during the Second World War while millions of Jews were being gassed in concentration camps.
Although the Vatican has always denied this and said that Pius had worked “secretly and silently” to help Jews at the time, many still believe he did little to stop the atrocities. “Pope Pius XII didn’t care much about Jews. He was the pope of silence,” Hier said.
During his time as Pope, Benedict was also criticized for re-permitting in some cases the use of the old Latin mass that prays for Jews to be converted to Catholicism and “delivered from their darkness.” On the other hand, in his memoir, Benedict dispelled the ancient view that Jews are responsible for the death of Christ.
Jewish organizations send Purim gifts to IDF soldiers
(JNS.org) Several Jewish organizations are joining forces to send Israeli soldiers gifts of food and other items in time for Purim 2013. “Mishloach manot,” as these gift bags are known in Hebrew, are traditional for the holiday commemorating the rescue of Jews from death and destruction in an ancient Persian empire under King Ahasuerus.
The Zionist Organization of America, the World Mizrachi Organization, the Young Israel Movement, American Friends of Yisrael Hatzair and Gillies Goodies are teaming up for the cause to benefit the Israel Defense Forces. This year Jewish yeshiva students from around the world studying in Israel will pack the gift bags
“It is a great privilege and honor to be able to distribute these packages to Israeli soldiers, who defend us 24 hours a day, and to bring a smile to their faces,” said Solly Sacks, Director-General of World Mizrachi, Israel National News reported.
The students packed the gifts Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 11 and 12, at the Heichal Shlomo building in Jerusalem. The gifts are being distributed before the holiday to lone soldiers, soldiers at the Haifa Naval Base, and bases in Judea and Samaria.
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Israel condemns North Korean nuclear test, urges global community to take action
(JNS.org) The Israeli government has condemned North Korea latest nuclear test and urged the international community to take action against the “grave danger” this act poses for international stability.
“These actions by the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), in violation of its international obligations, must be met with a swift response by the international community,” an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement read.
“A clear message must be sent to DPRK and to other countries that such activities are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated,” the statement added.
Israel is concerned that Iran will be observing the international community’s reaction to North Korea’s latest provocation. Despite a number of international sanctions and United Nations resolutions levied against North Korea, the country has made steady progress on its nuclear weapons program. North Korea first tested a nuclear device in 2006 and again in 2009. It is unclear if North Korea’s latest effort exceeded the explosive yield of two to six kilotons of the 2009 test, according to the New York Times.
On Monday in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told American Jewish leaders that he believes Iran is getting closer than ever to developing nuclear weapons.
While there is no direct evidence Iran and North Korea cooperate on their nuclear programs, they have worked together on their ballistic missile programs. One of the West’s chief fears with North Korea and Iran is that they would develop the technology to shrink a nuclear weapon down small enough to fit onto a ballistic missile.
Company seeks to make Israel third country to land on the moon
(JNS.org) SpaceIL, an Israeli non-profit comprised of a team of scientists and space enthusiasts, is aiming to make Israel the third country, behind the U.S. and Russia, to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon.
As part of Google’s Lunar X Prize competition, SpaceIL intends for its spacecraft to be as small as possible, harnessing the latest in nanotechnology. It also recently received a significant boost when the Israeli telecommunications company, Bezeq, announced that it would provide an advanced communications infrastructure needed for spaceflight, Israel Hayom reported.
Team SpaceIL believes the organization can play an important role in raising awareness of space technology in Israel.
“Team SpaceIL views its participation in this competition as a national mission, one that will help develop its space industry and promote scientific awareness among the country’s youth,” says Yariv Bash, team leader, on SpaceIL’s profile on the Google Lunar X Prize website.
Team SpaceIL’s mission has generated significant enthusiasm within Israel’s robust academic, scientific and high-tech industry. They have received support from the Israeli Space Agency, Israeli Aerospace Industry, Asher Space Research Institute at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Ramon Foundation, Israeli Nano-Satellite Association, and many others.
In order to win Google’s $30 million Lunar X Prize, a private team must successfully land a robot on the surface of the moon and send images back by the end of 2015. There are currently 25 teams from around the world competing.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org