▪ Digest I Sympathy For Settlers tk Jerusatem/JTA— The Orthodox Union c-/ Ct leilaLi „Love I/cc% i? • attprY • A twit:sec ' ilawit7VIed • Micropar(. ,4 expressed empathy with settlers facing eviction, but said security issues are best left to Israel's citizens and government. "The current Israeli debate over dis- engagement from Gaza and parts of Shomron has evoked strongly held feel- ings within the Orthodox Union fami- ly," the Orthodox Union said in a reso- lution adopted at last week's annual meeting in Israel, using the biblical name for the northern West Bank. "The intensity of these emotions is compounded by the profound identifi- cation that so many in our community feel with the plight of Jews who face removal from their homes in areas that resonate in Jewish history, and where their presence was encouraged and sup- ported by the State of Israel." But the resolution acknowledged "that questions of Israeli foreign policy and domestic security are best left to the citi- zens of Israel and the State of Israel's democratically elected institutions." `Frosty' Still OK? New York/JTA — A school district in New Jersey said instrumental songs with religious references cannot be played at school holiday concerts. School adminis- trators in Maplewood/South Orange, which previously had banned vocal reli- gious songs, clarified its policy as Christmas and Chanukah approach, the Newark Star-Ledger reported. COME SEE THESE BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS FROM AMERICA'S PREMIER JEWELRY DESIGNER. ARAGO Bombed Hotel Reopens 2266 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD AT MIDDLEBELT ROAD . 248-682-8573 LEARN MORE AT WWW.KARAGOSIAN.COM 9 129 4 0 XN X NXN X % 111M11111111111111111111111111111111111111111. A1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111Mill 11111.11111111111111111111111111111111111 1111111111111111111 Hunter Douglas GALLERY Blinds • Shutters Silhouette° • Alustre Luminette° windowsandwalls.com 248-661-3840 The New Yoga... knitting and stitching for the mind and hands Get happy... start a new project! Rochelle Imber's Knit Knit Knit 248-855-2114 Accents in Needlepoint 248.626-3042 Orchard Mall West Bloomfield Nairobi/JTA — An Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya that was hit by suicide bombers in 2002 reopened for business. The Paradise Hotel reopened exactly two years after 12 people were killed in an attack by three suicide bombers. The crime, widely attributed to Al Qaida, remains formally unsolved. AIDS On Rise In Israel Jemsalem/JTA— There are hundreds of new AIDS cases every year in Israel. According to Health Ministry figures released Tuesday ahead of World AIDS Day, 341 Israelis were diagnosed as HIV positive in 2004, among them 96 new- borns who contracted the virus from their mothers during pregnancy. The total number of AIDS sufferers in Israel is around 4,300. While health officials say most are gay men or intravenous drug users, the inci- dence of AIDS also is on the rise among heterosexuals, especially teenagers. The Health Ministry has initiated AIDS- awareness classes in high schools to counter the prevailing notion that preg- nancy, rather than venereal disease, is the biggest threat to sexually active teens. Violin Incident Dismissed Ramallah/JTA — The Israeli army vindi- cated troops who were present when a Palestinian man began to play his violin at a West Bank checkpoint. The head of the Israel Defense Forces' central command, Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski, said Tuesday that the Palestinian who began to play his violin for a few seconds at a checkpoint last week was not coerced but did so of his own volition to show soldiers that the instrument was not a bomb. An Israeli watchdog group filmed the incident, which was shown on national media and evoked, for some pundits, images of the Holocaust. Musical instru- ments have been used in previous terror- ist attacks. Barak Storms Stage Tel Aviv/JTA — Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak tried to take over a Labor Party meeting, causing uproar. At a session of Labor's Central Committee on Tuesday, Barak, who recently announced his return to politics after a hiatus of almost four years, grabbed the microphone from party offi- cial Moshe Shahal and demanded that the upcoming primary be conducted by secret ballot. A shocked Shahal accused Barak of turning the meeting into "a show of force the likes of which civilized people cannot forgive." The Central Committee decided to reconvene Dec. 12 to decide on a date for the primary, in which Barak hopes to beat Shimon Peres for the party leadership. Red Cross Meets MDA Jerusalem/JTA — Red Cross officials are meeting in Israel with counterparts from Magen David Adorn. The delegation from the American Red Cross in Greater New York will exchange information with leaders of the Israeli organization on responding to emergencies. "The Israelis are experts in leading- edge technology in disaster response, and we can learn from their expertise, said Terry Bischoff, the American group's CEO. "We bring experience in dealing with the psychological aspects of trauma and ways to help families after a tragedy, which will be very helpful to the leader- ship of Magen David Adorn." The American Red Cross group,was expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Israelis, marking the beginning of a new partnership. ,'