World
Digest
WHAT'S NEXT? from page 27
attacked Israelis. Sharon also will allow
terrorists expelled from the territories
to return.
Like Abbas, Sharon faces strong
domestic opposition. Hawks in his
own Likud Party are stepping up their
calls for a referendum on disengage-
ment, and extremists on the far right
have been heckling Cabinet ministers
in public places and sending them
threatening letters.
Sharon, who security officials fear
could be a target, says he is deter-
mined to press ahead without a time-
consuming referendum and is urging
security forces to deal with extremists
making physical threats
Whether or not Palestinian terror-
ism ends and despite the threats from
Jewish extremists, Sharon aides say the
prime minister will go ahead with the
disengagement plan. But what hap-
pens next will depend on the
Palestinians.
If the Palestinians fail to fight ter-
rorism, Israel will stop after the with-
drawal from Gaza and the northern
West Bank and "park" on the new
lines "for as long as it takes," a close
Sharon aide told JTA. But, he said, if
there is concerted Palestinian action
against terrorism, the parties would
be able to move relatively quickly
toward the establishment of a
Palestinian state.
"Everything depends on how they
control terror," the aide said. ❑
Chirac: No On Hezbollah
Paris/JTA — French President Jacques
Chirac refused to add Hezbollah to
the E.U.'s list of terrorist organiza-
tions.
Chirac reportedly rejected the
request about the Shiite fundamental-
ist group during a meeting Monday
with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom. The European Union was
expected to hold an initial discussion
Wednesday on the Israeli request, but
France's position is considered crucial
in the matter.
Lanner: 1 Count Dropped,
New York/JTA — A court dismissed
one of the counts against a U.S. rabbi
who had been convicted of
molesting two teenage girls at a New
Jersey yeshivah.
On Feb. 10, an appeals court in
New Jersey threw out one of the
charges against Baruch Lanner for
endangering the welfare of a child
between 1992 and 1996, when he was
the principal of a New Jersey yeshivah.
2/17
2005
28
Despite the ruling, Rabbi Lanner
still faces sentencing Feb. 23 for his
conviction for endangering the welfare
of another girl and for one count each
of aggravated criminal sexual conduct
and criminal sexual conduct. Rabbi
Lanner was a longtime leader of the
National Council of Synagogue Youth,
an Orthodox youth group.
The Orthodox Union has undertak-
en strong measures in a concerted
effort to prevent anything similar from
occurring.
ADL Rips Divestment Plan
New York/JTA — The Anti-
Defamation. -League criticized the
Presbyterian Church USA for continu-
ing to consider divesting from compa-
nies that do business in Israel.
ADL officials said such considera-
tion shows the movement has chosen
the Palestinian side in the Arab-Israeli
dispute, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
reported. The criticism was leveled
this weekend after the Rev. Jay Rock,
the denomination's coordinator for
interfaith relations, spoke to 150
members of the ADL's national execu-
tive committee meeting in Palm
Beach.
Members of the church voted last
summer to use its $8 million portfolio
to try to force Israel to withdraw from
territories the Palestinians want for a
future state.
Topic: Israel's Future
"Israel's Dramatic
Future" is the topic to be
discussed by Jim Hiller,
CEO of Hiller's Market
and guest speaker at
Temple Beth El's Friday
night Shabbat Services
Hiller
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb.
25.
Besides being passionate about his
business, Hiller is also a passionate
defender of Israel who was threatened
with boycotts and reprisals for featuring
Israeli products on his supermarket
shelves. His response to the threats was
to go public and galvanize the Jewish
community by buying newspaper space
and answering his critics with U.S.
Army Gen. Anthony McAuliffe's famous
response to Nazi demands for his surren-
der, "Nuts!"
In addition to his efforts on behalf of
Israel, Jim Hiller has formed and
endowed the PFUND (Program for
Understanding Neurological Diseases)
at the University of Michigan School
of Medicine, which seeks treatments
Tifillin Wrap
Sunday morning Feb. 6 was the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs World Wide
Wrap V; and at Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park, the men's club, congre-
gants and religious school students joined together at a minyan service. The
morning began with a video demonstrating how to wrap tefillin and men's club
members were on hand to give instruction. The service was led by David Price.
and cures for diseases such as ALS.
The service is open to the communi-
tY.
Art Tour Planned
A Jewish Theological Seminary
Detroit Cabinet tour of New York,
"Jews, Judaism and the Arts," is set for
March 24. It will explore art from
medieval manuscripts to contemporary
sculpture. Among the Detroit partici-
pants will be Marty and Susan
Adelman, Beverly Baker, Lewis and
Betty Cohen.
The trip will leave Thursday morn-
ing with the first stop at the studio of
Tobi Kahn in Long Island City. That
evening will be a Purim celebration
with students and professors at the
JTS. Friday will continue with the
viewing of art.
For information and reservations,
call (248) 258-0055.
WSU Hosts Law Lecture
The second Walter Gibbs Lecture will
be given by WSU Law School
Professor Robert A. Sedler 4 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 24, in the Spencer M.
Partrich Auditorium of the Wayne
State University Law School, 471 W.
Palmer, Detroit.
The lecture, "The Protection of
Religious Freedom Under the
American Constitution," will address
the constitutional protection of reli-
gious freedom under the establishment
clause and the free exercise clause,
with emphasis on how the two clauses
interact and serve as the "co-guaran-
tors of religious freedom."
Walter Gibbs was a Wayne State
University Law School graduate (Class
of 1963) and a Wayne County prose-
cutor.
The lecture will be followed by a
reception with light refreshments.
Both are free and open to the public.
Israel Insight
TEE ISSUE
Israelis see a new Palestinian
government with a new look and
a new attitude. Mahmoud Abbas
has begun to pursue diplomacy
with Israel, consolidate power
and use his police force to block
terrorist actions against Israel.
Yet Israelis remain skeptical of
the changes.
=IMO TIM ISSUE
Israeli analyst Shai Feldman of
Tel Aviv University notes that
after four years of warfare con-
ducted by a disingenuous Yasser
Arafat, Israelis need to be con-
vinced at a fundamental level that
the transformation from violence
to negotiations is genuine and
that it will not be easy to reverse.
— Allan Gale, Jewish Community
Council of Metropolitan Detroit