O THE DA VINCI CODE IS FICTION. D1 Hezbollah Surprised Beirut/JTA — Hezbollah's leader voiced surprise at the intensity of Israel's Lebanon offensive. In a Lebanese television interview broad- cast Sunday, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said it might have been a mistake for Hezbollah to kill eight Israeli soldiers and abduct two in a July 12 raid that triggered a 34-day war. "If I had known that the operation to capture the soldiers would lead to this result, we would not have carried it out:' he said. But Nasrallah played down specula- tion that the almost two-week-old cease-fire would collapse into another round of fighting. THIS IS REAL. CRADLE of- CPRISTIAN ITV A Jews for Jesus official chided Mason for getting so upset. TIKEASUKES FIkOM THE HOLY LAND Schools Teach Hate Washington/JTA— Iranian schools teach hatred of Christians, Jews and the West, according to a new study. The analysis by researchers with the Center for Monitoring Peace in the Middle East found examples of anti- Western hatred and anti-Semitism in many of 115 textbooks used in grades 1 to 12. In a third-grade textbook, inhabit- ants of a clean town chase away a repug- nant figure wearing a Star of David. Full results of the analysis, conducted by the center and the American Jewish Committee, will be released later this year. Building Bridges of Understanding A WORLD PREMIERE Cradle of Christianity' Treasures from the Holy Land is made poisible in part by the generous support of Ke y.A_ Bank sooN Judean Excavation Jerusalem/JTA — Archaeologists made a major discovery at a kibbutz near Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Post reported that the archaeologists, from Israel, the United States and Europe, uncovered a sophisticated water system from the seventh century BCE and a Muslim structure from the ninth cen- tury CE at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. Experts said the findings indi- cate that the kibbutz, just south of Jerusalem, was a major royal site. Israel Buries Remains Jerusalem/JTA — The remains of two of Theodor Herzl's children are expect- ed to be flown to Israel for burial next week. Herzl, whose coffin was reburied in Jerusalem in 1949, had asked in his will that his children one day be buried in Israel. Israel's Sephardi chief rabbi, Shiomo Amar, helped facilitate the burial, which long had been held up because Herzl's son Hans had converted to Christianity. Rabbi Amar made the decision to allow the burial after reviewing testimony that said Hans later returned to Judaism. Jews For Jesus Sued New York/JTA — Comedian Jackie Mason is suing Jews for Jesus for using his name and likeness in a pamphlet. The pamphlets, which the mission- ary group has been distributing around New York City, feature Mason's image juxtaposed with the words "Jackie Mason A Jew for Jesus!?" "While I have the utmost respect for people who practice the Christian faith, the fact is, as everyone knows, I am as Jewish as a matzah ball or kosher salami: the 75-year-old said in docu- ments filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. Fertility Declines Jerusalem/JTA — Israel's fertility rate fell by 4 percent last year, largely due to a decline in the country's Muslim com- munity. The number of children an Israeli woman is expected to bear fell to 2.84 in 2005 from 2.95 in 2003, Globes reported, citing Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. The Muslim fertility rate dropped by 5.6 percent last year. In 2005, 143,913 children were born in Israel, 70 percent of them to Jewish women. Olmert Limits Inquiry Jerusalem/JTA — Ehud Olmert announced that his government would conduct a limited inquiry into Israel's handling of the Lebanon war. The prime minister said Monday that a former Mossad chief, Nahum Admoni, would lead the government- appointed commission to investigate whether the military and political ech- elons mishandled the 34-day offensive against Hezbollah. Olmert's decision fell short of the independent judicial commission that his opponents had called for, and which might have had the power to recom- mend the prime minister's resignation. Olmert said such a probe would take too long and would neglect thepeed to rehabilitate Israel's defense apparatus ahead of possible future conflicts with Hezbollah or its patron, Iran. Chabad In Laos New York/JTA — Chabad-Lubavitch now has a representative in Laos. Rabbi Shalom Ber Marzel and his wife are expected to serve Israeli back- packers and other tourists who visit the Southeast Asian country. Laos is the 73rd country to have a Chabad emissary. erneuil p 1111 Nitumovii. SuccnaTra ® Rienon RSM McGladrey k Ohio Council George Blumenthal • and the Center for Online Judaic Studies The Gries Family Cradle of Christianity: Treasures from the Holy Land is organized by The Israel Museum, Jerusalem and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage MALTZ MUSEUM " ( 7-"' JEWISH HERITAGE 2929 Richmond Road Beachwood, Ohio 44122 Phone: 216.593.0575 www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org ADVANCE TICKETS RECOMMENDED 877.665.4849 GROUP TOURS: 216.593.0575 groupsaies@mmjh.org Too Cuite or 'Words! and speaking of words, you'll find me along with my other friends in the "Little People" department and some of us speak in different languages — among them Hebrew, French and more! Fine Furniture Accessories Unique Gifts 6644 Orchard Lake West Bloomfield 248 855.1600 Mon & Thur 10-9 Tue-Wed-Fri-Sat 10-6 Sun 11-4 30% OFF ALWAYS most mfrs August 31- 2006 11