World

ROUNDUP

Bibi's Holiday Message

Jerusalem/JTA — Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu in a New Year's
message called for unity inside and
outside of Israel. In his Rosh Hashanah
message to the diaspora, Netanyahu said,
"The bonds between
Israel and diaspora
Jewish communities
throughout the world
are a tremendous
source of strength, and I
will work to strengthen
those bonds in the years
Benjamin
ahead."
Netanyahu
Netanyahu said
Israeli cities that had
been under attack last year are now expe-
riencing calm and that the economy is
showing signs of improvement.
"But there is much work to be done:'
he went on. "We must continue to safe-
guard our national security against the
considerable threats still facing us. We
must restore robust economic growth,
improve education in our schools and
clamp down on crime in our streets. And
we must advance a responsible peace
process with the goal of forging an his-
toric peace with our neighbors.
"Above all, we must remain united.
Our national unity government has given
expression to the broad consensus that
exists in this country. While national
unity is always an important asset, in
challenging times it is indispensable.
That is why in the years ahead, while we
work to achieve our ambitious goals, I
will do everything in my power to unite
our people."

Ethical Food Guidelines

New York/JTA — The Conservative move-
ment has released detailed guidelines for
earning approval from its ethical food
certification initiative.
The guidelines for earning a Magen
Tzedek, or seal of justice, were released
two weeks ago, the Forward reported. The
guidelines' 175 pages detail standards in
five general areas: treatment of employ-
ees, animal welfare, consumer issues,
corporate integrity and environmental
impact.
Among the specific requirements is
that food producers must pay their low-
est paid employees 115 percent of the
federal minimum wage and provide those
same employees with benefits equal to at
least 35 percent of wages.
The ethical food initiative, which is
run by the Hekhsher Tzedek Commission
in coordination with the leadership
of the Conservative movement, was
begun by Minnesota Rabbi Morris Allen
in response to revelations of worker

36

September 24 • 2009

AN

mistreatment at what once was the
nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse in
Postville, Iowa.

7.5 Million Israelis
Jerusalem/JTA — Israel's popula-
tion rose slightly to nearly 7.5 million,
three-fourths of whom are Jewish. Jews
comprise 75.5 percent of the 7,465,500
Israelis, according to the annual pre-Rosh
Hashanah report released by the Central
Bureau of Statistics.
In addition to some 5,634,300 Jews, the
report showed that Israel's population
has 1,513,200 Arabs, or 20.3 percent, and
318,000 defined as others.
In 2008, the Jewish population grew by
1.7 percent and the Arab population by
2.6 percent. Israel's population has been
growing at a rate of 1.8 percent annually
since 2003.
Israel's population remains young, with
28.4 percent of Israelis younger than 14.
Israelis aged 65 and older stood at 9.7
percent.
In addition, Jewish Israelis are marry-
ing later, with 32 percent of men and 42
percent of women aged 25 to 29 remain-
ing single.

Religious Hiring Exemption
Washington/JTA — Jewish groups are
urging the Obama administration to with-
draw a Bush administration legal memo
allowing religious groups an exemption
from employment discrimination laws.
In a letter to Attorney General Eric
Holder, 11 Jewish groups and dozens
of other religious and civil rights orga-
nizations said the 2007 Bush adminis-
tration Office of Legal Counsel memo
used an "erroneous" interpretation of
the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
(RFRA). The memo argued that the 1993
law allowed religious organizations to
claim that it would be a "substantial bur-
den" to hire employees outside of its reli-
gious faith, and the government needed
to show a "compelling interest" why the
religious organization should have to hire
outside its faith.
Many of the organizations that signed
the Holder letter backed the passage of
RFRA because it was intended as legisla-
tion that would place the burden on the
government to prove there was a reason
why a particular law that impinged on
someone's free exercise of religion was
necessary — and thus would permit,
for instance, Jewish prisoners to receive
kosher food.
The memo "stands as one of the most
notable examples of the Bush adminis-
tration's attempt to impose a constitu-
tionally questionable and unwise policy
— RFRA should not be interpreted or

employed as a tool for broadly overriding
statutory protections against religious
discrimination or to create a broad free
exercise right to receive government
grants without complying with applicable
regulations that protect taxpayers," the
letter said.
Signing onto the letter are the Anti-
Defamation League, the American Jewish
Committee, B'nai B'rith International,
Central Conference of American Rabbis,
Hadassah, Jewish Council for Public
Affairs, National Council of Jewish
Women, Na'amat USA, Rabbinical
Assembly, Religious Action Center of
Reform Judaism and Women of Reform
Judaism.
The Obama administration has not
taken a position on whether religious
groups receiving federal funds should
be allowed to take religion into account
when hiring, saying decisions will be
handled on a case-by-case-basis.

Heeb In Australia
Sydney/JTA— An Australian edition of
Heeb magazine was launched in Sydney.
Sydney-based publisher Joshua Levi,
25, said on his Facebook page this week
that there was "nothing substantively
Jewish in Australia that I truly felt con-
nected to."
A couple of years ago, the former jour-
nalist at the Australian Jewish News said
he was given a copy of Heeb, in which he
learned that Colin Powell was fluent in
Yiddish and Elvis Presley used to help a
rabbi that lived in the same apartment
building.
"I found a connection to Judaism that
was engaging me in a way I hadn't been
engaged since my childhood:' he wrote.
"From that day onwards, I decided I
wanted to bring Heeb to Australia. Today,
I welcome you to the first edition of my
dream."
The first issue of Heeb Australia,
dubbed the Germany issue, features the
headline "Tarantino vs. History: The
Chutzpah of Inglourious Basterds."
Levi said about 90 percent of the
84 pages were reproduced from the
American edition, which was founded
in 2002. That figure will be reduced in
each subsequent edition of the quarterly
magazine, he added.

H1N1 Virus Resistant

Jerusalem/17'A — Israel's Health Ministry
identified a strain of swine flu that is
resistant to the Tamiflu drug.
The strain was identified in a sample
taken from a high-risk Israeli swine flu
patient who recovered from the virus.
Tamiflu-resistant HIN1 virus strains have
been found in other areas of the world.

Another drug, Relenza, also is used to
treat the swine flu.

Heart Treatment

Jerusalem/JTA — Israeli researchers suc-
ceeded in growing heart tissue in the
abdomen of a rat and then implanting it
into another animal's damaged heart.
The experiment, which was pub-
lished last week in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, shows that
it is possible the rejuvenate the heart
after an attack, Ha'aretz reported.
Typically, a heart attack leaves a scar
that exerts pressure on the heart, often
leading to another attack. The tissue
patch prevented this deterioration.

Jews Flock To Uman

Kiev/JTA — Some 25,000 Jews from all
over the world are expected to make
the annual pilgrimage to the central
Ukrainian city of Uman.
The first two groups of about 60
Chasidim arrived recently in Uman,
home to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of
Bratslav, the founder and spiritual leader
of the Bratslav Chasidic movement, to
celebrate the Jewish New Year.
Rabbi Nachman was born in the city
of Medzhybizh in 1772 and died in 1810
in Uman. Since then, Uman has become a
mecca for Bratslaver Chasidim, particu-
larly on Rosh Hashanah.
Uman city authorities said that all
necessary services are ready to properly
receive the Jewish pilgrims.

Answering
Israel's Critics

The Charge
The United Nations Human Rights
Council charged in a report issued last
week that Israel committed war crimes
and possibly crimes against humanity
in its war against Hamas in Gaza late
last year.

The Answer
The Human Rights Council has been
biased against and unfairly focused on
Israel since its inception. In the report,
the council equates the citizens' army
of a democratic state (Israel) with the
terrorists of the brutal Hamas regime.
For more information, visit www.mfa.
gov.il/GAZAFACTS.

— Allan Gale,

Jewish Community Relations Council

of Metropolitan Detroit
o Sept. 24, 2009 Jewish Renaissance Media