I World ROUNDUP AJC Lauds Courage On Detroit Flight New York The American Jewish Committee praised the crew and pas- sengers traveling on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. They prevented a bombing attack by an alleged Al Qaeda operative. The plane landed safely after the terrorist, Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian national said to be studying in London, was subdued. "As we approach the end of a decade defined by the experience of 9-11, this attack — thankfully foiled through the sheer courage of those on board the plane — is a painful reminder that the struggle against Islamist terrorism continues:' said AJC Executive Director David Harris. Harris said that while Al Qaeda has been dealt a significant blow in Iraq, it continues to operate elsewhere in the Islamic world, in coun- tries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, where Abdulmuttalab is said to David Harris have collected his device. "Americans will be struck that the massacre at Fort Hood, which occurred in November, was carried out by an army officer who was in close contact with an Al Qaeda cleric also based in Yemen:' Harris said. "There will be similar con- cerns over the fact that Abdulmuttalab was allowed to board in Amsterdam with a valid U.S. visa, despite appearing in a database listing those with significant terrorist connections:' Harris urged governments, intelligence services and airlines to review security procedures in the wake of the foiled attack. "We came perilously close to a terrible massacre on Christmas Day. We need to know why Abdulmuttalab was able to board the plane carrying explo- sives and how similar assaults will be prevented in the future on the ground, and not in the air," Harris said. Harris said the attempted attack was another display of the violent jihadi ideol- ogy associated with Al Qaeda."Theirs is an ideology that seeks to destroy the freedoms of democratic societies. When executed, it does not discriminate between men and women, non-Muslims and Muslims, those steeped in riches and those A Sunday Fast New York Sunday was the 10th of Tevet, a minor fast day. In Israel, Kaddish is recited on this day for people whose date or place of death is unknown. Consequently, many rabbis have designated it as a day of remembrance for the Holocaust, according to the Orthodox Union. The 10th of Tevet — on which the siege of Jerusalem began — was the begin- ning of the whole chain of calamities that ended with the destruction of the Temple. "The essential significance of the fast of the 10th of Tevet, as well as that of the other fast days, is not primarily the grief and mourning which they evoke said the Rambam."Their aim is rather to awaken the hearts towards repentance; to recall to us both the evil deeds of our fathers and our own evil deeds, which caused anguish to befall both them and us and thereby to cause us to return towards the good." The fast began, as do all the public fasts with the exception of Tisha B'Av and Yom Kippur, at dawn. These four public fasts — the 10th of Tevet, the Fast of Gedaliah, the 17th of Tammuz and the Fast of Esther — also are alike in that there do not apply any additional physical constraints, such as the prohibition of washing or of wear- ing leather shoes. — — 111011111MIt THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SEE THE LAST 3 PERFORMANCES!!! THE BIG 1 T R' MUSIC BY JED-FEUER BOOK itYRFCS BYABOYD G Imo =vino au um. "...unashamed vitality...if laughter is the eleventh commandment, these guys really, really want to make it to heaven...Thibault is a scream.... and Trzaskoma is similarly hilarious." -Martin F. Kohn, Encore MichiganlBetween the Lines "...80 breezy minutes with Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, Eva Braun, Michael Jackson ...(plus)...emotion during the potato famine segment. 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AJC Detroit works closely with a number of Muslim and Arab partners, and is gratified that many of them have spoken out forcefully against the attack, demonstrating once again that a few extremists do not repre- sent the Muslim community as a whole." Israel Kills Terrorists Jerusalem/JTA Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinian men allegedly involved in the shooting death of an Israeli motor- ist in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers entered Nablus last Friday night in an attempt to arrest the men responsible for the previous night's murder of Meir Avshalom Hai, a 45-year-old father of seven near the northern West Bank settlement of Shavei Shomron. The men were killed in their homes while resist- ing arrest, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The army spokesman said Sunday that a ballistics test on a weapon found in the home of one of the terrorists matched the bullet that killed Hai. "Our policy against terrorism is clear. We will continue to respond aggressively Israel Boosts Security against any attack on Israeli citizens and jerusalem/JTA Israel's Ben-Gurion against any firing of rockets or missiles at International Airport increased security Israeli territory," Prime Minister Benjamin following an attempted terrorist attack on Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday's a flight to the United States. Cabinet meeting." Airline passengers traveling from Israel Noting that one of the terrorists to the United States will also be subjected involved in the attack had been released to additional questioning, according to from Israeli prison, Netanyahu said, "This reports. is precisely the consideration standing Last Friday, Abdul Farouk against the Shalit deal. The issue of our Abdulmutallab, 23, a Nigerian native cur- citizens' security, particularly in the West rently studying in London, attempted Bank, is a cardinal consideration in the to detonate explosive devices while on negotiations for Shalit's release. We want board a Northwest Airlines flight from our prisoners returned, but at the same Amsterdam to Detroit. He was subdued by crew and passengers and the plane landed time, we must minimize the risk to our citizens:' safely. On Friday, two Palestinian terrorist Abdulmutallab was listed in a U.S. groups, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aksa terrorism database last month after his Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of father contacted U.S. State Department Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud officials because he was worried about Abbas' Fatah party, claimed responsibility his son's connections to extremist Muslim for killing Hai. reported. groups, the Washington Post Abdulmutallab said he was trained by al-Qaida in Yemen, according to reports. — — Roundup on page 12