World
ROUNDUP
Health Care Bill Reaction
New York/JTA — Several Jewish groups
are lauding the U.S. Congress' passage of
a health care reform bill.
On Monday, the morning after the
House of Representatives passed a mea-
sure that would create sweeping change
in the way health care is provided in the
United States, Jewish groups issued state-
ments in support and looking forward to
its signing into law by President Obama.
B'nai B'rith International was among
the groups hailing the bill's passage.
"As the leading Jewish sponsor of sup-
portive housing for seniors over the last 40
years, we have seen the impact the lack of
lifetime access to health care has on people
as they age,' the group said in a state-
ment."It is for that reason that we believe
Arab Economic Plan
Jerusalem/JTA — Israel's Cabinet has
approved the largest-ever economic devel-
opment plan for Israeli Arabs.
Nearly $214 million in new money was
allocated by the government ministers
Sunday for the program, which aims to
strengthen the Israeli Arab economy. The
program reportedly includes building
and expanding industrial areas, providing
professional and academic instruction,
increasing tourism, upgrading- security and
improving transportation and day care.
The program is to start in 12 Arab
communities and later will be expanded
to more communities.
The approval came the same day as
the release of a report by the Coalition
Against Racism and the Mossawa Center:
The Advocacy Center for Arab Palestinian
Citizens of Israel that accuses the current
government of being the most discrimi-
natory in Israel's history after passing at
least 21 bills that discriminate against
Arabs, according to their count.
A spokesman for the Israeli govern-
ment did not have immediate comment
on the report.
Rocky Challenges
Obama On Israel
Andrew "Rocky"
Raczkowski, Republican
candidate for Michigan's
Ninth Congressional
District and a major
in the U.S. Army, was
Rocky
taken
aback by what
Raczkowski
he called the Obama
administration's "unwarranted and unjust
condemnation of our stalwart friend and
ally, Israel!'
"I am perplexed as to why the admin-
28
March 25 n 2010
expanding access to health care for peo-
ple of all ages is fundamental to achieving
healthy aging for each generation!'
The statement went on to say, "Lifelong
access to quality health care, which
should include prevention, diagnostic and
maintenance of chronic conditions, will
ensure everyone can age in good health!'
Voting along party lines, House mem-
bers passed the bill,
219-212, late Sunday
night.
Rabbi David
Saperstein, director of
the Religious Action
Center, the public policy
branch of the Reform
movement, said in
Rabbi
a statement that the
Saperstein
istration seems to be driving a wedge
between the United States and its
strongest and most dependable ally and
only democracy in the Middle East:'
Raczkowski said. He said "the silence
on Capitol Hill to this administration's
heavy-handed actions is deafening!'
Raczkowski, who in January conducted
a briefing for the Jewish community
at the Holocaust Memorial Center in
Farmington Hills, said, "it is incompre-
hensible to me why the president, vice
president and secretary of state are
applying undue pressure on Israel while
ignoring the continued incitement to ter-
rorism of the Palestinians. Even in the
face of Iran's brutal repression and public
executions of dissidents just this past year
during the Green Revolution, the Obama
administration publicly stated it would
not meddle in the internal affairs of
another nation."
"Why then the double standard,"
Raczkowski asks, "and this administra-
tion's insistence on dictating policy to
the sovereign nation of Israel? What this
administration fails to appreciate is that
Israel has the right and the obligation
to defend its citizens, and that Israel is
our frontline defense in the war against
Islamist terrorism!'
Raczkowski has twice visited Israel,
once when he was Michigan's State House
majority leader.
Yoffie: Jerusalem
Moratorium
Rabbi Yoffie
New York/JTA — The
leader of the Reform
movement called for a
temporary moratorium
on building in eastern
Jerusalem.
adopted bill "is not perfect. But it is nec-
essary."
"This is a unique and urgent moment
in history; a moment of great promise
and great challenge as Congress works
together with doctors, hospitals, labor
unions, businesses, insurers, drug com-
panies and people of faith to ensure
fundamental and comprehensive health
insurance reform that provides for a
healthy future for millions of Americans,"
his statement said.
In a news release Monday, the National
Jewish Democratic Council said, "We are
confident that when historians look back
on this day, they will equate the passage
of this bill with such monumental legisla-
tive achievements as the passage of Social
Security in the 1930s."
One of the few Jewish groups not
enthusiastic about the health care
reform bill is the Republican Jewish
Coalition, which had yet to com-
ment early Monday, but as recently as
last week called the proposal "deeply
flawed."
"Substantively, the Obama plan is
wrong for America;' RJC Executive
Director Matt Brooks said in a statement.
"It will worsen our already dire fiscal
situation. It will cause even more job
losses — at a time when we desperately
need to be creating jobs. It will cause
millions of Americans to lose health-
care arrangements they are satisfied
with. And it will not address the health-
care cost problem that Americans are
most concerned about."
In remarks delivered March 18 to the
board of trustees of the Union for Reform
Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie noted Reform's
commitment to Israel's claim to Jerusalem
and its right to build there.
"The Union for Reform Judaism, like
most American Jewish organizations, sup-
ports a united Jerusalem under Israeli
sovereignty:' the URJ president said.
"This means that we believe housing
units constructed in Jerusalem by Israel
are not settlements and they are not ille-
gal. But a great many things that are legal
are not prudent or wise — and building in
Arab sections of Jerusalem in the current
political climate is one of those things!"
Yoffie recommended the moratorium
as a means of easing tensions with the
United States, sparked last week when
Israel announced a major building start
in Jerusalem during a visit by U.S. Vice
President Joe Biden aimed at showing
U.S.-Israel unity.
The announcement also led the
Palestinian Authority to pull back from
planned renewed peace talks.
"Surely, no opportunity to move toward
an enduring settlement must be squan-
dered," Yoffie said.
"I hope that the government of Israel
will see the declaration of a temporary
moratorium on building in east Jerusalem
as a means of seizing the initiative, deep-
ening her ties with America, rallying her
allies around the world, and challenging
the Palestinians and Arab world to come
forward with confidence-building steps of
their own!"
Yoffie has assertively defended Israel
from what he sees as unfair attacks in
recent months, particularly against calls
on Israel to face war crimes charges after
last year's Gaza war.
Conservatives Aid Shul
Santiago/JTA — The Conservative move-
ment has raised $40,000 to help rebuild a
synagogue destroyed in the recent earth-
quake in Chile.
The synagogue of the Communidad
Israelita De Concepcion, the Jewish com-
munity in Concepcion, was badly dam-
aged when the first of what has turned
out to be several powerful earthquakes
hit Chile starting in late February. Rabbi
Angel Kreiman, the rabbi of Concepcion,
estimates that the three-story synagogue
had about $200,000 worth of damage,
according to Masorti Olami.
Since a fund was set up on March 1 to
help rebuild the synagogue, Masorti
an affiliate of the United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism and the Masorti
Movement in Israel, have raised some
$40,000. For more information, visit www.
masortiworld.org/molami/chilerelief.
Auschwitz Sign Theft
Krakow/JTA — A Polish court convicted
three men for stealing the "Arbeit Macht
Frei" sign from the front gate of Auschwitz.
The Polish men, who confessed last week
to cutting the 16-foot metal sign in pieces
and stealing it, were given sentences rang-
ing from six months to 21/2 years, accord-
ing to reports.
Two other Polish men remain in jail in
connection with the theft. The sign, which
means "work makes you free was stolen
Dec. 18 and recovered across the country 72
hours later.
Anders Hogstrom, a former Swedish neo-
Nazi, is suspected of ordering the men to
steal the sign. He allegedly acted as an agent
for a British Nazi sympathizer who wanted
the sign. Sweden agreed last week to extra-
dite Hogstrom to Poland.