Obituaries
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Obituariesrom page 153
Neturei Karta's
Hirsch: Arafat
Friend, Adviser
JERUSALEM (JTA)
— Rabbi Moshe Hirsch,
a close adviser to Yasser
Arafat, has died.
Rabbi Hirsch
Hirsch, a member of
with Yasser
the anti-Zionist Neturei
Arafat
Karta, died Sunday at his
home in Jerusalem's Mea
Shearim neighborhood. He was 86.
A New York native, he immigrated to
Israel but never became a citizen. Hirsch
was the son-in-law of Neturei Karta
founder Rabbi Aharon Katzenelbogen and
led a faction of the organization in Israel,
according to reports.
Neturei Karta is famous for its 2006
visit to Iran, where delegates held a warm
meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad on the eve of a Holocaust-
denial conference.
Hirsch's ties to Arafat dated back to the
1980s, when the Palestinian leader lived in
Tunis, Haaretz reported.
Hirsch was appointed "adviser on
Jewish affairs" when the Palestinian
Authority was established. A Palestinian
delegation led by Hatem Abdel Qader, an
adviser on Jerusalem affairs to Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, entered Mea
Shearim Monday to pay its respects to
Hirsch.
Protesters Arrested
In Grave Relocation
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Up to 40 ultra-
Orthodox protesters were arrested during
the removal of graves on the site of a new
protected emergency room in Ashkelon.
The Israel Antiquities Authority on
Sunday began removing and relocat-
ing graves from the construction site
at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
Preliminary findings Sunday indicated
that the remains are not Jewish but from
the Byzantine era, according to reports.
Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman,
a haredi lawmaker from the United Torah
Judaism Party, opposes the move. He told
Israel Radio on Sunday that his party
could leave the coalition over the inci-
dent.
Demonstrations began Saturday night
and have continued throughout Sunday.
The underground facility is designed
to withstand rocket attack from the Gaza
Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
addressed the issue of the emergency
room at the start of Sunday's Cabinet
meeting. He said the general welfare of the
people was the guiding principle in mak-
ing the decision.
"We are holding consultations, to the
degree that this is possible, and are tryin
g to reach agreement with parts of the
public, but the government's ultimate
commitment is to the general welfare he
said. "This is how we have acted, and this
is how we will act."
Protesters reportedly drew a swastika
on the walls of the improvised police hold-
ing area at Barzilai Hospital, where they
were being detained, and wrote, "Barzilai
hospital robs graves."
Protests against the grave removal also
took place Sunday in Jerusalem's Mea
Shearim neighborhood, where haredi men
lit trash containers on fire and beat up
municipal employees.
In March, Israel's Cabinet approved by
one vote a plan to relocate the hospital's
planned emergency room to a site farther
away in deference to the haredi sensibili-
ties.
But the Cabinet vote sparked a public
outcry in Israel; the cost of moving the
emergency room to the new site would
have been an additional $42 million,
according to estimates.
As a result of the outcry, Netanyahu
appointed a task force to re-evaluate the
decision. The prime minister last month
announced that the plans for the ER
would go forward on the original site.
Also Sunday, haredim gathered in Jaffa
to protest infrastructure work on a site
where they say ancient graves are located.
Some 17 protesters were arrested for dis-
rupting the construction work and for not
obtaining a permit to protest.
worthy
A life well lived
A tradition well served
We strive to honor each person
with dignity and respect
THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL
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154 May 20 • 2010
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Obituaries
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