roundup
Barak's Party
Has First Meeting
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Independence
Party; the new Israeli political party formed
by Ehud Barak, held its inaugural meeting.
Barak, a former Labor
Party chairman and cur-
rently Israel's defense
minister, was elected
chairman by the party's
80 members.
Knesset member
Einat Wilt Home Front
Command Minister
Ehud Barak
Matan Vilnai; Industry,
Trade and Labor Minister
Shalom Simhon; and Agriculture Minister
Orit Noked left Labor with Barak to form
the Independence Party and they make up
its secretariat.
The secretariat will determine how
candidates for the Knesset will be chosen.
Barak said the party will present an equal
number of men and women.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the
Conference on Jewish Material Claims
Against Germany and the Commission for
Looted Art in Europe.
Group Files Lawsuit
On Behalf Of Converts
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Orthodox
advocacy group has filed a lawsuit in
Israel's Supreme Court against the Interior
Ministry, demanding that it recognize
Orthodox conversions performed abroad
for the purposes of aliyah.
The Jerusalem-based ITIM, the Jewish
Life Information Center, argued that indi-
viduals who underwent Orthodox conver-
sions in recognized communities outside
of Israel should be granted citizenship in
Israel under the Law of Return.
The lawsuit was filed as well on behalf of
Tomas Dolhan, a Canadian man who com-
pleted an Orthodox conversion in February
2010 and was denied Israeli citizenship.
Dolhan, his wife and four children arrived
in Israel four months ago. Dohlan's wife is
Syria Withdraws
an Israeli citizen.
Rights Council Bid
In 1988, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Syria withdrew its
that individuals who underwent conver-
bid for a spot on the United Nations Human sions in "recognized" communities around
Rights Council.
the world would be eligible for aliyah under
Syria's withdrawal
the Law of Return. However, the Interior
from the Asian group of
Ministry consults with Israel's Chief
nations came as Western
Rabbinate to determine which communi-
nations are working
ties are "recognize&
to convince the U.N.
When a convert presents an aliyah appli-
Security Council to con-
cation, the ministry relies on the leader-
demn Syrian President
ship of the denominations to determine
Bashar Assad's violent
eligibility. The Conservative and Reform
Bashar Assad
campaign to stifle oppo-
communities are centralized and vouch for
sition to the Syrian gov-
their converts.
ernment.
Since Orthodox Judaism does not have
Kuwait was named to replace Syria on
a centralized leadership, the ministry has
the uncontested ballot for the Asian bloc on determined that Israel's chief rabbi is the
the 47-member council. The formal vote
leader of Orthodoxy around the world. The
will take place May 20. The other nominees
Chief Rabbinate now only recognizes con-
from the Asian bloc are India, Indonesia
versions performed by about 50 Orthodox
and the Philippines.
rabbis in North America out of the 2,000
Syria has called the replacement a trade,
there.
saying that it will stand for election to the
Since March, 20 converts have
council in 2013 instead.
approached ITIM who were denied Israeli
Hundreds of Syrians are believed to have citizenship because their Orthodox conver-
been killed and about 8,000 arrested in
sions were deemed unsatisfactory by the
Assad's crackdown on opposition protest-
Chief Rabbinate, according to Rabbi Seth
ers.
Farber, director of ITIM.
Two weeks ago, the Chief Rabbinate and
Nazi-Era Property
ITIM reached an agreement under which
Linked On Portal
the rabbinate will recognize all conversions
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A coalition of
conferred under the auspices of official
documentation preservation groups,
Israeli conversion programs, including the
including national archives from six
military, which are all Orthodox.
nations, is launching a portal that accesses
records on stolen Nazi-era cultural prop-
Israel's Population
erty.
Rises Slightly
The portal, called Holocaust
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel's popula-
International Resources, was launched
tion has grown 2 percent over last year, to
formally last week at the National Archives
7,746,000.
in Washington. It accesses material in
Some 5.8 million Israelis are Jewish, or
the archives of the United States, Britain,
75.3 percent, according to data collected by
France, Germany, Belgium and Ukraine.
the Central Bureau of Statistics and pub-
Other participating bodies include the
lished in advance of Israel Independence
ut
28
May 19 . 2011
Day. The Arab population is nearly 1.59
million, or 20.5 percent.
Some 322,000 residents are immigrants
who are not listed as Jewish by the Interior
Ministry or who do not identify with any
particular group.
Approximately 178,000 Israelis were
born since last Independence Day, and
about 43,000 people died. In addition,
about 24,500 immigrated to Israel and
12,000 left the country.
Meanwhile, 14 Israeli cities have popula-
tions of at least 100,000 — up from one
city in 1948 at the birth of the nation, Tel
Aviv. Six cities — Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa,
Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Petach Tikvah
— have more than 200,000 residents.
The men were arrested after a sting
operation. The New York Times cited a per-
son briefed on the matter as saying that the
men had discussed attacking a synagogue,
though they did not have a specific syna-
gogue in mind.
According to the report, the men had
attempted to buy hand grenades and guns.
The alleged terrorists were not identified,
but an official said they were "homegrown:'
One is believed to be of Moroccan descent
and the other of North African descent, the
newspaper wrote.
They were charged under New York
State's terrorism law.
Indictments In
AMIA Cover-Up
Museum Settles
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — A
Over Schiele Painting
former Jewish leader was among those
NEW YORK (JTA) — The Leopold
indicted in Argentina for bribery dur-
Museum in Vienna has agreed to settle with ing the original investigation of the 1994
one of the heirs of an Austrian Jewish art
bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in
collector for her share in a valuable paint-
Buenos Aires.
ing.
Ruben Ezra Beraja,
The museum will pay $5 million to
who once headed the
the granddaughter of Austrian Jewish art
DATA Jewish umbrella
collector Jenny Steiner for her share in
organization, was among
the 1914 painting "Houses by the Sea" by
those charged May 12 by
Austrian painter Egon Schiele. The paint-
Argentine Federal Judge
ing was looted by the Nazis during the
Ariel Lijo as he closed the
Holocaust.
first part of his investiga-
Steiner left Austria after it was annexed
tion
into reported irregu-
Ruben Beraja
by the Nazis in 1938 and settled in the
larities that took place
United States. The painting was acquired in
during the probe.
1955 by Rudolf Leopold, who founded the
The attack killed 85 people and wound-
museum.
ed hundreds.
The museum had offered to pay Steiner's
Others indicted included the judge who
heirs $25 million, but they had demanded
presided over the investigation, Juan Jose
restitution of the painting. The museum
Galeano; ex-prosecutors Eamon Mullen
is a private institution, however, and is not
and Jose Carlos Barbaccia; Argentina's
subject to the restitution law.
former secretary of intelligence, Hugo
Though the museum settled with one
Anzorregui; intelligence agency officer
granddaughter, two other groups of descen- Patrick Finn; attorney Victor Stinfale; and
dants have not settled, the French news
a defendant in the case, Carlos Alberto
agency AFP reported.
Telleldin, along with his wife, Ana Maria
Boragni.
Argentine Soccer
The indictment stems from an illegal
Club Takes Title
payment of $400,000 to Telleldin, an auto
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — A pro- mechanic who was among those charged
fessional Argentinian soccer club founded
in the attack, for his false testimony about
more than a century ago in a Jewish neigh-
to whom he gave the car bomb. Beraja
borhood won its league championship.
knew about the payment, Lijo said.
The soccer club Atlanta, founded in 1904
This irregularity, among others, led the
in Villa Crespo, over the weekend won
court in 2004 to annul the investigation
the championship of the third tier Soccer
and free all the accused. In 2005, a jury
League B organized by the Argentine
dismissed Galeano and the case was trans-
Football Association. The team is associ-
ferred to Federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba
ated with the Jewish community due to the
Corral and Prosecutor Alberto Nisman.
historical support of Jewish fans.
As a result of the second investigation,
Atlanta features several Jewish players
Argentina is seeking the extradition of
as well as members of its administrative
seven Iranians, including the current
staff.
defense minister, for their alleged roles in
the attack.
Alleged Terrorists
In May 2009, the Argentine Supreme
Arrested In New York
Court ruled that not all of the first investi-
NEW YORK (JTA) — Two men who alleg-
gation made by Galeano is illegal but only
edly intended to mount a terrorist attack in the information collected after the illegal
New York City, likely on a synagogue, were
payment, and ordered the reopening of
arrested May 11.
the investigation of Telleldin.