Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 December 2003 — Page 7

December 31. 2003 NAT 3

Members of elite unit Bush urges patience at Hanukkah fest j oin m iii tary ‘refitseniks'

WASHINGTON—President Bush has urged Israelis to show patience in their striving toward peace. Bush met with Jewish lay and communal leaders at the White House for an annual Hanukkah celebration. Those attending said he

initiated a discussion on the resurgence in Europe of antisemitism, saying America must set an example in respecting the rights of the individual. A central topic of conversation was Prime Minister Sharon's recent speech warning the Palestinians that unless

they rein in terrorists and talk peace, Israel would pull out unilaterally from parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and set its own border. Bush urged Israelis to await a Palestinian leader who can move the peace process forward.

Jewish charity gathers Iran quake aid funds

NEW YORK—The earthquake that has killed and endangered tens of thousands of people at Bam, Iran has spurred American Jewish World Service to begin an aid

project. Early reports said as many as 5,000 people were killed. Later reports said the toll might rise to 20,000 or more. The quake devastated the

historic city in southeastern Iran and left thousands homeless. To help, contact AJWS through its Web site, www.ajws.org.

Jewish salsa scene getting own press

MIAMI—South Florida's Hispanic Jewish community now has a new newspaper: Tord Tropical: Judaismo con Sabor Latino. The free Spanish-language quarterly started out by sending 10,000 copies to synagogues, Jewish federations, and Jewish community centers in South Florida

and New York. The paper is funded by the United Jewish Appeal-Federa-tion. Plans are for a monthly edition that will be distributed additionally in Los Angeles and Chicago next year. The paper is seen as a way

of helping new immigrants and keeping readers informed of Jewish life in their home countries. By including three English-language-pages, publishers hope to familiarize American Jews with their Latin American cousins.

Jewish women protest major agencies’ policies

NEW YORK—Women wearing owl costumes demonstrated recently outside the offices of the United Jewish Communities here. The group calls itself Jewish Women Watching. It has accused the Forward and the New York Jewish Week of censorship for refusing to print the group's advertisements outlining their grievances. The group's "Greasy Latke

Awards" accuse major Jewish organizations of sexism, homophobia, and other faults. They blasted the North American Jewish federation system, saying the 19 largest Jewish federations in the country are run by men. They also accused philanthropist Michael Steinhardt of using his millions to send privileged students to Israel and putting a higher priority on kosher sushi rolling parties

than on social justice. Editors of the Jewish Week and the Forward said they declined the ads because the group insisted on anonymity. Susan Weidman Schneider, the editor-in-chief of Lilith magazine, said she used to have a problem with the group's anonymity but has come to accept it as protective of the activist women and of the funds they might need if they work in the Jewish community.

Israel sends up second civil satellite

JERUSALEM—The Israeli communications satellite Amos 2 is in business after a ride aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket launched from Kazakhstan.

Amos 2 is a second generation of communications satellites made by Israel Aircraft Industries. It can broadcast to Europe and to the Middle East. The Israeli company Spacecom

owns it and plans to use it for cable television transmissions. Amos 1, Israel's first civilian communications satellite, is still in space and is expected to keep functioning until 2008.

TEL AVIV—Thirteen members of an elite Israeli military reserve unit say they will refuse to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The unit, Sayeret Matkal, has a history of heroism. The petitioners, in keeping with Matkal secrecy, signed only the first letters of their last names and, on television, spoke with their faces obscured. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, a former Matkal officer, said the 13 will each

be asked to recant or be ousted from their reserve duty. Disobeying orders in Israel's military is punishable by up to 15 years' imprisonment, but so far the Judge-Advocate General's Office has used much milder penalties in dealing with so-called refuseniks. When 27 reserve helicopter gunship pilots vowed in September to no longer take part in track-and-kill operations against Palestinian terrorists, several were dishonorably discharged.

Jews, Arabs explore to ‘break the ice’

JERUSALEM—Putting their differences on ice, a group of eight Palestinians and Israelis have begun a 35-day expedition to Antarctica. The group of four Arabs and four Jews will climb an unexplored mountain near the Bruce Plateau in Antarctica after sailing 600 miles from southern Chile. Their expedition is being called "Breaking the Ice." The team hopes to build close trust between its mem-

bers through a common goal that requires them to rely on each other in potentially deadly situations. Members include a Palestinian who served three years in Israeli jails for attacking Israeli soldiers with firebombs and an Ethiopian-born immigrant to Israel. The expedition is sponsored by Israel's Peres Center for Peace. The group will document its saga on a film to be completed by next summer.

NEW SCHOOL HELPING—These Ethiopian girls gathered to greet guests at the new Kaiserman Ethiopian Cultural center at Netivot in southern Israel.