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Forward this to a friend March 27, 2008

In This issue

Chicago, Midwest, and US news

* Jewish groups placed on security alert
* JCRC protests Swiss natural gas deal with Iran
* UNC names Jewish studies professorship

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

* IDF nabs Pesach bombing mastermind
* Fresh rocket barrage hits Israel after defense sources assess that Hamas wants Gaza quiet
* Olmert pledges to pursue talks with Palestinians
* Fatah says Hamas must cede Gaza before talks
* Cheney says a Palestinian state is 'long overdue'
* Civil organizations in Gaza urge Fatah-Hamas reconciliation
* Arab officials and columnists: Hamas responsible for escalation in Gaza
* FM station draws Israelis, Palestinians
* Israel to supply cattle to Gaza

Israel and World News

* The Jewish Agency to be awarded the Israel Prize
* Israel's Ben Gurion Airport rated "Best In Middle East"
* With nothing pushing Jews to Israel, can it lure olim?
* Yes Virginia, some Israelis are moving to Sderot

Iran Watch

* Iran wants compensation for sanctions
* Cheney talks Iran in Israel; U.S. strike seen as remote
* Iran's parliamentary elections: The conservatives' mandate
* Iran to hold run-off parliament votes April 25
* US moves towards engaging Iran

Events and Programs

* Teen programs offer range of opportunities for significant involvement
* Interested in moving to Israel? Visit the Aliyah Fair April 3
* Acclaimed Israeli film 'Beaufort' opens in Chicago and Wilmette
* Meet Israeli filmmaker Adi Refaeli
* See Israel-related programming on Shalom TV
* Walk the Walk May 4

Editorial, Opinion & Analysis

* What the pundits say

Chicago, Midwest, and US news
JEWISH GROUPS PLACED ON SECURITY ALERT
Citing an increase in threats and attacks, a U.S. Jewish security network warned its members to be alert to a "new set of circumstances." The alert lists seven threats and attacks since Feb. 14, and notes that the Department of Homeland Security has instructed its officials to inspect Jewish sites across the country.
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JCRC PROTESTS SWISS NATURAL GAS DEAL WITH IRAN
Switzerland has signed a natural gas deal with Iran worth 20 billion Euros, prompting a letter of protest from Midge Perlman Shafton, chairman, and Steven Dishler, director of International Affairs, of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish United Fund. Writing to Giamnattista Mondada, consul general of Switzerland in Chicago, they wrote: "We urge your government to reconsider its decision and support international efforts to stop Iran from continuing on its dangerous path."
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UNC NAMES JEWISH STUDIES PROFESSORSHIP

A $1.5 million distinguished professorship in Jewish studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be named in honor of alumnus Stuart E. Eizenstat, lead negotiator for Holocaust reparation agreements and deputy secretary of the treasury during the Clinton administration.
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The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
IDF NABS PESACH BOMBING MASTERMIND
Six years after a suicide bomber he dispatched blew up in the middle of Pessah seder at the Park Hotel in Netanya, the IDF on Tuesday night arrested Hamas's top commander in Tulkarm, Omar Jaber.
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FRESH ROCKET BARRAGE HITS ISRAEL AFTER DEFENSE SOURCES ASSESS THAT HAMAS WANTS GAZA QUIET

About 15 Qassam rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip against the western Negev yesterday, injuring two Israeli citizens in Sderot. Another Israeli was lightly wounded when he was shot by a sniper as he worked the fields of Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha, near the border with the Gaza Strip.

Prior to the attack, Israeli defense officials had suggested Monday that Hamas is interested at this stage in maintaining the lull in fighting against the IDF along the Gaza Strip border. Likewise, Egypt is keeping up heavy pressure on Hamas leaders in Gaza not to deviate from the understandings reached with it regarding the suspension of fighting.
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OLMERT PLEDGES TO PURSUE TALKS WITH PALESTINIANS
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has pledged to continue with peace talks with the Palestinians until an agreement is achieved, while ruling out negotiations with Hamas. Meanwhile Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday that "activities against Hamas do not harm the political negotiations, rather they assist them."
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FATAH SAYS HAMAS MUST CEDE GAZA BEFORE TALKS
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction on Wednesday ruled out talks with Hamas unless the Islamist group first cedes control of Gaza, casting doubt on a Yemen-sponsored reconciliation push. Fatah and Hamas, which seized control of the coastal enclave last June, had agreed in Yemen this week to revive direct talks after months of hostilities to "return the Palestinian situation to what it was before the Gaza incidents."
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CHENEY SAYS A PALESTINIAN STATE IS 'LONG OVERDUE'
Declaring that an independent Palestinian state was "long overdue," Vice President Dick Cheney said on Sunday that the success of the U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations depends on the Palestinian ability to rein in groups that favor terrorism over negotiations.

"Terror and rockets do not merely kill civilians, they also kill the legitimate hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people," Cheney said.
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CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS IN GAZA URGE FATAH-HAMAS RECONCILIATION
Scores of Palestinians, representing civil society organizations in Gaza, staged a demonstration on Wednesday urging the rival Hamas and Fatah parties to unite. The rally comes after both Fatah and Hamas agreed early this week in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a to a Yemeni-sponsored reconciliation initiative that honors dialogue between the two sides.
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ARAB OFFICIALS AND COLUMNISTS: HAMAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ESCALATION IN GAZA
Following the recent escalation in the Hamas-Israel conflict, Arab officials and columnists have been criticizing Hamas in the Arab and Palestinian press, blaming it for the escalation of violence and for the Gaza residents' suffering.
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FM STATION DRAWS ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS
After a year on the air RAM-FM, an English-language music station with studios in Jerusalem and the West Bank, has attracted a diverse audience, from Israeli soldiers and Palestinian students to West Bank villagers, English speaking immigrants and foreign diplomats.

Owner Issy Kirsh, a South Africa-based Jewish businessman, modeled the station after a South African station that provided a venue for reconciliation after apartheid. He said RAM-FM wants to create a safe place for Israelis and Palestinians to talk � and make money in the process.
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ISRAEL TO SUPPLY CATTLE TO GAZA
Israel is to start supplying cattle to Gaza in an exception to its blockade of the Hamas-run territory amid fears that unvaccinated livestock might otherwise be smuggled in from neighbouring Egypt.
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Israel and World News
THE JEWISH AGENCY TO BE AWARDED THE ISRAEL PRIZE
The prestigious 2008 Israel Prize for "lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State of Israel" will be awarded to the Jewish Agency for Israel, one of the main overseas beneficiary agencies of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

In making the announcement, the Committee noted the Jewish Agency's "tireless efforts" as a pioneering force in the establishment of the State of Israel and its continuing contributions in strengthening Israeli society, partnering the people of Israel with Jewish communities around the world, and deepening the connection of the Jewish next generation throughout the world.
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ISRAEL'S BEN GURION AIRPORT RATED "BEST IN MIDDLE EAST"
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport has been judged "best airport in the Middle East" and the "world's second best airport" that handles 5-15 million passengers a year. The survey was conducted by the Geneva-based Airports Council International (ACI) whose Airport Service Quality Survey is based on the results from nearly 200,000 questionnaires completed by passengers in 2007. The survey captures the passenger's immediate appraisal of 34 airport service factors, from check-in through to departure at the gate.
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WITH NOTHING PUSHING JEWS TO ISRAEL, CAN IT LURE OLIM?
Founded with the express purpose of "ingathering of the exiles" -- but with no more large groups of Jews to rescue -- Israel is facing the end of the era of mass aliyah.
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YES VIRGINIA, SOME ISRAELIS ARE MOVING TO SDEROT
A small, but interesting cross-section of Israelis is making the move to Israel's most embattled city at a time when far more residents already have left or are considering leaving. What motivates them to come?
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Iran Watch
IRAN WANTS COMPENSATION FOR SANCTIONS
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says his government plans to take legal action and seek compensation for what he says are illegal UN sanctions. His comments come in a 20-page letter to UN officials obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Meanwhile Iran's ambassador to the United Nations has assured Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Iran will cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the nation's nuclear program.
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CHENEY TALKS IRAN IN ISRAEL; U.S. STRIKE SEEN AS REMOTE
With U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Israel this week talking about Iran, the big question was whether President Bush would be willing to use military force in the waning days of his presidency to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program.
The answer from most Israeli intelligence analysts: not likely.
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IRAN'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS: THE CONSERVATIVES' MANDATE
It is already clear that the conservatives will maintain their comfortable majority. But given the rifts within their ranks, the number of pro-reform and independent candidates, and the growing displeasure with his politics and posture, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will probably face even greater criticism during the coming year leading up to the 2009 presidential elections. So writes David Menashri, professor at the Department of Middle Eastern and African History and incumbent of the Nazarian Chair for Modern Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University.
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IRAN TO HOLD RUN-OFF PARLIAMENT VOTES APRIL 25
Iran will hold run-off votes on April 25 for parliamentary seats not decided in the first election round earlier this month, Iranian media said on Wednesday.
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US MOVES TOWARDS ENGAGING IRAN

Writing in Asia Times, career diplomat M.K. Bhadrakumar predicts that the coming few weeks are going to be critical in the standoff between the United States and Iran as the upheaval in the Middle East reaches a turning point. "A phase of subtle, reciprocal, conceptual diplomatic actions may be beginning," he writes.
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Events and Programs
TEEN PROGRAMS OFFER RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SIGNIFICANT INVOLVEMENT

The Jewish United Fund offers many opportunities for high school students to become involved in meaningful ways. Applications are now open for the hands-on youth philanthropy programs Voices and Kolot; Camp TOV 2008, a week long, fun and interactive service oriented day program on wheels; TOV MTV - Monthly Teen Volunteering; and Write On for Israel, a selective, two-year advocacy training fellowship.

Teens are also welcome and urged to sign up now to volunteer for ISRAEL SOLIDARITY DAY, Sunday, May 4, 2008.

Get more information about all these opportunities.
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INTERESTED IN MOVING TO ISRAEL? VISIT THE ALIYAH FAIR APRIL 3

Learn first-hand about education, employment, real estate and other issues to consider when thinking about moving to Israel. The Israel Homecoming Fair will be held 7 p.m-10 p.m. Thursday, April 3 at the Holiday Inn-Chicago North Shore, 5300 W. Touhy Ave., Skokie. To RSVP or for more information call (847) 674-8861.
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ACCLAIMED ISRAELI FILM 'BEAUFORT' OPENS IN CHICAGO AND WILMETTE

One of this year's five candidates for the "Best Foreign Language Film" Oscar and the first Israeli finalist since 1985, 'Beaufort' opens Friday (3/28) at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago and the Wilmette Theatre in Wilmette. Read JUF News critic Jan Lisa Huttner's review of Beaufort in the current issue of Jewish Film World.
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MEET ISRAELI FILMMAKER ADI REFAELI
See the award-winning Israeli film Empathy and meet writer/director Adi Refaeli in person. Reservations for this program are now closed but some walk-ins can be accommodated. The walk-in rate is $25 per person, or for a discount download the flyer and bring it with you to the program of your choice (Landmark Century in Chicago on Sat. 3/29 or Landmark Renaissance in Highland Park on Sun. 3/30.
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SEE ISRAEL-RELATED PROGRAMMING ON SHALOM TV
From the Shalom TV news desk, Gary Gazarkh has another "Israel Update," highlighting recent events affecting the State of Israel.

Visit the wonders of Israel with your host, Rabbi Shalom Gold, on his series of "Israel Mini Tours". This week, travel to the Roman ruins of Caesarea on the Mediterranean Coast, and see the city that Herod built in honor of Caesar Augustus more than 2000 years ago. Get program times.

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WALK THE WALK MAY 4
Love Israel? Show your solidarity at Israel Solidarity Day featuring the Walk With Israel, Sunday, May 4, at McCormick Place-Lakeside Center. Bring the whole family! Registering is easy, and there are many opportunities for volunteers and sponsors.
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Editorial, Opinion & Analysis
WHAT THE PUNDITS SAY
Israel at 60: Its Historical and Legal Rights Still Challenged? Address by Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
The Islamists really are true believers by Michael Young
Raised in Gaza, i know cruel conditions are self-inflicted by Nonie Darwish
Will the latest Jerusalem bloodshed be followed by talks or intifada? by Nat Hentoff
End the AIPAC case Jewish Week editorial
Columbia, Ahmadinejad, and Nazi Germany: Round Two by Rafael Medoff
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