Families of kidnapped Persian Jews sue Khatami in US court

From: http://legofish.com

Law suit alleges visiting Iranian President implemented anti-Semitic policy of  torture and  imprisonment

Seven Jewish-Iranian families have filed suit in an American federal court against former President Mohammad Khatami over charges that he is responsible for the kidnapping and torture of their missing family members.

The families, currently residing in Los Angeles and Israel,  contend that Khatami  instituted the policy of  imprisoning their relatives without trials and refusing to provide them any information concerning their whereabouts.  The Jews were arrested on different occasions during the years 1994 through 1997, as they sought to leave Iran  across its border with Pakistan.

From the website:
Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center is a long overdue Jewish legal rights institute based in Israel. Staffed by some of the country’s leading activist attorneys, we are dedicated to providing legal representation and resources for the numerous courtroom struggles, which are being waged in the Israeli, American and European courts on behalf of the Jewish State. We serve as a central clearinghouse and litigation base for the multifarious legal battles that have been thrust upon Israel’s citizens during these dark days. 

This Just In: New madman anchor debuts at al-Jazeera Evening News

From the BorowitzReport:

Competition heats up for global extremist viewers

In one of the most highly anticipated debuts in network television history, last night a new madman made his inaugural appearance in the anchor chair of "The Al-Jazeera Evening News," the nightly newscast of the Arabic-language network.

For months, underground caves around the world have been plastered with advertising trumpeting the ascendancy of Hassan El-Medfaai, the jihadist lunatic who was anointed to take over the Al-Jazeera broadcast this fall.

But with the global audience of extremist viewers fragmented as never before, the stakes for "The Al-Jazeera Evening News" could not be higher, an Al-Jazeera executive said today.

"Gone are the days when people would tune in to the nightly newscast to get their insane extremist rants," the executive said. "Today's global madmen are getting their terror threats on the Internet, their mobile phones, and even on their iPods."

Against this competitive backdrop, Al-Jazeera executives were holding their breath to see how Mr. Medfaai's debut would be received by the global audience of jihadist whackjobs and wingnuts, a notoriously hard-to-please viewership.

While some television critics said that the white robe worn by Mr. Medfaai in his initial broadcast made him look "pudgy," the Al-Jazeera executive said that such critiques "miss the point."

"The only legitimate question would be, was he insane enough?" he said. "And by any measure, he was really, really nutso."

The executive also had high praise for Mr. Medfaai's broadcast signoff, a simple "Death to America."

"That's a keeper," he said.


Look out Katie Couric...

Catblogging in Jerusalem

Squeak (Photos: Dave Bender)

Awright, allayouse' catbloggers out there. Go take a looksee over here: Famous Cats of Jerusalem. They're selling pics from the photographic project they are doing on Jerusalem's street cats.

From the site:

The Famous Cats of Jerusalem is a photographic art piece by the collaborative art team Gordon & Gordon. From November 2005 through January 2006, we photographed 248 cats, and then distributed the photographs around the city for people to find.

We photographed the cats as we saw them. Some preened for the camera and followed us almost begging to be photographed again, while others were skittish and ran from the camera as soon as they heard the shutter click. The piece is the collection of one photo of each of the 248 cats, in order of appearance. They are numbered chronologically - we made no aesthetic decisions regarding the cats or their setting. They are all in there - beautiful, ugly, sweet, sickly, funny, garbage covered and urban pastoral.

We are dedicated to producing art in public spaces that is accessible and fun. You can help support us and our work by making a cash donation.

And then go visit Rachel's feline brood.

Anyway, Squeak and Noodles 'n' me say Shabbat Shalom, and have a great weekend.

Noodles

JerusalemOnline news update: 00:00, Sept. 7th (Video - Channel 2 TV)

• First woman as Chief Justice of Israel's Supreme Court
• Israel agrees to lift Lebanese air and sea embargo against wishes of abducted soldiers parent
• IDF expected to leave Lebanon by Rosh Hashana - Jewish New Year
  

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Israel Channel Two TV news update

Why (really) Europe hates the Jews

The following is a long, but oh-so-worthwhile "fisking" of European attitudes against Israel and Jews in general:

Jostein Gaarder, the Norwegian science writer, novelist and children’s writer has written a thunderous prophetic denunciation of Israel that articulates well the moral posture of Europe when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict. It’s reach and vehemence prompted many complaints and accusations of anti-semitism.

The prophetic cry was published on August 5, 2006, in the immediate aftermath of the Qana bombing and the international outrage based on what we now know was systematically distorted numbers and staged photos, all designed to arouse precisely the kind of moral outrage so eloquently expressed by Gaarder. Thus his response represents a good gauge of the power of the media’s narrative on people’s thoughts and emotions.

The following is an open-letter fisking, asking Jostein Gaarder to take the time and effort to reconsider his hasty vehemence, explore the underlying assumptions and emotions that drove his prophetic language, and finally, examine the possibility that he might have been the dupe of demopaths… a phenomenon that Europe can ill afford these days.

Again - long, detailed, but SO worth sticking with...

'A Nation of Heroes - A Government of Cowards'

Treppenwitz, cross-posting at Israelity about the human, political and strategic aftermath of the war believes that since Israel's leadership

[...] agreed to that shameful ceasefire they have continued making and breaking a seemingly endless stream of promises. They promised the Israeli people that the laughable terms of the ceasefire would lead to the unconditional return of the hostages. They promised the families of the hostages they wouldn’t lift the embargo of Lebanon until the hostages were returned. They promised the world they would never negotiate a prisoner exchange with terrorists.

I am sick inside at the realization that there is literally no honor in the lot of them and that there is quite simply no promise our current leaders won’t break.

I have woken up every morning this week thoroughly ashamed to be an Israeli… and far too angry to write.

Bumper sticker on door of Nahariya apartment building damaged in Katyusha rocket strike; shrapnel pockmarks are visible at right. Translation: "Gush Katif & Samaria (northern West Bank) - We Have Love and it Will Win," a slogan of right-wingers, used, and later discarded, who opposed last year's Gaza Strip pullout. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Dave, you have read my mind - and beat me to a cross-posting here about just that sense of despair over the results.

Having traveled throughout the north with aid groups repeatedly during the fighting, and viewed firsthand the grim results, since the "end" of the warfare my feeling is (and not just mine) that Israelis are aching for more of a resolution than a "war of the Jews" over who's to blame, and who came out on top.

What I don't share with you is the "shame" over being an Israeli. I am proud beyond words over how the "average" Israeli coped - despite the poliical echelon's near absolute screw-up of everything related to administering the opening, course and aftermath of the war against Hizbullah.

As the bumpersticker I've seen around town says: Medina Shel Giborim - Memshala Shel Pachdanim (A Nation of Heroes - A Government of Cowards).

More on this issue here, here and here.

(Cross-posted as a comment at Israelity)

JerusalemOnline news update: 00:00, Sept. 7th (Video - Channel 2 TV)

• Israel to lift Lebanon blockade Thursday evening
• Comptroller: Everyone involved in war to be probed
• New Iranian-made warplane revealed
  
  
  
  

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  Israel Channel Two TV News
  

Today's Viral Vid: Maria the Messiah

Ever hear of the "Jerusalem Syndrome?" No?! Wellll, then... Meet Maria:

"For some visitors to Jerusalem, the spiritual rapture is overwhelming - and ultimately unhinging..."

(HT: American Jewish Life mag - where - ahem - I did the July 2006 cover story).

Here's the background and audio.

Jews, they're like, so... over

Yes, I know it's waaaay too late to be blogging. But this was great in a Manhattan snarky (what th' hell does that mean, anyway?...) kinda' way, thanks to Harry, of course:

Let's start by saying we're not forsaking Israel or siding with Hezbollah or proclaiming our love for Mel Gibson. But? We do think the Jew thing is a little tired. Who isn't Jewish nowadays? Being a part of the tribe, one of God's chosen ones -- we're just not so special anymore.

We're not talking about Judaism overall (that's still rock solid); this is about the Jewish culture, and the culture's long been co-opted by the goyim. There was a time when being a member of the tribe helped you work the system and climb the ladder; nowadays, even all the non-Jews are so Jewish that the ladder's collapsed under their collective weight.

Look around you. Everyone New York is Jewish, even the anti-Semites -- especially the anti-Semites! There's got to be an anti-Semite Jewish mafia out there. You just know it.

Read on.

JerusalemOnline news update: 00:00, Sept. 3rd (Video - Channel 2 TV)

• Police: President Katsav threatened female accuser
• Donors hand out 50,000 school bags to first-graders
• Lebanese refugees in Israel fear deportation
  
  
  
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  Channel Two TV News Update