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Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

August 4, 2010

Salita returning to ring, promoting card

Leave a Comment / Sports /

Dmitriy Salita will make his return to the ring in a boxing card he is promoting.

Salita, 28, an Orthodox Jewish boxer from Brooklyn, N.Y., said at a news conference Tuesday that he will fight Sept. 1 at the Oceana Hall in Brooklyn, the venue of his first professional bout.

Salita has not fought since being stopped by Amir Khan in December in the first round of their World Boxing Association light-welterweight title bout in England.

He said he is acting on his interests in the business side of boxing and organizing a fight card in Brooklyn, where he grew up and where his most ardent fan base is located.

“It’s important for the business side of boxing to have new blood,” Salita said at the news conference in midtown Manhattan. “I’m in the gym, I see the boxers. There are so many talented boxers who never get the opportunity.”

After developing the Dmitry Salita Center in conjunction with Ezra USA as a way to help Russian Jews connect with Israel, as well as a boxing program with the JCC of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, Salita is now “looking forward to getting back in the ring and growing with the company,” he said.

Salita (30-1-1), the top-ranked contender when he fought Khan, will move up to the 147-pound limit for the Sept. 1 fight after fighting previously at 140 pounds.

“I know that I have to make a statement; I understand that I need to look impressive and show that I’m back,” Salita said. “My inspiration is back more than ever.”

The card, titled “Redemption,” also will feature four-time New York Golden Gloves champion Will Rozinskiy, who is 12-0 as a pro. The card will air exclusively on The Jewish Channel.

Salita returning to ring, promoting card Read More »

Jewish father of 3 killed in Conn. rampage

Leave a Comment / United States /

A Jewish father of three was among the victims of a shooting rampage at a Connecticut beer warehouse.

Louis Felder, the director of operations at the Hartford Distributors in Manchester, was one of eight people shot dead Tuesday morning by an employee accused of stealing, who then killed himself.

Felder was a member of the Young Israel of Stamford.

Steve Hollander, the company’s head of marketing, and a member of the Hollander family that founded and owns the company, was reported to have been shot, according to the Hartford Courant.

“The Hollander family is probably one of the most venerated families in the Hartford area in the Jewish community,” U.S. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) told the Courant. “There isn’t a charity that they haven’t contributed to.”

Jewish father of 3 killed in Conn. rampage Read More »

Ahmadinejad escapes unharmed from assassination attempt

Leave a Comment / Iran /

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was uninjured in a failed assassination attempt on his convoy in western Iran.

A handmade explosive device struck one of the cars in his convoy Wednesday, injuring several journalists, according to the Al Arabiya television network.

Reuters reported that an official from Ahmadinejad’s office later confirmed the bomb attack and said a man was arrested in connection.

Another Ahmadinejad official denied that it was an assassination attempt, saying the explosion was caused by a firecracker, according to the French news agency AFP and the Iranian Press TV.

Ahmadinejad was traveling from an airport in the western city of Hamadan to give a speech in a sports arena, which was broadcast live on national television.

Ahmadinejad escapes unharmed from assassination attempt Read More »

Ex-HP CEO, a Senate hopeful, defends sales in Iran

Leave a Comment / Iran /

A former CEO at Hewlett Packard running for the U.S. Senate defended the company’s sales in Iran.

Carly Fiorina, the Republican nominee in California, confirmed that HP sold printer ink in Iran but said that it was in full compliance with sanctions laws, according to the Israeli business publication Globes’ monthly magazine, Lady Globes. Fiorina served as CEO of HP from 1995 to 2005.

Fiorina said that just as Dell sells PCs in Iran and Apple sells iPhones, HP sold ink while she was CEO, Lady Globes reported. It is good that such technology reaches Iran, she added, because atrocities committed by the government can be publicized.

“I think in addition to crippling sanctions on the regime, we should be encouraging elements of political reform inside Iran, and one of the ways to do that is by selling communication in and out,” Fiorina told the magazine.

In the same interview, the Senate candidate said it is important that the president act quickly to enforce the new sanctions against Iran. She said the sanctions were important to help protect Israel, and that Israel had the right to protect itself, but it is not Israel’s job to act if all else fails.

On Jewish West Bank settlements, Fiorina told the magazine that there had been no response so far to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to direct talks.

“[Netanyahu] called on Mahmoud Abbas to be willing to sit and talk without preconditions,” she said, “but there doesn’t seem to be someone on the other side willing to sit down.”

Ex-HP CEO, a Senate hopeful, defends sales in Iran Read More »

Congressional group will enforce Iran sanctions

Leave a Comment / Iran /

Two U.S. congressmen will create a bipartisan working group to enforce sanctions against Iran.

Reps. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), the ranking Republican member of the committee, announced Tuesday that they will launch the Working Group on Iran Sanction Implementation.

The working group will ensure that sanctions against Iran are properly implemented and enforced, and that they have the intended effect of halting production of Iranian nuclear capabilities. Members will meet with the Obama administration, foreign ambassadors and nonpartisan experts to accomplish their goals.

“We will continue to pressure and isolate Iran until it terminates its illicit nuclear weapons activities,” Berman and Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. “A nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable.”

The Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing in the fall about the implementation of the Iran sanctions bill.

Congressional group will enforce Iran sanctions Read More »

U.N.: Israeli troops were in own territory

Leave a Comment / Israel /

The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops were working on their side of the border when Lebanese troops fired on them, killing one Israeli officer.

Officials of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said Wednesday that they would continue their investigation of the previous day’s incident.

President Obama on Tuesday night conveyed his condolences through Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to the family of Lt.-Col. Dov Harari, who was killed in the Tuesday afternoon exchange of fire between Israeli and Lebanese troops. Another Israeli soldier was seriously injured. Lebanon said that four Lebanese were killed, including a journalist.

According to Israel Radio, the Israeli military told UNIFIL early Tuesday morning that it planned to trim the foliage in the area; UNIFIL asked the army to delay the activity until later in the day in order to prepare for the Israeli presence. The delay gave the Lebanese army time to arrange the ambush, an Israeli official told Army Radio, pointing out that journalists and photographers had gathered at the site before the incident occurred.

“The U.N. announcement today clearly corroborates the Israeli version of events,” Israeli spokesman Mark Regev said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Our routine activity yesterday was conducted entirely SOUTH of the frontier—on the Israeli side—and that the Lebanese Army opened fire without any provocation or justification whatsoever.”

Israeli troops returned to the site and cut the trees and bushes on Wednesday morning.

Israel filed a letter of complaint with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. Security Council following the incident Tuesday afternoon.

“These attacks threaten stability, peace, and security in our region,” Israeli Ambassador Daniel Carmon said in the letter. “In response to this grave incident that constitutes a blatant violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, Israel exercised its right of self-defense, responding with the appropriate measures on LAF positions in the area.

“Israel holds the Government of Lebanon responsible for these attacks and all actions conducted from Lebanese territory. Israel calls upon the international community to exert its influence and to take the necessary measures with the Lebanese authorities to ensure that such provocative violations will not be repeated.”

U.N.: Israeli troops were in own territory Read More »

Sharansky meets Russian-speaking campers

Leave a Comment / United States, Worldwide /

Natan Sharansky met with Russian-speaking youth from the former Soviet Union and Israel who are participating in an international summer camp in Israel.

The two-week camp, known as the Rimon Project, was organized for Russian-speaking teens from the former Soviet Union and Israel. It runs through Aug. 16.

The camp was the brainchild of Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency, and the Genesis Philanthropy Group, in order to strengthen the Jewish identity of the youth and their sense of belonging to the State of Israel and the Jewish people, according to the Jewish Agency. The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is providing support.

Sharansky met with the 240 campers on Wednesday afternoon.

“The Rimon Project is one of the Jewish Agency’s activities aimed at strengthening the Jewish identity of the young generation in Israel and the Diaspora,” he said. “The camp will provide youth from abroad the chance to get to know Israel and Israeli society, and will also allow Israeli youth to broaden their familiarity with Jewish communities abroad.”

The participants are traveling around the country participating in cultural activities and meeting with leading figures in the arts and well-known public figures. The camp includes workshops in theater, communication, film and photography.

Sharansky meets Russian-speaking campers Read More »

Turkey summons U.S. envoy over flotilla probe

Leave a Comment / Flotilla Crisis, Worldwide /

Turkey summoned the American envoy for a reprimand over remarks about the U.N. flotilla probe by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

U.N. envoy Susan Rice said Monday that the U.N. investigation of the Turkish Gaza-bound flotilla was “not a substitute” for investigations under way by Israel and Turkey.

“The United States is viewing the commission from a narrow perspective,” an unnamed diplomat told the French news agency AFP. “[Rice’s] statement was one that seemed to give the impression the U.S. was determining the commission’s work.”

U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon on Monday appointed a four-member commission to investigate the incident.

Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound flotilla led to the death of nine Turkish nationals, including one Turkish-American dual citizen.

Turkey has demanded that Israel apologize for its interception of the flotilla and pay compensation to the victims.

Relations between Israel and Turkey began deteriorating following the monthlong Gaza war in winter 2008-09.

Turkey summons U.S. envoy over flotilla probe Read More »

A Christian scholar in Saudi Arabia

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized /

Saudi Arabia still won’t permit churches and prevents Christian proselytizing via capital punishment, but Leonard Swidler’s presence there is a start. He is the first Christian scholar invited to speak with the faculty at Al Imam Muhammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

From the Christian Science Monitor:

Dr. Swidler’s visit in late June underscores a shift toward greater openness in some official Saudi religious institutions, which previously had been leery of contact with outsiders of different faiths.

“Maybe it’s not exciting for some people, but it’s a very big change in Saudi Arabia,” says Fahad al-Alhomoudi, a faculty member at Al Imam who helped arrange Swidler’s visit.

Swidler called his meetings at Al Imam campus “kind of a breakthrough” during an interview here. “The opportunity to meet with 40 Saudi professors in the area of interreligious dialogue for me was quite extraordinary,” he says. Ten of the 40 were women, who participated via videoconferencing.

“I would say that we are experiencing a tipping point right now in relations in the field of religion between the West … and Islam,” added Swidler, a world-recognized expert in interreligious dialogue. “I mean, you can’t get more ‘heartland’ than Saudi Arabia, as far as Islam is concerned.”

I hope the community didn’t give Swidler the Reuven-Firestone-in-Egypt treatment.

A Christian scholar in Saudi Arabia Read More »

Thirty US billionaires pledge to give away half their fortunes to charity

Leave a Comment / Philanthropy, United States /

From Guardian.co.uk:

The world of philanthropy got a huge financial boost today as more than 30 American billionaires pledged to give away at least half of their fortunes to charitable causes, signing up to a campaign launched by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

In an unprecedented mass commitment, top figures including New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg, the hotel heir Barron Hilton, CNN media mogul Ted Turner, and the Star Wars director George Lucas lent their names to the “giving pledge”, an initiative founded last month to encourage America’s richest families to commit money to “society’s most pressing problems”.

The pledge is not a legally binding contract but is described as a moral commitment. Buffett, the legendary Nebraska-based financier known as the “sage of Omaha”, welcomed the influx of support: “At its core, the giving pledge is about asking wealthy families to have important conversations about their wealth and how it will be used. We’re delighted that so many people are doing that.”

Read more at Guardian.co.uk.

Thirty US billionaires pledge to give away half their fortunes to charity Read More »