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1. Florida Governor Who Executed Jewish Prisoner Loses Senate Bid
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Florida voters Tuesday buried Republican-turned-Independent Gov. Crist into political oblivion as part of the Tea Party revolution. Crist had refused to stay the execution of a Jewish prisoner, favored gay adoption, supported now-indicted former Republican Party chairman Jim Greer, and promoted the expansion of gambling in the state.
Gov. Crist, who visited Israel this year on a trade mission, touted himself as pro-Israel but did not receive backing from major pro-Israel organizations. He was defeated by Cuban-born Tea Party Republican Marco Rubio.
Crist’s loss relegated him to political oblivion, according to Florida analysts. He rejected advice to keep his safe job as governor and not run for the Senate.
He gained national attention last February when he ignored appeals to stay the execution of Martin Grossman, a Jew who was on death row for 25 years for murder. Gov. Crist ignored 50,000 e-mails on behalf of Grossman and only responded – in the form of an auto-response email – 30 minutes before the execution. He also refused to meet with Jewish and non-Jewish leaders who appealed to save Grossman’s life.
More than 200 organizations, including Young Israel and Chabad, asked Gov. Crist to a 60-day stay of execution in order to allow time for a clemency petition to the courts.
Grossman was a drug-addicted high-school drop-out with a juvenile record for trespassing when he was spotted by a wildlife officer after he drove to an isolated nature reserve to fire a found handgun for fun.
Grossman, who had a history of epilepsy, panicked when the officer ignored his pleas not to report him because he was on probation. After a brief struggle, Martin took the female officer’s gun and killed her. A psychiatrist who evaluated him concluded, from his psychological and medical condition, that he could not have formed the intent to kill.
2. Global Day Celebration Marks Completion of Steinsaltz Talmud
by Hana Levi Julian
World Jewry is holding its breath for Sunday, November 7 – the day that renowned Torah scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is set to complete his 45-volume translation and commentary on the Talmud.
The monumental achievement will be marked with a global simulcast of the event from Jerusalem, spanning 360 communities in 45 different countries.
A broadcast of Steinsaltz speaking on the subject as he completes the final few words of the translation will be carried simultaneously on 650 programs around the world, beginning at 9:00 p.m. Israel time (2:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Pacific) . Viewers can access the broadcast by clicking here.
“Torah is the shared inheritance of all the Jewish people,” said the famed Torah sage, author and teacher. “It does not belong [to an elite group]. We have a responsibility to share our common heritage with all Jews. We each get an equal share,” he said.
A number of Jewish communities in countries around the world have planned special events to mark the event. Among them are two community centers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Global Day will culminate a two-month, Talmud-focused series of classes.
In the former Soviet Union, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is also participating by supporting activities in more than 80 cities and towns in 50 communities. In Montreal, the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre will show the live feed of the rabbi’s address from Jerusalem as part of a full day of interactive Talmud study in both French and English.
In New York, the 92nd Street "Y" will present a full day of programming with participants who include Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Yeshiva University President Richard Joel and many others. Washington D.C.’s historic Sixth and I Synagogue will host “Meet the Text,” during which host David Gregory of NBC News’ Meet the Press will share how Jewish study has impacted his life.
“This is a truly historic achievement,” added Ilan Kaufhal, chairman of the Global Day of Jewish Learning held to mark the occasion. “That is why so many diverse Jewish communities from every corner of the world are excited to be involved.”
Steinsaltz, who began the work in 1965 at age 27, is also known for his classic work on Kabbalah, The Thirteen Petalled Rose, which is translated into eight languages, as well as some 60 other books and hundreds of articles.
A spiritual mentor of Russian Jewry, Steinsaltz founded the Jewish University, the former Soviet Union’s first degree-granting institution of Jewish studies.
Along with his own rabbinic training, Steinsaltz studies physics and chemistry at Hebrew University and by age 24 became Israel’s youngest school principal. He has served as a scholar in residence at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies in Washington D.C. and the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton University, and holds numerous honorary doctorates from universities in the U.S. and Israel.
A resident of Jerusalem, the rabbi and his wife have three children and 15 grandchildren.
3. Anger at IDF's Firing of Security Officer
by Hillel Fendel
Tensions between the IDF and the residents of Judea and Samaria have taken a turn for the worse, with the firing of one town's security officer for having fired at Arab infiltrators.
The Commander of the IDF Binyamin Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Saar Tzur, has given orders to fire the security officer of the town of Talmon, in the Binyamin region. This, because of an incident that occurred a month ago in which the security officer fired at a group of Arabs who approached the town's perimeter fence carrying a saw.
The officer saw the approach as a threat and fired at the ground near the would-be infiltrators' legs - instead of, as standard procedure dictates, in the air. One of the Arabs was lightly injured by a pebble that was hit by the bullet fire. The officer immediately called a medical team, which arrived and saw that no treatment was needed.
It turned out that the Arabs had arrived to harvest olives, but their arrival was not coordinated with the town.
Tzur decided to strip the officer of his responsibilities "for professional reasons." It had been rumored that the officer was involved in blocking Civil Administration officials overseeing the construction freeze from entering the town. Talmon spokesman David Haggai told Israel National News that the allegation is totally untrue.
Talmon, located north of Jerusalem and east of Tel Aviv, issued a statement of complete support for the officer: "Talmon objects to the Brigade Commander's decision to fire the officer after he fired with the purpose of deterring Arabs who refused to answer his calls and to stop approaching the town fence. Talmon gives blanket support to the officer for doing his job. The town leadership senses that the firing was motivated by other considerations that are unclear and which it is trying to ascertain amidst the relevant bodies."
Residents of Talmon, and of Judea and Samaria in general, have expressed anger and frustration at the decision, which they say weakens the ability and motivation of the authorized elements to protect the Jews of the area.
Talmon was established in 1989, and now has nearly 250 families. It was one of eight new towns established, with the approval of then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir, as a direct response to a diplomatic plan being discussed with then-PLO head and terrorist leader Yasser Arafat.
Established at Truck-Point
Yesha affairs expert Haggai Huberman relates that when Talmon was established, the truck bringing the first caravans [mobile homes without wheels] to the site became mired in the mud along the way and could not move. It was then decided to build Talmon right there at the site of the stuck truck, and not in the original site. Two years later, the town of Neriah was built where Talmon had originally been planned. Neriah is currently populated by 200 families.
4. Former Iranian Revolutionary Guard: Iran Will Bomb Israel
by IsraelNN Staff
Speaking from an undisclosed location, with his voice digitally altered to protect his true identity, former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Reza Kahlili told Israel National Radio's Yishai Fleisher that Iran would not hesitate to use nuclear bombs against Israel.
"[Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government] will use the nuclear bomb against Israel, they will use it against Persian Gulf countries, and they will use it against Europe to bring about that last hadith (Islamic commentaries on sayings and activities of Mohammed and his companions) that calls for total chaos, lawlessness, and havoc in the world, which creates the circumstance for Imam Mahdi (the Islamic messianic figure) to appear."
Kahlili bemoaned the oppression of the Iranian people by their government, and told Fleisher about the circumstances which made him leave the Revolutionary Guards and become a spy against them for the American CIA. His new book, "A Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran", details his experiences fighting against a regime he says is tyrannizing his people.
Kahlili (whose real name is hidden from the public for fear of reprisals against him and his family) grew up in Tehran in an upper-middle class family. Educated in the United States in the early 1970's, Kahlili – like many Iranians during that dramatic time – returned to Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979 to help build his country.
"During the Shah era (prior to the Revolution)… it was a very open society. Muslims, Christians, and Jews. They enjoyed each other, the community was a happy community, and everybody was free to pursue their goals and take advantage of opportunities provided. Iranians were wealthy…there was laughter and joy, and I've reminisced about those times many times," said Kahlili.
But discontent brewed in the society. "The only thing lacking at that time was political freedom, freedom of speech... Sometimes people were taken to prison and tortured – but nothing like what goes on today in Iran," said Kahlili. "But that was the weakness of the Shah. Perhaps we didn't understand the limitations of the era we were living in, but people wanted more."
When the revolution took place with overwhelming public support, Kahlili believed it would increase freedom and democracy amongst the people. He decided to return to Iran. At the recommendation of a childhood friend, he joined the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an ideological militia with a generalized power in the army and amongst the populace.
Despite its reputation for extremism and cruelty, Kahlili says the average Guard member was an ordinary worker who showed up on time, chatted with co-workers, did his work, and went home at the end of the day. "However," he said, "there were radicals – the minority in the Guards - who would do anything, including torture, rape and kill anybody who opposed the regime, including members of the Revolutionary Guard themselves. If anyone was found to be in any way active… against the regime, they would be taken to prison and horrible things would be done to them."
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's regime veered sharply away from the westernized country the Shah had fashioned, becoming a stern Islamic republic with a theocratic constitution. The brutality with which the Supreme Leader's dictates were carried out soon began to disillusion Kahlili.
"The Ayatollah was imposing his will on the people and had lied to them," said Kahlili. He described one scene at Evin Prison in northwest Tehran which so disgusted him that he decided he must do anything he could to bring down the regime upholding these practices.
"Once they gathered young kids – 15, 16, 17 years old – in the courtyard, and they picked one of them, hanged him from a tree, and mutilated him in front of the others, just to bring pain and horror into the hearts of these young people," said Kahlili. "[At the prison] they would rape teenage girls before they would execute them just to deny them Heaven, because, based on their ideology, a virgin who was executed would go to Heaven."
It was too much to bear for Kahlili. "I was shocked, I was horrified, and totally heartbroken and wanted to do everything I could possibly do to bring down this vicious regime, and that's when I decided to travel to the United States." Kahlili ultimately made contact with the CIA, which utilized him to provide information on schemes of the Revolutionary Guard and associated terror organizations. Over the years, he provided information about Iranian payments to Palestinian suicide groups.
Today's Iran is essentially the same as that of the Ayatollah, according to Kahlili. President Ahmadinejad portrays himself as a folk leader in the country to garner support, an Islamic leader who will bring freedom to the oppressed. "The fact of the matter is that they have oppressed and suffocated, raped, tortured and killed thousands of Iranians just to stay in power," said Kahlili. "They are the most brutal dictators that the world has ever seen, and they are vicious, and they care less about the well-being of the Palestinian people or others…They are not the defender of the oppressed, they are not concerned with the well-being of the Middle East, they are post-modernist killers."
Kahlili also noted that despite Ahmadinejad's fierce anti-Semitism and personal desire to eradicate Israel, the average Iranian does not hate Jews. "Before the Revolution, we had many Iranians who were Jews, and there were many marriages between Muslims and Jews. The Iranians do not look at Jews, the Iranians do not look at Israelis the same way as the Iranian government." Kahlili said. "[The Iranian people] would welcome anybody – they would welcome Israel – to help them get rid of this regime."
5. US Army Vets Surprised to Find Israel a 'Beautiful Country’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Wounded U.S. Army veterans visiting Israel on a bike riding tour have discovered that American mainstream media give a false picture of Israel.
An IDF reporter accompanied the veterans of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) during their tour, co-sponsored by Friends of the IDF. The tour began north of Tel Aviv two weeks ago and continued thorough Tiberias in the north and Nahariya on the northwestern Mediterranean coast.
In between, the veterans who suffered injuries in battles in Iraq and Afghanistan toured Jerusalem.
Standing on a rooftop overlooking the Temple Mount, the veterans tried to soak up the beauty of the Holy Land. "Back in the States, when we see Israel on the news, for example, it seems like a terror stricken country filled with war,” said a veteran nicknamed Big Joe. “But when we arrived here, we stood in front of a beautiful country. And it seems like IDF soldiers perform their duty with passion, even though they are obligated to serve. And I think that's what turns them into better citizens.”
The veterans left the capital to continue their bike tour through the IDF tank museum at Latrun, west of Jerusalem, and to Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea. They also dined with U.S. ambassador to Israel James Cunningham and visited the IDF induction center to see how new soldiers are processed.
Friends of the IDF member Liron said that the bicycling project began in the United States at the initiative of a non-Jewish soldier who fell in love with Israel after a visit. “He felt the need to bring Israeli soldiers to the United States to ride with American soldiers,” Liron added. “He’s done so every July for the last four years when WWP holds a bike tour “in New York.
"The project developer found it very important to bring American vets to Israel,” said Bob Grant, volunteer from Florida about the joint trip of U.S. Army and IDF veterans. This year is the first time the WWP has brought the veterans to Israel for a bicycling tour.
Sgt. Juan Arredondo, who lost his hand in a bloody attack in Iraq, said, “The U.S. army and the IDF have a lot of things in common such as our similar fighting situations - urban warfare. However, we go far from home to protect America, but here you are fighting for your own right to live. Your fights take place in your own backyards.”
WWP executive director Steve Nardizzi remarked, "We are truly honored and moved to see our American heroes riding alongside veterans of another nation’s armed forces and welcomed so warmly in Israel."
6. Voters to Obama: ’Solve Our Problems before Taking on the World’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
U.S. voters sent a clear message to U.S. President Barack Obama that he should solve America’s problems before taking on those of the whole world.
The State Department insisted that the mid-term elections were not a vote on foreign policy, but the long-term effect of a decidedly more isolationist and neo-conservative Congress may change the president's "engagement" policy of negotiating with countries such as Syria and Iran.
U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley agreed that "this election was not primarily about international affairs. It was about domestic affairs” and admitted, “Clearly, what happens today may change some of the key players. They’ll bring in their own ideas in terms of how to execute foreign policy.”
Israeli media, mostly center and leftist, emphasized only part of his statement: “Foreign policy in the United States is bipartisan most of the time. It is in pursuit of our national interests, which don’t change administration by administration or election by election.”
However, American media from coast to coast noted that the nationalist Tea Party’s victories that helped the Republicans win control of the House of Representatives were a clear message to President Obama. He suffered a further embarrassment with the Democratic party losing his former Senate seat to the Republicans.
Congress does not dictate foreign policy, but it influences it, especially through approving or rejecting funds for foreign aid. “President Barack Obama could find many of his priorities stalled or tripped up by lawmakers,” the Canadian Press noted. “Obama's arms control agenda and U.S.-Russian relations could be the first foreign policy casualties of the election… Obama's support for Russia to join the World Trade Organization could be blocked by Congress.”
The Tea Party’s platform on domestic issues will change the emphasis of Congressional interests. The right-wing flank of the Republican party sent “a message that I will carry with me on day one,” said victorious Senator-elect Rand Paul of Kentucky. “It is a message of fiscal sanity, it is a message of limited constitutional government and balanced budgets," he said.
The new Congress clearly worries leftists. The J Street lobby, which has fallen rapidly in popularity because its rabid anti-Israel stance behind its "pro-Israel, pro-peace” slogan, was dealt a stinging blow in Pennsylvania. It had backed incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Sestak, who lost his re-election bid to Republican Pat Toomey.
The left-wing Anti-war.com website moaned over the results, despite the Democratic party’s hanging on to a thin majority in the Senate. “The disaster is embodied in the various GOP warmongers who will be placed in key positions in Congress,” the website commented.
It was hysterical over the prospect that Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will become chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “She is a militant supporter of Israel, constantly criticizes the United States for not kowtowing quickly enough to Tel Aviv, and is a vocal supporter of the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, a Marxist terrorist organization that has provided much of the phony “intelligence” purporting to show Iran is developing nuclear weapons,” according to Anti-war.com.
7. PA Factions to Meet in Damascus Next Week
by Elad Benari
Hamas and its rival Fatah announced on Monday that they have agreed to hold another round of reconciliation meetings in Damascus next week.
Speaking to the Xinhua News Service, Hamas’ spokesman in Gaza Ayman Taha said that the two movements will meet on November 9. The meeting will be attended by two delegations of the two movements, as well as experts in security affairs. Taha added that Hamas representatives from Gaza may also join the meeting.
Chief of Fatah delegation Azzam al-Ahmad confirmed the meeting as well, reported the Palestinian Authority-run news agency Wafa.
The two groups were to have met in Damascus on October 24, but the meeting was postponed following political disputes between Syria and the Palestinian Authority.
“There were indirect contacts held between Fatah and the Syrian leadership, where both had reiterated on their concerns to deepen the ties between them and removing all obstacles that would obstruct coordination between them,” al-Ahmad told Wafa, and stressed that the upcoming meeting in Damascus will focus on the security issue.
Hamas and Fatah have been at odds with one another since Hamas violently took over the Gaza Strip in 2007. Last month, Hamas terrorists threatened to target Fatah heads, after the Palestinian Authority conducted a wave of arrests of Hamas operatives, following a wave of deadly terror attacks against Israelis in early September.
Hamas was also infuriated when a PA court sentenced a Hamas man to 20 years in prison for firing on PA troops, and accused the PA of "treason" over the sentencing and of acting "like Israel."
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, accused Iran of preventing PA unity, saying that Iran is dictating Hamas' agenda, and has decided against reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.
8. Interview: The Rabbi in the California Senate Race
by Fern Sidman, INN NY Correspondent
A conversation with Rabbi Nachum Shifren:
So, what's a nice Orthodox rabbi doing in California politics? According to TEA Party candidate, Rabbi Nachum Shifren (R), "I've thrown my hat in the political ring and am running for the California State Senate in the 26th district because like many others, I'm outraged by the far reaching tentacles of big government and it's destructive effect on our individual rights and liberties."
This Southern California native is not only an Orthodox rabbi but is also a disciplined athlete and a big wave surfer. His 2001 autobiography, "Surfing Rabbi: A Kabbalistic Quest for Soul" describes his circuitous journey from rebellious teenage surfer to a life committed to Torah and mitzvos.
Having been employed in the California educational system for the last 22 years, RabbI Shifren is well acquainted with the monolithic bureaucracy that has come to define state politics and has "strangled the life" out of its students and citizens.
"There is a significant lack of leadership on both the state and national levels in this country, and our young people are suffering the most. We have neglected to establish any standards of accountability and responsibility; there are no benchmarks for success and we have abysmally failed in motivating students to succeed", Rabbi Shifren declared. "During my years of teaching and counseling in the prison system as well, I have worked with diverse and challenging student populations of our great state. I have taught them the values of persistence, diligence and hard work and have encouraged them to strive for educational excellence, rather than being pushed through the system without meriting it", he said.
Regarding his plans for the revivification of California's now fledgling economy, Rabbi Shifren says, "California is the most heavily taxed state in the country and thus we are the paradigm for the Nanny State, where the Big Brother government purportedly has all the answers. This state is replete with elected officials who are advocates of big government and unbridled spending. I propose that we lower taxes; do away with the capital gains taxes and other taxes that drive away business from the state. If ever there was a recipe for destroying a state, then it's the present model being played out in Sacramento. In order to stem the panicked flight of industry, small businesses, and high tech companies from our shores to places beyond, we must have an economic Marshall Plan in place. Only when there is an atmosphere of business-friendly relations, lower taxes and burdens, giving companies incentives for bringing their wealth to us, will we be able to survive."
Problems arising from illegal immigration has plagued the Golden State for decades and Rabbi Shifren is a stalwart advocate for preserving the English language and value system. "Each of us has a culture, a language, a different background that will never be erased or compromised. Yet, for all of us to work together for the good of our country, there must be a cohesive element that we all buy into for the sake of the whole. Here they are: our constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our English language. These are what makes us Americans, and the loosening of these bonds will eradicate the very glue that our American forefathers fought and died for", he said.
Turning to foreign affairs, Rabbi Shifren offered his views on the Obama administration's position on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process by saying, "For Obama to say that settlements are an obstacle to peace in the Middle East is beyond absurd. Just remember, there were no settlements in 1948, or 1956 or in 1967, and there was no peace. The current administration is playing with fire in its attempts to pressure Israel to make even more territorial concessions to her sworn enemies, because a weakened and indefensible Israel is tantamount to an America that will be more vulnerable to terrorist attacks and enemy onslaught. What the president doesn't understand is the mentality of the Arab nations. If you appear strong you will be respected but if you appear weak you will be despised and now America appears weak, in large part due to Obama's obsequious stance as it pertains to US relations with Islamic countries."
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