THE JEWISH WORLD
THIS WEEK IN ISRAEL
Attorney General orders investigation of MK;
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein ordered the police this week to open an investigation against MK Taleb A-Sana (United Arab List) on suspicion of incitement, following a televised interview in which he called the terror attack against IDF soldiers in Tel Aviv earlier this week "legitimate." The Attorney General said, "No country in the world would accept comments by a member of its parliament justifying an attempt to murder its soldiers, no matter what his political beliefs." Responding to A-Sana's statement, Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit said, "It's shocking that an MK can speak in such terms. It's most serious that a member of Israel's parliament can identify with terrorist actions against the citizens of Israel." The minister added that he is no longer surprised by anything A-Sana does, "after he sent a letter to Saddam Hussein, adulating him as his hero."
Two Russian olim associations merge - The "Zionist Forum," led by MK Michael Nudelman (Yisrael Beitenu) and the "National Association of FSU Immigrants," led by MK Sofa Landver (Labor) merged this week. The two organizations, the largest and most influential of their kind in Israel, were considered political rivals in recent years. Nevertheless, the organizations bowed to the pressure exerted on them by their funding sources and agreed to unite. The heads of the organizations expressed hope that the merger would help promote activities on behalf of the Russian immigrants and unify the olim. The new organization will be called the "Congress of Immigrant Organizations and Russian Speaking Communities."
FDA approves a revolutionary Israeli device - The US Food and Drug Administration approved for use this week a new product developed in Israel-an ingestible video camera. T2he pill-like device is used to view the small intestine from the inside in order to diagnose digestive track disorders. The pill/camera, developed by the Givun Imaging firm in Yokneam, is meant to diagnose cancer, polyps, and hemorrhaging in the digestive track. What makes the device unique is that it allows for the imaging of the upper intestine, which until now has been difficult to scan for detection of illnesses. The device measures only 2.6 cm long and 1 cm in diameter, but packs a miniature video camera, flashlight, battery, transmitter and antenna. The camera transmits images as it passes through the digestive system to a receiver placed on the patient's stomach. The FDA testing proved that the device is safe and effective with virtually no side effects.
ECU approves new Israeli drug
The 15-nation European Union announced this week its approval for marketing Copaxone - a drug developed by the Israeli pharmaceutical company, Teva, for the treatment of common Arterial Sclerosis. Teva plans to begin marketing the product already this year in Europe. Experts estimate that approximately $2.3 billion are spent each year on drugs to treat Arterial Sclerosis, $1.4 billion of that in the U.S.
Israel seeks to bring Herzl's children home
The Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies decided this week to establish a joint committee between the government of Israel and the WZO to seek ways to bring the remains of Theodor (Binyamin Ze'ev) Herzl's two children to Israel for re-internment. Herzl, the father of the Zionist movement, requested in his will that his children, Hans and Pauline, be buried next to him in the Jewish State. However, despite his will, the two remain buried to this day in the Jewish cemetery in Bordeaux, France, where they died.
Israel to extradite fraud suspect to the U.S.
The Supreme Court decided this week in favor of extraditing Haim Berger to the U.S. to face charges of fraud. The court denied Berger's petition to condition his extradition to the U.S. on guarantees that he be allowed to serve his sentence in Israel. The court ruled that even though Berger received Israeli citizenship, he should not be considered a resident of Israel, since the center of his life was, and remains, in the U.S. Hence, the court ruled, he should be extradited to his country of residence to stand trial. Berger stands accused of bilking U.S. authorities out of millions of dollars. He was indited in 1995 on fraud charges, and in 1996, while visiting Israel, applied for and was granted Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. Since then, Berger has lived in Israel and even receives old age benefits from the National Insurance Institute (he is nearly 80 years old).
Lost Israeli trekker found in Mozambique
An Israeli trekker who went missing two weeks ago in Zimbabwe, Africa was found this week after having survived for seven days without food or drink. Yifat Madar (22) was found weak and dehydrated, hungry and thirsty, but healthy. Yifat's family reported her missing to the Foreign Ministry after all contact was lost with her while trekking through Chimanimani Park in Zimbabwe. The ministry requested the help of the Zimbabwe government and authorities there rounded up policemen and soldiers for a manhunt and distributed photos of the young woman in the region where she disappeared. Yifat's father, a resident of Rosh Ha'ayin, also went to Africa to join in the search for his daughter. As it turns out, Yifat got lost due to a navigational error while in the park and inadvertently crossed the border into neighboring Mozambique. She was spotted there, by local man who recognized her from the photo he had seen. Yifat said, "I knew that if I wanted to stay alive, I would have to use my survival skills. I didn't eat or drink for a week, and I talked to myself in order not to pass out." Yifat's family credits her survival to her having been a training officer in an IDF infantry boot camp.
Same gender parents registered for the first time
In an unprecedented move since the founding of the State, the Ministry of Interior recorded in the population registry this week, two mothers for the same child. Ruthie and Nicole Brenner-Kadish met each other ten years ago in California, where they were living at the time. Ruthie gave birth to her son five years ago, after she and Nicole decided jointly to bring a baby into the world and raise it together. The court in California authorized Nicole's adoption of Ruthie's son. However, when they moved to Israel their request to have the adoption recognized and recorded in the population registry was rejected by the Ministry of Interior on the grounds that it isn't possible to record two mothers for the same child. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) appealed to the Supreme Court, and after a drawn-out legal battle, the court instructed the ministry to carry out the registration. And so, the name of Nicole Brenner-Kadish was added as the five-year-old's second mother, alongside the name of his biological mother, and Nicole's companion, Ruthie Brenner-Kadish.
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