CAMERA launches new website to aid pro-Israel students
(JNS.org) The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) has launched a new website geared towards helping pro-Israel students “win the fight” on campus www.CAMERAonCampus.org, and its student-oriented blog, In Focus, will be resources for students looking to educate themselves about the complexities of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It includes a “Middle East Issues” section that addresses many hot topics such as Jerusalem, the BDS movement, Israeli construction beyond the 1949 armistice lines, and more. The website will also be a tool to help students who want to organize pro-Israel campus events. It features a reliable database of speakers and experts on Israel.
CIA Chief Makes Surprise Trip to Israel Re: Syria
JERUSALEM — Agence France Presse reports that John Brennan, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, made a surprise visit to Israel last week to discuss Syria, an official Israeli source said. The CIA chief went straight into a meeting in Tel Aviv with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. The talks confirmed that Israel “will not permit the transfer of weapons” from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Brennan’s trip came two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin warned against any moves that would further destabilize the situation in Syria. “In this crucial period it is especially important to avoid any moves that can shake the situation,” Putin said soon after the Israelis bombed the weapons near Damascus that were headed for Hezbollah. Netanyahu most likely warned Putin against sending S-300 missiles to Syria, which would complicate future air attacks. But publicly, before the press, there was no indication of the results of their discussions on these and other issues.
VP Biden Fetes Jewish Heritage Month
WASHINGTON — JTA reports that after the sequester forced the cancelation of the White House reception for Jewish Heritage month, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), held a reception last week, where Vice President Joe Biden said, “Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are that it’s fair to say that Jewish heritage is American heritage. The Jewish people have contributed greatly to America,” and noted that “no group has had such an outsized influence per capita.” Biden spoke of Jewish contributions to the American civil rights movement and to science and the arts. The White House also presented the musical, “The Gefilte Fish Chronicles,” to a specially invited group.
In Lakewood, Kolko Pleads Guilty
Is Taken Directly to Prison
Lakewood—The Asbury Park Press reports that Yosef Kolko, a former Lakewood Yeshiva teacher and camp counselor, pleaded guilty as charged after authorities said two more victims of his came forward as his trial was underway. Sheriff›s officers placed Yosef Kolko in handcuffs and led him to the Ocean County Jail. He was charged with abusing a boy, now 16, when he was 11 and 12. Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Laura Pierro told the judge that the defendant decided to plead guilty after learning that two more victims had come forward to authorities. Pierro said she met with the additional victims and would have asked to admit their testimony. Kolko may get between 15-40 years. He will be sentenced after his psychiatric evaluation by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
Child Survivors, 2Gs and Descendants Plan Confab in November
The 25th annual World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants (WFJCSHD) conference will take place at the Green Valley Ranch Hotel and Spa, in Las Vegas Nevada from November 1st to the 4th, 2013. The conference is being held in cooperation with Generations of the Shoah International, which will bring Second and Third Generation members to the Conference and make this a very special year indeed.
The Sunday evening program will commemorate the 75th anniversary or Kristallnacht, when members of the Las Vegas community will join the participants for the ceremony.
Not far from the Strip, the hotel is surrounded by shops and restaurants and offers many amenities. The conference will offer interesting programs, good food, reunions with friends, dancing, and fun.
