Letters

Published on September 1, 2005

The Other, Like A Virgin, Claim Won't Hold, Death By Oprah, Correction, Faith Remains, Terrorism Won, Junk Science, Gaza Sympathies,

Wrongful-Death Claim in Burbank Shooting

By Howard Blume
Published on July 7, 2005

The family of an Israeli immigrant killed by Burbank police is pursuing a $51 million wrongful-death claim against the cities of Burbank and Los Angeles. Assaf Deri, 25, died a year ago when Burbank undercover police officers shot him in an alley in North Hollywood.

Attorneys for the family said they filed their claim late last month, just prior to the one-year anniversary of Deri's death, but the filing could not be verified on Friday, when the family went public with the legal action.

Sharon Wins Big With Bush

By Ron Kampeas
Published on April 15, 2004

One historic concession deserves another. Just four months after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon -- the father of the settlement movement -- stunned Israelis by pledging to evacuate some settlements, he got his payback from President Bush, who reversed decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Israel's claim to parts of the West Bank.

It was compensation, with interest: Sharon had scored perhaps the most stunning diplomatic triumph in the U.S.-Israeli alliance in a generation.

Car Donations May Hit IRS Roadblock

By Adam Wills
Published on April 8, 2004

Get rid of your old car, help out a charity and get a write-off. What could be easier?

With the April 15 IRS deadline drawing near, charities are tapping taxpayer frustration by increasing their appeals for vehicle donations. But a proposed government crackdown on the value donors can claim for a donated vehicle is changing the way programs are being advertised.

Survivors Sue Claims Commission

By Matthew E. Berger
Published on October 2, 2003

Survivors are suing the commission on Nazi-era insurance claims, a commissioner has called for the resignation of its chief and Jewish officials handling the claims acknowledge serious problems.

But they also say there probably isn't a better way to dole out the claims.

The anger and frustration some lawmakers and survivors feel toward the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims peaked last week when several survivors filed suit, claiming the organization was delaying payments.

California's insurance commissioner, John Garamendi, a member of the commission, later joined the suit and called for the resignation of the commission's chairman, former U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger.

Community Briefs

Published on January 30, 2003

The family of Jewish Defense League (JDL) leader Irv Rubin has filed a $5 million wrongful-death claim against the U.S. government, stemming from his apparent suicide last November while in federal custody at the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center.

It’s Not Our Right to Challenge Israel

By Avi Davis
Published on January 9, 2003

Whatever our opinions about Israel's claim on the territories, its attitude to Palestinian nationalism or its rights to self-defense, no one was asking us to risk our lives for Israel's sake.

I had neither the right nor privilege to challenge the government of Israel's decisions on how to protect its citizens. If I did so, I was in some way undermining that government and endangering Israel's existence in a hostile world.

In a cynical age such as ours, this parochial attitude might seem charmingly out of date. And yet, this central tenet of a Zionist education remained embedded in my consciousness throughout high school, through my student leadership days and even into my 30s, when I had to make strenuous efforts to channel my bitter opposition to the Oslo process into nonpublic activism.

Sex,Space and Swastikas

By Steve North
Published on January 2, 2003

The explosive claim by Clonaid that a human being was successfully cloned has focused attention on the Raelian Movement, the quasi-religious sect that set up the genetic engineering company in 1997. Sharp-eyed viewers of television interviews with founder Rael may have noticed him wearing a necklace featuring a Star of David-shaped medallion, with a pinwheel filling the star. The design has been the official logo of the movement for more than a decade, but that's not always been the case; the original symbol was, incredibly, a swastika within a Jewish star. The change came after an emotional confrontation I had with Rael in early 1992.

The Circuit

By Michael Aushenker
Published on June 28, 2001

The Circuit

Supporting Their Claims

By Tom Tugend
Published on November 27, 1997

California's insurance commissioner has promised to use the power of his office to help thousands of the state's residents collect on unpaid insurance policies stemming from the Holocaust era.

Insult to Injury

Published on June 5, 1997

Only justice can set them free.