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Newsletter : 8fax1201.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN Dec. 1, 1998, Vol. 6, No. 216
Holocaust Conference Under Way
By Kyle King (VOA-State Department)
Delegates from more than 40 nations are meeting in Washington this
week to discuss the sensitive issue of Holocaust era assets that
were looted by the Nazis. The conference on holocaust era assets
will focus mostly on the tens of thousands of works of art and
religious buildings that were looted by the Nazis.
Senior US officials say the goal of the meeting is to gain a more
accurate picture of the complex issues surrounding the assets and
to build an international consensus on how to return the assets to
their rightful owners.
Officials say the value the art and the thousands of churches,
synagogues, religious schools and cemeteries seized by the Nazis,
is not yet known. Many of the art works now hang in public
galleries. Some are in private hands.
The issue is a sensitive one in many countries. For example, in
Russia art seized from the Nazis at the end of World War 2 is
considered compensation for suffering at the hands of the Germans.
At the conference, delegates will hear from Holocaust survivors,
historians and art experts. In addition, the delegates will also
deal with the issue of insurance benefits withheld from Holocaust
victims and their survivors.
The conference will build on a London meeting held last year that
focused on how to deal with gold that the Nazis looted from the
victims of the Holocaust.
Muslim-Jewish Agreement
By Mike O'Sullivan (VOA-Los Angeles)
Jewish and Muslim community leaders in Los Angeles have drafted a
document that they hope will serve as model for relations between
the two groups. The so-called "Code of Ethics," in Jewish-Christian
dialogue, is called "a work in progress."
The one-page statement notes that the Quran -- which is sacred to all Muslims -- says God made nations and tribes that they may learn from one another. And a 19th -century Jewish scholar urged Jews to protect the honor of all people, especially those with whom they disagree.
In that spirit, the document drafted by Los Angeles Muslim and
Jewish leaders calls for public condemnations of prejudice and
hatred, and disavowal of terrorist groups -- that is, violent
organizations that target civilians. It also rejects stereotyping
-- or characterizing a group by the behavior of some of its
members. And it says rumors should be verified before community
leaders make pronouncements on an issue. In short, the document
urges that Jews and Muslims conduct their debates with civility and
respect.
Three Jewish community leaders attended a news conference Monday
to announce the joint statement. It was held at a Los Angeles
mosque. David Lehrer -- who is regional director of the
Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organization -- notes the
interreligious statement contains this caveat.
"There may well be vocal and passionate and heatedly argued disagreements. But what's important, we've found, in the field of human relations is that you have to maintain contact, and unless someone has crossed the line where they're beyond the point of civility, that you know whom you can contact and raise issues and discuss those matters that arise."
A Muslim community leader, Maher Hathout of the Islamic Center of
Southern California, says it is not up to him to dictate the terms
of discussion for Muslims and Jews in the Middle East. Still, he
thinks the two groups there and elsewhere should consider this
local agreement as one model for dialogue.
"I leave the Middle East to people in the Middle East. I cannot
claim that I can tell them what to do. However, it is always good
to produce different alternatives. It will be up to them whether
they find this a suitable model for them or not. I leave that for
people over there."
Messianic Congregation Denies Child Baptism Claims
By ICEJ News Service
Members of a Beersheva-based Messianic congregation have denied
reports that they were planning to baptize Jewish children on
Saturday -- a rumor said to have sparked a violent demonstration by
more than 100 mostly hareidi (ultra-Orthodox) protestors.
Congregant Olavi Syvanto said the crowd appeared to have been
incited by a false rumor regarding baptizing of children. "We don't
believe in infant baptism; we don't even baptize our own children,"
he said.
In Saturday's incident, the demonstrators besieged about 28
worshippers inside their meeting place, until police escorted the
group safely past the crowd and took them to the Beersheva police
station. One member of the congregation told ICEJ NEWS the
demonstrators had hurled epithets and stones, and urged children
inside to come out.
She said the reason for the incident was unclear - the congregation
has met in Beersheva for years, and kept a low-profile in the town,
concentrating on strengthening families within the group rather
than evangelizing.
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