This story makes me totally nuts. I'd like to think it was a mistake. I'd like to think that these imbiciles will find a way to return the stolen property, intact, to its rightful owner.
The home of Rona Ramon, widow of Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon, was broken into overnight Friday and a laptop computer, together with other personal effects belonging to her late husband were taken by assailants.[ . . . ]
Ramon's widow Rona called on the thieves to return the items, as they hold sentimental value to the family.
"The computer contains files and documents that Ilan wrote and composed for us. There were also correspondences with NASA on the computer. I am sure that the people who broke into our home were not aware of the contents of that computer, nor whose home they had broken into," Rona Ramon told Israel Radio.
Here's another item that has me shaking my head in disbelief. I rather liked Alon Pinkas when he was consul general. But if this is his true nature, it's a wonder he didn't manage to get himself eased out of the diplomatic corps sooner. Regardless of whether or not there's any truth behind his remarks, he really should learn to STFU consider his choice of words more carefully.
Less than four months after stepping down as consul-general of Israel in New York, Alon Pinkas is rankling some American Jews with comments he made to The Jerusalem Post about the failed priorities and mistreatment of Israel by American Jewish organizations.In a story that appeared in last Sunday's Post, Pinkas said American Jews treat Israel like a "goddamn synagogue," all Jewish communities outside of America and Israel are "insignificant suburbs" and the behavior of American Jewish organizational officials reads like a chapter out of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
And this from the man who's been asked to become the CEO of the American Jewish Congress, no less. Even more bizarre, the AJC is standing behind him on this one. You gotta wonder...
And, finally, there's this abominable example of religious coercion.
A kosher credit card and a promise by two of Israel's largest retail chains not to work on Shabbat are two of Rabbi Raphael Halpern's biggest achievements so far, as part of a nationwide campaign to muster a 500,000-strong pro-Shabbat consumer boycott.
Don't get me wrong. I think the preservation of the character of Shabbat in Israel is extremely important and I'm all in favor of measures that encourage it. But this isn't encouragement, it's extortion. It's heavy handed arm twisting. And it's disgusting.
Gee. And I was in a pretty good mood before I "opened the paper" tonight. Honest.
