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San
Diego Jewish World
NEW YORK (Publicity Release)— New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and State Insurance Superintendent Eric R. Dinallo announced today that Silverstein Properties and seven insurance companies have reached a $2 billion settlement of all outstanding insurance claims arising from the destruction of the World Trade Center. The agreement, the largest in regulatory history, ends almost six years of legal battling and removes the last major obstacle to development at Ground Zero. With these insurance claims resolved, Silverstein Properties and the Port Authority can now obtain the necessary financing and meet the aggressive construction schedule that all agreed was essential for the rebuilding of Ground Zero. This agreement, negotiated by the Insurance Superintendent and the Governor, reflects the Spitzer Administration’s commitment to World Trade Center redevelopment as a top priority, and will ensure that all parties have the necessary resources available to make the World Trade Center a symbol of New York’s global commercial leadership. |
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5/23/07
SDJW Report (click on headline below to jump to the story) International and National *Politicians, driven by their own ambitions, ignore Israeli public *On Shavuot, Israelis have urgent question: 'Where is the best lecture on the Torah?' *My Grandson, the Israeli soldier
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Silverstein Properties, Inc. leased the World Trade Center from the Port Authority in July 2001. When the planes destroyed the twin towers on September 11, insurance policies for the Trade Center had not been finalized. Suits were filed in October 2001 to resolve disputes over how much the insurance companies owed. The courts eventually determined that the most Silverstein Properties could collect was $4.68 billion. Until now, the insurance companies have paid about half of that total, leaving the remaining sum in dispute. Beginning in late March, Superintendent Dinallo held dozens of meetings with Silverstein Properties and the insurance companies. This month, when several outstanding issues remained unresolved, Governor Spitzer became personally engaged in the negotiations. The insurance companies involved in today’s settlement are:
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As
part of the agreement, Silverstein Properties and the insurance In September 2006, Silverstein Properties and the Port Authority achieved a global agreement for comprehensively rebuilding the World Trade Center site. The agreement called for the Port Authority to construct Towers 1 and 5, for Silverstein Properties to construct Towers 2, 3 and 4 along the eastern portion of the site, and for the Port Authority to prepare the "East Bathtub" foundation for construction of those towers. In order to help finance this rebuilding, Silverstein Properties and the Port Authority agreed to a split of the remaining insurance proceeds of approximately 56% to Silverstein and 44% to the Port Authority. (jump to continuation)
Commentary
During the
past several years, the ideologically entrenched political parties in the State
of Israel, have been gradually losing their political bearings, as well as their
loyal constituents. This voting bloc gained a majority within the newly elected Knesset under the name “Kadima” and proceeded to induce other political parties by generously offering them portfolios they could hardly refuse. (jump to continuation) ___________________________________________________________
JERUSALEM—It’s 5am on Shavuot morning and I’m having trouble finding an
empty seat in any shul in Jerusalem’s Old City. Every synagogue is already
packed as I make the mistake of lingering a few minutes too long at the
Kotel amongst the tens of thousands who have made their way there after a
night of learning.
I let it go. Who am I to challenge a person who is trying to identify with
me, by reflecting back to me what they think they would feel in a similar
situation? But they are wrong. So I ask, please don't shake your head to emphasize how bad you think such service is. Instead, say something like, "Mazel Tov, Dov, you must be proud of your Israeli soldier grandson." I am proud. I am proud because Mickey is serving in the army despite the fact that he could have tried to shirk his duty. I am proud because he believes in his country and its people. (Remember, at the time in their lives when American kids are shopping for dorm furniture, Israeli kids are buying long underwear for cold nights during basic training.) This universal three-year service (two for women) is mandatory. Mickey and his high school friends were inducted without kicking and screaming or looking for ways out. Virtually every 18-year old serves, about 50,000 in all each year. The ultra-Orthodox are exempted for religious study reasons, plus a small slice of youngsters on the furthest political left and right with grievances against or for keeping the West Bank (and Gaza before it was evacuated). This sometimes, but infrequently, becomes a stand against serving. Most Israeli high school kids have lots of political savvy and at least half are not in agreement with the government of the day (just as their parents divide regarding any governing coalition). Still, these young people know their service is important, the future of the nation at stake, and their duty is to do a good job. This commitment derives from living in a country surrounded by hostile neighboring states, from on-going terrorism and threats to the nation's existence. Furthermore, Israelis grow up in the shadow of the Holocaust and understand the importance of having a homeland and the right to protect it. High school seniors visit the death camps in Poland in the year before their enlistment, further solidifying these feelings. I am proud because serving in the army is an integral part of Israeli society. Military service is part of life, providing experiences and friendships that last a lifetime. Israeli youth know that their parents, uncles and aunts, served the basic three years and many chose to stay several more years, becoming officers. Plus, reserve duty takes at least 30 days per year for another 20 years. Pre-inductees have the opportunity to assert their preferences for military placement. As in all armies, military needs rule, but preferences are taken into consideration. My pre-induction advice to Mickey was what many American parents or grandparents might offer, "Try for a military job where you can learn something useable back in civilian life." "No," he replied, "I want to serve where they need me the most, maybe the tank corps where Abba (father) served for 23 years. If everybody took easy jobs, who would do the hard ones?" Not just Mickey, but his dozen close schoolmate friends said just about the same thing. Last year, four months after induction, a few weeks after training, all of them were on the Israel border or in Lebanon during the 34-day war. Now that he is on duty, you may ask, what has happened to his pre-induction patriotism? Well, like all soldiers, all over the world, he grumbles that army life in peacetime is boring. He is right, it is. War, he knows, may not be boring, but it is a not-to-be-wished-for-hell. Still, his patriotism is intact.
I am proud because Mickey has matured, taken on responsible assignments,
learned to value even more his home and family and has become a contributing
citizen in the life of Israel.
The legislation, authored by Senator Feinstein, was introduced in the Senate shortly after it was revealed that at least eight U.S. Attorneys were fired without cause. The Senate approved the bill on March 20 and it now goes to the President to be signed into law. (Jump to continuation)
WASHINGTON (Publicity Release) -- Legislation to permit the Department of Justice to bring actions against foreign states — such as members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) —for collusive practices in setting the price or production of petroleum products was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 345 to 72. U.S. Senator Herb Kohl is the author of the "No Oil Producing & Exporting Cartels Act of 2007 (NOPEC)," which was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 25; the House version of Kohl's bill was sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). "This legislation is about accountability. OPEC has an unfettered ability to manipulate the price of oil, and each time they hike the price it creates a ripple in our economy. This bill gives our government the leverage it needs to persuade OPEC to compete fairly or to be held accountable," Kohl said. (jump to continuation)
WASHINGTON DC (Publicity Release)—Following last Thursday's (May 17) unsealed indictment charging seven individuals in Rochester, NY for illegally harvesting 36 bodies for body tissue to sell biomedical companies, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced on Tuesday (May 22) he will reintroduce his legislation to strengthen regulations on the tissue transplant industry. Schumer noted that the indictment highlighted the insufficient regulatory oversight for tissue transplants which allow for potentially contaminated tissue to be transplanted into otherwise healthy patients.
The
indictment
"underscores a new problem that is not only profoundly troubling, but also
threatens the health of the very individuals who believe they are receiving
life-saving treatments," said Senator Schumer. "My legislation will take the
necessary steps to tighten up regulations in the tissue transplant industry
so patients can have restored confidence in the system."
(jump
to continuation)
CELEBRATION—Bobby Greene wasn't
telling anyone exactly which birthday she will be celebrating tomorrow,
but here's a fact about her that you can use
as a hint if you feel like calculating.
According to Norman Greene, his wife the French teacher is one of
only two members of the original staff of Montgomery High School to still be
on the faculty. She and Brenda Balthezar, a guidance counselor, started
there in 1970 and have seen seven principals during that time.
World Trade Center... The two sides have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on legal fees and other court-related costs. The agreements will save additional tens of millions in legal costs and allow the Port Authority and Silverstein Properties to focus on rebuilding at Ground Zero. The following individuals have been integral in helping to reach this agreement: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver fostered a discussion of the insurance issue at his hearings and sent letters to insurers; Senator Chuck Schumer sent letters to insurance companies and pressed for Senate hearings on this matter; Congressman Anthony Weiner was one of the initiative’s first political advocates and not only sent letters to Insurance Commissioners urging their involvement, but also got the rest of the New York delegation to join him; Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat and Senator Frank Padavan sponsored legislation in support of resolving this issue; Comptroller Bill Thompson sent repeated letters to the insurers, Councilman Alan Gerson held Council hearings and sent letters to insurance companies. Many others, both in and out of government, have played an important role in the outcome of this monumental agreement including Senator Hillary Clinton, Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Congressman Steve Israel, Congressman Vito Fossella, Local 32-BJ and the Building Trades. “It is essential that the rebuilding at the World Trade Center site proceed as quickly as possible,” said Governor Spitzer. “The unsettled insurance claims were the last major barrier to rebuilding and have been bitterly and intensely contested for almost six years. The settlement is the result of an extensive collaborative effort by many and it ensures that the Port Authority and Silverstein Properties will have the financial resources to meet their obligations and rebuild at the World Trade Center site in a way that will make all New Yorkers proud and fuel the revitalization of Lower Manhattan.” Superintendent Eric Dinallo said, “When Governor Spitzer took office, he promised to get things moving at Ground Zero. Today we are seeing the fruits of that promise. At Ground Zero, steel is rising and a global settlement of all outstanding insurance disputes has been reached. This is government at its best, working with industry to solve a problem, rather than using the courts or fines or other adversarial procedures. This case highlights the essential role that insurance plays in modern society. If not for the private insurance industry providing a substantial portion of the funding to rebuild from this vicious terrorist attack, the entire cost could have been left to taxpayers. I would like to thank the leaders of the seven insurance companies, Mr. Silverstein, the lawyers for all sides and especially retired Judge Albert Rosenblatt for working with us to quickly resolve these difficult issues. I would also like to thank Delaware Insurance Commissioner Matthew Denn for his diligent efforts in helping to resolve the claims, while ensuring the financial viability of Arrowpoint in the future.” Port Authority Executive Director Anthony E. Shorris said, “We're pleased that an agreement was reached to allow the rebuilding at the World Trade Center site to continue uninterrupted. We have made tremendous progress in the past year, and this will ensure that the momentum continues. We all owe a special thanks to Governor Spitzer and Superintendent Dinallo whose leadership was so critical to finally bring this deal to a close.” Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, “A year ago, the Port Authority assumed the enormous responsibility to build the World Trade Center Memorial, Transportation Hub and Freedom Tower. That commitment also requires us to protect our public investment in these projects by ensuring that the appropriate level of insurance proceeds are recovered. I'd like to thank Governor Spitzer and Insurance Superintendent Dinallo for assisting us in settling these issues so the vision we have for the site will be realized.” World Trade Center developer Larry A. Silverstein said, “Governor Spitzer and Superintendent Dinallo deserve huge credit for recognizing the importance of settling all outstanding insurance issues, and their tireless work made sure we got it done. This agreement puts to rest the last uncertainty about the World Trade Center redevelopment, and will allow rebuilding to continue moving full steam ahead. I am enormously grateful to the Spitzer Administration and the many other government leaders who have pushed for an equitable insurance resolution over the past five and a half years ? especially Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Congressman Anthony Weiner, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Councilman Alan Gerson and Comptroller Bill Thompson.” Member of the Executive Committee of Swiss Re and Chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corp., Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. said, “Swiss Re is grateful to Governor Spitzer and Superintendent Dinallo for their successful efforts to bring all parties together for this historic settlement. This agreement fairly and conclusively resolves all disputes involving Swiss Re's WTC coverage. Swiss Re is proud that its settlement proceeds will be used to finance the rebirth of Lower Manhattan under Governor Spitzer's leadership.”
Claims
Crisis Coordinator of Allianz Group, Dr. Andreas Shell said, “Allianz is pleased
that this complex and difficult claim has been brought to a conclusion. We,
along with the nation and especially the residents of New York, look forward to
seeing the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site.”
In the meantime, tragically, the architect of “Kadima”, Gen. Ariel Sharon, became incapacitated by a major heart attack, leaving him in a permanent coma. His replacement was a talented young politician, Ehud Olmert, also, like Sharon, a “rebel” from the “Herut”/”Likud” parties. Olmert is considered by some to be an ambitious politician rather than a deep ideologue. Lately, he identified himself rather passionately, with Sharon’s scheme of forced separation between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Having won
the elections, Olmert proceeded to tempt weaker parties into a coalition. To
succeed, he had to offer their leaders ministerial posts for which some of them
were totally unprepared. One such ministry was of vital significance…the
Ministry of Defense! It could not have happened at the worst possible time for the State of Israel: 1) Its armed forces were slack in their preparedness, having concentrated on police action rather than on military training; 2) the Chief of Staff was an Air Force commander, poorly equipped to direct military operations on land; 3) the Defense Minister was an expert at labor-related rather than on military strikes; 4) the Prime Minister, also with no military experience, found himself at the helm of a Country at war. Ignoring the examples of previous Israeli wars, the Cabinet failed to seek participation in a joint effort with the opposition parties in the Knesset, nor from the experienced generals presently in “reserve”. Motivation was political. The results…catastrophic! After an indecisive conclusion of Lebanon II War, Olmert reluctantly accepted the formation of an Inquiry Committee, which was to study the conduct of the war. As a result, the Committee, in its initial findings, placed the major responsibilities for the obvious failures on the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff. As a result, the Chief of Staff resigned, even before the Committee’s findings were announced publicly. The Defense Minister stated his intention to resign following is Party’s convention in May. Only the Prime Minister declared that he has no intention of resigning. This was followed by mass street demonstrations, media protests and seven non-confidence motions in the Knesset. All failed. Why? Because, for the first time in Israel’s political history, the coalition parties in the Knesset were less inclined to follow the will of the People than to pursue their own interests and ambitions. This attitude was triggered by the realization that, in the event new elections were to be held at this time, most of the coalitions Knesset membership would be voted out of the Knesset. Thus, they are seeking their salvation by maintaining the status quo. No doubt this is a dangerous precedent for Israel. It underlines, clearer than ever before, that representatives of the Legislature (Knesset members) must be at least partially, elected on direct basis by the voter. At present, they are selected by inter-party committees and placed on voting lists in order of preference. The voter cannot select from these lists, but must vote for it in its entirety. As a result, the public is not represented by the members of the Knesset. The parties are. To counterpoise this awkward phenomenon, Knesset members of the past were, in most cases, loyal to their respective parties and staunch supporters of the parties’ political platforms, which were the base for the voters’ choice. Such counterbalancing does not exist in the present Knesset. All Knesset members affiliated to the existing coalition are well aware of the present sentiment of the electorate. Thus, their major political goal has become self-preservation. To combat this turn of events, all eyes are now focused on the Knesset minority, composed of parties in opposition. Although Likud, the largest of these parties, is the obvious leader of such an opposition, it is still in the process of recuperating from wounds inflicted on the party by the “rebels” of Gen. Sharon. Its obvious target now will be to win the support not only of the “street”, but also of the Knesset majority. To do so, it must convince some dozen of their former members, who left the Party and joined “Kadima”, to return “home”. Given the bleak prospects of “Kadima” today, it would not be difficult to negotiate such a “return”. However, these negotiations would have to be accompanied by a variety of “incentives” ranging from assured places on the Knesset list to prominent ministerial portfolios. On the other hand, if Likud contemplates regaining the confidence of the voting public, it must appear to represent the public’s disappointment in the lackluster leadership of all Knesset members attached to the present coalition. In other words, “rebels” may be invited back to their parties of origin, but they should not be rewarded with assured Knesset seats or cabinet positions. No doubt, some of these “rebels” are more popular than others. But to play up to such a distinction will be self-defeating. It must be understood that each and every member of the present Olmert coalition of parties is responsible for the failure of the war. Anyone who voiced no objections and/or followed these objections with resignations is equally responsible for all decisions and actions which led to the officially condemned failures. In view of the above, it seems highly unlikely that any significant numbers of “Kadima” parliamentarians will be prepared to bolt from the existing coalition, unless bolstered with significant compensation. This, under the existing circumstances, seems improbable. As a result, it is likely that the Israeli Legislature will continue to defy the will of the People by maintaining the status quo. For a firebrand Israeli society, this will become an intolerable situation, especially in view of the looming dangers posed by Teheran’s pursuance of nuclear capability. This is a time where the voice of the People in Israel and that of Israel’s friends abroad, must be heard loud and clear. And may democracy and Israel’s parental will for survival prevail. Liberman, retired in San Diego, is a former general secretary of the Herut party under Menachem Begin.
"Dr.
Esfandiari is a distinguished scholar who traveled to Iran in December to visit
her 93-year-old mother," said Senator Cardin, Co-Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki
Commission. "Prior to her imprisonment, the Iranian government subjected her to
months of interrogation. The Iranian government is pursing a policy of
harassment and I urge it to drop all charges and release her at once." The foregoing article was taken from the website of Sen. Benjamin I. Cardin (D-Maryland)
“Congress has spoken, and it is clear that we want accountability. Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to ensure that the Senate confirms every U.S. Attorney,” Senator Feinstein said. “Many unanswered questions remain, including who in the Department of Justice put the names of eight U.S. Attorneys on the list for removal. We will continue this investigation until we flesh out who did what, when, and why.” Under a provision inserted without notice into the USA Patriot Act reauthorization last year, the law was changed so that if a vacancy arises, the Attorney General may appoint a replacement for an indefinite period of time – thus completely avoiding the Senate confirmation process. The legislation would restore the process in place before 2006. It would allow the Attorney General to appoint interim U.S. Attorney for 120 days. If after that time the President has not sent up a nominee to the Senate and had that nominee confirmed, then the authority to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney would fall to the district court. This was the law from 1986 to 2006. Senator Feinstein also introduced legislation to reverse a second provision inserted into last year’s PATRIOT Act reauthorization at the request of the Department of Justice. The provision changed current law to allow U.S. attorneys to live outside of their districts if the Attorney General assigns them dual or additional responsibilities.
The United States Attorney Local Residency Restoration Act would restore the
residency requirement for sitting U.S. Attorneys. It would require that U.S.
Attorneys reside in the district they are appointed, and assistant United States
attorneys reside in the district for which they are appointed or within 25 miles
thereof.
In 1979, a federal district court found that OPEC's price-fixing decisions were "governmental" — not "commercial" —acts and accordingly they were protected by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. Subsequently, in 1981, a federal court of appeals declined to consider the appeal of that antitrust case based on the so-called "act of state" doctrine, which holds that a court will not consider a case regarding the legality of the acts of a foreign nation. Kohl's bipartisan NOPEC legislation effectively reverses these decisions by making it clear that OPEC's activities are not protected by sovereign immunity and that the federal courts should not decline to hear such a case based on the "act of state" doctrine. It clears away these judicially-created roadblocks so the Department of Justice could bring an antitrust case against OPEC for its price-fixing behavior. The legislation would force OPEC to begin pricing in a competitive, free market manner or face the possibility of being prosecuted for civil or criminal antitrust violations. NOPEC was passed by the Senate on June 21, 2005 as part of the Energy Bill, which subsequently died in a House-Senate conference. Kohl said that he will offer the bill as an amendment to the next appropriate legislative vehicle brought before the Senate for debate. Kohl's legislation is cosponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Carl Levin (D-MI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT).
The foregoing release was taken from the website of Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) Thursday's unsealed indictment highlighted the current lack of restrictions regulating the exchange and sale of transplanted tissues. The indictment charged three funeral home directors and four former employees of a Rochester branch of the Biomedical Tissue Services, a biomedical supply company, with secretly removing skin, bone and other body parts without consent from 36 corpses in 2005. Despite tissue transplantation being similar to organ transplantation, the industry is regulated much more loosely in comparison. While organ donors are only identified by doctors in hospitals, tissue donations can come out of funeral homes or morgues. Although the companies that test and sterilize tissue must be registered with the FDA, they are only inspected when the FDA decides there has been a risk associated with the bank. Exacerbating the issue is that tissue transplantation is used by certain companies as a profit-making machine, utilizing materials desperately needed by patients for personal monetary gain. Under the current system, the transfer of tissue between the donor and the recipient features several stages, opening up the process to improper and illegal behavior. In many instances, after a donor is identified either at a hospital, morgue, crematorium, or funeral home, it must be determined that the cause of death is not detrimental to the health and quality of the tissue. The tissue is then purchased by a tissue bank, which is responsible for retrieving, processing, storing, and distributing the tissue. Finally, the tissue banks are allowed to distribute the materials to additional companies before they finally reach a hospital. Even though the tissue has been exchanged numerous times by numerous sources before its final destination at the hospital, the hospital is not required to do any final testing on the tissue. To combat this growing problem, today Senator Schumer pushed to reintroduce his legislation to regulate the tissue transplant industry. His legislation would specifically:
• Require
the FDA to conduct surprise inspections of tissue banks at least once every two
years; The owner of Biomedical Tissue Services, Michael Mastromarino, was charged along with three other men last year for removing bone and tissue without the permission of families from 1,077 bodies at more than a dozen funeral homes in New Jersey, Philadelphia, New York City and Rochester. In Rochester, the affected bodies included 23 bodies at Thomas E. Burger Funeral Home in the suburb of Hilton, 11 bodies at Profetta Funeral Chapel in the suburb of Webster and two bodies at Serenity Hills Funeral Chapel in Rochester.
The foregoing article was taken from the website of
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY.) _________________ |
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Jerusalem Diaries
Sometimes
in America, when the conversation turns to grandparenting, I mention that
Mickey is in the army. All too often, I receive a pained look in return.
Lips purse, heads nod, eyes squint; all together giving a concerned look, an
attempt, I think, to mirror what others think are my feelings of unhappiness
and worry. Perhaps they are thinking about Vietnam, and possibly Iraq.
U.S.
Capitol Roundup
Jews
in the
News