Free Republic

SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia — The appearance of a Star of David on new national identity cards has alarmed opponents of President Evo Morales, who recall how the symbol was used to brand Jews in Nazi Germany. Tiny six-pointed stars within a tight circle are printed on the back side of some, but not all, recently issued picture IDs in the Santa Cruz region. The mark was present on three cards seen by The Washington Times. "It raises suspicions that the government is identifying individuals or segments of the population along racial, religious or ideological lines" said Carlos Klinsky, a member...

22-year-old French woman says youths of Middle Eastern origin snatched her Star of David necklace, lifted her shirt and drew a swastika on her stomach Yael Branovsky Published: 04.26.07, 23:41 / Israel Jewish Scene A 22-year-old French woman said Thursday she was the victim of an anti-Semitic attack by two youths at an underground train station in Marseille. The youths, who the woman said were of Middle Eastern origin, snatched her Star of David necklace, then lifted her shirt and drew a swastika on her stomach before fleeing the scene. According to the Jewish Agency, the French police have refrained...

BALI bombing mastermind Hambali has told interrogators how al-Qaida funded the attack that killed 202, including 88 Australians, a year ago today. The terrorist is being held under strict security by US intelligence agents on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Hambali, also known as Riduan Isamuddin, also has told agents al-Qaida wanted to build a bio-weapons plant in Indonesia to produce weapons to deliver the deadly biological agent anthrax. He revealed that the Islamic network of terrorist cells known as Jemaah Islamiah had recruited American-trained scientist Yazid Sufaat to oversee the project. He has studied chemistry at California...

While preparing Shabbat dinner for a couple of close friends and their acquaintances, my long-time girlfriend sliced straight down the middle of this cabbage. She was surprised and amused to find that this particular cabbage had taken the form of the Star of David. She thought it particularly remarkable that this occurred while preparing a Shabbat dinner. No, she wasn't making borscht, the intent was to make a cabbage salad but after cutting it open we decided this cabbage was symbolic and, so, refused to eat it. She in particular recalled the news of the image of Mary appearing on...

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims. "This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis." Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear...

About those "secular" menorahs    TERRY MATTINGLY When it comes to decorating tabernacles and temples, the God of Israel cares about the fine details. Consider these Exodus instructions: "Thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side." Counting the center candlestick, this created a...

In the continuing saga of the "Politically Correct" madness engulfing the "civilized" and "enlightened" West, we issue the absolute top place for 2005 to the Red Cross organization, the Geneva-based humanitarian association, which, in a frenzy of unmitigated self-righteousness and hypocritically ridiculous distancing has seen fit to change their beloved and world-wide known symbol, a red cross, as their name implies, with a nondescript red something (a square, a rhombus, a dart target, a thing). Gorgeous isn't it? Surely the good folks in Geneva don't want to offend anybody, mind you but I think that in order to please a...

On Thursday, the 192 signatories of the Geneva Conventions decided to adopt a new international symbol - the Red Crystal - alongside the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. Now it seems, for the first time, Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) can join the 182 members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The vote "reflects Israel's improved international standing … This is yet another achievement for Israel's diplomacy," gushed Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. MDA itself worked hard to achieve this result, which paves the way for Israel to join international rescue missions. The new Red...

After almost six decades of rejection, Israel saw the road cleared yesterday for its emergency and disaster relief organization to join the International Red Cross. The price of admission was relinquishing its symbol, the Red Star of David. Instead, the Red Cross approved a new "neutral" symbol -- a Red Crystal, which Israel must adopt to become a member, possibly next spring. The Star of David may still be used at home, and on foreign missions it can be put inside the Crystal, provided the host country agrees. Israeli diplomats are celebrating the Crystal as a great victory. If that's...

I have been following the recent saga in the Red Cross with growing disgust. For those of you who are not familiar with the issues at hand, Israel's official relief agency, Magen David Adom (MDA; Red Star of David), has traditionally been rejected membership as an official member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society because of its refusal to adopt either a cross or a crescent as its official symbol. When Israel suggested allowing the additional symbol of the Red Magen David in 1949, the organization rejected the request for the reason that they "don't want to...

192 Geneva representatives voted to approve Israel’s new “Red Crystal” symbol which will now officially join the Red Crescent and Red Cross as authorized International Red Cross symbols. After close to 60 years of refusal, the international body has voted to include Israel, despite last-minute efforts to thwart the move by Syria.

Syria demands humanitarian access to Golan Damscus says it will oppose emergency service emblem agreement unless it can send 'humanitarian workers' to Golan The approval of a new emblem allowing Israelis to join the Red Cross movement was held up Tuesday by Syria's demand that Israel allow its humanitarian workers into the Golan Heights. The move could delay until at least Wednesday a decision by the 192 signatories of the Geneva Conventions on a "Red crystal" Emblem that Israeli paramedics could use in place of the red cross or Muslim red crescent. Israel's Magen David Adom - or Red Shield...

Representatives from 192 countries are due in Geneva on Monday for a conference to decide whether to adopt a new emblem for the Red Cross movement. The two-day meeting is the result of tightrope diplomacy by Switzerland to resolve the long-standing issue of a third humanitarian symbol. Approval of the so-called "red crystal" by the signatory states moved a step closer last week when the Israeli and Palestinian emergency services signed a groundbreaking cooperation agreement. The accord, brokered by the Swiss foreign ministry, cleared the way for a deal on a new emblem in addition to the red cross and...

Representatives from 192 countries are due in Geneva on Monday for a conference to decide whether to adopt a new emblem for the Red Cross movement. The two-day meeting is the result of tightrope diplomacy by Switzerland to resolve the long-standing issue of a third humanitarian symbol. The Red Cross, the Red Crescent and the new Red Crystal (Keystone)Approval of the so-called "red crystal" by the signatory states moved a step closer last week when the Israeli and Palestinian emergency services signed a groundbreaking cooperation agreement. The accord, brokered by the Swiss foreign ministry, cleared the way for a deal...

So, Jews, the goyim will win after all? By Stan Goodenough November 28th, 2005 According to the newspapers here in Israel, Jews are rejoicing because the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRCRC) has finally agreed to open its doors to the Red Shield (or Star) of David, the Israeli organization that offers equivalent services to the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Ok, so there’s a small catch: The Israelis cannot actually use their Red Star of David in this new arrangement, but must agree to a new symbol, a Red Crystal, inside which, for...

Magen David Adom chairman Dr. Noam Yifrach will on Monday sign an unprecedented agreement with his counterpart at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Geneva that is expected to lead to MDA's formal inclusion in the International Red Cross Movement and recognition of its red Star of David symbol. The red Star of David will continue to be used inside Israel, but when on international missions and for fundraising, MDA can be represented by a red star inside a red "crystal," essentially a diamond-shaped frame, or an empty red crystal when a red Star of David could jeopardize its...

Three Jewish Democrats in Congress asked colleagues to sign a letter thanking Condoleezza Rice for helping advance Magen David Adom’s cause at the International Red Cross. The U.S. secretary of state has been instrumental in opening discussions to create the red diamond, a third, neutral symbol that non-Christian and non-Muslim nations can use in addition to the Red Cross and Red Crescent. “Your personal engagement on this issue has been extremely important and is most appreciated,” says the letter circulated by Reps. Eliot Engel and Gary Ackerman of New York and Henry Waxman of California. “We are well aware that...

School head bans Jewish symbol 'for fear of provoking Muslim students'; teacher hires lawyers, vows to fight back Norway – A teacher working at an adult education center who has been told to stop wearing a Star of David because it "provokes the many Muslim students at the school" in 2004 is now considering legal action against the ban, the Norwegian television network NRK has reported. School head Kjell Gislefoss, said he thought that the Star of David can be seen to represent the State of Israel and is fearful of offending the school's Muslim students, citing immigrants from the...

A municipally employed teacher in Kristiansand has been prevented from wearing a Star of David around his neck. Kristiansand Adult Education Center, where the man works, ruled that the Jewish symbol could be deemed a provocation towards the many Muslim students at the school, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reports. Teacher Inge Telhaug said he feels this is a violation of his freedom of speech. "I can't accept this. It is a small star, 16 millimeters (0.6 inches) that I have around my neck, usually under a T-shirt. I see it as my right to wear it," Telhaug told NRK. Telhaug teaches...

BURLINGAME, Calif. - The city of Burlingame has paid $1,600 to obscure a design at the newly opened Pershing Park playground that a resident felt resembled the Star of David. The park was closed on Thursday of last week while a contractor filled in a pattern in the playground's surface that consisted of six yellow stars laid out in the shape of the Star of David. Residents had complained it was disrespectful for children to step on the design. The pattern was changed to an arch shape that more closely resembles a sun. The original contractor made a mistake in...