Shorts: World

Britain refuses to extradite Polish Jew

london (jta) | Britain refused to extradite a Jewish woman to Poland to stand trial for her role as one of the harshest military prosecutors of the Communist era.

The Polish government had requested the extradition of Helena Wolinska, 87, in 1999, according to Polish Radio. They want to try her for the arrest of 16 non-Communists, including a general of the Polish underground army from World War II who was executed. Several of Wolinska's investigations resulted in the death penalty for accused enemies of the Communist regime. Wolinska fled to Britain after state-sponsored purges of Jews in the Communist Party in 1968.

Britain refused to extradite her on humanitarian considerations. Wolinska says the case against her has an anti-Semitic nature. But prosecutors at Poland's Institute of National Remembrance says she was aware that her victims were innocent and that she abused the law.




European Jewish student site hacked

brussels (jta) | The European Union of Jewish Students' Web site was hacked and shut down, apparently by a radical anti-Israel group.

Hackers identifying themselves as "Team-Evil Arab Hackerz" had inserted a burning Israeli flag on the site of EUJS, a Brussels-based group that represents Jewish students in 34 countries. The site then was shut down, according to EUJS chairwoman Olga Israel.

EUJS recently led a campaign asking European Union politicians to include Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations. Israel said she contacted the local Jewish community and police after the hacking incident, and requested additional security for EUJS offices. Police did not offer extra security, she said.




Greens honor prewar owner of house

vienna (jta) | Austria's Green Party dedicated a memorial to the original Jewish owners of the house that serves as its headquarters.

The memorial unveiled Aug. 4 in Vienna honors Albert Pollak, who owned the house before the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938. Pollak died in 1943 after fleeing to the Netherlands.

Since World War II, his family has been renting out the house; the Greens have rented it since 1994.




Brazilian synagogue attacked

sao paulo (jta) | A synagogue in Brazil was attacked Saturday, Aug. 5.

Molotov cocktails and rocks were thrown at the synagogue in Campinas, about 60 miles north of Sao Paulo.

"Lebanon, the True Holocaust" was painted on the sidewalk outside the synagogue, Brazilian officials said. No one was injured in the incident.




U.N.: Darfur deal hasn't stopped violence

geneva (jps) | A peace deal signed three months ago between Sudan's government and the main rebel group in Darfur has failed to halt violence in the region, the U.N. said Wednesday, Aug. 9, citing an increase in rape and continued attacks by militias and rebel factions.

The May 5 peace deal, signed in Nigeria, was "doomed to failure" without more support from the Sudanese government, according to the U.N., with the population of Darfur continuing to "suffer grave violations of human rights as violence among competing armed groups in Darfur persists."