Shorts: Mideast

Israeli seminaries may be forced to accept gay students

A group of Israeli and U.S. Conservative rabbis will try to pass a resolution next week at the annual convention of the Rabbinical Assembly in Cambridge, Mass., that would force Israel's rabbinic seminary to admit homosexuals.

"Whereas the Rabbinical Assembly has called for full civil rights for gays and lesbians," write the proponents of the resolution, "therefore be it resolved that the RA calls for all of the rabbinical schools the world over that ordain Conservative/ Masorti rabbis to admit applicants without regard to sexual orientation."

Last month, Rabbi Einat Ramon, dean of the Masorti/Conservative movement's Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem, decided against admitting openly homosexual seminary students.

Ramon's decision came just days after the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York said it would accept gay and lesbian students. The more liberal University of Judaism in Los Angeles had already decided to accept homosexuals. — jps




Finance minister on leave during probe

Embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suffered a new blow Sunday, April 22 when his finance minister agreed to temporarily step down while police investigated embezzlement allegations against him.

The announcement was the latest scandal to hit Olmert's government and robbed the prime minister of a key ally ahead of the release of a potentially explosive government report on last summer's war in Lebanon.

Media reports said that Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson was suspected of failing to report embezzlement committed under his watch — and may have taken some money himself — when he headed a workers' union in 2003. Hirchson has undergone several rounds of police questioning, and is stepping down for three months, leaving Olmert to run the finance ministry in his absence. — ap




Is the clock ticking on Israel?

Israelis are split on whether their country will last a century. According to a Yediot Achronot poll published Monday, April 23, 47 percent of Israelis say they are concerned that in 2048 — the centenary of Israel's founding — there will be no Israel. The rest, 53 percent, said they had no such fear.

Asked what most threatened the Jewish state's existence, 32 percent of respondents said natural disaster, 26 percent cited the Iranian nuclear program, 20 percent said a potential civil war and 17 percent said the prospect of being defeated by the Arabs militarily. The poll, which was conducted ahead of Israeli Independence Day, had 500 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. — jta




Woman's life partner awarded benefits as her widow

In an unprecedented ruling, Haifa's Labor court decided Sunday, April 22 to recognize Or Lephler's life partner as her widow, awarding her monthly benefits from Lephler's pension fund.

Lephler, given up for adoption as a child, needed a bone-marrow transplant from her biological mother to survive a rare, life-threatening disease.

Initially, the biological mother refused, fearing her family, who knew nothing about the baby she had given up. The mother later had a change of heart, and secretly donated bone marrow for her daughter. Unfortunately, Lephler suffered complications after the transplant and later died.

Lephler had been living with a woman, and the two were raising a baby together.

After her death, Lephler's partner petitioned the court, asking for recognition as Lephler's widow, and for their daughter as an orphan, making them eligible for fund from her pension fund.

Local labor judge Itta Katzir judge ruled in favor of Lephler, awarding her benefits of 40 percent from the pension fund. —ynet




Quarter of Israelis look abroad

More than one in four Israelis thought about emigrating over the past year, a survey found. According to the poll published over the weekend in Ma'ariv, 26 percent of Israelis considered moving abroad over the past year, which saw an inconclusive war in Lebanon.

Ninety percent of respondents voiced dissatisfaction with the Israeli leadership, a view that was more pronounced among 18- to 29-year-olds. Asked to name the country's biggest problem, 27 percent of respondents said the educational system, 23 said the political system and 16 percent said the security threats. The survey had 500 respondents. — jta




Forbes labels Israeli firm a 'superstar'

Forbes included Israeli pharmaceutical firm Teva on its ranking of 130 "global superstars." The Forbes shortlist, a lead-up to its annual "Global 2,000" ranking, is based on a combination of the firms' sales, profits, assets and market value.

In 2006, Teva registered $8.41 billion in sales, $55 million in profits, $20.47 billion in assets and a market value of $26.91 billion. — jta




Arab lawmaker quits

A controversial Israeli Arab lawmaker has tendered his resignation.

Azmi Bishara, who has been out of the country since before police announced this month he was being investigated on criminal allegations, informed the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on Sunday that he was quitting the Knesset. — jta