A Church Leader's Complaint, Hate Crime, and Judicial Action in Argentina

1. "Security Faulted for No-Shows at Papal Mass"; By Isabel Kershner; A14
2. "Madoff Loss Hits Art Aid for Young in Israel"; By Daniel J. Wakin; C1
   
3. "Israeli Companies Seek Global Profile"; By James Flanigan; B5
   
4. "Argentina Seeks Colombian in Attack on Jewish Center"; World Briefing; By Alexei Barrionuevo; A10
   
5. "4 Accused of Bombing Plot at Bronx Synagogues"; By Al Baker and Javier C. Hernandez; A1
   

A slough of articles connected to Israel and the Jewish people mark the pages of NYT today - from complaints by a church leader in Jerusalem to a failed bomb attack in the Bronx to a judicial action against a Columbian terrorist in Buenos Aires.

It is important to note that the church leader featured at the center of "Security Faulted..." was not part of the Vatican, as Yigal Palmor, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, points out.

“The pope was caught up often in the region’s fraught politics and raw sensitivities,” writes Kershner, placing the church leader's comment in a larger framework. Last week’s reporting indicates that Israelis' sensitivities were disregarded and Palestinian grievances were attended to.

An article in the C section demonstrates that reverberations from the Madoff scandal continue in the Jewish community, as a musician's scholarship program - nastily described by Wakin as "unabashedly aimed at casting Israel in a positive light" - may not have enough funding to continue next year.

In the Business section, an article appears about Israeli companies, which avoids dragging the Conflict into the reporting - for the most part. In response to a reference to Israel as "a safe bet" by Sharona Justman, the managing director of a consulting group, reporter James Flanigan, obnoxiously writes,

"Though 'safe' is not a word often associated with the Middle East or Israel, Ms. Justman noted that through years of regional tension, the economy has grown and venture capital has continued to flow to Israel.”

Nonetheless, more articles like this need to appear in NYT's Business section.

Other good news comes from Argentina where a court is taking steps to bring to justice those who perpetrated the 1994 attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.

Finally, the attempted attack by four Muslim American citizens on two Bronx synagogues is a painful reminder of the threat the Jewish community worldwide faces. As quoted in the article, Representative Peter T. King, Republican from Long Island, said, "There’s a real threat from homegrown terrorists and also from jailhouse converts.”