Do Jews on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem Violate Any Taboos?

Rabbis say it is forbidden for a Jew to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Is it a religious taboo or a political taboo?

IMHO - 100% political - and a valid use of religion to enforce political pragmatism.

Haredim slam 'idolators' for taboo visit to Temple Mount
By Yair Ettinger

Mutual recriminations between ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) and religious Zionist Jews are an almost daily occurrence. But the halakhic taboo against ascending the Temple Mount, which a group of leading religious Zionist rabbis demonstratively shattered on Sunday, led the Haredim to take off the gloves.

Two articles due to appear in today's Yated Ne'eman, the mouthpiece of Lithuanian (non-Hasidic) Haredim, denounce the rabbis as "idol worshipers," "Reform" Jews and "merchants trading in the Torah's commandments."

Religious Zionist rabbis, "not content with bowing to the Zionist idols," are perpetrating "open reforms of the halakha," charged the paper's editorial, adding that this disappointed hopes that religious Zionism might be moving closer to ultra-Orthodoxy.

Another article declared: "Worshipers of the Zionist calf," a reference to the biblical story of the golden calf, "are willing to subordinate everything to this calf, even if they are the last ones who still worship it ... They are seeking to desecrate and defile the Temple Mount, the site of our Temple, out of that same belief in vain worship of the Zionist redemption - as if bringing Jews to the site of the Temple would hasten the redemption."

The Haredi religious objection to ascending the mount is simple: a ritually impure person may not set foot on the site of the Temple, and since the Temple's destruction, all Jews are ritually impure. As a result, Haredi rabbis have feared Israel's control over the Temple Mount ever since it began in 1967. In a special supplement on the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War put out recently by the Haredi weekly Mishpaha, former Haredi MK Menachem Porush described the events leading up to the cabinet's decision to bar Jews from the Mount shortly after its capture. Porush described being summoned to an urgent meeting by one of the leaders of his Agudat Israel party, Rabbi Yehezkel Avramsky, and finding him in tears. "Who knows what punishment from Heaven we will receive because of Jews ascending the Temple Mount?" Avramsky demanded, and asked Porush to urge then prime minister Levi Eshkol to prevent Jews from doing so. Eshkol passed the request on to then defense minister Moshe Dayan, and Dayan supported it.

Mass prayer

At the same time, the Chief Rabbinate issued a halakhic ruling forbidding Jews to ascend the Mount - contrary to the views of then chief military rabbi (and later chief rabbi of Israel) Shlomo Goren, who thought that parts of the mount were halakhically permissible to Jews and wanted to hold a mass prayer session there.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, told Haaretz that "Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook and his son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda," each of whom was religious Zionism's unquestioned leader in his day, "opposed ascending the Temple Mount. Now, along come those who see themselves as their heirs and permit it. I doubt that they are greater" than the Kooks.

Rabinowitz added that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the unquestioned leader of Sephardi Jewry, once wrote him that rabbis who encourage Jews to ascend the mount "are sinning and causing the masses to sin."

Even more interesting than the Haredi-religious Zionist feud over this issue, however, are the cracks within the religious Zionist community itself. Rabinowitz said that the first telephone call he received after news of the rabbis' visit to the Mount broke was from Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, a leading religious Zionist rabbi, who urged him to do everything in his power to prevent Jews from ascending the Mount.

[repost from 5/14/07]

Yediot: Is it a crime to watch a pornographic movie on a portable computer in a coffee shop in Tel Aviv?

האם צפיה בפורנו במחשב נייד בפומבי היא עבירה?

ynet ידיעות אחרונות -
בחור שצפה להנאתו בסרט פורנוגרפי על מחשבו הנייד בבית קפה בתל-אביב, עורר את זעמה של אחת הלקוחות, אך הבחור טען כי במעשיו אין דבר לא חוקי. האומנם? עו"ד אביב איילון עם פרשנות משפטית אין גבול ליצירתיות גם אם היא הזויה משהו. זו התחושה הראשונה שחשתי כאשר קראתי את פנייתו של מאן דהו למערכת ynet, פניה העוסקת בהתענגותו של אלמוני מסרט כחול ותכנים פורנוגרפיים במהלך לגימת כוס קפה איכותי. אז מה הבעיה? הרי אין פסול בחיבור בין קפה לפורנוגרפיה. יש כאלה שיאמרו כי הקפאין דווקא מסייע, ואין כמו אספרסו כפול כדי לחדד את החושים. .

Read the full legal discussion courtesy of...

עו"ד אביב אילון ממשרד אילון, אגרט ושות', מתמחה בדיני אינטרנט ומחשבים ובעל אתר דיני רשת

Buchanan: Worried About the Declining Jewish Population

Look to the future. Beware of the future. Give up your comfort, your money, your peace of mind for the "foreboding" future. Don't pay any attention to our hands in your pockets. Worry about the "crisis" coming with its doom and gloom.

That's the standard refrain of the reactionary conservative apologist for the greedy capitalist exploitation machinery.

So here we go again with Pat Buchanan opining about the future of the Jewish people.

Why Pat? Why is this your concern? Why is this your business? Have you run out of topics?

Or did you just get it into your head that you had to write an article with the clever title, "The Lost Tribes of Israel"?

Opinion
Pat Buchanan
The Lost Tribes of Israel

As Israel enters its 61st year, Israelis may look back with pride. Yet, the realists among them must also look forward with foreboding.

Israel is a modern democracy with the highest standard of living in the Middle East. In the high-tech industries of the future, she is in the first rank. From a nation of fewer than a million in 1948, Israel's population has grown to 7 million. In seven wars — the 1948 War of Independence, the Sinai invasion of 1956, the Six-Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and the Lebanon wars of 1982 and 2006 — Israel has prevailed, though some of these wars were, as Wellington said of Waterloo, "a damn near-run thing."

Israel has revived Hebrew, created a new currency, immersed her children in the history, ancient and modern, of her people, and established a homeland for Jews from all over the world, millions of whom have migrated there to settle. Israel is now home to the largest concentration of Jews anywhere on earth.

Here, however, we come to the heart of the existential crisis.

Israel became home to the largest Jewish population on earth in part because American Jews in the 1990s fell in number from 5.5 million to 5.2 million, a loss of 300,000, or 6 percent of the U.S. Jewish population....

There is more... but hey let's make it clear.

We are 16 million out of a world population of 6.6 billion. We are never going to be significant in quantity.

Did Pat just realize this? The Jewish people are a quality entity.

Rev. Huckabee Jokes About Assassinating Obama

Sad that of all people, the right southern reverend would be the one to make light of violence against a black candidate. The Boston Globe blog:

Nothing to joke about
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor

Mike Huckabee got some laughs -- but raised eyebrows -- with an attempt at humor at the National Rifle Association conference this afternoon in Kentucky.

There was an unexpected slam offstage while Huckabee was speaking, and he said, “That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he's getting ready to speak. Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”

The former Arkansas governor was adept at one-liners and quips before dropping out of the Republican race and since in his job as commentator.

But some of Obama's supporters have been publicly and privately worried about his safety given the assassination of other figures, such as John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Obama started receiving Secret Service protection last May -- the earliest ever for a presidential candidate -- after urgings from supporters.

Hah, hah.

The End of Right Wing Shouting Know Nothing Talk Radio

Chris Matthews (our hero) on his Hardball show on MSNBC made mincemeat of Kevin James tonight.

Read about it nearly immediately in the Kevin James' Wikipedia article - ain't that neat?

I believe this marks the beginning of the end of Right Wing Shouting Know Nothing Talk Radio.

Disgraceful Bush Comparison Mars Outstanding Speech to the Israeli Kenesset

Today our moron president Bush misused the speaking courtesy granted to him by the Israeli parliament to deliver to them a beautiful speech mortally marred by an ignorant cheap shot of political propaganda.

Simply put Bush compared Obama's commitment to negotiate peace from strength to Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler by giving him half of Czechoslovakia in the Munich agreement of 1938.

There is no comparison to be made here. This is pure garbage rhetoric. In saying this Bush makes of himself a disgrace to America and an insult to all educated peoples of the world.

And true to his tasteless character, he ruined what otherwise would have been a masterful example of pro-Israel oratory. Here is the full text:

International Herald Tribune
Text of President Bush's speech to the Israeli parliament
The Associated Press, Thursday, May 15, 2008

JERUSALEM: Text of President Bush's speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, as provided by the White House.

President Peres and Mr. Prime Minister, Madam Speaker, thanks very much for hosting this special session. President Beinish, Leader of the Opposition Netanyahu, Ministers, members of the Knesset, distinguished guests: Shalom.

Laura and I are thrilled to be back in Israel. We have been deeply moved by the celebrations of the past two days. And this afternoon, I am honored to stand before one of the world's great democratic assemblies and convey the wishes of the American people with these words: Yom Ha'atzmaut Sameach.

It is a rare privilege for the American president to speak to the Knesset, although the prime minister told me there is something even rarer — to have just one person in this chamber speaking at a time. My only regret is that one of Israel's greatest leaders is not here to share this moment. He is a warrior for the ages, a man of peace, a friend. The prayers of the American people are with Ariel Sharon.

We gather to mark a momentous occasion. Sixty years ago in Tel Aviv, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel's independence, founded on the "natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate." What followed was more than the establishment of a new country. It was the redemption of an ancient promise given to Abraham and Moses and David — a homeland for the chosen people Eretz Yisrael.

Eleven minutes later, on the orders of President Harry Truman, the United States was proud to be the first nation to recognize Israel's independence. And on this landmark anniversary, America is proud to be Israel's closest ally and best friend in the world.

The alliance between our governments is unbreakable, yet the source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty. It is grounded in the shared spirit of our people, the bonds of the Book, the ties of the soul. When William Bradford stepped off the Mayflower in 1620, he quoted the words of Jeremiah: "Come let us declare in Zion the word of God." The founders of my country saw a new promised land and bestowed upon their towns names like Bethlehem and New Canaan. And in time, many Americans became passionate advocates for a Jewish state.

Centuries of suffering and sacrifice would pass before the dream was fulfilled. The Jewish people endured the agony of the pogroms, the tragedy of the Great War, and the horror of the Holocaust — what Elie Wiesel called "the kingdom of the night." Soulless men took away lives and broke apart families. Yet they could not take away the spirit of the Jewish people, and they could not break the promise of God.

When news of Israel's freedom finally arrived, Golda Meir, a fearless woman raised in Wisconsin, could summon only tears. She later said: "For two thousand years we have waited for our deliverance. Now that it is here it is so great and wonderful that it surpasses human words."

The joy of independence was tempered by the outbreak of battle, a struggle that has continued for six decades. Yet in spite of the violence, in defiance of the threats, Israel has built a thriving democracy in the heart of the Holy Land. You have welcomed immigrants from the four corners of the Earth. You have forged a free and modern society based on the love of liberty, a passion for justice, and a respect for human dignity. You have worked tirelessly for peace. You have fought valiantly for freedom.

My country's admiration for Israel does not end there. When Americans look at Israel, we see a pioneer spirit that worked an agricultural miracle and now leads a high-tech revolution. We see world-class universities and a global leader in business and innovation and the arts. We see a resource more valuable than oil or gold: the talent and determination of a free people who refuse to let any obstacle stand in the way of their destiny.

I have been fortunate to see the character of Israel up close. I have touched the Western Wall, seen the sun reflected in the Sea of Galilee, I have prayed at Yad Vashem. And earlier today, I visited Masada, an inspiring monument to courage and sacrifice. At this historic site, Israeli soldiers swear an oath: "Masada shall never fall again."

Citizens of Israel: Masada shall never fall again, and America will be at your side.

This anniversary is a time to reflect on the past. It's also an opportunity to look to the future. As we go forward, our alliance will be guided by clear principles — shared convictions rooted in moral clarity and unswayed by popularity polls or the shifting opinions of international elites.

We believe in the matchless value of every man, woman and child. So we insist that the people of Israel have the right to a decent, normal and peaceful life, just like the citizens of every other nation.

We believe that democracy is the only way to ensure human rights. So we consider it a source of shame that the United Nations routinely passes more human rights resolutions against the freest democracy in the Middle East than any other nation in the world.

We believe that religious liberty is fundamental to a civilized society. So we condemn anti-Semitism in all forms — whether by those who openly question Israel's right to exist or by others who quietly excuse them.

We believe that free people should strive and sacrifice for peace. So we applaud the courageous choices Israeli's leaders have made. We also believe that nations have a right to defend themselves and that no nation should ever be forced to negotiate with killers pledged to its destruction.

We believe that targeting innocent lives to achieve political objectives is always and everywhere wrong. So we stand together against terror and extremism, and we will never let down our guard or lose our resolve.

The fight against terror and extremism is the defining challenge of our time. It is more than a clash of arms. It is a clash of visions, a great ideological struggle. On the one side are those who defend the ideals of justice and dignity with the power of reason and truth. On the other side are those who pursue a narrow vision of cruelty and control by committing murder, inciting fear, and spreading lies.

This struggle is waged with the technology of the 21st century, but at its core it is an ancient battle between good and evil. The killers claim the mantle of Islam, but they are not religious men. No one who prays to the God of Abraham could strap a suicide vest to an innocent child, or blow up guiltless guests at a Passover Seder, or fly planes into office buildings filled with unsuspecting workers. In truth, the men who carry out these savage acts serve no higher goal than their own desire for power. They accept no God before themselves. And they reserve a special hatred for the most ardent defenders of liberty, including Americans and Israelis.

And that is why the founding charter of Hamas calls for the "elimination" of Israel. And that is why the followers of Hezbollah chant "Death to Israel, Death to America!" That is why Osama bin Laden teaches that "the killing of Jews and Americans is one of the biggest duties." And that is why the president of Iran dreams of returning the Middle East to the Middle Ages and calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.

There are good and decent people who cannot fathom the darkness in these men and try to explain away their words. It's natural, but it is deadly wrong. As witnesses to evil in the past, we carry a solemn responsibility to take these words seriously. Jews and Americans have seen the consequences of disregarding the words of leaders who espouse hatred. And that is a mistake the world must not repeat in the 21st century.

Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.

Some people suggest if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away. This is a tired argument that buys into the propaganda of the enemies of peace, and America utterly rejects it. Israel's population may be just over 7 million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because the United States of America stands with you.

America stands with you in breaking up terrorist networks and denying the extremists sanctuary. America stands with you in firmly opposing Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. Permitting the world's leading sponsor of terror to possess the world's deadliest weapons would be an unforgivable betrayal for future generations. For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

Ultimately, to prevail in this struggle, we must offer an alternative to the ideology of the extremists by extending our vision of justice and tolerance and freedom and hope. These values are the self-evident right of all people, of all religions, in all the world because they are a gift from the Almighty God. Securing these rights is also the surest way to secure peace. Leaders who are accountable to their people will not pursue endless confrontation and bloodshed. Young people with a place in their society and a voice in their future are less likely to search for meaning in radicalism. Societies where citizens can express their conscience and worship their God will not export violence, they will be partners in peace.

The fundamental insight, that freedom yields peace, is the great lesson of the 20th century. Now our task is to apply it to the 21st. Nowhere is this work more urgent than here in the Middle East. We must stand with the reformers working to break the old patterns of tyranny and despair. We must give voice to millions of ordinary people who dream of a better life in a free society. We must confront the moral relativism that views all forms of government as equally acceptable and thereby consigns whole societies to slavery. Above all, we must have faith in our values and ourselves and confidently pursue the expansion of liberty as the path to a peaceful future.

That future will be a dramatic departure from the Middle East of today. So as we mark 60 years from Israel's founding, let us try to envision the region 60 years from now. This vision is not going to arrive easily or overnight; it will encounter violent resistance. But if we and future presidents and future Knessets maintain our resolve and have faith in our ideals, here is the Middle East that we can see:

Israel will be celebrating the 120th anniversary as one of the world's great democracies, a secure and flourishing homeland for the Jewish people. The Palestinian people will have the homeland they have long dreamed of and deserved — a democratic state that is governed by law, and respects human rights, and rejects terror. From Cairo to Riyadh to Baghdad and Beirut, people will live in free and independent societies, where a desire for peace is reinforced by ties of diplomacy and tourism and trade. Iran and Syria will be peaceful nations, with today's oppression a distant memory and where people are free to speak their minds and develop their God-given talents. Al-Qaida and Hezbollah and Hamas will be defeated, as Muslims across the region recognize the emptiness of the terrorists' vision and the injustice of their cause.

Overall, the Middle East will be characterized by a new period of tolerance and integration. And this doesn't mean that Israel and its neighbors will be best of friends. But when leaders across the region answer to their people, they will focus their energies on schools and jobs, not on rocket attacks and suicide bombings. With this change, Israel will open a new hopeful chapter in which its people can live a normal life, and the dream of Herzl and the founders of 1948 can be fully and finally realized.

This is a bold vision, and some will say it can never be achieved. But think about what we have witnessed in our own time. When Europe was destroying itself through total war and genocide, it was difficult to envision a continent that six decades later would be free and at peace. When Japanese pilots were flying suicide missions into American battleships, it seemed impossible that six decades later Japan would be a democracy, a lynchpin of security in Asia, and one of America's closest friends. And when waves of refugees arrived here in the desert with nothing, surrounded by hostile armies, it was almost unimaginable that Israel would grow into one of the freest and most successful nations on the earth.

Yet each one of these transformations took place. And a future of transformation is possible in the Middle East, so long as a new generation of leaders has the courage to defeat the enemies of freedom, to make the hard choices necessary for peace, and stand firm on the solid rock of universal values.

Sixty years ago, on the eve of Israel's independence, the last British soldiers departing Jerusalem stopped at a building in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. An officer knocked on the door and met a senior rabbi. The officer presented him with a short iron bar — the key to the Zion Gate — and said it was the first time in 18 centuries that a key to the gates of Jerusalem had belonged to a Jew. His hands trembling, the rabbi offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God, "Who had granted us life and permitted us to reach this day." Then he turned to the officer, and uttered the words Jews had awaited for so long: "I accept this key in the name of my people."

Over the past six decades, the Jewish people have established a state that would make that humble rabbi proud. You have raised a modern society in the Promised Land, a light unto the nations that preserves the legacy of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And you have built a mighty democracy that will endure forever and can always count on the United States of America to be at your side. God bless.

Wikipedia Overrun by Palestinian Propaganda

Exposed - Anti-Israeli Subversion on Wikipedia

HonestReporting exposes anti-Israel activists manipulating the online encyclopedia.

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia anyone can edit, may strive for pure democracy, but that doesn't mean it's always fair. Our colleagues at CAMERA learned this the hard way last month when their effort to fight anti-Israel bias on Wikipedia ended in several members being banned from the site and bad press for the organization. CAMERA's campaign involved recruiting volunteers and instructing them in the basics of Wikipedia participation. The Palestinian advocacy group, Electronic Intifada (EI), however, branded the effort "a plan to rewrite history" and filed a bitter complaint with Wikipedia administrators, resulting in unusually stiff penalties for the CAMERA volunteers involved....

Two Team Teaneck Candidates Lose Local Election

Team Teaneck, backed by Mayor Katz, suffered a defeat in yesterday's election. Orthodox Jews are still unable to wield much political influence beyond their 4 home districts out of the 21 township districts.

Toffler wins seat on Teaneck council
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
BY JOSEPH AX, Staff Writer

TEANECK — Challenger Barbara Toffler surged to victory in Tuesday’s bitterly contested council election, finishing first in a field of eight, while Councilwoman Monica Honis and newcomer Mohammed Hameeduddin also captured four-year terms.

“We’re going to be okay,” Toffler said from home, where supporters gathered to celebrate. “I’m thrilled. I am delighted that truth won. Believe me, I will do everything to serve Teaneck, the town that I love and the town that I grew up in.”

The results were a split verdict, with the two major slates of three candidates each falling short of a sweep.

Toffler had run informally alongside Honis and Audra Jackson, who finished sixth. Hameeduddin was part of the “Team Teaneck” slate of candidates that included Councilman Elnatan Rudolph, who failed in his bid for a full term after two years on the council, and Robert Robinson.

Independent candidates Ned Goldman and Howard Rose – both Planning Board members – ended the night behind the two slates, which accused each other of dirty tactics and divisive campaigning.

Toffler received 3,356 votes, while Honis received 2,981 and Hameeduddin 2,890. Rudolph finished only 48 votes back at 2,852, with Robinson following closely behind with 2,841.

Jackson notched 2,572 ballots. Goldman received 2,129 votes and Rose – the only candidate to eschew significant fund-raising as a matter of principle – finished with 1,313. The results are unofficial until provisional ballots are counted and the county certifies the totals.

Toffler and Honis won most of the remaining 17 districts, which include the southern end of town and the Northeast. Their slate was endorsed by the Northeast Teaneck Block Presidents Association and the citizens group Teaneck United. The Team Teaneck slate polled extremely well in the four West Englewood Avenue districts.

Rose and Goldman emphasized their independence as the campaign drew to a close, mindful of the animosity that existed between supporters of the two slates.

Mayor Elie Katz stumped for Team Teaneck, drawing criticism from opponents who claimed he was overstepping his bounds. And complaints of political intimidation, negative advertising and identity politics plagued the race in its final weeks, convincing some onlookers in the culturally diverse town that serious damage was being done to inter-group relations.

But in a handful of conversations during the day, voters from various sectors of Teaneck said it was the typical list of concerns for suburban residents that had drawn them to the polls – high taxes, future development, the school system and, in one case, a months-long delay for a permit to construct a new porch.

“That’s part of elections,” said William Batten of the clashes between candidates, as he exited a polling place in the Northeast. “I don’t pay much attention to it.”

Toffler, an organizational psychologist and research professor who is a former Planning Board member, and Honis, who won her second term, had vowed to maintain Teaneck’s suburban way of life and use the Master Plan to guide future development.

Hameeduddin, a first-time candidate and an alternate Planning Board member, had promised to pursue development that complements the character of the town. He is the owner of a residential title agency.

Rudolph works for the Bergen County Improvement Authority, and Robinson is a deacon at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack.

Jackson, an assistant school principal, has been active in community issues in the town, while Goldman, a commercial real estate broker, has also held positions on the Redevelopment Agency, the Environmental Commission and the school board. Rose, the owner of Briar Rose Books on Cedar Lane, is also the vice chairman of the Financial Advisory Board and a former chairman of the Cedar Lane Special Improvement District.

Richest US Jew - Sheldon Adelson - Grilled by Israeli Police

It's getting messier. Israeli police questioned the two of the richest American Jews as part of the Olmert bribery probe.

Israeli police seize documents in Olmert probe

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police said they raided the offices of a government ministry on Tuesday, confiscating documents as part of a bribery investigation that has put Prime Minister Ehud Olmert under pressure to resign.

Police had earlier questioned one American businessman in the affair. On Tuesday, a police source said they interviewed two others, including casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson.

Adelson, who was in Jerusalem as a sponsor of a conference hosted by Israel's president to mark the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state, was not immediately available for comment.

U.S. President George W. Bush is to address the conference on Wednesday.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said fraud squad officers entered the industry, trade and labour ministry, which was headed by Olmert before he became premier in 2006. They took away documents "as part of the ongoing investigation", he said.

On Monday, officers had removed documents from Jerusalem city hall, where Olmert was mayor from 1993 to 2003.

Olmert admitted last week that he took cash from New York Jewish financier Morris Talansky but he has denied any wrongdoing. Olmert said he would resign if indicted.

The police source said that as part of the probe, Israeli investigators on Tuesday questioned Adelson and another American businessman with links to Israel, Daniel Abrahams.

Adelson's Las Vegas Sands Corp. is a major casino, hotel and resort operator.

The Olmert investigation has cast a shadow over Bush's visit and could disrupt peace negotiations with the Palestinians, which Bush has sponsored over the past six months.

Olmert told the 60th anniversary conference that he was making progress in reaching "understandings" with the Palestinians, although Palestinian negotiators voiced scepticism when asked to comment on Olmert's remarks.

Legal sources say police suspect that Olmert took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Talansky over a decade.

Olmert said any funds from Talansky were contributions to his two campaigns for Jerusalem mayor in the 1990s and for posts in his former political party, Likud. He denied taking bribes.

Current Israeli law broadly prohibits political donations of more than a few hundred dollars.

An opinion poll in a major Israeli newspaper on Monday showed that a majority of Israelis want Olmert to resign or go on leave over the scandal and do not believe his denials.

Olmert, who once described himself as "indestructible", has survived several earlier corruption investigations.

Bad News from JTA: Einstein Wrote that the Jews are Not the Chosen People

Darn it. That Einstein was a party pooper.

Jews are not the chosen people and religious belief is "childish," Albert Einstein said in a 1954 letter.

Jews are not the chosen people and religious belief is "childish," Albert Einstein said in a 1954 letter.

The letter, written in German to philosopher Eric Gutkind the year before the Nobel Prize-winning scientist's death, will go on sale Thursday at an auction in England. It is expected to sell for up to $15,400, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Einstein's opinion on religion has long been debated. Previous statements attributed to the father of the Theory of Relativity -- a Jew who declined an invitation to be Israel's second president -- have been more ambivalent than this letter.

"The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish," Einstein wrote.

Einstein said he started questioning religion at the age of 12.

"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," the letter said. "And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people.

"As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are better protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."