14
www.jewishnews.co.uk
Jewish News 21 December 2017
World News / Austrian vote / Nazi probe / News briefs
MAY BACKS AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR Theresa May has congratulated Austria’s new chancellor Sebastian Kurz (pictured) on the formation of his government amid protests against his coalition with the rightwing nationalist Freedom Party. The prime minister and Kurz, Europe’s youngest leader at the age of 31, said they were looking forward to working together, her official spokesman said. Around 6,000 people protested in Vienna at the coalition between Kurz’s Austrian People’s Party and the Freedom Party, bearing signs including “We don’t want any
Nazi pigs” and “Nazis out”. Moshe Kantor of the European Jewish Congress said: “The FPO has a long history of anti-Semitism and xenophobia... [It] has tried to correct these elements of its past and ideology and now we need to see concrete steps to show that these are not publicity stunts or they will remain outside of the pale for the Jewish community.”
Nine new Nazi cases Ravensbrück and BuchenGermany this week wald concentration camps announced nine potential in Germany, at Mauthausen new cases against former in Austria, and at the AusNazi concentration camp chwitz death camp in Naziguards. occupied Poland. If tried, the nine men and The 2011 conviction in women – who live in GerMunich of former concenmany and Austria — would tration camp guard John be charged as accessories to Demjanjuk as an accommurder in several camps. plice in the murders of The cases, already invesnearly 30,000 Jews in the tigated by the country’s Central Office for Investigation Oscar Groening was found guilty Sobibor death camp in Poland set a precedent that of Nazi Crimes, have been of facilitating mass murder being a death camp guard handed to local prosecutors was sufficient to prove complicity in murder. for potential indictment. Meanwhile, 96-year-old former Auschwitz JeanRommel,whoheadstheCentralOfficein Ludwigsburg, Germany, confirmed to German guard Oscar Groening, who was deemed fit to news media that the nine men and women, serve a prison sentence, has challenged his jail most of them in their 90s, were stationed at the sentence arguing that it violates his “right to life.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
SEA OF GALILEE TO GET DESALINATED WATER
DONOR DOUBLES GENESIS PRIZE
Israel is preparing to pump desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee. The state’s Water Authority recently started work on the £224 million project, which will take about two years to complete, Israel’s Hadashot TV news reported Monday.
Israeli philanthropist Morris Kahn has made a £746,700 gift to the Genesis Prize Foundation in honour of 2018 laureate Natalie Portman. Kahn’s gift doubles the award for the so-called “Jewish Nobel” to £1.5 million. Last month, Portman was
named the fifth recipient of the prize, which honours professional achievement in service of Jewish values and the Jewish people. The Israeli-born actress said she would grant the prize money to programmes focusing on advancing women’s equality, including NGOs working in the field of women’s rights in Israel.
We specialise in soft and hard landscaping, composite decking & artificial lawns. Supply plants, shrubs & trees
Free design service
020 8502 9550 | 07736 670531 enquiries@russellandson.com | www.russellandson.com |
Creating that perfect garden for you
15% off for new customers for December, January, February