Jewish Press Serving Nebraska and Western Iowa for more than 75 years
Vol.LXXVT
No. 9
HIST SOCIETY 1500 R ST LIHCOLH HE 68508-1651
».,~. x3,1998
Omaha, NE
ADL launches 'HateFilter' for internet use What do you do When your child about First Amendment issues. discovers a skinhead website on the "The information super highway is Internet? Until this week, parents cluttered wtth^Jjate,"Wolfson could buy 'blocking software' that observed.p would prevent access to sites containing key words, such as 'Nazi', 'white power', or, in the case, of deserve pornographic sites, the word 'sex' or crossing!; the name of any part of the human guard. r, body. "This softThe problem with this kind of soft- ware proware is that it also prevents legiti- vides an mate* research on topics such as answer." Larry \ World War II or scientific research R afu1 on issues such as breast cancer. of Bob Wolfson On Wednesday, the Anti dean Defamation League broke new Creighton Law School and immediate ground, when it introduced Hate past-president of the ADL, echoed Filter, a software parents can down- Wolfson's statement, "This software is load for free from the Internet (after not censorship; rather, it provides parseven days, the charge is $29.95 for ents an opportunity to educate and a three-month subscription and then explain on their own terms, using $29.95 annually). their values." HatePilter, a software,program According to the literature accompadeveloped in collaboration with nying the introduction of HateFilter, CyberPatrol, doesn't use keywords, the ADL's goal is one of education, not but it does maintain an ongoing and censorship. The software enables parupdated list of hate sites which, ents to use a simple password so that when blocked, cannot he accessed by they can view the prohibited site with children. When young people do • their child. In this way, parents can be attempt to. enter those 'forbidden'. - ,,a^part of their child's education and sites, they reach the ADL HateFilter evaluate the information found in sites instead. There, they'll receive back- such as those produced by the KKK or ground information on ADL's list of other groups spouting prejudice. hate groups and education on the "Ifs a great tool for parents, "added nature of hate. Ann Goldstein, president of the ADLAt a press conference on CRC, "and demonstrates just how ADL is on the cutting edge of technology." : Wednesday, Bob Wolfson, Executive Director of the Great Plains Region To access the new software, visit ADL's of the ADL-CRC, explained the website at www.adl.org and follow the rationale for the development of this instructions for installing HateFilter software and answered questions (and see their ad on page 16). •
"Don't be fooled by first impressions
99
by Carol Katzman
The crowd of 350 high school students and teachers had just settled back into their seats after watching a 20-minute video on tolerance, produced by the Anti-Defamation League for their annual Prejudice Elimination Workshop. The lights went up in the darkened theater at the Jewish Community Center and on stage stood...The Scary Guy. There was an audible gasp as this fearsome-looking man looked right into their eyes. The Scary Guy (that's his real name, legally changed in February) is covered in colorful tattooes over. 85% of his body; his earlobes, eyebrows and the bridge of his nose are all pierced as well. First impression from most people? "I wouldn't want to meet him in photo by Jen Gates a dark alley." The Scary Guy Yet his message is one of kindness, hope, courage and tolerance. The teenagers, to understand that they owner of two tattoo shops in Tucson, have a right to be loved, to express AZ, "just got sick of the name-calling themselves, to freedom, but to recogand slander" and told his wife, Julie, nize a different way of dealing with to pack his bags because he was anger and fear. "It took me years to figure that out," "going on the road for the rest of (his) The Scary Guy said in an interview. life to make a difference." Already, Scary, as he is affection- "And it culminated in an early mornately called by people who take the ing firebombing at one of my tattoo time to getto-knowhim, has spoken shops in Tuscon. "I stood there, watching theflames,and to more than 600,000 people, but this is the first appearance he has made realized there was nothing I could do." This moment of self-discovery brought for an ADL sponsored program. ' His biggest fear is not the reaction Scary to understand."what you give out he gets when he strolls into a room - is*what you get." Now his philosophy is itfs "What are you going to do when I "if I have, something you want, I will give it. If s about sharing," he said gently. leave?" " , : (Continued oncjiage 15) He wants people, especially
•U.S. urges Wye implementation after terror attack in Jerusalem by Naomi Segal.
. JERUSALEM (JTA) - U.S. officials have urged Israel and the Palestinian Authority to move ahead with the Wye agreement, despite a spate of terrorist attacks aimed at derailing the peace process. U.S. Secretary of State'Madeleine Albright telephoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat last Friday, after a suicide bombing at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market wounded at least 21 Israelis. The two suicide bombers were the only fatalities. She reportedly appealed to them not to let the enemies of peace derail implementation of the Wye
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accord, which calls for Israel to transfer 13 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians in exchange for concrete actions against terrorism. The Israeli Cabinet, which was in session last Friday when the suicide bombers struck, immediately suspended its deliberations on the accord. ; The Cabinet later issued a statement that it would ratify the agreement only after the Palestinian Authority fulfills its security obligations under the accord. Just the same, Israeli Defense ^Minister Yitzhak Mordechai predicted the Cabinet would convene in the coming days to resume discussion of the agreement. At a weekend rally, Netanyahu announced that Israel would continue to build in Jerusalem, including Har Homa. The staj-t. of infrastructure . = work in March 1997 at Photoby Robert A. Cumins
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Signing the latest agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel at Wye, Maryland, were: PA t n e controversial site in Chairman Yasser Arafat, left, observer and facilitator King Hussein of Jordan, President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister soutn eastern Jerusalem (Continued on page 14) Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli cabinet talks to approve the agreement were cancelled after last Friday's bombing.