Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is making preparations for replacing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert if and when the latest bribery scandal forces him to resign, political analysts reported.

"The main scenario discussed yesterday in the political corridors, assuming Olmert does indeed leave or is made to leave, is that the Foreign Minister will replace him, in her capacity as Acting Prime Minister," right-of-center website Makor Rishon wrote Wednesday. While the Kadima party's regulations determine that a new party chairman must be chosen in primaries, Livni may circumvent the regulation by arguing time is pressing and stability is of cardinal importance.

Livni has offered no public backing for the Prime Minister in his time of trouble. According to the report, she is already making "careful and delicate" contact with the Kadima party's Knesset faction members in an attempt to secure their backing.

"If Olmert is forced to leave the Prime Minister's Bureau, all eyes will turn to one man: [Labor Party Chairman] Ehud Barak," wrote an analyst for Ynet. "If this scenario turns into reality, the Labor Chairman will have to reach a dramatic decision, which will lead to early elections," he estimated. "A Prime Minister's resignation will rock the political system, and Labor members are convinced that Barak will have to ride this shock wave in order to strengthen his status and his party, even if Likud turns out to be the big winner."
She is already making "careful and delicate" contact with Kadima's Knesset faction members in an attempt to secure their backing.

Other analysts believe that Ehud Barak will not rush to elections, since they will likely lead to a Likud Party victory.

According to Ynet's analysis, if Olmert resigns, Kadima's most senior members will back Livni as the "natural successor" at first. Things will then depend on Barak again: he may want to cut short her term in office in order to prevent her from consolidating her status as a leader, or he may reach the conclusion that she does not pose a threat either way. Another option which Barak may be mulling is a merger between Labor and Kadima. Some in the Left believe that such a merger would give them a better chance to defeat the Right. 

Livni wooing Shas?
Kadima's second major coalition partner, the Sephardic hareidi-religious Shas party, may also accept Livni. Livni's confidantes reportedly began wooing Shas – which opposes concessions to the Arabs in Jerusalem – by hinting Tuesday that Livni is not pleased with the way Olmert is handling the negotiations with the PA Arabs. The Foreign Minister's confidantes reportedly said that "red lines have been crossed" in the negotiations with Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, "especially with regard to the question of refugees."

Anonymous Shas sources did not rule out the possibility of continuing in a coalition under Livni. "It is true that Livni has said some things about Religion and State that do not completely line up with our views, but we should listen to what she has been saying recently," the source said. "If Livni is Acting Prime Minister, it is unlikely that we will rock the boat," the source said.

Commemoration of Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for its fallen soldiers and terrorism victims, began Tuesday evening at 8 PM with a country-wide siren and minute of silence. Memorial ceremonies took place in towns and cities around the country.

The major ceremony took place at the Western Wall, with the participation of Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger, as well as President Peres and IDF Chief of Staff Ashkenazi.

With flags at half-mast, a second siren is to be sounded Wednesday morning, at 11 AM, once again bringing all public activity to a standstill. The siren will mark the beginning of memorial ceremonies at the 43 military cemeteries around the country. A Knesset Member or government official will speak at each ceremony.

The Defense Ministry reports the number of fallen in the Jews' war for the Land of Israel since 1860 as 22,437.  This number includes soldiers - not civilians - who fell since 1948, as well as all Jews killed between 1860 and 1948 in the struggle for the Land.  The total number is 132 higher than last year, including 31 who were murdered or fell in battle since last year's Memorial Day, as well as others who died of their wounds or were recognized as IDF war casualties this year. 

The year 1860 was chosen because it was then that Jews began to move outside Jerusalem's Old City walls and build new neighborhoods there.

In the Binyamin region (southern Shomron), the central Memorial Day ceremony will take place in the old British police station on Patriarchs Way, otherwise known as Wadi Haramiyeh.  The 70-minute ceremony will be run by the girls of the Neriah Ulpanah high school, and will end at 11 AM with the nation-wide siren.  Eighty Binyamin residents who have been killed in Israel's wars or murdered by Arab terrorists will be memorialized.

The names of all Israel's fallen soldiers and terrorist victims will be broadcast on Israel's public television channel Tuesday evening and Wednesday, one after the other, for 4-5 seconds each. 

Special memorials will also be held at the Clandestine Immigration Museum in Haifa, the Acre Prison for Underground Prisoners, and at the Police Section of Mt. Herzl.  A special ceremony will also be held in memory of Jews murdered by terrorists and anti-Semites around the world. Some 200 such Jews will be remembered at Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem, in an event organized by the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish National Fund, and the UJC of North America.  A new monument with the victims' names was dedicated on the same occasion last year. 

Both Memorial Day and Independence Day are commemorated two days earlier than usual this year, in accordance with a ruling by the Chief Rabbinate and Knesset to ensure that Independence Day not fall on the Sabbath.

History of Israel's Fallen
The 1948-49 War of Independence was Israel's costliest war, with more than 6,000 dead - one percent of the Jewish population at the time - and 15,000 wounded.

During the ensuing seven years of relative quiet, 101 Israelis were killed in "1,339 cases of armed clashes with Egyptian armed forces, 435 cases of incursion from Egyptian-controlled territory, and 172 cases of sabotage perpetrated by Egyptian military units and fedayeen [terrorists] in Israel.  So said Israel's Ambassador to the UN Abba Eban to the UN Security Council on October 30, 1956 - the day after Israel began the Sinai Campaign in response to Egypt's violation of international agreements by blockading the Israeli port of Eilat. A total of 231 Israeli soldiers died in the eight days of fighting.

The Six-Day War broke out on June 5, 1967. Along with the stunning victories, over 770 Israelis were killed.

Then began the period of the War of Attrition, which claimed 424 soldiers and more than 100 civilians. A ceasefire was declared on August 8, 1970.

Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur of 1973. The IDF ultimately emerged victorious, but a total of 2,688 soldiers were killed.

In June 1982, in response to continued terrorist attacks and Katyusha shellings from across the Lebanese border, as well as an assassination attempt upon Israel's late Ambassador to Great Britain Shlomo Argov, Israel attacked the terrorists in Lebanon in what was known as Operation Peace for Galilee. Close to 460 soldiers were killed between June and December 1982, and another 760 in daily ambushes against Israeli forces over the next two and a half years.

Between December 1987, when the first Arab "intifada" broke out, and the signing of the Oslo Accords in late 1993, 90 Israelis were murdered.

Between the Oslo signing and the beginning of what became known as the Oslo War in September, 2000, 251 Israelis were murdered by terrorists.

Another 1,320 have been felled by Palestinian Authority terrorists and gunmen since the Oslo War began in September 2000.

A Palestinian Authority television program produced by Hamas, the ruling regime in Gaza, encourages Arab Muslim children to strive for the conquest of Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ashdod. The puppet characters in the program, two birds named Kuku and Fufu, refer to all the Israeli cities as "settlements" and repeatedly say that they "will return to our land." In order to "defeat the enemies of Allah," the show tells kids, Arab Muslims must unite and adhere to the Koran.

The TV show was broadcast on the Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV on May 2, 2008, as part of a discussion of Israel's upcoming 60th Independence Day, which the Arabs have dubbed Al-Nakba, "the Disaster". The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) provided translated excerpts of the program.

Tearfully, the Kuku character tells his companion: "We will persevere, Allah willing, and we will return to our land, Allah willing. We will return to Jaffa, Akko [Acre], Lod, Ramle and Ashdod. We will return to all these cities, Allah willing."

Fufu: "Kuku, where are you from?"

Kuku: "I am from Tel Al-Rabi'a, which they have named Tel Aviv. Allah is our support. I say that we must return to our homes, and to our lands, God willing."

Later in the show, Kuku declares that Arabs will eventually flood back into Israel from "Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, and America." They "will come to their country with their heads held high."

Clearly promoting to PA children the jihadist line espoused by Islamic fundamentalists, Kuku says, "These years have made it clear to us that we must return to our lands, Allah willing, and that we must defeat the enemies of Allah."

When Fufu asks when the Arabs will "return," Kuku replies, "We will return to our land when we unite, when we
Kuku replies, "We will return to our land when we unite, when we adhere to our faith and to the Koran."
adhere to our faith and to the Koran."

Fufu: "Okay, Kuku. Put your hand in mine, so we can unite and return victoriously to our country tomorrow, Allah willing - to Haifa, Jaffa, and Akko. My hand is now in yours, Kuku. Let's unite, and return to our country tomorrow as victors."

Significantly, Fatah-controlled PA television periodically promotes the identical message as Hamas regarding the claimed Arab identity of cities in pre- and post-1967 Israel, as well as their eventual "liberation" from the Jews by force of PA arms. One distinction between the two is the Fatah willingness to mention Christian Arabs as equals in the war against Israel and avoiding some of the Islamic supremacist rhetoric favored by Hamas.

The Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV gained notoriety worldwide in 2007 for its use of a Mickey Mouse look-alike to promote Islamic triumphalism, jihad and anti-Semitism.

With Prime Minister Ehud Olmert under the police investigators' gun, sources imply he has agreed to give away 89% of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority - and some say even more.

On Tuesday morning, while the Israeli media was rife with reports of expected "dramatic developments" in the latest criminal investigation against the Prime Minister, it was also reported that "major progress" had been made between Israeli and PA negotiators on the issue of final borders.

Abbas to Israel: Agree - or I Quit
At the same time, PA Chairman Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) continued to pressure Olmert by threatening to resign his post if Israel does not agree to his terms for a final peace agreement.  Olmert and Abbas last met on Monday.

A Palestinian Authority journalist told the PA website Falestin Al-Yam on Tuesday that the talks are essentially stuck over the last 10%, more or less, of Judea and Samaria. Israel has offered to give up 89% of the total area and annex the rest, while the PA continues to demand 98.5%. 

PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh released a statement confirming that the Abbas-Olmert meeting dealt with the issue of borders, but said that "extensive gaps"  remain between the sides. Contrary to the 1.5%-report above, Rudeineh said that Abbas is still insisting on 100% of what he calls the "West Bank."

Other Versions
Reuters reports that Olmert has privately expressed willingness to give up "90-something" percent of Judea and Samaria, and that he is likely to offer at least 92%.  A land-swap offer of another 4-6% is also a possibility, according to this report, though Abbas is prepared to accept less than half of that. 

The PA also demands - and Israel has apparently agreed to give - a corridor through the heart of Israel connecting Judea and Gaza. This, even though the two districts were never politically linked before the Oslo Accords of 1999 placed both of them under Palestinian Authority control.

Abbas May Turn to Arabs
While some say that Abu Mazen is threatening to quit, others foresee different scenarios. A "senior PA source" is quoted in the Arabic-language Al-Kuds Al-Arabiye newspaper today as saying, "If the talks do not lead to results by the end of 2008, Abu Mazen will address the Palestinian nation [sic] in which he will announce that the negotiations have failed and that he will try to reach understandings with the Arab nations."

Back in 2000, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak reportedly offered the PA between 95 and 98% of Judea and Samaria, but was turned down - and received the Oslo War instead. 

Hamas, for its part, appears to be happy over Fatah's disappointment at the rate of the talks, but is still wary that a deal may be being worked out under its nose.  A Hamas spokesman said, "Abu Mazen and his people have not brought the Palestinian public real diplomatic achievements.  Even after 30 meetings, they have not managed to convince the occupiers to remove even one Zionist checkpoint."  In actuality, however, Israel has removed several anti-terrorism checkpoints throughout Judea and Samaria, to the army's consternation.

Sources close to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that the allegations which implicated Olmert in the newest suspicions against him were politically motivated. According to Channel 10's political correspondent, the sources said that the people who leveled the allegations against Olmert thought that he was leaning too far to the left in his current negotiations with the PA. Channel 2's political analyst Amnon Abramovich made similar hints Monday night.

Israeli media is bound by a gag order suppressing virtually all information regarding the case, but both Channel 2 and Channel 10 mentioned the New York Post to their viewers as a news outlet which had published the allegations against Olmert.  

Channel 10's legal affairs correspondent said that after speaking to sources in the Justice Ministry he found "there is no dispute over the facts" in the case. "There will be a charge sheet," he said, "but it still isn't clear whether it will include serious offenses or lighter ones." The political correspondent, Raviv Drucker, agreed and said that the question was how to interpret the facts.

'Just like Barak'
Drucker added that Olmert had been speaking with senior Labor officials and had told them that he
Olmert had been speaking with senior Labor officials and had told them that he intended to fight and not resign.
intended to fight and not resign. Olmert, he said, was determined to convince the Labor officials that what had happened to him was no different from what happened with former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was investigated for illegally using NGO's to fund his successful campaign to be elected Prime Minister in 1999.

Olmert, said the correspondent, does not want to leave office and sees nothing wrong with continuing to serve as Prime Minister despite the ongoing investigations against him. In this matter he compared his situation to that of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who continued to serve as Prime Minister despite the investigation against him in the so-called "Greek Island" affair, and to Barak who continued to serve despite the allegations against him regarding the NGO's.

The comparison to Sharon's Greek Island affair could be seen by right-wingers as a worrisome one because it was the pressure from that probe which allegedly pushed Sharon into carrying out the "Disengagement:" the destruction of Jewish communities in Gaza and the eviction of all Jews from Gaza.

In a book he co-authored after the Disengagement, Drucker alleged that Sharon's circle of advisors decided to press ahead with the Disengagement in order to please the leftist establishment and avoid prosecution for the Greek Island affair. Abramovich supported the idea of "going easy" on Sharon at the time and famously used the expression "guard him like an etrog."

Fatah's newly-bolstered armed security force shot dead a bystander in a clash with a rival terror group in Jenin, and is already asking for more troops. In Jericho a man was handed a jail sentence for helping Israel fight terrorism.

A resident of the Palestinian Authority (PA)-controlled Jenin region was killed by during clashes between PA police and Islamic Jihad terrorists on Tuesday.  The 21-year-old was shot in the head during the clashes. Conflicting local reports say he is either dead or critically wounded. 

Two Islamic Jihad men were wounded during the coordinated attack on the Fatah men in an attempt to free an Islamic Jihad prisoner who was being transferred.  

Palestinian Authority officials said that the incident was a demonstration of the new forces struggling to impose order and added that they would like to increase the PA force in Jenin to include 1,500 more men. Almost 500 men were added to the force this week, in addition to the existing PA forces, which already surpassed the number outlined in the Oslo Accords.

The arming and formation of a military force to bolster the unpopular Fatah group's rule is being coordinated by the US and supported by Israel in a bid to prevent the Islamist Hamas from coming to power in Judea and Samaria. The model was put into action in Gaza, but Hamas easily beat the group formerly led by Yasser Arafat and inherited the weapons and facilities that had been supplied by the West. In a sophisticated cross-border attack on an IDF position at the Kerem Shalom Gaza border crossing, Hamas used an armored vehicle supplied to Fatah by Russia to smash through the border and attack IDF soldiers.

Another PA Man Sentenced for Fighting Terrorism
A 28-year-old man living in PA-controlled Tul Karem, east of Netanya, was convicted by a PA court of “collaboration” for assisting Israeli authorities in their fight against local terrorist groups.  A PA court in Shechem sentenced the man to life in prison on Tuesday.

Fatah's newly-deployed forces are also committed to assisting Israeli authorities in their fight against local terrorist groups, according to the US-backed Road Map and US General Keith Dayton, who oversees their training and deployment.

A PA Arab man from Jericho was sentenced to death last month for giving Israeli forces information that assisted them in assassinating terrorists.  The man’s sentence was commuted to a prison term due to pressure from Jewish rights groups.

One Terrorist Killed in Two Air Strikes
Two IDF counter-terrorist raids killed at least one terrorist and wounded several others, one of them critically, in Gaza early Wednesday morning. Arab medics said that five terrorists and one civilian were wounded. The operation took place east of Khan Yunis, near the site of the destroyed Jewish community of N'vei Dekalim.

The IDF said the clash began after the terrorists approached the soldiers. Tanks and bulldozers supported the operation, aimed at destroying the terrorist infrastructure.

Tuesday night, one terrorist was killed and five others were wounded when a smuggling tunnel under construction collapsed.

Mortar and Rocket Attacks
Arab terrorists in Gaza launched a Kassam rocket attack on Jewish communities in the western Negev late Tuesday afternoon.

Two Kassam rockets were fired at the city of Sderot. Both exploded on the outskirts of the city, in open areas. No one was injured and no property damage was reported. Four mortar shells were also fired, all landing in open fields near the security barrier. No injuries or damage reported in those attacks either.

IDF Arrests Seven Wanted Terrorists
IDF soldiers arrested seven wanted terrorists on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.  Two were arrested in Shechem, two in a village near Ramallah, and three in Hevron.

The detainees were taken to security services for questioning.

Israeli Driver Chases, Catches Arab Rock-Thrower
An Israeli driver who was attacked by an Arab as he drove through the Wadi Ara area Tuesday afternoon succeeded in catching the the teenager who hurled the rocks that smashed the windshield of his car.

The victim subdued the attacker, called the police and handed the rock-thrower over when the patrol car arrived.

Closure of Judea and Samaria Through Independence Day
A general closure of Judea and Samaria is in effect through midnight Thursday night after the completion of the Independence Day festivities.

The IDF Spokespersons Office issued a statement nothing that passage of those in need of humanitarian aid as well as doctors, medical personnel and additional professional groups will be authorized by the District Coordination and Liaison offices.

Maayana Miskin and Hana Levi Julian contributed to this report

Israel is sending aid teams to devasted Myanmar (formerly Burma) on Wednesday, where the death toll from a cyclone that battered the Southeast Asian nation over the weekend is said to be between 23,000-50,000.

The Foreign Ministry sent teams from the IDF's highly trained search-and-rescue team as well as a 10-member team of top Israeli doctors and nurses. The Jewish State also dispatched badly needed supplies, including plastic sheeting, food, household appliances and water filters.

Shachar Zahavi, head of the IsrAid organization in charge of coordinating assistance to foreign countries in need, said that Myanmar, known as Burma before the rise of a military government, would provide visas for the teams by Wednesday morning.

A spokesman from the Myanmar Embassy in Tel Aviv expressed gratitude to the Israeli government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are providing monetary and other assistance to help in the wake of Saturday's disaster.

23,000 people have been found dead after the deadly cyclone, named Nargis, whipped through the poor Asian country. It was followed by a huge tidal wave that flooded many coastal villages. There are still 41,000 people "missing" and aid groups are estimating upwards of 50,000 dead. Many may be alive, but stranded in outlying villages or towns cut off from the outside world by debris and downed phone and electric lines. Israel's search and rescue teams are expert in extracting survivors from rubble and wreckage as their training is meant to deal with missile and attack and earthquake relief.

Other countries are pitching in as well. The United States has given $3.25 million and the United Kingdom promised $9.9 million. Thailand dispatched $100,000 and supplies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies pledged $189,000, Canada $2 million, China $1 million, India relief materials, Indonesia: $1 million, Norway$1.96 million, France $3.1 million, Ireland $1.5 million, Spain $775,000, Switzerland $475,000, Czech Republic $154,000, Denmark $103,600 and Sweden offered "logistical support and water cleaning systems."

Jews of Burma
Jewish settlements in Burma date from the first half of the19th Century, consisting primarily of Jews who emigrated from Bombay, Cochin and Calcutta, in India. 

In the 1870's the Jewish population was large enough in the Burmese city of Rangoon to warrant Jewish communal facilities. In 1893-96, a large Synagogue was built to replace a wooden structure that had been used for prayers.  At its peak, the Jewish population in Burma was only 1,200 and most left during the Holocaust, when Japan invaded the country. A few Jews remain in Rangoon, along with the synagogue.

Maayana Miskin contributed to this report

With U.S. President George W. Bush on his way to Israel next week for Israel's 60th birthday, and with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert under police investigation yet again, Esther Pollard says her husband's release now would provide a much-needed national boost of morale.

Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard has served 22.5 years of a life sentence - unprecedented for the crime of which he was convicted, namely, passing classified information to Israel, a U.S. ally.

Many Israelis had looked forward to Bush's May 13th visit as an opportunity to pardon and release Jonathan Pollard from U.S. prison. Esther Pollard feels that the current investigation against Olmert should not detract from the chances of seeing her husband here at home. "Jonathan's return home now would have a tremendously positive effect on the country," she told Israel National News. "It would be a great morale booster, and that's why Olmert owes it to his country to request this of Bush."

"There is no more morally fitting and appropriate act that Olmert could do at this time," Mrs. Pollard said, "than to make a genuine request for Jonathan's release.  This would not only redeem a man who has sat so long in prison for saving Israel, but also redeem Olmert's own very soiled and tarnished reputation."

Mrs. Pollard added that the Americans themselves "would look favorably on a principled request of this nature... not to mention that Bush, too, would not mind finding a way to climb down from the tall tree America has climbed in this matter, having sentenced him to such a disproportionate term in prison."

Jonathan Pollard is the only person in the history of the United States to receive a life sentence for spying for an American ally. The maximum sentence today for such an offence is 10 years. The median sentence for this offence is 2 to 4 years.

She emphasized that the recent revelations that another American Jew, Ben-Ami Kadish, is suspected of spying for Israel over 25 years ago should have no effect on her husband's release: "Just like President Clinton released FALN terrorists against the advice of his aides, Bush can similarly have Pollard released."

"Imagine the Cleansing Effect..."
"As religious people," Esther said, "Jonathan and I believe that Olmert's failure to ask for his release up to now is beyond understanding - and almost beyond tshuvah [repentance]. But he can still redress this wrong now - not by turning the matter into a public relations gimmick, but by making the request in the proper way. Imagine the cleansing effect it would have on himself, and for the whole country."

Former Prisoner of Zion Yosef Mendelevitch has cancelled his participation in Israel's International Bible Contest for Jewish Youth on Independence Day. The announcement was made after authorities decided to allow a Jewish-born girl who now believes in the Christian faith to participate as a contestant.

The 17 year-old girl won the Jerusalem region bible contest for secular public schools, entitling her to participate in the bible contest finals.

Each year, important figures are invited to the bible contest event to be introduced to the young contestants and ask one of the quiz questions. Organizers planned to show a short movie featuring Mendelevitch's struggle against the Russian authorities to immigrate to Israel. Mendelevitch was jailed for 11 years in Russia for his pro-Israel activism. Following the movie, the prisoner of Zion was to pose a quiz question.

When the Ministry of Education refused to disqualify the Christian contestant in Israel's landmark event for Jewish education, Mendelevitch informed the organizers that he would not be there and forbade them to show his video.

"I refuse to support an event which is being hijacked by Christian missionaries to support their agenda," he said. "It is not an issue of public relations, rather a matter of principle."

The first state-funded Reform Temple in Israel's history officially opened its doors in the city of Modiin on Monday. Until the recent deal reached between the Yozma Reform community in Modiin and local and state governments, Israel funded only those Jewish religious services recognized by the Chief Rabbinate.
Reform movement spokespeople said that the prefab "will be the first building of many."

As an initial step towards a more permanent building, a prefabricated structure provided by the state was put into place on land allocated by the Modiin Municipality for the Yozma Temple and community center in December 2007. It was the first time that the government, through the Construction and Housing Ministry, provided a building for a non-Orthodox synagogue in Israel.

On Monday, the new Temple, which has been in use for several weeks, was formally inaugurated in the presence of Modiin Mayor Moshe Spector, Yozma and Union for Progressive Judaism leaders, and other local politicians.

Reform movement spokespeople said that the prefab "will be the first building of many that will eventually serve as Modiin's center for Progressive Judaism and will include a synagogue, a community center, nursery school classes and a day care center."

'Interesting Social Dynamic'
State funding for the Yozma Temple was long in coming and followed two petitions to the High Court of Justice by the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) and the Movement for Progressive Judaism. The petitioners claimed unfair "discrimination in the allocation of funds for the construction of synagogues," and demanded that public funding and land be distributed for use by the Reform community just as it is for the many Orthodox synagogues in Modiin. As a result, the High Court ordered all religious structure allocations halted in the interim. The order prevented Orthodox synagogues from being built for the several years of litigation.
the High Court ordered all religious structure allocations halted in the interim.

Ultimately, with the support of city leaders and then-Housing Minister Yitzchak Herzog, a compromise was reached in which the litigation was suspended by the Reform movement and the city released land for their use, while the Ministry of Housing agreed to provide a prefab structure from its Religious Buildings Department. As a result of the Yozma precedent in Modiin, five other Reform and Conservative congregations nationwide are slated to receive funding and land as well.

According to Yozma Executive Director Yossi Aud, an "interesting social dynamic took place between us and the Orthodox community, which included a fruitful dialogue that contributed to the compromise solution."

The city's Sephardic Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Elharar told Arutz-7, "I had no part in any such dialogue, but I can say that this is a shameful and shocking phenomenon."  Asked if he feels that the city's irreligious youth might be attracted to the Reform temple, the rabbi said, "Not at all. I work with entire classes of the secular high school here - I am right now on my way to a Memorial Day ceremony with them - and they themselves have told me that they know the Reform have nothing to offer them in terms of genuine Judaism."

The city's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau was unavailable for comment.

Last year, the spiritual leader of Yozma in Modiin cooperated with Mayor Spector in a unique initiative aimed at encouraging members of Reform congregations in North America to make Aliyah (immigrate to Israel).

Hillel Fendel contributed to this story.

A7 Radio's "The Beat" with Ben Bresky

An Israel Independence Day Special featuring a mix of mostly modern Israeli hits from Idan Reichel, Rabbi Shlomo Katz, Mordechai Ben David, Naomi Shemer, Dov Shurin, Ofra Haza, Gaya, Yosef Karduner, Arcadi Duchin, Hemi Rodner and Eyal Golan. Plus our CD giveaway question of the week.