Louisville Prayer Gathering for Imprisoned Iranian Baha'i Leaders

Friends,

As you can see in the news from CNN included below, the leadership of the Iran Baha'i community has been imprisoned for a year and is set to be tried on spying and other charges by the Iranian government.

In the wake of this disturing news, Louisville's Baha'is will host a prayer gathering on Sunday, February 22 at 7 p.m. to offer prayers for the release of the Iranian Baha'is. The public is invited to join them at their meeting house, located at 3808 Bardstown Rd. (in the Buechel business district).

For further information about the story and to learn more about the Baha'is, please contact Nancy Harris at

lsa@louisvillebaha.org .

Here is the story about the imprisoned Baha'i leaders

Religious leaders face spying charges in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Seven imprisoned leaders of the Baha'i faith in Iran have been accused of espionage and will face court hearings within a week, a judicial spokesman said Wednesday.

Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Ali-Reza Jamshidi saying the charges related to acts including spying for "foreigners," a term regarded as a reference to Iran's archenemy, Israel.

"One of their accusations is that they had cooperated with Israel. Generally, the Bahai's are accused of this," said Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian rights activist who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. She says her team at the Center for Defenders of Human Rights in Iran has taken their case.

Iranian Baha'is have faced systematic persecution in Iran under the current government, which regards their faith as heretical.

The movement has been accused of espionage in the past, and many Baha'is believe the assertions result from the fact that Baha'i World Center is in the Israeli city of Haifa, a fact that predates the founding of the Jewish state.

Baha'is are caught in the middle of the antagonism between Israel and Iran. Iran does not recognize the existence of Israel and has backed anti-Israeli militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Israel fears that Iran is intent on developing nuclear weaponry and using it against Israel. On Sunday, Iran's Prosecutor General Dorri-Najafabadi said "there is irrefutable evidence that adherents of the Baha'i sect are in close contact with the enemies of the Iranian nation," IRNA said.

The Baha'i movement quotes him as saying that "Baha'i organizations are illegal and their connections to Israel and their enmity toward Islam and the Islamic system are absolutely certain and their threat against national security is a proven fact."

Another Iranian official, deputy public prosecutor Hassan Haddad recently said the accusations would include "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic republic," according to the Baha'i movement. The group denies all charges against the seven: Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naemi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm. Sabet was arrested in March and the others in May.

The group comprised an "ad hoc coordinating committee" who "helped tend to the needs of the 300,000 Baha'is in Iran. Of the seven, Kamalabadi and Sabet are women.

The arrests and charges have been deplored internationally.

The United States slammed the "Iranian government's decision to level baseless charges of espionage against seven leaders of the Iranian Baha'i community."

Amnesty International believes the charges are "politically motivated" and the seven are "prisoners of conscience, detained solely because of their conscientiously held beliefs or their peaceful activities on behalf of the Baha'i community. If convicted, they would face lengthy prison terms, or even the death penalty."

The Baha'i religion was founded in the 19th century. Its founder, Baha'u'llah, is regarded by Baha'is as "the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad."

CNN's Reza Sayah contributed to this report

Could there have been a way to prevent the Holocaust?

The Louisville 2009 Jewish Film Festival is underway and last night I viewed a screening of the documentary "Constantine's Sword." The film concerns the life and work of author James Carrol, a former Catholic priest who has spent a decade trying to help Catholics and Christians of all denominations understand the long history of anti-Jewishness in their religion, and the role this moral virus played in setting the stage for the Holocaust.

Carrol detailed the 1,500+ year history of anti-Jewish actions by Christians in a book published nearly a decade ago. This book also bore the title"Constantine's Sword". It raised many troubling questions, but among the most painful is "Why did the Catholic Church, and more specifically, Pope Pius XII, stand silent in the face of compelling evidence that Jews throughout Europe were being systematically murdered by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s?"

We may never know the answer to that question, but a more compelling query might be "What would have happened if the Pope had spoken out?'

I think about this alot. This spring I spoke out at a luncheon where the speaker was uttering untrue, virulently anti-Islamic words. I had to bolster my courage to speak. Even when I did confront the speaker, my voice quavered and I stood shaking. I know that speaking up is frightening. We never no what will happen as a result of confronting even something or someone blatantly dangerous.

I wonder what would have happened if when he learned of the monstrous evil of the Holocaust, the Holy Father had stood publicly and said "If the Nazis come for the Jews, they will take me, too. And I urge all of the religious, priests, nuns, bishops, monastics, to also get in line to board the cattle cars whose destination is death."

If he had uttered those words, if he followed them up by joining the Jews, would the Holocaust have been prevented? We won't know. Can't know. History is a fixed place. The Holocaust, despite contemporary clerical deniers, was a reality.

Still, something within me wants to believe that the Nazis would have abandoned the Final Solution. And I must be honest. I wonder if I had been wearing the Shoes of the Fisherman back then would I have had the courage to challenge evil. I don't know. As I admitted earlier, last spring I trembled in the face of someone's evil words; could I have challenged murder? I will wrestle with that for a long time to come.

I invite you to explore the remaining films of the Festival. They are all compelling. Here are the details.

11th Annual Jewish Film Festival, FEBRUARY 14-24, 2009


THE DEBT Saturday, February 14 7:30 PM Village 8


In 1964 Rachel Brener is one of three Mossad agents, who capture the "Surgeon of Birkenau", a monstrous Nazi war criminal. In their safe house, at the outskirts of Berlin, the three agents wait for their return to Israel in order to deliver "the Surgeon" for public trial. Before this can happen "The Surgeon" manages to escape. Unable to face their horrible failure, Rachel and her friends decide to fabricate the Surgeon's death and return to Israel as "national heroes".In 1997, "The Surgeon suddenly" resurfaces in the Ukraine, determined to confess to his crimes against humanity. Now, the three ex Mossad agents need to protect their lie.





LOVE AND DANCE Sunday, February 15 2:00 PM Village 8





Chen, a young child, is battling a cultural conflict between his Russian born mother and Israeli father. She is cultured and used to the finer things in life. He is gruff on the outside but sweet on the inside; looking to make his young son a man rather than the wimp his mother is raising. One day, Chen stumbles upon a ballroom dance class for young people and sees Natalie, a stunning Russian young girl he immediately falls in love with. His interest in Natalie leads him to take ballroom dancing and ultimately to bridge the cultural divide of his own family.





CONSTANTINE'S SWORD Monday, February 16 7:00 PM UofL*


Sunday, February 22 7:00 PM Village 8





This is the story of James Carroll, the author of the book Constantine's Sword and a former Catholic priest, on a journey to confront his past and uncover the roots of religiously inspired violence and war. His search reveals a growing scandal involving religious infiltration of the U.S. Military and the terrible consequences of religion's influence on America's foreign policy. The film brings the history of religious intolerance to life, tracing it as a source of the fanaticism that threatens the world today.*University of Louisville screening is free of charge. Location: Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library, parking available in Speed Museum Parking Garage





THE SECRETS Tuesday, February 17 7:00 PM Village 8





Naomi postpones marriage to the prodigy of her orthodox father to study at the Jewish seminary for women in the ancient Kabalistic seat of Safed following her mother's death. Her quest for individuality takes a defiant turn when she befriends Michelle, a free-spirited, headstrong student. Their unlikely alliance is jeopardized by their relationship with a mysterious terminally ill tortured soul shunned by the community for her crime for passion. Together, they attempt topurge her sins through a series of secret rituals.Rated:





RUN SECRET Thursday, February 19 7:00 PM Village 8





This compelling story of passion and guilt and tells the tale of a long-hidden truth and the consequences that arise from trying to hide it. Francois, a Jewish boy living in post World War II Paris, pieces together his parents' past and discovers a secret within his family, as they are caught up in forces beyond their control. The film is the winner of 10 nominations and awarded the Grand Prize of the Americas at Montreal Film Festival. Rated: R





NOODLE Saturday, February 21 7:30 PM Village 8





Miri, a widowed 37 year old El Al flight attendant, is unexpectedly grounded when she finds herself saddled with an abandoned young Chinese boy. In attempting to return the boy to his migrant-worker mother who has been deported from Israel, she embarks upon a remarkable journey full of drama and humor that brings deep meaning to her life. The film was nominated for 9 Israeli Academy Awards and is the winner of Montreal World Film Festival Award.





PRAYING FOR LIOR Sunday, February 22 2:00 PM Village 8





This film introduces Lior Liebling, a boy with down syndrome, and who has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Lior lost his mother at age six, and her words and spirit hover over the film. While everyone agrees Lior is closer to god, he's also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration, and an embarrassment, depending on which family member you ask. As Lior approaches bar mitzvah, different characters provide a window into life spent "praying with lior." The movie poses difficult questions such as what is "disability" and who really talks to god? Told with intimacy and humor, the film is a family story, a triumph story, a grief story, a divinely-inspired story.





MAKING TROUBLE Tuesday, February 24 7:00 PM ComedyCaravan $15





This irresistible documentary profiles six great Jewish female comic entertainers: Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wendy Wasserstein. Four of today's leading Jewish female comedians provide the commentary, schmoozing over lunch at Katz's Deli about what it means to be Jewish, female and funny. It includes archival footage from performances by the comedians, giving audiences a glimpse into their lives.





TICKETS $8.50 $6.00 Students · 459-0660 TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE OR ONE HOUR PRIOR TO THE SHOW AT THE THEATER.

The Good War that Wasn’t

Book Review by Terry Taylor

Human Smoke: The Beginnings of WWII, the End of Civilization by Nicholson Baker, 565 pp. Simon and Shuster, $30.


“The Good War” it wasn’t. At least according to what has been uncovered by the novelist and armchair historian, Nicholson Baker. For this book, Baker went back to original sources: newspaper and magazine articles and diary entries from the days leading up to and spanning the first months of the second great war of the 20th Century. As you turn the pages, you will recognize the names of many of the hundreds of people whose stories are retold here.
Baker chronicles the slow murderous slide into a war that devoured tens of millions of human souls, and marked the beginning of the large scale bombing of cities for the sole purpose of terrorizing civilians.

What we learn from the one- or two-paragraph vignettes he shares with us is that much of what we have been taught, and what many of us still believe about WWII simply isn’t true. There aren’t good guys and bad guys. There is only murder conducted at a scale that would sicken even the most hardened soldier.

There are signs of failed hope. We learn that there were German generals who had begun plotting to remove Hitler even before he invaded Czechoslovakia . He tells us that there were diplomats and peacemakers who tried to prevent the war, and tried to stop it once the tanks had begun to roll.

We see Quakers and members of other peace groups trying to get relief supplies to women and children in occupied France , but being prevented by the U.S. and England .
We witness the anonymous heroism of people like the head of FOR in Germany who refused to fight and were executed.

Baker doesn’t shy away from the guilt that falls on the heads of allies. Hitler’s minions were evil, but in this book we discover something many of us had suspected: both Churchill and Roosevelt were anti-Semites who turned their backs on the Jews who were attempting to flee the onrush of the Holocaust machine.

And then there is the bombing, the indiscriminate incineration of non-combatants undertaken to push them to the point of suing their governments for peace. This bombing was conducted by all parties to this conflagration. One of the most breathtaking insights for me was learning that military strategists on both the Allied and Axis sides warned their leaders that strategic bombing was not only ineffective and a waste of munitions, it was in fact counter-productive, steeling the will of those who climbed out of the rubble after being bombed.

The title of the book, Human Smoke, is the way that one German military official referred to the ashes drifting down from the crematoria smokestacks at one of the death camps. But, I think that Baker chose these words for the title because ultimately they reflect our true legacy from WWII: a thirst for the ashes of civilians and an eerie ability to close our eyes to the price we pay for securing our political goals, no matter how lofty they seem.