A Daily Analysis
By Marc Schulman

April 30, 2008 Yom Hashoah and Iran

Tonight marks the beginning of Yom Haíshoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. This takes place against the backdrop of the continuing problematic news from Iran. Today, Minister of Transportation [formerly Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the IDF] Shaul Mofaz stated that Iran will most likely have a nuclear bomb in one year. It is the first time that a high ranking Israeli official has said that.

Yesterday Iran showed pictures of its new centrifuges. The pictures show the Iranian Defense Minister at the site. This is the first time the Defense Minister has been there. Of course, one may question the need for the Defense Minister to participate in a program for the ìpeaceful use of nuclear energyî. In the keeping with the nature of the day, tonightís Israeli talk shows dealt with the question if another Holocaust is possible.

The other news tonight was the state funded report conducted by Former Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner regarding the treatment of Holocaust survivors in Israel. In short, the results of report were terrible. One of the major problems was that Israel received billions of dollars from Germany in the 1950ís and then took on the responsibility to take care of the survivors who were not from Germany. The state has been very remiss to say the least in taking care of these survivors, many of whom are living in poverty.