A recent opinion column by the owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times suggested one of the options Israel should consider as it faces down the threat of a nuclear Iran is to assassinate President Obama.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation joins the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish organizations in condemning this column and the writer for these abhorrent views.

Ophir Aviran, the Israeli consul-general in Atlanta, condemned the column "in the strongest possible terms." In response to a request for comment from Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Aviran said in an email that he was "appalled at this deranged and morally repugnant assertion."

Andrew Adler, the owner and publisher of the Atlanta paper, subsequently apologized for the January 13 opinion column, in which he wrote that Israel should "give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place."

We thank those Jewish community members who contacted The BJF to express their concern and outrage over this troubling column.

It's wonderful to see young Alabamians develop a love and passion for Israel!

The Birmingham Jewish Federation's Director of Overseas Programs Joyce Spielberger received an inspiring email from Cliff Sims upon his return from Israel. Cliff, a senior at the University of Alabama, was a participant in the Jewish National Fund's recent Caravan for Democracy trip to Israel. Cliff is Chairman of the Alabama College Republicans and in 2011 was one of the college students Joyce accompanied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in DC.

Joyce recommended Cliff for the 10-day Jewish National Fund Israel program which brings together campus leaders of all faiths for a close-up look at the US relationship with Israel and the challenges Israel faces as a democracy in the Middle East. Cliff is pictured here at the Sea of Galilee.

Cliff, who is Christian, wrote an article about his Israel experience which was published on The Daily Caller website (a national news site). It was headlined "The Israelis are Following in MLK's Footsteps."

"One of the most prevalent claims I heard from activists and members of the media prior to our trip is that Israel is an apartheid state. I quickly realized that anyone who perpetuates this lie is either grossly misinformed or has an agenda," wrote Cliff.

"We visited the Knesset (Israel's parliament) and the Israeli Supreme Court and found that political rights extend to every corner of Israeli society. Arab Muslims hold seats in the Knesset and a seat on the Supreme Court. There are even affirmative action measures in place in the Israeli civil sphere," he added. "In reality, in spite of what we see on television or read in the newspapers here in the US, most Israelis -- Arabs and Jews alike -- live their day-to-day lives in peace as participants in the world's greatest experiment in coexistence."

Cliff's article goes on to mention "self segregation" -- a division between people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Cliff acknowledges that self segregation is as prevalent in Israel as it is in America and in his article talks about programs Israelis have initiated to bridge these cultural gaps, primarily those between Palestinians and Israelis.

Everyday in so many ways, The BJF connects people -- particularly young people -- with Israel, providing opportunities for them to learn more about this tiny, remarkable democracy and its importance to the US as a crucial ally. As always, we thank those who support our BJF Campaign. Your dollars provide the staffing, organizational structure and funding that allow us to do this important work.

(Only 20 students were selected for the JNF Caravan for Democracy trip and three were from Alabama. In addition to Cliff, Birmingham-Southern College students Kindred Motes and Mandy Shunnarah were selected. We hope to have comments from them shortly.)

Willine Engel Mitnick, of Jasper, died Friday. She and her late husband, J.George Mitnick, were deeply interested and wonderfully supportive of Jewish life and civic life in the Birmingham-Jasper area. Willine and George were the parents of Ronne Mitnick Hess, a past Birmingham Jewish Federation president and campaign chair.

Willine will be missed. She was a warm and gracious person, very generous and interested in and supportive of The Birmingham Jewish Federation and Foundation. We extend our condolences to the Mitnick-Hess family on Willine's passing. The funeral will be today at 11 am at Collins-Burke Funeral Home in Jasper, with interment following at the Jasper cemetery.