(JTA) — Lori Berenson, whose imprisonment in Peru became a cause celebre, was released on parole from a Peruvian prison for a second time.
Berenson, 40, a Jewish New Yorker, left the prison in Lima on Monday after a court granted her parole. She had served 15 years of a 20-year sentence for aiding leftist rebels in a plot to overthrow Peru’s Congress.
Berenson had been released on parole in May, but was ordered to return to prison in August because police failed to confirm the address in Lima where she would serve out the remainder of her sentence.
She must remain in Peru for the rest of her sentence, unless President Alan Garcia decides to commute it. Peru’s state prosecutor again has appealed her parole.
Berenson has denied belonging to the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or engaging in violent acts, but in May she apologized to Peruvians in a letter for any hurt she may have caused. While in prison, Berenson married her Peruvian lawyer and gave birth to a son, who is now 15 months old.
In Israel, Pamela Anderson Lobbies Against Shtreimls
(JTA) — Actress Pamela Anderson, the former star of "Baywatch" and animal rights activist, arrived Sunday in Israel and will participate as a guest judge on Israel’s "Dancing with the Stars" on Monday and Tuesday. She also will dance each show with Australian partner Damian Whitewood.
Anderson visited the Western Wall on Sunday night, arriving with her head and shoulders covered, where she prayed silently as other worshipers tried to photograph her.
Earlier Sunday, Anderson said she would work to convince haredi Orthodox lawmakers to support an anti-fur bill proposed in the Knesset. The measure has been held up in Israel’s parliament over the lawmakers’ attempt to exclude the shtreiml, a sable-trimmed hat worn by some religious sects. Anderson is an honorary director of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
