ISRAELI PROSECUTES WOMAN AS A WITCH

IF SHE WERE A COMPETENT FORTUNE TELLER, SHE WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING.

Israel prosecutes that old black magic By Dion Nissenbaum (Seattle Times)
JAFFA, Israel — For nearly a quarter-century, Sana Kuma has been staring into the bottoms of coffee cups to divine the future for top Israeli models, actresses and businessmen. It is in the chocolate swirls of coffee grounds that the fortuneteller says she can see what lies ahead. Her fawning customers consider her a soothsayer.

To the Israeli government, Kuma is a witch and a fraud. This year, Kuma became one of the few people ever to be charged in Israel with practicing magic, a crime punishable by up to five years in jail.