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It's a fact of life on the Internet: The Jewish right runs circles around the left when it comes to effective Web sites.

Jewish right-wingers operate countless online news services Web aimed at getting their message out; the left, apparently, prefers preaching to the choir. Right-wing think tanks abound on the Net; the left's thinkers barely make a dent on the cyber scene.

A good example of the right's excellent Web presence: the home page of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a group now headed by former U.N. Ambassador Dore Gold, a close adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and one of the most articulate advocates of Likud positions.

The centerpiece of the home page is a collection of issue briefs and op-eds by Gold and others dealing with current topics.

A recent brief, for example, lays out a strong case for possible Iraqi involvement in the ongoing anthrax scare in this country. Another deals with Syria's role as "spoiler" in the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition.

Another section highlights the many non-Internet programs and publications of the group, including a series of books on Jewish communal service and a major program on "Jews in the Public Square."

You can also sign up at the site for regular e-mail updates -- although a recent visit revealed that the center seems to a little behind in its updating efforts.

The site also offers access to selected writings of the late Daniel Elazar, one of the center's founders, on a dazzling array of Jewish topics.

In part, the site is designed to sell the organizations publications. But there is plenty here for the casual visitor, as well. The site is clean and attractive, and a cinch to navigate. It's at http://www.jcpa.org

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These are tough times for pacifists, and Jewish ones in particular.

In this country, support for the war against the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks seems to have shattered the nation's Vietnam-era reticence; in Israel, more than a year of unrelenting Palestinian violence has left the Israeli peace movement fragmented and dispirited.

Still, the Jewish Peace Fellowship makes a brave show of it.

Its Web site reveals an organization true to the ideals of pacifism, even in these perilous times.

A number of articles accessible from the home page examine the current warlike mood and offer a dissenting perspective.

Pacifists talk about their reactions to Sept. 11; Jews who believe in dialogue talk about the impact of the past year of violence in Israel.

There are also extensive links to other Mideast peace groups.

Much of the site reads like a manifesto -- which, indeed, it is. There's praise for Israeli draft resisters, articles about the international weapons trade, calls for protest fasts and letters from Israel criticizing Israeli policy.

There's nothing wrong with that kind of content, but it's presented in sort of a jumble at the JPF site. The home page is attractive and seems to be laid out in neat categories -- but once you get into those categories, the organization disintegrates.

Still, it's an interesting point of view, with a lot of articulate people making their case for the pacifist cause. You'll find it at http://www.jewishpeacefellowship.org

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The globe-spanning Internet can be an effective tool for political organizers. Now, a Reform Jewish group is making good use of the new medium to make its voice heard in the rough-and-tumble of Zionist politics.

ARZA/World Union North America, the Reform Zionist group, is using its Web site -- http://www.rj.org/arza -- to get Reform Jews registered to vote in the upcoming election for the Congress of the World Zionist Organization, the international parliament of the Jewish people.

In 1997, the ARZA site reports, "Reform Jews made a tremendous impact by voting in record numbers in the election...the direct result was increased political and financial support for the Reform movement (in Israel)."

Articles on the ARZA home page -- dedicated to the election, which will be held in February -- describe the clout of the ultra-Orthodox in Israeli politics, and the impact that has on government funding.

Then, after you're good and mad, you can click on a link and register to vote online, for a $4 fee.

The tone here is a little strident, but hey, this is an election, right? The site is utilitarian in the extreme; it has a job to do, and it gets right down to business.

With Jews scattered across the globe, look for the Internet to play a growing role in always lively communal politics.

The writer is a Washington-based correspondent who has been writing about Jewish Web sites since the early 1990s. His columns alternate with those of Mark Mietkiewicz. Besser can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)