Shorts: U.S.

Bush gives highest honor to Podhoretz, Lauder

washington (jta) | President Bush awarded the nation's highest civilian honor to Norman Podhoretz, the Jewish political theorist.

Podhoretz helped cultivate neo-conservatism in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and he has steered its flagship publication, the American Jewish Committee-published Commentary, since then.

Bush awarded other Medals of Freedom to Pope John Paul II and, posthumously, to Estee Lauder, the Jewish cosmetics magnate and philanthropist.




Bush isn't moving embassy to Jerusalem

washington (jta) | President Bush suspended moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel for six more months.

The White House released a statement Tuesday, June 22, announcing that the embassy would not move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for the next half-year because of national security concerns.

Presidents have suspended the embassy move twice a year since the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed in 1995. While Bush's decision was anticipated, it is significant given the White House's interest in securing Jewish votes for Bush's re-election in November.

As a candidate in 2000, Bush told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that he would move the embassy in the first days of his presidency.




Survey: Charitable giving up

new york (jta) | Americans' charitable giving to public-society benefit groups, including Jewish federations, increased by 2.3 percent in 2003, an annual survey found.

Overall, donations from Americans increased by 0.6 percent in 2003, according to the Giving USA survey. Giving to religious organizations increased by 2 percent last year.

These groups, which received $87 billion, took in the largest share of donations.

Donations to international affairs organizations increased by 12.1 percent, but foundation giving decreased by 4.7 percent.




Nader weighs in on Israel

washington (jps) | No diplomatic plan can be acceptable unless it allows for the right of return for Palestinian refugees and a full Israeli withdrawal to 1967 borders, a spokesman for U.S. presidential candidate Ralph Nader said.

Nader also disagrees with Israel's construction of its security barrier, its targeted killings of terrorist leaders and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan, his spokesman said.

"Too often the United States walks lockstep with the Israelis; it needs to think for itself," Nader's spokesman added.