Shorts: U.S.

NYC political party boots leader for anti-Israel remarks

new york (jta) | A political party in New York booted one of its leaders for making anti-Semitic statements.

The Independence Party said comments by Lenora Fulani had hurt the party's credibility. Fulani said earlier this year that Jews "had to sell their souls" for the state of Israel and had become "mass murderers of people of color" to keep it, comments that the party said were "phenomenally offensive."

Fulani also has labeled Zionism "Jewish corporate nationalism." The Independence Party is backing Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his re-election bid this year.




Jews angry with D.C. baseball team

washington (jta) | The Washington Nationals suspended the credentials of a minister who counseled players that Jews were going to hell.

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld met this week with Nationals President Tony Tavares after the Washington Post reported that outfielder Ryan Church was told by a minister that his Jewish former girlfriend was going to hell.

Jon Moeller, a representative from Baseball Chapel, has been temporarily denied access to team facilities, and the team is asking Moeller and Baseball Chapel to disassociate themselves from the comments.

"What happened in the locker room was hatred," said Herzfeld, rabbi at the National Synagogue. "Everyone's allowed to believe what they want, but the moment that hatred comes into the locker room, it's a source of divisiveness."

In a statement, Church said he hopes the comments attributed to him that he learned from Moeller that "other religions don't know any better. It's up to us to spread the word" did not offend anyone. Moeller and representatives from Baseball Chapel were unavailable for comment.




Trick-or-treating for Katrina relief

new york (jta) | A Jewish girl in Iowa wants children across the United States to focus their Halloween trick-or-treating on Hurricane Katrina relief.

Talia Leman, 10, wants children all over the country to participate in T.L.C., which stands for "Trick-or-Treating for the Levee Catastrophe" by collecting quarters to send for Katrina relief.

Hy-Vee, a grocery store chain with 221 stories in seven states, has printed 8.5 million orange grocery bags with a message from Leman that can be used for trick-or-treating.