Shorts: U.S.

UJC names new D.C. official

washington (jta) | William Daroff was named director of the Washington office of United Jewish Communities. Daroff, currently the deputy executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, will serve as vice president for public policy and director of the Washington Action Office of the umbrella organizations for North American Jewish federations.

Daroff, an attorney, was active in Ohio Republican politics before joining RJC, served in the Energy Department in the administration of the first President Bush, and worked as an assistant to former Ohio Gov. George Voinovich. "My Republican background and relationships will help open doors for UJC," Daroff said. "Throughout my professional career, I've made successful attempts to build relationships across the political spectrum.'




Muslim cites treatment of Jews in jail suit

miami (jta) | A Muslim prisoner suing a Florida prison for denying him religious rights says the jail also discriminates against Jews. In a suit filed this week, Ernesto Holmes says Seminole County Jail officials denied him a prayer rug and pork-free meals.

The suit says Jewish inmates also were denied religious amenities. Jail officials say they consider religious dietary requests.




Vet ups ante, sues Air Force for religious intolerance

albuquerque (ap) | A Jewish military veteran sued the Air Force, claiming senior Air Force Academy officers harassed and illegally forced evangelical Christian views on cadets.

The suit was filed last week by Mikey Weinstein, an academy graduate and outspoken critic of the school's handling of religion. Weinstein, has one son who graduated from the academy in 2004 and another who is a junior there. Both were subjected to anti-Semitic slurs from evangelical Christian cadets, Weinstein said in an interview.

Over the past decade or more, the suit claims, academy leaders have fostered an environment of religious intolerance at the school, in violation of the U.S. constitution.




Fasting for Darfur

new york (jta) | Two Jewish campus groups organized a national solidarity fast for Darfur. Participants in last week's fast, sponsored by Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, refrained from luxuries such as coffee or movies and donated the money saved to aid refugees who have fled ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In addition to 43 universities and colleges taking part, organizers said participants included comedian Bill Cosby, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, former National Security Adviser Anthony Lake, actress Bette Midler, basketball player Dikembe Mutombo and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu.

Hearings to begin on




Saudi-backed hate literature

new york (jta) | Sen. Arlen Specter will convene hearings on the distribution of Saudi-published hate literature in U.S. mosques.

Specter, a Jewish Republican from Pennsylvania who initiated the Saudi Accountability Act this summer, will start the hearings Oct. 25, the New York Sun reported. The hearings will determine whether the Saudi government has taken steps to stop distribution of anti-Christian and anti-Jewish materials to U.S. mosques.