Shorts: U.S.

Carter given 'truthteller' award

Jimmy Carter won a "truthteller" award in part for his book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

The former president won the Ridenhour Courage Prize "in recognition of his life-long defense of the public interest, his passion for social justice, and the courage he has displayed in speaking forthrightly on contentious and controversial subjects," said a statement from the Nation Institute and the Fertel Foundation, which jointly award the prize.

Among those who were to present the award on April 4 were Rabbi Leonard Beerman, founding rabbi of the Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles and a board member of the U.S. Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East and broadcaster Ted Koppel.




Clinton welcomes AJCommittee attack on Carter's book

Former President Clinton told the American Jewish Committee he was "grateful" that the group criticized Jimmy Carter's claims about Clinton's peacemaking efforts.

"I don't know where his information (or conclusions) come from," Clinton wrote in a handwritten note to AJCommittee Executive Director David Harris, who had critiqued former President Carter's book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," "but Dennis Ross has tried to straighten it out, publicly and in two letters to him. At any rate, I'm grateful."

Ross, Clinton's top envoy to the region, has disputed Carter's contention that the Clinton-sanctioned offer Israel made to the Palestinians in 2000 would have left them with just small "bantustans." Ross says Carter misrepresented maps Ross published outlining the offer. — jta




GOP Jewish group praises Lieberman

The Republican Jewish Coalition has launched an ad campaign praising Sen. Joe Lieberman for accusing colleagues of disliking the Bush administration more than Islamist terrorists.

"There is something profoundly wrong when opposition to the war in Iraq seems to inspire greater passion than opposition to Islamist extremism," Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat turned Independent, said at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference in Washington earlier last month. "This wrong-headed thinking about the world is happening because we're in a political climate where, for many people, when George Bush says yes, their reflex reaction is to say no."

These quotes and others were juxtaposed against a large figure of Lieberman in advertisements, which will run in Jewish newspapers in cities where there is a large Republican vote. — jta




Neturei Karta synagogue burned

A fire destroyed the synagogue and residence of a senior rabbi of a Jewish group that angered many Jews by attending a Holocaust denial conference in Iran.

No one was injured in the blaze Sunday night, April 1, at Yeshivas Bais Yehudi in Monsey, N.Y. Neturei Karta, the anti-Zionist, fervently religious group has been the target of threats, a local newspaper reported on its Web site. Neturei Karta members attended an Iran-sponsored Holocaust denial conference in December. Police said there was no evidence of arson.

"There's no question that the issue is to stifle the opposition to Zionism," Rabbi Yisroel Dovid told ap early Monday morning, April 2. — jta




Orthodox group supports Iraq war 

Agudath Israel of America has declared its support for President Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq in response to the Reform movement, which has come out against the war.

"Since Sept. 11, 2001, the United States has been involved in a war against forces of evil and terror," the Orthodox umbrella group said in a statement. "These forces pose a grave danger not only to the United States and its allies in the Western World, but also to our Jewish brethren in Israel and across the globe. America's efforts in Iraq have been part of this larger battle.

"While, in retrospect, the planning and execution of some of these efforts may have been less than perfect, there have also been significant achievements. The bottom line, at this time, is that the stakes in Iraq remain high, and that there still remains much to be done."— jta




American ORT sues ORT Israel

American ORT filed suit against its former Israeli partner over use of the name ORT. American ORT is the American fundraising arm of World ORT, which runs an international system of Jewish-based vocational schools.

Until this fall, World ORT also oversaw ORT Israel, the management company for some 162 schools in Israel. The Israeli branch split with the world organization, claiming it was not receiving enough funding from the parent group.

ORT Israel would not comment on the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, until it had a chance to review it, a source close to the situation said.

ORT Israel had filed suit Jan. 26 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office claiming that the ORT name — an acronym for Organization for Rehabilitation through Training — has become generic and Israel ORT should be allowed to use it. "For ORT Israel to come to America and use the ORT name and trademark for their own fundraising is wrong," Judy Menikoff, president of American ORT, said in a statement. — jta




U. of Judaism joins with Brandeis-Bardin

The University of Judaism and the Brandeis-Bardin Institute are merging to form the American Jewish University.

The UJ campus in Los Angeles' Bel Air section includes undergraduate, graduate and rabbinical schools, as well as an extensive adult education program. The Simi Valley campus of Brandeis-Bardin extends over 2,800 acres and is known for its innovative camping and weekend programs. UJ President Robert Wexler will assume the same post at AJU. — jta




Online support for female converts

A new listserv offers support for female converts to Judaism.

The Jewish Outreach Institute launched the Empowering Ruth National Listserv, which will allow women who have converted to Judaism or are in the process to share ideas, resources and personal stories.

The listserv is the first component of the institute's national expansion of its Empowering Ruth educational program. To register for the listserv, visit www.empoweringruth.org. — jta