Shorts: World

'Blue Suede Jew' draws in 1 million

A BBC documentary about an Israeli Elvis impersonator drew more than 1 million viewers. "Blue Suede Jew," which was shown recently in Britain, chronicles the futile attempts of a middle-aged Israeli Elvis impersonator, known as the Jerusalem Elvis, to make a living portraying his idol at home and in the United States. — jta




Wiesenthal Center condemns boycott

The Simon Wiesenthal Center asked a British media watchdog to sanction journalists who called for boycott of Israeli goods.

In a letter to Sir Christopher Meyer, chairman of the British Press Complaints Commission, the Wiesenthal Center's director for international relations, Shimon Samuels, called the boycott approved April 13 by the National Union of Journalists discriminatory and a violation of European Union provisions. Samuels urged the commission "to sanction any British journalist who propagates or promotes this boycott through print or audiovisual media."

At its annual delegates' meeting, Britain's largest journalists' union narrowly approved a call for "a boycott of Israeli goods similar to those boycotts in the struggles against apartheid in South Africa." — jta




Star of David painted on Lenin statue

On the eve of the 137th anniversary of Lenin's birth, vandals painted a Star of David onto a large statue of the Soviet leader in southern Russia. The perpetrators have not been found and the motive was unclear. "Lenin's hands on his monument in Gorky Park were covered with dye and a Star of David was painted on it," a city official said.

Lenin, who led the 1917 revolution that founded the Soviet Union, was of mixed Jewish descent, but he was baptized into the Russian Orthodox Church and was extremely hostile to organized religion in general, preaching a fierce atheism. Lenin continues to enjoy substantial support in today's Russia, ranking third in popularity among Russian leaders since 1917. — jta




Musician backs off Nazi praise

A British rock singer apologized for praising the aesthetics of Nazi Germany. Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music issued an apology this week after Jewish groups voiced outrage at an interview he gave to a German newspaper, in which he marveled at the "really beautiful" iconography and staging of Nazi events. "Like every right-minded individual, I find the Nazi regime, and all it stood for, evil and abhorrent," Ferry said in the statement. — jta