Shorts: U.S.

McCain comments draw criticism

Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was blasted for characterizing the United States as a "Christian nation." McCain made the statement in a Sept. 29 interview with the non-denominational Web site Beliefnet.com when he was asked if he would support a Muslim running for president.

The Republican hopeful said he agreed with the majority of Americans who believe the Constitution establishes a Christian nation, adding that he would prefer to vote for someone who had "a solid grounding" in his faith.

Jeffrey Sinensky, general counsel to the American Jewish Committee, told McCain in a letter that "our individual rights cannot be secured if the government promotes one religion over others."

After his interview, McCain reportedly contacted Beliefnet to clarify that he would support a Muslim running for president if he believed the person was the most qualified to lead the country. — jta




Got the next great Jewish idea?

The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Foundation is holding a contest to find the next great Jewish innovation.

The foundation will award a two-year visiting professorship at Brandeis University, called the Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation, to the person who comes up with an idea that can transform how the Jewish community thinks about itself. The winner of the open competition will receive a six-figure salary and have two years at Brandeis to publish a significant English-language work based on their idea.

The goal is to find an idea akin to the next Birthright Israel, said Jonathan Sarna, chair of the Hornstein Jewish professional leadership program. — jta




Car dealer sued for religious harassment

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against a Reno car dealership, accusing it of religious harassment against a Jewish employee.

The EEOC said Jack Adler faced continued slurs and epithets while working at Champion Chevrolet. According to an EEOC statement, Adler reported the abuse and asked dealership owner Jack Stanko Sr. to stop to it, but the harassment continued. "The slurs were made in the open and even in front of the boss, Jack Stanko, and nothing was done about it," Adler said in the EEOC statement.

Champion lawyer David Houston said the charges are unfounded and "amount to extortion of an employer who would never allow any kind of discrimination."— ap




New bill to fund Holocaust education

The U.S. House of Representatives reintroduced a bill proposing $10 million in federal funds for Holocaust education. The funds would be earmarked over five years to help organizations bolster programs that in many cases suffer from scarce resources.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced the Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Act, named for the Holocaust survivor who spent much of his life tracking down Nazi war criminals. It was co-sponsored by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who said "students, in order to spread tolerance and civility, should study the dark blemish upon mankind which is the Holocaust."— jta




Annapolis picked for peace conference

The United States picked Annapolis, Md., as the expected site of a Mideast peace conference this fall that President George W. Bush hopes will launch new negotiations toward establishing an independent Palestinian state, the Associated Press reported last week.

The capital city north of Washington was selected for proximity to the capital and the presence of the U.S. Naval Academy. — ap




AIPAC members repudiate Moran

Six members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee met for two hours with U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) on Sept. 20 after Moran made negative remarks about the agency. Five were constituents in Moran's Northern Virginia district.

Moran told Tikkun magazine that AIPAC "pushed this war from the beginning" and that "they are so well organized, and their members are extraordinarily powerful — most of them are quite wealthy — they have been able to exert power." The delegation told Moran his comments were "false and offensive," but the meeting ended without Moran promising a retraction.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi repudiated Moran, saying, "AIPAC did not lead us into this disastrous war in Iraq. President Bush and Vice President Cheney did."— jta




Jewish mock trial teams get House support

The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously last week to require the National High School Mock Trial Championships accommodate students of all faiths who participate in the competition.

The lawmakers' involvement stemmed from a case involving the Torah Academy of Teaneck, N.J., whose team won the state championship in 2005 but would not have been able to vie for the national crown because much of the competition took place on a Saturday. Times were adjusted to accommodate the Orthodox students, but the board ultimately decided to keep the Saturday competitions because of logistical problems. — jta




Livni responds to Brooklyn swastikas

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni shook the lulav and etrog Sept. 29 on the steps of a Brooklyn synagogue where the congregation awoke last week to find swastikas scrawled throughout the neighborhood.

The symbols, spray-painted on the steps of Chabad Congregation B'nai Avraham and its neighboring Reform Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, were discovered days before the start of Sukkot, while leaflets with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel slogans were placed on neighborhood cars.

Livni was joined by New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "One thing we won't tolerate is this type of vengeful behavior," Kelly said.

A 20-detective task force was assigned to investigate the incident. The 23 different markings were believed to be the work of one individual. — jps