BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — Four neo-Nazis have been sentenced by an Argentine court for distributing anti-Semitic pamphlets.

One of the men, a medical doctor, was ordered to serve 30 months in jail with no parole. His accomplices were each sentenced to two-year suspended terms and ordered to attend a human rights seminar.

The four were arrested in 1996 in connection with the desecration of the Jewish cemetery of La Tablada, west of Buenos Aires. They were eventually cleared of those charges, but were charged with "fostering religious and ideological hatred" after police found 24,700 copies of an anti-Semitic leaflet in their homes.

The leaflet stated that there is "a Jewish plan to rule Argentina, the first step of which is total domination of the state." According to the leaflet, "Jews have all politicians under their thumb" and "by the year 2000 will start a Christian genocide." It named Argentine President Carlos Menem, who is a Catholic of Syrian descent, as "head of the Jewish plot."

Russian chess team loses to the Israelis

MOSCOW (JTA) — The Israelis have defeated the Russians — in chess, that is.

An Israeli chess team beat a Russian team by a score of 11-1/2 to 9-1/2 in a one-day Internet chess tournament.

Garry Kasparov, the world chess champion, coached the Tel Aviv team in the match, which was dedicated to the Jewish state's 50th anniversary.

Among those playing for Russia were a member of the Russian Parliament and Russia's chief rabbi, who lost his two games.

Argentine bus driver sues for racial slur

BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — An Argentine Jewish bus driver has suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide after he said he was called a "sh—y Jew" by his boss.

For the past four years, Eduardo Goesman has worked as a driver on the 111 bus line here. Late in April, he asked to have a day off to have some medical tests done. But his boss refused permission. He went on to tell Goesman that his problem was that "like all Jews, you have poison in your blood."

After the incident, Goesman reported what happened to the Argentine Jewish umbrella organization DAIA. But in the following days, he tried to slit his wrists and has been committed to a psychiatric facility. The Goesman family filed charges against the bus company for racial discrimination and mental cruelty. A judge is currently investigating the case.