NEW YORK (JTA) — A Montreal Jewish businessman is suing Air France for allegedly attempting to prevent him from praying on a flight into Paris.

Michael Chernack claims that a flight attendant tried to stop him from saying morning prayers on the April 25 flight and then told him that Air France prevents praying on its planes. An Air France spokesman said there is no such policy.

Russia lets neo-Nazis, Zhirinovsky run

MOSCOW (JTA) — Russia's central election commission will allow a party headed by the leader of the country's most active neo-Nazi organization to run in December parliamentary elections.

The Salvage bloc is headed by Alexander Barkashov, the leader of the group known as Russian National Unity.

The commission also reversed a decision, saying that ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky could take part in the elections. The reversal came after Zhirinovsky formed a new bloc and left some candidates who had misrepresented their assets off the slate.

U.S. lawmakers push Poland on restitution

WARSAW (JTA) — Fifty-eight U.S. lawmakers called on Poland's parliament to pass legislation allowing for the restitution of property seized by the Nazi and communist regimes.

In a letter, the members of the U.S. House of Representatives commended Poland for making progress in repatriating communal property, but they also expressed concern that the government has postponed a conference on the issue that it had pledged to host next month.

Japanese magazine labeled anti-Semitic

NEW YORK (JTA) — The Simon Wiesenthal Center is calling on the advertisers for Japan's second largest weekly magazine to pressure the publication to retract an anti-Semitic article.

The Oct. 15 article in the Shukan Post stated that "Wall Street Jews" were behind an American company's Sept. 28 takeover of a Japanese credit bank, adding that the "Jewish financial clique" will "eat up" Japanese taxpayer money.

French synagogue suffers arson attack

PARIS (JTA) — Vandals set fire to a synagogue in a Paris suburb last week after damaging the shul's Torah scrolls.

The rabbi's office and that of his secretary were destroyed by the attack, they added. The incident took place in the suburb of Garges-les-Gonesses, which has a large population of North African Jews.

Austria right-winger: Jews stuck in war

NEW YORK (JTA) — The leader of an Austrian far-right party that finished second in general elections earlier this month says the world's Jews are stuck in a Holocaust-era mindset.

"Israel, the Jewish communities, are tied to the history of 50 years ago. Often they forget that the world has changed, that men and history have changed," Jorg Haider said last week.

Rome's Jews mark Nazi deportations

ROME (JTA) — Rome's Jewish community marked the 56th anniversary of Nazi deportations with a silent march through the center of the city.

The march, which also protested any form of racism, ended with a candle-lit rally in front of the main Rome synagogue. The Nazis rounded up and deported to Auschwitz more than 1,000 Roman Jews on Oct. 16, 1943. Only 16 returned alive.