NEW YORK (JTA) — On the nighttime talk show "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Lieberman showed his lighter side when he was urged to come up with "better" campaign slogans.

Lieberman offered a few ideas: "A matzah ball in every soup," "Gore-Lieberman. No bull. No pork" and "With malice toward none, but a little guilt for everyone."

Al Gore utilized similar humor in reference to Lieberman's Judaism on "Late Show With David Letterman," saying one of the party's "rejected" campaign slogans was, "With Lieberman on the ticket, you get all kinds of fun new days off."

Meanwhile, those who worried that the Orthodox senator would be conservative on social issues, can sigh with relief. Lieberman will keynote the Oct. 7 annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, the leading national gay and lesbian civil rights group. He will attend with his wife, Hadassah, along with the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Kweisi Mfume.

Lieberman has a perfect 100 percent record on gay and lesbian issues, according to HRC's ratings, and supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

High Holy Day dare a ploy for pluralism

NEW YORK (JTA) — A Jewish organization is challenging rabbis to call colleagues from different streams of Judaism this Rosh Hashanah and wish them a good year.

The New York-based CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, is also offering for the High Holy Days a series of meditations on the value of multiple voices and opinions in the Jewish world.

CLAL's moves come after the recent release of "Jew vs. Jew" by Samuel Freedman, a book chronicling tensions between different sectors of the American Jewish community.

Bay Area fund boosts future female scientists

SANTA CLARA (JTA) — Three female graduate students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem are the first recipients of fellowships from a new $2 million dollar fund to encourage advanced studies by women scientists.

The Dalia and Dan Maydan Fellowship Endowment was established by Dan Maydan, president of Applied Materials Inc., of Santa Clara, as a memorial to his wife, Dalia, who received a doctorate in physical chemistry from the Hebrew University in 1962.

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