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WASHINGTON — Amid weeks of Mideast violence, many U.S. Jews are rethinking their travel plans to Israel.

Following the attack on the USS Cole at the Yemeni port of Aden and the State Department's advisory cautioning against Mideast travel, organized Jewish community missions to Israel have been sharply curtailed. Individual travel is also lagging.

In response to U.S. passenger cancellations, El Al Israel Airlines is offering refunds for flights to Israel scheduled through Oct. 31, according to spokeswoman Laurie Samet.

Passengers may request either a full refund without penalty or a voucher for future travel, good for one year, plus a $30 coupon toward a new ticket.

"El Al does not have massive cancellations," said Samet. "We are getting cancellations, without a doubt, but it's not dramatic.

"Our flights are going out 75 to 80 percent of what was booked. Normally, flights are booked fully."

Continental Airlines reportedly also had passenger cancellations to Israel and was offering refunds.

The United Jewish Communities, the parent body for U.S. Jewish federations, has postponed all of its missions for October because of cancellations by participants, confirmed Nechemia Dagan, executive director of UJC overseas programs and missions.

Dagan said he understands Americans' reluctance to travel at this time.

"The situation today is not silent," he said last Friday from Israel. "I cannot offer them the same visit I would normally offer them because of the violence," said Dagan, a former general in the Israeli air force.

Birthright Israel, a program that offers young adults free 10-day trips to Israel, selected 7,500 people from North America to travel there this winter. The participants, mostly college students, were selected by lottery from more than 25,000 applicants, more than double the number who applied for the program's pilot trip last fall.

Birthright officials say it is "too early" to determine how, if at all, the recent violence in Israel will affect the trips, which are scheduled to take place in December and January.

Despite this, the bulk of North American students and tourists already in Israel appear to be staying put, according to anecdotal reports.

However, parents whose children are in Israel are spending more time on the telephone checking in with their youngsters.

Students may be studying in yeshivot or women's seminaries for the year, or participating in university study-abroad programs or youth movement, study-travel-volunteer programs.

Hal Klopper, New York director of academic affairs for the Tel Aviv University's Overseas Student Program said he has been on the phone "pretty much nonstop" for the past two weeks with concerned parents and study abroad advisers, but that no one has withdrawn.

Arlene Steinberg, chair of Young Judaea's seaboard region, said that 165 children from North America are taking part in the youth movement's yearlong program in Israel.

New restrictions on group and individual travel have been implemented and certain public buses are off-limits, she said.

"Young Judaea staff are in constant touch with parents via mail and e-mail," Steinberg said. "They have sent a very lengthy e-mail to parents, telling them what precautions they have been taking."