Poll shows majority of Jews oppose Iraq war

new york (jta) | Most American Jews disapprove of the war in Iraq and the way the United States is handling the campaign against terrorism, according to a new study.

The American Jewish Committee’s annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion, released this week, found that 70 percent of U.S. Jews disapprove of the Iraq war, with 28 percent backing it. Sixty percent of respondents said they did not support America’s handling of the war on terror, while 36 percent approve.

That’s just a slight change in U.S. Jewish views. In last year’s AJCommittee study, 30 percent of respondents approved of the Iraq war and 66 percent disapproved. In that survey, 42 percent approved of the handling of the war on terror and 52 percent disapproved.

Anti-Semitic show airs on public TV

washington (jta) | A Maryland county leader said she was obligated to allow an anti-Semitic program to air on cable access television.

“America is a Changing Country” blames “Jewish media” for urban decay, and promotes Aryan values. It was produced by National Alliance, a neo-Nazi organization.

Anne Arundel County Executive Janet Owens said she checked into legal ways to block the program, but was unsuccessful.

She did move the program until 11:30 p.m., the end of the programming day. Promotions for the show were strewn around Annapolis.

new york (jps) | A lawsuit was filed last week against former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon, who is currently in Washington.

The civil lawsuit was filed by a group of Lebanese citizens because of his role in the 1996 bombing of Kfar Qana in Lebanon, which killed 100 civilians.

Ya’alon was the head of the military intelligence at the time.

Ya’alon was served with the court papers during a public event in Washington, where he is now a visiting scholar.

According to witnesses at the event, the former chief of staff was approached by a person who handed him an envelope containing the court documents. Ya’alon refused to accept the envelope and it was dropped on the floor.

Last week a similar lawsuit was filed against Avi Dichter, the former head of the Shin Bet for his part in a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed 14 civilians.

Storm-ravaged synagogue gets overhaul

new orleans (ap) | A volunteer clean-up crew, including a dozen colleges students on winter break, has been busy cleaning up Beth Israel, the century-old synagogue ravaged three months ago during the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.

The volunteers, wearing face masks and gloves, hauled out to the synagogue’s front lawn books, furniture and holy items such as a shofar.

Beth Israel was the only New Orleans synagogue completely destroyed during the hurricane, said Jackie Gothard, the congregation’s president. Roughly 150 families attended services there before the storm.

Also, a dozen Jewish communities donated more than 500 menorahs and dreidels Tuesday, Dec. 20 to families who have lost theirs in the storm. In addition, the American Jewish Committee expected this week to present four institutions a total of $575,000 from its Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.