Torahs worth $500,000 stolen from N.Y. synagogue
Eight Torahs valued at about $500,000 have been stolen from a synagogue in New York.
Police say they’re investigating last week’s theft of the Torahs from the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills in Queens.
Members of the synagogue believe it might have been an inside job because there was no sign of a forced entry. Employee Marilyn Bagley says rabbis realized the Torahs were missing before service Aug. 16. — ap
Higher-ed bill clamps down on hate crimes
President Bush enacted a higher education act that includes stricter standards for collecting campus hate crime data.
The new act, signed into law last week, applies FBI standards for universities collecting hate crime data. Failure to apply the new standards could affect federal funding for colleges. Jewish groups had lobbied for the change; earlier standards included fewer definitions of hate crimes.
The act also includes new provisions for universities seeking federal funding for international studies. Among them are standards for “diversity,” a salve to some Jewish and conservative groups that charge that Middle East departments are dominated by anti-Israel Arabists. — jta
Israel critic nominated as Green candidate
Longtime Israel critic Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party nominee for president.
McKinney, whose father famously blamed the loss of her House of Representatives seat in 2002 on the “J-E-W-S,” was nominated at the party’s convention last month in Chicago.
In her acceptance speech, published in a Washington alternative newspaper, she called for investigating the 9/11 attacks again and ending U.S. involvement in Iraq. She said that “if Green Party values were now reflected in U.S. public policy,” there “would be peace in the Middle East based on self-determination, respect for human rights and justice.” — jta
Archives detail work of Jewish spies
Several prominent Jews spied for the United States during World War II, newly released documents show.
Former Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, philanthropist and businessman Laurence Tisch and baseball player Moe Berg were among the 35,000 men and women whose files from their service in the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services were released last week by the National Archives.
The files cover Americans, both civilian and military, who worked in some capacity for the intelligence agency, the precursor to the CIA. — jta
US Airways wants Philly-Tel Aviv route
US Airways wants to offer year-round service between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv.
The airline announced this week that it is applying to start service in July 2009, subject to approval by U.S. and Israeli officials.
The airline will offer one daily nonstop flight. — ap