National News

Formal Charges Loom For Jailed Iranian Jews

08/20/1999 | by Lawrence Cohler-Esses | Staff Writer

After nearly seven months in jail, 13 Iranian Jews imprisoned by their government on suspicion of spying for Israel and the United States faced the prospect of formal charges Thursday.

Iranian Jewish activists here said the government had completed its investigation of the 13 and was prepared to announce its results. They cited Manouchehr Eliassi, the Jewish community’s official representative in Iran’s parliament, as among their sources.

Neo-Nazis Stay Home from Washington March

08/13/1999 | James Besser | Washington Correspondent

Saturday’s planned neo-Nazi march in downtown Washington had all of the elements of a major clash — including thousands of counter protesters, Jewish militants itching for a fight and armies of shield-toting police — except for one thing: the neo-Nazis themselves.
Only four supporters of the American Nationalist Party, formerly the Knights of Freedom, showed up. Faced with thousands of jeering spectators, they promptly turned tail.

JCC Rampage Part Of ‘Pattern’ Of Hate

08/13/1999 | by Eric J. Greenberg | Staff Writer

New York-area Jewish community centers moved swiftly Tuesday to increase security in response to the day’s shooting rampage at North Valley Jewish Community Center in the Los Angeles area.
One Jewish leader declared the incident — the third attack on Jews and Jewish property in the United States in the last two months — to be part of a frightening trend.

ZOA Blasted for Jordan Tactics

08/06/1999 | James Besser | Washington Correspondent

The Zionist Organization of America, known for its rapid-fire, aggressive style of political action, has been rebuked by the leading pro-Israel lobby group for turning its sights on Jordan, a top U.S. and Israeli ally.
ZOA recently engaged in a “gratuitous attack on Jordan’s eligibility for U.S. assistance,” according to Lonnie Kaplan, president of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, and executive director Howard Kohr.

Hillary Plays it Safe at Hadassah

07/30/1999 | James Besser | Washington Correspondent

Washington — First Lady Hillary Clinton touched all the Jewish and pro-Israel bases and avoided treacherous curve balls in a Tuesday appearance before more than 2,100 delegates at Hadassah’s 85th national convention here.

Heaven Can’t Wait

07/30/1999 | by Eric J. Greenberg | Staff Writer

Will Jews be condemned to hell under President George W. Bush?
The question of what the Texas governor and front-running Republican presidential candidate believes about where Jewish souls will wind up in the afterlife is a concern for political pundit Michael Kinsley, editor of Slate, the on-line magazine.