National News

Gunning For A New Life

05/28/1999 | James Besser | Washington Correspondent

Friends knew Tom Diaz was changing when he started reading about ants. It wasn’t just the science that intrigued him, although the Capitol Hill staffer was known among colleagues as a wonk’s wonk. It was the miracle of creation — the endless variety, the questions science couldn’t answer.
The ants were early signs of a personal reassessment that ultimately produced a dual conversion in Diaz’s life — to Judaism and away from the gun culture that had always been part of who he was.

Reform Rabbis Embrace Ritual — Carefully

05/28/1999 | by Eric J. Greenberg | Staff Writer

After months of intense debate, Reform Judaism this week charted a cautious new course into the next century by approving a moderate platform designed to keep the peace among its traditional and classical wings.

AIPAC's Barak Blunder?

05/21/1999 | James Besser | Washington Correspondent

This weekend’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference will feature all the usual elements of the annual pro-Israel extravaganza: congressional and administration machers by the score, foreign diplomats, on-the-make politicians and more than 900 charged-up AIPACers and 600 college students.
But the mood may be dampened by a new challenge facing the powerful lobby group: how to adjust to a new Labor government in Israel that includes officials who have harshly criticized AIPAC for a pro-Likud tilt.

Clinton Administration Running Out of Patience as Israel Votes

05/14/1999 | James Besser | Washington Correspondent

Administration officials are straining to keep up their public facade of impartiality as the election campaign in Israel heads toward a noisy conclusion. But just below the surface are mounting concerns about the impact of a victory by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the promised U.S. effort to revive the Israeli-Palestinian talks — and a growing realization that even a victory by his chief opponent, Labor leader Ehud Barak, is no guarantee that a new U.S. initiative will advance quickly.

A ‘Blessing’ To Be Alive

05/07/1999 | by Stewart Ain | Staff Writer

‘Please God,” Victoria Franklin prayed Tuesday night as she huddled alone on the floor of her Del City, Okla., home, “don’t let me die in a tornado.”

Vouchers Get a Boost

05/07/1999 | James Besser | Washington Correspondent

The debate over school vouchers is heating up around the country, and Jewish groups on both sides of the issue are jumping into the fray. But despite all the noise, most observers agree Jewish voters haven’t strayed too far from their traditional opposition to plans that provide indirect public support for private and parochial schools.
The impetus for the new push comes from Florida, where the state legislature passed a major voucher plan last week.