AJC Survey: Jewish Vote for President

American Jewish voters favor Senator Barack Obama over Senator John McCain for U.S. president by a margin of 57-30 percent. At the same time, an unexpectedly large number, 13 percent, remain undecided about their vote. Regarding the vice-presidential candidates, 73 percent of American Jews approve of Obama’s selection of Sen. Joseph Biden as his running mate, 15 percent disapprove, and 13 percent are not sure. In contrast, 54 percent of American Jews disapprove of McCain’s selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, 37 percent approve, and 9 percent are not sure. AJC’s Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion is the first national poll of Jewish voters since the Democratic and Republican conventions. VIEW SURVEY.

AJC Radio: Iraq Penalty for Parliamentarian’s Israel Visit

What’s the penalty for a member of Iraq’s parliament who visits Israel? That’s the question posed by AJC Executive Director David A. Harris in his national radio commentary as he discusses the fate of Mithal al-Alusi, who may face death for attending a conference in Israel. LISTEN.

AJC Condemns Attempted Murder of Israeli Professor Sternhell

"The attempt on Professor Ze’ev Sternhell’s life represents an assault on Israel's cherished values of free speech and democracy,” said AJC after a pipe bomb attack on the Hebrew University professor. Awarded the Israel Prize earlier this year, Sternhell is one of Israel's leading historians and political scientists. An outspoken critic of the Jewish settler movement, he recently received threats from extremists. READ NEWS RELEASE.

House Resolution on Durban Review Conference

AJC saluted the U.S. House of Representatives’ unanimous passage of a resolution calling for high-level U.S. diplomatic leadership aimed at defeating the campaign to divert the UN’s Durban Review Conference into attacking Israel and promoting anti-Semitic hate. AJC had sent a letter of support to Rep. Howard Berman, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, who originally introduced the resolution. The review conference is slated for April 2009 in Geneva.
READ NEWS RELEASE.

Counterterrorism Watch: The New Locus of Radical Islam

Pakistan’s northernmost province, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a global center of Taliban activity, threatening Pakistan, the South Asian region, and U.S. interests. This new Counterterrorism Watch report assesses the main groups and figures who together are threatening to bring radical Islam to the provincial capital of Peshawar. READ.  

Japanese American Group Honors AJC

AJC was honored at the Japanese American Citizens League’s dinner commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act (1988), which granted reparations and a presidential apology to Japanese Americans forcefully interned during Word War II. AJC took the leadership role among civil rights organizations in seeking redress. Ann Schaffer, director of AJC’s Belfer Center for American Pluralism, accepted the award on behalf of AJC.

AJC Quiz: Crimes Against Humanity

Sixty-two years ago, on October 1, 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg handed down its judgment of Nazi war criminals, sentencing 12 to death. Learn more in this week’s Jewish IQ Quiz on crimes against humanity. TAKE THE QUIZ. There were 40 winners last week. View Last Week’s Answers. View all previous quizzes Here.

New Planned Giving Feature at ajc.org

Have you ever wished you could support AJC and improve your financial security at the same time? Well, you can. At AJC, we call it Creative Giving. In fact, just one “creative gift” can return an immediate tax deduction to you, plus lifetime income for you and a loved one, plus long-term financial support to AJC. That's right…you benefit, your loved ones benefit, and AJC benefits. If that isn't creativity, we'd like to know what is. LEARN MORE.

MIDEAST BRIEFING: Sobering Thoughts for 5769 “We found ourselves—in different ways, from different perspectives, and with different responses—using the two-day break from our toils to wonder about three essential questions – the quality of leadership; the meaning of security; and the nature of the enemy,” reflects Eran Lerman, director of AJC’s Israel/Middle East Office.
READ BRIEFING.

In The Media

David Singer, AJC Director of Research, was interviewed on National Public Radio about AJC’s survey of American Jewish voters. LISTEN.

The New York Jewish Week, JTA, and Haaretz covered the story. Bloggers Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish, and Ben Smith, at Politico also wrote about the survey.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, AJC’s affiliate in Geneva, appeared on Al Jazeera for a debate on the UN’s upcoming Durban Review Conference on racism. WATCH.

The New York Jewish Week praised AJC in an editorial for its statement on the attack on Prof. Ze’ev Sternhell.

The New York Jewish Week quoted Steven Bayme, AJC director of Contemporary Jewish Life, in an article about establishing ethical standards for kosher food.

NOTE: The next issue of AJC News Update will be on Thursday, October 16.