Judge subpoenas Bush officials
Several members of the Bush administration, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, were issued subpoenas last week in case involving the pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC.
In an unusually broad ruling in the classified information case against Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman — two ex-officials at AIPAC — a federal judge allowed the defense to subpoena 15 officials over the objections of the administration.
The ruling may shed unprecedented light on the government’s dealings with AIPAC. — jta
GA to feature Livni and Dean
Israel’s foreign minister and the chairman of the Democratic National Committee will speak at the United Jewish Communities’ annual General Assembly.
Tzipi Livni and Howard Dean will be featured at the opening plenary in Nashville,on Monday, Nov. 11.
The theme of the conference is “One People, One Destiny,” which is meant to underscore the ability of the collective Jewish community to contribute to humanitarian, educational and social causes. — jta
Rabbinic emissary prays for rain
A thousand Orthodox rabbis sent an emissary to Atlanta this week to pray for rain.
Rabbi Yehuda Levin performed an ancient prayer ritual Nov. 7 seeking divine help to end the drought in the South. Levin reportedly performed the ritual in 1986, after which there was four days of rain.
“Orthodox Jews wish to show solidarity with those suffering from the drought and other natural disasters,” Levin said. “We want to kick off a nationwide movement of prayer.” — jta
Wash. school gets Holocaust chair
A $1 million endowment has been received by Pacific Lutheran University to endow a chair in Holocaust studies and an annual education conference.
As the endowment grows, it will also fund student research grants, said Robert P. Ericksen, chairman of the Tacoma, Wash., school’s history department and first recipient of the professorship. — ap
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California