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Friday April 25, 2008

Shorts: U.S.

Clinton wins Jewish majority in Pa. primary

Exit polls show that Hillary Clinton took the Jewish vote in winning the Democratic primary April 22 in Pennsylvania.

The polling found that Jews made up 7 percent of the electorate, and went 57 percent to Clinton and 43 percent to Barack Obama. In recent weeks, both campaigns conducted aggressive outreach efforts aimed at Jewish voters in the state.

While Clinton took the Jewish vote, her margin was much wider among white voters, winning 62 percent to 38 percent. In particular, her performance among white Catholics was particularly strong, winning 71 percent to 29 percent. — jta

Jewish Web site targets prayer day

A Jewish Web site launched a campaign against the National Day of Prayer, saying it is religiously exclusive.

JewsOnFirst.org, a site that defines itself as “defending the First Amendment against the Christian right,” is targeting the prayer day, calling it a “litmus test” that limits participation to “fundamentalist Christian evangelicals.”

Created by a congressional resolution in 1952, the prayer day is organized by a privately run task force. According to its Web site, the task force seeks, among other things, to “foster unity within the Christian church” and “publicize and preserve America’s Christian heritage.”

The site also pledges respect for all people “regardless of denomination or creed.”

According to JewsOnFirst, the prayer day has been “hijacked” to exclude Jews, Muslims and Catholics. The site is calling on governors to refrain from issuing proclamations endorsing the day. — jta

Final victim testifies in Seattle case

A pregnant woman shot during an attack on the Seattle Jewish federation testified in court April 20.

In July 2006, Dayna Klein was 17 weeks pregnant when she was shot after ignoring gunman Naveed Haq’s orders not to call 911.

Haq shot Klein in the arm as she protected her pregnant belly. Klein offered emotional testimony, the last of five victims to testify in Haq’s trial. One woman was killed and five injured in the shooting spree.

Haq is charged with one count of aggravated murder, five counts of attempted aggravated murder and violating the state’s hate-crime law, among other charges. He has pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. — jta

Rice to keynote AJCommittee confab

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will speak at the American Jewish Committee’s annual meeting.

The meeting, which runs Tuesday, April 29 to May 2 in Washington, D.C., will highlight Israel’s 60th anniversary and feature a presentation by Israel’s vice prime minister, Haim Ramon.

Rice is slated to speak at the opening plenary. — jta

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