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Friday June 13, 2008

Shorts: U.S.

Jewish airman tapped for top post

Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended June 9 that President Bush nominate Gen. Norton Schwartz, a Jewish 35-year veteran with a background in Air Force special operations, as the new Air Force chief of staff.

Schwartz has held several high-level assignments on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and has been commander of the U.S. Transportation Command since September 2005.

When the Jewish Community Centers Armed Forces and Veterans Committee presented its Military Leadership Award to Schwartz in 2004, he said he was “proud to be identified as Jewish as well as an American military leader.” — jpost.com

Blind rabbi wins N.J. primary

A blind rabbi and psychologist won a Democratic congressional primary last week in New Jersey.

Dennis Shulman won a decisive victory over two rivals with 60 percent of the vote in the northern New Jersey 5th District. He will face incumbent Republican Scott Garrett in November.

After his victory, Shulman promised to mitigate what he described as the corrupt, special-interest politics in Washington and address the economic crisis. — jta

American embassy not moving

President Bush waived a law that would move the U.S. embassy in Israel, now in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Bush and his predecessor, Bill Clinton, have routinely exercised their right to impose six-month waivers of the Jerusalem Embassy Act since its passage by Congress in 1995.

Presidents cite the U.S. national security interest in not prejudicing the outcome of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. John McCain has said he wants to move the embassy to Jerusalem. — jta

UJC, other groups praise ’09 budget

Jewish groups applauded the 2009 budget approved by Congress.

The United Jewish Communities, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the National Council of Jewish Women all released statements last week hailing Congress for preserving funding for social services in the $3.1 trillion spending plan.

“We are pleased that Congress kept the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable in mind and rejected major cuts to social safety net programs,” said William Daroff, UJC’s vice president for public policy.

The budget includes modest increases for programs related to education, veterans benefits and social service needs. — jta

Jews swap places at space station

One Jewish astronaut replaced another June 10 at the international space station.

Garrett Reisman, a 40-year-old mechanical engineer from New Jersey, was heading home after three months in orbit, replaced by Gregory Chamitoff, 45, an aeronautics engineer from Massachusetts.

“This is a hand-over between one Jewish astronaut and another, so we’re pretty excited about that,” Chamitoff said.

Chamitoff took bagels to share with Reisman, as well as a few mezuzahs that he’s flying for friends. He can’t install the mezuzahs because “we can’t decorate the space station as we like.”

Reisman flew with a copy of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in honor of astronaut Ilan Ramon and sent 60th birthday wishes to the Jewish state in May. — ap

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