WHAT't NEW IN Republicans rallied around the leader- ship's legislative agenda in what is shaping up as an especially con- tentious session. In an interview, Cantor said his priority would be to "ensure that the president has what he needs to deal with the situation in Iraq. And clearly the situation in the Middle East is very tied to what's hap- pening in Iraq." During his first term in Congress, Cantor emerged as a hawkish pro- Israel voice in Congress. He has been a leading critic of military aid for Egypt and he is a lead sponsor of the Temple Mount Preservation Act, which would cut off aid to the Palestinians until "all unauthorized excavations of the Temple Mount stop." Cantor ducked the question of whether he would help lead opposi- tion to any new pressure on Israel by the Republican White House, but said, "Uniformly, the House leaders have been staunch allies of Israel and believe that it's in the best interests of the United States for that relationship to remain strong. Cantor's new clout may help .offset . the departure of his only Jewish GOP colleague, Rep. Ben Gilman, R-N.Y. And Gilman's departure may mean the end of the road for the Middle East and South Asia subcommittee — tra- ditionally a key venue for pro-Israel activism in the House. GOP leaders may axe the subcom- mittee of the International Relations Committee because of limits on the number of subcommittees; some pro- ,Israel lobbyists are fighting the change. Chanukah Fly-By . It wasn't on his schedule, but President George W. Bush got a bird's eye view of the lighting of the 30-foot Chanukah menorah on the Ellipse outside the White House on Sunday. Just as two senior administration officials were getting set to light the chanukiah, the president's official hel- icopter roared overhead, bringing the president back from his Thanksgiving vacation at Crawford, Tex. "I said that it was divine providence that the president could come," said Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Washington director for American Friends of Lubavitch, the group that sponsors the annual lighting ceremony. The candles were lit by Jay P. Lefkowitz, domestic policy adviser to the presi- dent, and Dov Zackheim, a top Pentagon official. The event also included a performance by three can- tors, backed up by the U.S. Army Band. Lubavitch also held its annual Chanukah party for international finance types at the Inter American Development Bank. Also marking Chanukah: a White House reception on Dec. 4 for up to 300 Jewish lead- ers from around the country. According to sources, the adminis- tration sought to reach outside the usual New York/Washington leader- ship cadre; there was a heavy empha- sis on rabbis from other parts of the country. Also this week: B'nai B'rith and the American Jewish Committee got together with India's ambassador to host a Chanukah reception and can- dle lighting at the Indian embassy — part of that government's effort to highlight Indian religious minorities. Celebrating Yiddish t yens en- tied an eshuggenor y is esearched ants ecle introduction to Yiddis .ge culture, thc orld of -Tiagigh iAlf SON 11.111TEV.E3iS & CHARLES LEVIN so, G11,6 The New Rabbi By Stephen Fried This it tens Aid For Victims Last week, President Bush signed a bill that included amendments designed to make it eas- ier for some victims of terrorism to attach the assets of foreign govern- ments that support ter- Flatow ror groups. But the emphasis is on the word "some." The legislation will affect only a small handful of vic- tims and families; it will have almost no impact on several high-profile cases involving Jewish victims. The measure will allow victims to collect judgments from a pool of about $4 billion in frozen assets belonging to nations officially deemed sponsors of terrorism and from terror- ist groups. But Stephen Flatow, father of a young New Jersey woman killed by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza in 1995 and a leader in the movement to win damages against state sponsors of ter- rorism, said that only a handful of families will benefit. "It's absolutely a step in the right direction, because every step we take to hold state sponsors of terror responsible for their actions is impor- tant," he said. "But in real terms, its impact will be limited." Flatow won a $247.5 million judg- ment against Iran, accused of funding the Islamic Jihad group that murdered his daughter, but so far has been able to collect only a small portion. The new law reduces the president's ability to thwart victims who have already won judgments against state sponsors of terror. ❑ eel cbro tin4 ersonal yet broadly ective should interest both ewish readers who are at really goes on is b ook row comprehensive analysis o region's issues a remain unreso ve te MIMI UST Awaken' By Jeffrey ondler Newish Youth in Holocaust. Visit the Jewish. corn Bo recently published Jewish- r I www.jewish.com • 800-875-6621 * •