LBar g ent For State Representative COURTING Syria Relations Looking Up? Washington/JTA — U.S.-Syria relations may be taking a turn for the better, a top diplomat said. "We've had discus- sions in Damascus, and our own rela- tionship with Syria is not what we'd like it to be," a deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, said Monday in an interview with a Kuwaiti news agency. "We'd like it to be in better shape. There may be the beginning of signs that it will be." He did not elaborate, but U.S. offi- cials have noted slight movement in Syria's deployment of some of its troops out of Lebanon and on securing Syria's border with Iraq. The Syrian leadership also has said it wants to renew peace talks with Israel. Reform Rejects Cash New York/JTA — The Reform move- ment urged its U.S. congregations not to take federal funds to secure syna- gogues. The government set aside $25 million earlier this month to assist "high-risk" nonprofits with their securi- ty needs. In a letter last week to congregations, the Reform movement said accepting such money would open it up to charges of hypocrisy for battling for church-state separation on the one hand and accept- ing federal money with the other. "This is a critical moment for the sur- vival of religious freedom and church- state separation in America," the letter from the Union for Reform Judaism and Reform's Religious Action Center said. Israel Ingle' THE ISSUE As Israel's parliament, the Knesset, considered Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan this week, fears increased that some opponents would turn to violence. The settler council is trying to rein in militants to prevent this BEHIND THE ISSUE Media reports notwithstanding, all settlers who are ideologically or reli- giously committed to their cause are not uncivil. The Yesha settlers' coun- cil publicly warns its members against physical or verbal abuse against the army and strongly rejects any actions that may lead to civil war in Israel. Allan Gale, Jewish Communiol Council ofIVIetropolitan Detroit from. page 41 ENDORSED BY: At the same time, the Kerry cam- paign sought to reassure Jewish voters that he will alWays be guided first by Israel in pursuing an international coalition to resolve the situation in Iraq. Such pitches on Israel defy two recent major polls that showed Israel dropping as a priority for U.S. Jews. Yet the pitches may make sense for the Republicans in the sense of the party having little else to offer the Jews, said Theodore Mann, a former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "It's a card they had to play, know- ing as they do — correctly — that Israelis prefer Bush and thinking as they do — incorrectly — that Jews are one-issue voters," said Mann, who is on the board of the Israel Policy Forum, a group that supports U.S. engagement in the peace process. Republicans, of course, reject that, noting that some Jews share the Republican agenda on economic and social issues as well. Republicans also may have had in mind the Jewish vote in Florida, a state Bush cannot afford to lose. The community is weighted to the elderly, and older Jews rank Israel higher among their priorities. "Israel looms much larger among the elderly," the AJCommittee's Harris said. "If I were appealing to Jewish voters in Greenwich Village, I would approach them differently than I would in Palm Beach County." Bush's apparent inability to crack the traditional three-to-one Jewish support for Democrats is frustrating some Republicans. The latest polls, taken in late summer, show Kerry winning anywhere between 69 and 75 percent of the Jewish vote, with Bush getting between 22 and 24 percent. "Why is it that so many American Jews appear unconcerned about Israel's parlous condition?" asked an editorial in a pamphlet distributed to Jewish voters by a conservative group, the Jewish Political Education Foundation. "When judging a candidate, they prefer focusing on health care, Social Security, abortion rights, funding of stem-cell research, gun control, deficits, etc. What can one say to complacent Jewish souls suffering from cognitive dissonance?" ❑ More national election coverage, vvvvw.jewish.com U.S. Congressman Joe Knollenberg State Rep. Marc Shulman - State Rep. Shelley Goodman Taub Aldo Vagnozzi is a nice man who means well. However, he hasn't been able to get results on the issues important to our community. We've endorsed Bill Largent for State Representative because he'll have a seat at the leadership table and will be able to deliver for us. On November 2nd, please vote for Bill Largent for State Representative. Paid for by Friends of Bill Largent for State Representative, 28331 Forestbrook, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 903920 We Wait& the BEST for our Kids. We Need the BEST on our State Board of Education. NANCY DANHOF For State Board of Education SEES9riecacee aVNancy Danhof was trained as a teacher. .110,ea /5ES7-1r,e 4:144fe. `. ye/ Nancy Danhof served on a local school board for nearly a decade. S' 646 BEY- rt6e,eiee, y Nancy Danhof served as Director of the Michigan Foundation for Education Leadership. 4 rd to gtrrigveee, lAs a parent, Nancy Danhof knows she has something in common with other Michigan parents ...commitment to providing their children with the best education possible. "Nancy Danhof is a solid choice ..Articulate and knowledgeable We believe Danhof will be a needed knowledgeable voice on the board. Lansing State Journal OPINION, October 20, 2004 10/29 www.cianhofzistateboard.com Pin, far frf th*CY Nfiird 63:51 P:tte :13kw Cove, Eirg ,rctins tvi Alft23 903140 2004 49