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U.S. Jews Speak Out on War With Iraq
Monday, October 14, 2002
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency

´I don´t think we have a choice,´ says Kym Pitlor, 17, at the Omaha JCC, referring to a potential war with Iraq.
Image Credit: Omaha Jewish Press.

“Iraq must conform to the resolutions adopted by the Security Council and the other standards which President Bush has specified. We support the efforts to enlist the United Nations and international cooperation to secure Iraqi compliance, including the use of force as a last resort.”
-- The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

NEW YORK -- JTA
When asked about a possible U.S. war on Iraq, Marcy Pepper takes no prisoners.

“Bomb them,” Pepper, 43, said recently, while working out at Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Center.

“Get rid of him,” she said, referring to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. “The Israelis should have done it already.”

But Raymond Schwartz of Louisville, Ky., isn’t so sure about war.

The 67-year-old accountant believes President Bush hasn’t clearly made the case for military action against Saddam, he’s worried about an Iraqi retaliation on Israel -- and he’s nervous about long-term U.S. involvement in another country.

“We haven’t done such a great job in Afghanistan in that respect. Do you think we’ll do better in Iraq?” he asked.

As the United States prepares for a possible invasion, U.S. Jews -- like other Americans -- are weighing issues of war and peace as they come together for private events and for public gatherings at synagogues, Jewish Community Centers (JCCs), meetings and dinners.

Like Pepper, a majority of Jews interviewed across the country appear to support a U.S. invasion, especially if all other options are exhausted.

The unscientific sampling of ordinary American Jews seems to reflect the position of the organized Jewish community, which over the weekend issued a statement backing the Bush administration’s use of force against Iraq “as a last resort.”

Others are skeptical that the Bush administration has done all that it can to avoid war.
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2002 © Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Dan