Gary Fitleberg, January 4, 2005

A flurry of e-mails urges Jews to vote no in an online poll of the Christian Science Monitor, which shows 60 percent of voters favoring a church boycott of companies that do business with Israel.

The poll comes amid heated debate over the issue since the Presbyterian Church USA voted in July to drop its investments in companies that do business with Israel.

In November, the Episcopal Church's governing board voted to look into the church's corporate investments and take appropriate action with "companies that contribute to the infrastructure of Israel's alleged ongoing "occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip" -- as well as companies that have connections to organizations responsible for violence against Israel.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2005 Gary Fitleberg