Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and top US security officials told Jewish community leaders in a conference call Wednesday that they believe there is no imminent threat of an attack on Jewish targets in the US.

"Officials on the call said government and security agencies are closely monitoring intelligence information amid rising Mideast tensions, but confirmed that there are no immediate threats directed at a specific target in the US at this time," said a statement by the Jewish Federations of North America, which co-hosted the call with DHS and Secure Community Network, the group which partners with JFNA to consult with Jewish communities on security.

Napolitano and top officials of the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the White House spoke for an hour and "stressed that there is currently no indication of any such threat, and urged the Jewish community to continue to engage in normal activity," the JFNA release said.

A senior Homeland Security official said that Napolitano had been concerned by the level of worry in the Jewish community arising from a number of aborted attempts overseas to target Jewish institutions as well as recent arson attacks on synagogues in northern New Jersey.

Here in Birmingham, The Birmingham Jewish Federation, continues to encourage all of our Jewish institutions and their staffs and users to practice good preventive security and to report things, developments and people which seem out of the ordinary.

Above information is from Jewish Telegraphic Agency, one of 32 agencies and programs funded by The Birmingham Jewish Federation Annual Campaign.

Much continues to be written in the Jewish media -- and more and more stories are also appearing in the general media -- regarding President Obama's relationship with the American Jewish community, his policies toward Israel and Jewish conflictedness over Obama.

A story this week in The Jewish Week by reporter Stewart Ain suggested, "The president really wants American Jews to like him. But he can't seem to overcome the perception he's anti-Israel."

Noting a recent Pew Research Center poll that was featured in Update, the story notes, "A survey released this month by the Pew Research Center found that the percentage of Jews who identified as Republican last year rose by nearly 50 percent since 2008, growing from 20 percent to 29 percent."

The Pew report, the story added, noted that "while the majority of Jews are still Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party, Democrats' dominance among this group has weakened since the last presidential election....In fact, Jews are the only religious group analyzed in which the percentage who identify themselves as Republican (as opposed to leaning toward the GOP) has risen significantly."

Obama and his support for Israel remains a continued topic of discussion within the Birmingham Jewish community; some support the president, insisting that he has been a good friend to the Jewish state, while those who oppose Obama maintain that he has been harmful to Israel.

It's not surprising that Jews are divided on Obama. Jews are not monolithic and have different perspectives on many issues, including Israel.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation takes no position on candidates and is not affiliated with any political party. However, as this election year unfolds, Update will publish analyses and offer readers the opportunity to participate in conference calls sponsored by our national agency, The Jewish Federations of North America.

Photo is of President Obama at a past meeting with Jewish leaders at the White House.

Dr. Susanna Kokkonen will be in Birmingham tonight for the first of several opportunities for the public to hear her speak. Dr. Kokkonen (pictured here) is the Director of the Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, (CFYV) established in 2006 in cooperation with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) to raise awareness about the Holocaust and its universal lessons in Christian communities world-wide.

CFYV works together with Yad Vashem to educate about the Holocaust. Located in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem is the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust.

Dr. Kokkonen, originally from Finland is also the country director for Italy and Scandinavia in the International Relations Division of Yad Vashem. Dr. Kokkonen frequently travels the world to speak about Israel, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. Fluent in six languages, she also writes regularly on Jewish and Israeli issues, and her articles have been published in various publications. She received her Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2004 in Holocaust studies.

Tonight (Thurs., Feb. 9) at 7 pm Dr. Kokkonen will speak at Southside Baptist Church, 1016 19th Street South. Her lecture, "On The Holocaust and Christian Responsibility," will explore not only the historical background that led to the Holocaust but also discuss how it was possible that "Christians who believed in the Jewish God perpetrated or aided crimes against the Chosen people" and "what is an appropriate Christian response today to what took place?"

On Friday evening, Feb. 10, Dr. Kokkonen will speak during Shabbat services at Temple Emanu-El, 2100 Highland Ave. Under the Nazi regime, few courageous souls made the choice to take grave risks to help defend and save Jews. Those who did are considered today to be "among the Righteous."

Each Righteous person acted in a different way and each story is unique. Dr. Kokkonen will talk about the personal stories of several different non-Jewish rescuers -- Righteous people who acted in varied circumstances in different countries. Her topic, "The Righteous Among The Nations: Moral Choices Under Tyranny and Death," will explore how these choices were made, including what motivated rescuers and who were the people they chose to help.

She will repeat this lecture again during Shabbat services Saturday morning, Feb. 11, at Temple Beth-El, 2179 Highland Ave. Services begin at 9:30 am.

The programs with Dr. Kokkonen are all free of charge and open to the public.