Barack Obama, meanwhile, is trying to assure Jewish voters they should not fear him because of his stance on Israel or the false assumption that he is Muslim, as some e-mails distributed anonymously through some Jewish communities claim.

Jewish voters made up about 3% of the electorate in 2004, according to surveys of voters as they left polling places. But high turnout among Jewish voters in November could make a difference for McCain or Obama in battleground states.

"If it turns out to be a close election, the Jewish vote could make the difference," said M.J. Rosenberg, director of policy with the Israel Policy Forum, a liberal think tank.

Rosenberg and other Jewish leaders say the Jewish vote could make a difference in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

McCain and Obama both made their pitches this week to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the nation's largest Jewish lobbying organization.

On Wednesday, Obama vowed to be a staunch advocate of Israel and paid tribute to the long struggle to create the Jewish state. "We know that we cannot relent, we cannot yield, and as president, I will never compromise when it comes to Israel's security," he said.

Obama also clarified that his willingness to negotiate with Iran does not mean he harbors illusions about the regime of its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who once said Israel was on its way to "annihilation."

"The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat," Obama said to applause.

McCain used his AIPAC speech Monday to zero in on Obama's plan to talk directly with the leaders of Iran and other nations critical of U.S. foreign policy. McCain said talks with Ahmadinejad would yield little "except an earful of anti-Semitic rants and a worldwide audience for a man who denies one Holocaust and talks before frenzied crowds about starting another."

Obama countered Wednesday by invoking Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, saying they were presidents who "understood that diplomacy backed by real leverage was a fundamental tool of statecraft."

Although Jewish voters have traditionally voted Democratic, Republicans have tried recently to make inroads. President Bush received 24% of the Jewish vote in 2004.

McCain's supporters believe the Arizona senator can do better. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., cited a Gallup Poll last month giving McCain 32% of the Jewish vote in a matchup against Obama. The Illinois senator garners 61% of the Jewish vote.

Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., who is helping Obama with Jewish outreach, said the Illinois senator has an "A-plus record" on Israel. He predicted McCain would turn off older, Jewish voters with his support to create individual investment accounts for Social Security.

"The more people learn about Barack, the more they're going to like him," Wexler said.

Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said Obama's "naive" approach to Iran is a reason that some Jewish voters are "concerned and nervous" about the Democratic nominee.

"The reality is that Barack Obama has significant problems with the Jewish community, more so than any other Democrat in recent times," Brooks said.

Rosenberg and other Jewish leaders also note that Obama has had to deal with the false perception that he is Muslim and that some Jewish voters are concerned because Obama is black.

"It's mainly about race," Rosenberg said. "That's the variable."

Obama himself raised these issues during his Florida tour last month. He asked members of a Boca Raton synagogue not to judge him "because I've got a funny name" or "because I'm African-American."

Contributing: Ken Dilanian

		From left to right: Sens. Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference in Washington D.C. Wednesday. From left to right: By Alex Wong/Getty Images, Charles Dharapak/AP, Alex Wong/Getty Images

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