The furor over former Sen. Chuck Hagel’s nomination for secretary of defense is rippling beyond Capitol Hill as pro-Israeli and gay-rights groups join in opposition.

The former Nebraska senator and decorated Vietnam War veteran is facing criticism for a years-old anti-gay comment and his political views — including those that suggest some tension with Israel, considered the United States’ closest Middle East ally.

“It seems Mr. Hagel is out of sync with the majority of Americans,” Daniel Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International, told FoxNew.com on Wednesday. “We are going to press very strongly on issues of deep concern.”

Mariaschin said the major concerns for B’nai B’rith, the international Jewish community service organization, include whether Hagel thinks Hezbollah is indeed a terrorist group and if he would put “all options on the table” to stop Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon, including military action.

“These are questions that need to be asked,” he said…more.