The Jewish Week - 10.15.2004

The Jewish Week

Congress Scorecard: Split Decision

Good news on homeland security money, anti-Semitism; bad news on hate crimes. 

James D. Besser - Washington Correspondent 

Jewish groups won a few and lost a few as Congress tried to close out a session paralyzed by partisan acrimony. Lawmakers will return after the Nov. 2 elections for a lame-duck session, but mostly to deal with unfinished spending bills. 

In a battle with dizzying twists and turns, Jewish groups were able to preserve part of a special appropriation to help vulnerable non-profit agencies beef up security against terror attacks. 

In an amendment to the homeland security appropriations bill, lawmakers approved a $25 million fund for the at-risk non-profit organizations. That was down from the $100 million originally requested, but it comes several months after a Department of Homeland Security ruling opened up additional federal money channeled through states to nonprofit groups. 

In the last-minute congressional rush, the special appropriation was removed and then restored, in part because of the efforts of Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.). 

“There was some resistance from the [House] Appropriations Committee on fiscal grounds, and Rep. Cantor prevailed on them to restore it,” said Nathan Diament, Washington director for the Orthodox Union, which actively supported the legislation. “He came through in the clutch.” 

But Congress failed to pass authorizing language for the measure, which means how it is actually implemented remains something of a question mark. 

“It’s not exactly clear what role state governments will play in making these grants,” said an official with a major Jewish organization. “And it seems like these grants will be available only to institutions in high-density urban areas, which could pose a problem for many synagogues and schools that still may be vulnerable, even if they’re not in New York or Chicago.” 

The failure of Congress to enact an authorizing bill also means that church-state protections built into the initial legislation were not enacted, including provisions requiring that the Department of Homeland Security contract directly with companies providing security upgrades to religious facilities to avoid handing taxpayer money over to sectarian institutions. 

“On one hand, there’s reason to be concerned that funds are sitting out there now without the structure we saw as necessary,” said Richard Foltin, legislative director for the American Jewish Committee. 

But he praised Congress for recognizing that nonprofits, including Jewish religious institutions, may need help in an era of rising terror threats. 

The drive for the legislation was spearheaded by the United Jewish Communities Washington Action office. 

“This represents a very good beginning,” said Charles Konigsberg, the UJC vice-president for public policy. Konigsberg said his group will work closely with Homeland Security officials to make sure the rules governing the disbursement of the money will recognize the special vulnerability of Jewish institutions. 

Hate Crimes Provision Axed 

For the third time, House Republican leaders axed a hate crimes provision championed by a number of Jewish groups in the last days of a congressional session. 

The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act had been added to the 2005 defense authorization bill by the Senate and two weeks ago, the House passed a resolution urging House-Senate conferees to accept the Senate language. 

But in the end, House leaders yanked the amendment, which would have expanded existing hate crimes statutes to include crimes based on sexual orientation, gender and disabilities. 

The Anti-Defamation League, which had made passage of the long-stalled measure a top legislative priority, expressed “deep disappointment” at the last-minute maneuver. 

“This action thwarts the will of the substantial majorities in both chambers that voted in support of this measure to expand federal and state coordination to address hate violence in our nation,” the group said in a statement. 

ADL officials promised to try again next year, along with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the American Jewish Committee, the National Council of Jewish Women and other leading Jewish groups. 

But the political realities that killed the bill again this year are unlikely to change in 2005. Republican leaders were unwilling to anger Christian right supporters, who argued that the hate crimes legislation was just another element in the “gay agenda” and that it would outlaw public criticism of the “homosexual lifestyle.” 

New Office To Monitor Anti-Semitism 

News was better for the Jewish groups that backed a measure by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) to increase State Department monitoring of anti-Semitism around the world and create a special office at Foggy Bottom to coordinate the effort. 

In quiet last-minute maneuvers, Lantos convinced Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), author of a different anti-Semitism bill that cleared the Senate, to accept the House language, obviating the need for a House-Senate conference committee. 

In a late-night compromise, Lantos agreed to allow the special State Department envoy on anti-Semitism to hold other portfolios. Jewish leaders say they expect the job will be combined with the current State Department position overseeing Holocaust restitution issues. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) also played a critical role in hammering out the compromise measure. 

The State Department had opposed the measure, saying it would show “favoritism” and “imbalance” by singling out a single group for special treatment, according to Lantos. 

In a statement, Lantos said, “apart from being offensive and absurd, these comments demonstrate an appalling lack of comprehension by the State Department of the central danger that the re-emergence of anti-Semitism poses to America’s national interests. The stronger legislation as amended and passed by both the House and the Senate will force the Department to confront its alarming complacency on this issue.” 

A broad spectrum of Jewish groups welcomed the congressional action. 

In recent congressional testimony, Mark Levin, executive director of NCSJ, a human rights group, said that the new procedures will “measure consistently which countries are contributing to the [anti-Semitism] problem and which are contributing to the solution.” 

Pro-Israel Resolution Killed, Israel Aid Stalled 

Also on the negative side of the congressional ledger: a Senate resolution criticizing this summer’s International Court of Justice ruling against Israel’s security barrier died with barely a whimper. 

The House passed its version of the legislation in July by a 361-45 margin; the Senate version, introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), was expected to sail through without a hitch. 

But an anonymous Republican, making use of the loose rules in the upper chamber, put a hold on the measure. 

Last week, there were reports that GOP leaders in the Senate had convinced the renegade lawmaker to release the bill — but in the waning moments of the session, another hold was placed on the bill, this time by an anonymous Democrat. 

“It’s very frustrating because there is no mechanism for finding out who blocked it or for effectively lobbying to end the hold,” said a veteran pro-Israel lobbyist. 

The only hope now, this source said, is to try to attach the legislation as an amendment to one of the “must-pass” bills lawmakers will consider during their lame duck session after the November elections. 

Pro-Israel lobbyists are also hoping lawmakers will complete work on a $19.6 billion foreign operations appropriations bill that contains Israel’s $2.58 billion in military and economic aid. 

The measure passed both Houses, but like so many other vital appropriations bills, was held up by a conference process that has mostly broken down. 

If lawmakers can’t get it together to pass a bill, its provisions will likely be rolled into a giant omnibus spending bill — with a small across-the-board spending cut. 

If that happens, it will be the third year in a row when Israel’s aid has been cut slightly because of the budgetary paralysis gripping Capitol Hill. 

Teresa, Laura At UJC 

The Lions of Judah roar into town next week with a program that tries to steer a thoroughly nonpartisan course through a city consumed with the upcoming partisan elections. 

In a carefully balanced program, the group — the high-giving women’s philanthropy unit of the United Jewish Communities — will feature First Lady Laura Bush and the woman who would like to replace her, Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of Democratic challenger John Kerry. 

But the two political wives will talk about relatively nonpolitical topics, according to Susan Stern, chair of the UJC’s National Women’s Philanthropy, which sponsors the conference. 

The first lady “will speak about the power of women to make change in the world,” Stern said. “It’s not political; we’re a philanthropic organization, not a political one.” 

Heinz Kerry, she said, “will speak about the power of philanthropy and her early work with the Soviet Jewry movement.” And Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg will talk about justice and the American Jewish experience. 

The program, Stern said, “is meant to transcend political divisions.” 

Past Lion conferences in Washington, she said, have included a political component — mostly lobbying on domestic issues important to women. But this year, because of the impending election, the group will steer clear of the partisan fray. 

A top Jewish politico here agreed — to a point. 

“It’s not political at all — but if you’re a big Democrat or a big Republican, this isn’t a conference you want to miss,” this source said, adding that women are playing a growing role in political fundraising and grassroots politics. 

“In a political year,” the source said, “appearing before this group is just smart politics.”