18 Friday, August 9, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER
PRESENTS
White House Advisor
TSP
A CLASS ACT
Continued from Mtge 19
A unique Teen Study program
• Once-a-week evening programs for 8th 12th
grade, beginning in September,
-
• Explore your Jewish identity as well as issues and
events relevant to today's Jewish teen,
• Social and recreational events will
compliment
the learning experiences,
• Join us for 1985-86. Contact the Center 661-
1000, Ext, 180 for information.
Don't just compare
our prices.
Compare our furniture.
Designs for the future, Crafted by
quality makers, Furniture you'd want
at any price, Making our 25 to 30%
Summer Upholstery Sale savings
I f;. unequaled In value, Free
.4
in-store design service,
Al too,
141 .,
`
5
to
ilk Aly
iMs
Eft 04/8
Oif 8000/4/
$4 Saly $0 %
QI CIer8
SO%
017.87017080111;--
so%
So.
648 094 on
te ,?..1
RI;10,6001/00.1
$41164
istv / 9 $09
N i t Le ft )
v 79 118/yeclon
44/0(141.4,1/
911
0.01l1r
419/8412,59/
.
.
- er
"
41 . ' 411111,
Accessories
always 29% OFF
complimantsry gift wrapping
CLOSE-UP
y
1(q
9 if
sher w axi studios
Tel-Tweln Mall • 12 Mile $ Telegraph, Southfield
Daily 10 ,9, Sunday 12.t5 • fM ,900
II) t
I j i iip J 1411)4 , 1 0 t, 1, 1 1
messages of the Jewish
community to the White
House but to sell the Ad-
ministration's policy to the
Jews.
Under Ronald Reagan, the
holder of the Jewish liaison's
job has no political clout, no
direct access to the
President, no top level advi-
sory functions, no office in
the White House and little
prestige in the community at
large. Marshall Breger re-
ports to his boss, Linda
Chavez, the head of the
White House Office of Public
Liaison, who reports to Pat
Buchanan, who reports to
Donald Regan or Ronald Re-
agan.
Some critics charge that
the liaison is just a "court
Jew" or a covenient target.
Others feel that its formali-
zation and specialization
have downgraded it. Still
others say that it dilutes and
usurps the effectiveness of
the Israeli embassy in Wash-
ington and tends to set apart
and isolate the Jewish com-
munity from the rest of the
population.
One White House official
who is Jewish reportedly told
Donald Regan, the
President's chief of staff, that
the Jewish liaison position is
inherently restrictive and
confining in that it seeks to
control the views of the
Jewish community by chan-
neling them through a single
conduit. But another White
1- 1011110 official complained, "If
we do away with the posi-
tion, American Jews will say
we're anti-Semitic,"
Many say that the liaison
position is LI "no-win" job
without real effectiveness
beyond that of a minor func-
tionary or appointment sec-
retary and ought to be
abolished, Very few, even
within the Republican Party
or the Jewish community,
defend it unqualifiedly,
There is little question
that the White House's
Jill so n to the wish O►-
II/Unity has a very sensitive,
even vulnerable role to play.
The recent ruckus over the
President's visit to 131tburg
'imply illustrates the prob.
lions inherent in the present
job, Mereinill brown'
not only
had little Influence on
P1'116/ 4►► 1, 1 {0/► K11 ►►
'1•1 dia.:WW1
to visit the 1311 , 1)11174 14111101,-
ury, he W1►4 ►► 1/111 ► CO ►111111y,
id MI early step In OW
decision-snaking process, flu
depth of American dowry's
unli ► ppiness over the trip,
Moreover
Winso
idourged that brow eeked
,
him to limit his remarks on
the subject when he accepted
an award from the President.
But the problems are not
peculiar to the Reagan ad-
ministration. Mark Siegel,
who worked as Jimmy Car-
ter's deputy assistant and
took on the liaison job as a
sideline, resigned after little
more than a year in office,
The trigger was the U.S, sale
'Obcionsly, if you're
going lo hove
►►
office of public
IMiso ► , the
Americo's Jewish
community is on
active polili•ol
com m ni
d
there hos to be o
mechonis
►
to (/('I
informolion to it o101
from il."
of F-15 fighters to the
Saudis, but things went de-
eper than that:
"I think what happened,"
said Siegel, "was that the
President, basically because
of Brezinksi's influence
(Zbigniew Brezinski was
Carter's chief advisor on
foreign policy), changed over
the course of the year
from someone who was
genuinely interested in the
view of the community to
someone who was not only
not that interested, but an-
noyed; found the Jewish
community to be an obstruc-
tion to his policy."
The man in the White
House has changed, but the
job is still highly vulnerable
to internal maneuverings.
"I think we have a
President who is sympathetic
to Israel," said Siegel, "I
think we have a President
who is sympathetic to Jove
and is comfortable working
with Jews, Unfortunately,
think we have a White
House structure that is bate-
golly foreign to Jewish politi-
cal input because most or the
PO* close to the President
now have never worked at a
political or social level with
this American Jewish com-
munity and don't share ltd
social interests,"
and his gollogues
,
Hi the Carter whi ► Joistrucion,
Homo, kfzunidut, Al Moses
and JO filmdom
were 0)00