THE JEWISH NEWS

SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 3, 1989 / 28 SHEVAT 5749

THIS ISSUE 60c

Are Jews Losing Their Clout?

Jews' lack of influence in the 1988 elections, growing competition by other
minorities for power and the instablity caused by the intifada are all factors
in a potentially critical situation.

JAMES D. BESSER

Washington Correspondent

Was 1988 the year Jewish politi-
cal power in the United States began
to wane?
It is a disturbing question that
resists simple answers. But increas-
ingly, Jewish activists in Washington
are quietly talking about a dramatic
convergence of events that may be
fundamentally altering the political
landscape for the Jewish community.
The worsening intifada in Israel,
growing disunity within the Jewish
community in this country, turmoil in
the Democratic party, the change in
administrations — all of these ingre-
dients are coming together in a

volatile brew that is beginning to serious efforts to reach out to the
challenge some of the basic assump- Jewish community.
Still, there is a growing sense that
tions of Jewish political activity.
The question is all the more dif- the Jewish community is at a critical
ficult to grasp because of the abun- juncture, with hazards in every
dant signs of Jewish strength. U.S. direction.
support for Israel continues at a
"I think there's a real danger of
record level, and Soviet Jewry ac- an over-reaction that could become a
tivists are in the unaccustomed posi- self-fulfilling prophecy," said an of-
ficial with a major Jewish organiza-
tion. "Yet I do feel there has been a
subtle shift away from our positions
tion of trying to deal with a flood of on some key issues; there is a weari-
Jewish immigrants, a testimony to ness among some of our government
officials who have been dealing with
years of highly focused activism.
In the United States Congress, Jewish demands for so long. It would
there are more Jewish legislators be wrong to conclude that we are in
than ever. In the recent presidential danger of losing our position of in-
election, both candidates made Continued on Page 18

ANALYSIS

1989

.10141VAII IlfWf°6

1

A special pull-out section
featuring four local heroes.

Center Section

Mitzvah Hero Louis Kay with his employees.