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FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 1989
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Hispanic Constituency Makes
Berman's Bill A Balancing Act
JAMES D. BESSER,
Washington Correspondent
R
ep. Howard Berman,
(D-Calif.), has plunged
into the chaotic realm
of refugee legislation, a hot
topic on Capitol Hill in recent
days.
But Berman brings a dif-
ferent perspective to the
issue. Although Berman is
Jewish, he represents a state
with a large Hispanic popula-
tion. So the process of crafting
his Emergency Refugee Act of
1989 was a delicate balancing
act.
Like the Kennedy-Kasten
bill in the Senate, Berman's
measure would take unused
funds from the State
Legalization Impact
Assistance Grant program
(SLIAG), a program that
reimburses states for their
assistance to new im-
migrants, and use it to help
break the Soviet Jewry log-
jam in Rome.
But Berman's bill, unlike
the Senate measures, was
designed to short-circuit con-
flict between Jewish groups
and other groups that need
funds for refugee programs;
under the proposal, SLIAG
funds transferred to meet the
soaring demands created by
the Soviet Jewry exodus
would be repaid quickly.
The SLIAG question is a
sensitive one for the Hispanic
. community in California,
which has depended heavily
on SLIAG funds for their own
programs. The current
surplus in the SLIAG ac-
count, they argue, is simply a
function of the way the money
was appropriated; the full
amount will be urgently
needed by 1991.
"This bill solves an impor-
tant problem for the Soviet
Jewry community," said Judy
Golub, assistant Washington
representative for the
American Jewish Committee.
"At the same time, it does im-
portant things for the
Hispanic community. Recon-
ciling these two sets of needs
was a very difficult job. It was
an incredible job on Berman's
part, and a good piece of
legislation."
Spate Of Bills
Address Strain
On JDC Budgets
The spate of bills proposing
to unclog the Soviet Jewry
pipeline indirectly address
one major headache for hard-
pressed Soviet Jewish ac-
tivists — the financial crisis
facing the Joint Distribution
Committee (JDC), the Jewish
group that provides in-transit
services to fleeing Soviet
Jews.
Last year, the State Depart-
ment put a 30-day cap on how
long refugees could remain in
transit points like Rome and
still receive goiiernment
reimbursements.
But recent shortfalls in
funds and refugee slots, along
with the huge increase in the
number of Jews released from
the Soviet Union, have
resulted in far longer stays in
Rome for many refugees —
with the JDC picking up the
tab.
JDC now is paying out
millions of dollars a week;
fund-raising campaigns
around the country are at-
tempting to shore up the
group's financial position, as
well as pave the way for the
next crisis — finding the
funds to resettle the swelling
tide of Jewish refugees in this
country. The emergency
refugee bills currently in the
hopper would relieve a signifi-
cant part of the short-term
burden.
Jewish groups are current-
ly working with the State
Department, trying to have
the new 30-day cap lifted.
Conservative
Rabbis Convene
In Washington
Five-hundred Conservative
rabbis checked into town this
week with a handful of con-
troversial issues on their
agenda.
The decision by the Rab-
binical Assembly to meet in
Washington for the first time
in 20 years reflects a growing
trend toward social and
political activism within the
Conservative movement, ac-
cording to group spokesman
Gunther Lawrence.
"It is clear that they wanted
to relate to 'non-internal
Jewish issues: " Lawrence
said. "They wanted to talk
about major domestic and in-
ternational issues and get ac-
cess to major decision makers
who they ordinarily wouldn't
have access to."
Assistant Secretary of State
for Human rights Richard
Schifter was scheduled to
meet with the group, along
with National Conference on
Soviet Jewry chairman
Shoshana Cardin, former
presidential assistant Stuart
Eizenstat and Tom Dine, ex-
Stu Eizenstat:
Meeting with rabbis.
ecutive director of the
American Israel Public Af-
fairs Committee.
The group is expected to ap-
prove a wide range of resolu-
tions including a strong pro-
choice position on abortion.
The rabbis will also tackle
issues like child care and the
problems of Central
American refugees.
Another resolution up for
debate is a recommendation
urging President Bush to
create a clerical panel on
ethics and urging Congress to
pass a controversial pay raise,
coupled with legislation to
outlaw honoraria to
legislators.
"The rabbis are very con-
cerned about ethical issues,"
Lawrence said. "This is a
natural focus for this kind of
group."
Sen. Mikuiski
Is Peddling
Service Program
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, (D-
Md.), called in a delegation of
Jewish leaders last week to
reiterate some of her posi-
tions on the Middle East and
to garner support for her new
"national service" proposal,
an idea that has already stir-
red up interest within the
Jewish community.
Mikulski's plan would pro-
vide loans for higher educa-
tion or for the purchase of a
first home in return for a six-
year volunteer commitment.
Under the Mikuiski pro-
posal, participants would
work in volunteer agencies
for two weekends per month,
plus two weeks in the sum-
mer; the basic format
resembles the structure of the
National Guard.