INSIDE WASHINGTON MLA & CO invites you to view the collections of Spring '89 Patricia Clyne Matsuda Spadafora Dianne Beaudry Morisane Go Silk Joan Vass U.S.A. Tomatsu Helen Hsu Johnny Farah Jill Stuart many more collections of beautiful clothing and accessories for women — NOW OPEN IN ANN ARBOR — AYLA & CO 323 S. Main St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (313) 665-7788 M-TAN-S 10-6, Th-F 10-8 To aft of our friends .. . A Happy and Health Passover The Zivav Family and the staff at Greg Shoes 28 FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1989 Marathon Refugee Hearings Keeping Representatives Busy JAMES D. BESSER Washington Corespondent A ctivity on the refugee and immigration front has been fast and furious in recent days. Last week, marathon hear- ings of the House Subcommit- tee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law reviewed a number of bills designed to provide tem- porary cures for the Soviet Jewry bottleneck in Rome and Moscow — without pit- ting Jews against other ethnic groups. But the real action may have taken place in the ad- ministration, where the flurry of congressional activi- ty may have pushed officials in the direction of the "emergency consultations" with Congress that Jewish ac- tivists have been working for all along. Most Jewish groups favor a measure by Rep. Howard Ber- man, (D-Calif.), which would borrow money to clear up the backlog from a program that reimburses state _ s for their assistance to new im- migrants. Berman brought together Jewish and Hispanic groups in an effort to craft a bill that would not provoke howls of protest. Rep. Bruce Morrison, (D- Conn.), chairman of the house subcommittee immigration refugees and international law, is working on his own proposal, aimed at the up- surge in Soviet Jews whose applications for refugee status have been turned down in recent months. - But some Jewish activists worry that the Morrison bill goes too far by providing blanket refugee status for all Soviet Jews and Pentecostals. At last week's hearings, State Department witnesses indicated that the ad- ministration was now ready to begin the consultation pro- cess, something that could make all this legislation unnecessary. But Soviet Jewry activists are wary; the administration has not indicated where addi- tional money for refugee resettlement would come from — a sticky question as a major showdown over the budget deficit looms. "There are almost too many bills," said one Soviet Jewry activist who has been trying to keep up with the rush of events. "It's almost impossi- ble to keep them straight — Rep. Berman: Measure favored and the `fact that we're work- ing against a deadline only makes it more of a jumble." Orthodox Have New Presence In Washington Last week, another Jewish group came to town to flex its political muscle — and to lay the groundwork for a perma- nent Washington presence. Four-hundred participants in the Orthodox Jewish Political Coalition's Washington Mission made all the traditional stops on the Washington circuit, including the White House, where the group was addressed by chief of staff John Sununu. At a luncheon, senators were queued up to address the group, including Rudy Boschwitz, (R-Minn.), Orrin Hatch, (R-Utah), Daniel Patrick Moynihan, (D-N.Y.), and Paul Simon, (D-I11.). But the man who set the tone for the Orthodox group was Sen. Joe Lieberman, (D , Conn.), the only Orthodox Jew in the Senate. Lieberman urged the group to continue their move in the direction of greater political and social activism.. - "Over the years, this com- munity has not been as in- volved as it should be," Lieberman said. "Your presence here today gives me encouragement, and it sends the message that this is an open and free system — but it only works if people get organized, if they petition their government?' The group already had ab- sorbed that message; current- ly, plans are in the works for a new Washington-based In- stitute for Public Affairs (IPA). "Obviously, the purpose of this would be to present the Orthodox viewpoint on issues of concern to the Jewish corn- munity," said Jerry Gon- townik, vice-chairman of IPA. "This will range from issues like Israel and Soviet Jewry, where the Orthodox community may not stake out a position different from the other Jewish organizations, to issues like Sabbath obser- vance and kosher foods, where the other Jewish groups do not take the lead." The group stresses that it will have a broader agenda than Agudath Israel of Am- erica, the Orthodox group that last year opened a Washington office. "I think Agudah's presence in Washington was one factor in the decision to go. ahead with this project," said. one Orthodox Union official. "We have a somewhat different point on some issues; we represent a much larger, broader constituency. So why shouldn't we be down in Washington, making our views known to the people there?" Administration Wants To Renew Arms Lease'' Some things in Washington have a certain aspect of in- evitability to them: the cherry blossoms, city govern- ment scandals andperiodic squabbles over arms sales to Arab nations. In the last category, there is evidence that another fight is shaping up over Stinger missiles, the sophisticated, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles that worry anti- terrorism specialists because of their portability. In 1987, the Reagan ad- ministration compromised on the sale of Stingers to Bahrain by shipping the missiles under a unique "lease" agreement. In June, that lease will ex- pire; unless it is extended, the Stingers will find their way back to the United States. The Bush administration is sending clear signals that it would like to see the lease renewed, and Israel's sup- porters in the Capitol are working actively to develop a strategy for dealing with the sale.