The Jewish community is
a factor in local Washington
politics. Its members com-
prise the second-largest
voting block in the city,
although they are far out-
numbered by the black
population. In the past,
Jewish contributors played
an important part in keep-

ing Marion Barry in office.
That money, most observers
feel, would almost certainly
go to one of the home-grown
candidates ready to fill
Barry's post, not to Jackson.
Pearl cautioned national
Jewish leaders not to meddle
in the District's turbulent
political situation. "They
have to develop a sensitivity
to this," he said. "If the
District does begin
gravitating towards
Jackson, it will only exacer-
bate racial tensions if na-
tional Jewish leaders try to
tell voters here what to do.
They're going to have to
keep their mouths shut and
let the District work through
this process."

Israel Tries To Better
Press Relations

Israel has had more than
its share of difficulties in
dealing with the American
press.

More often than not,
reporters both here and in
Israel find Israeli officials
aloof and sometimes con-
temptuous of the insatiable
demands of the electronic
and print media.

But Israel is trying to
something about the prob-
lem. This week, a number of
officials from the defense
and foreign ministries in
Jerusalem, along with
senior IDF officers and
Israeli diplomats in the
United States are gathering
in New York and

Washington for intensive
media relations seminars.
The goal, according to an
Israeli embassy spokesman,
is to forge a better under-
standing of the special prob-
lems of communicating
Israel's positions in today's
complex environment.
The Israelis are scheduled
for meetings with top news-
paper editors and network
executives. They will also go
to Foggy Bottom for brief-
ings at the State Depart-
ment.
"This is something we
have done in the past, and
we feel it has been very
helpful," said an Israeli em-
bassy spokesman. "Especial-
ly in today's environment."

Hoffman Gets New Job
As Head Of CAMERA

Michael Hoffman has a
new job, and it's a natural
for this persistent pro-Israel
gadfly: Hoffman, formerly
director of the Washington
division of the Zionist
Organization of America, is
new national director for the
Committee for Accuracy in
Middle East Reporting in
America (CAMERA), the
pro-Israel media watchdog
group.
Hoffman has become a fa-
miliar figure to reporters on
the diplomatic beat. He has
also made his presence on
the Washington talk-radio
circuit whenever criticisms
of Israel hit the airwaves.
Hoffman was co-founder of

Israel Line, a telephone ser-
vice offering the latest Mid-
dle East news. Currently,
the service is available only
in Washington and
Baltimore; under
CAMERA's auspices, Hoff-
man hopes to provide a simi-
lar service in a number of
cities, including New York,
Boston, Los Angeles and
Philadelphia.
He rejects the accusation
that CAMERA has taken a
right-wing approach to the
Middle East.
"People have perceived it
that way in the past, but
that's never been our goal.
Our emphasis will continue
to be on monitoring."

Did you know that at the
House of Watchbands, we

■ Carry the largest selection
of watchbands and watches
in the area.
■ Repair your watch on the
premises.
■ Sell batteries for every
watch made.
■ Cut our own crystals.
■ Repair jewelry.
■ Restore Vintage Watches.

ATI •NA

a tremendously difficult
position," said Marc Pearl, a
longtime Jewish activist and
former director of the liberal
Americans for Democratic
Action. "It's much better to
be a vocal critic on the out-
side, to play the role of a
Lech Walesa in local politics.
Jesse has always that kind
of a role in politics."

We've Grown
a Lot in
60 Years.

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29