INSIDE WASHINGTON Our Home Equity Loan Is First Rate PR MAX. LOAN CURRENT A Anc TO VALUE Franklin Savings 11.75% 80% National Bank of Detroit 12.00% 75% ivlanufacturers 12.50% 75% + Standard Federal 12.00% 75% Comerica 12.50% 75% Michigan National Bank 12.00% 75% Jewish Groups Continue Efforts To Bolster HUD For Elderly JAMES D.BESSER Washington Correspondent LOWEST RATE & HIGHEST LOAN LIMIT The chart says it all. Even the largest financial institutions in Metro Detroit don't offer the LOWEST RATE and the HIGHEST LOAN LIMIT like Franklin Savings Bank. PLUS ... There are NO ANNUAL FEES or closing costs that can cost 100's of dollars at other banks. *Applications now being accepted for our variable rate home equity plan adjusted monthly according to prime +1.75% to a maximum Annual Percentage Rate of 18.0% effective 1/30/90. ewish activists con- tinue their behind-the- scenes work to bolster an important program that provides funding for the con- struction of low-income housing for the elderly. During last fall's legislative wars, Jewish Federation groups and B'nai B'rith International fought for language on the Housing and Urban Development ap- propriations bill that would make more money available for Section 202 housing — and for changes in HUD regulations to make it easier j to build low-income housing for the elderly. These efforts produced a general commitment by HUD officials to facilitate new low-income elderly housing — but few specific changes in the process of allocating funds. Specifically, Jewish groups need a updating of HUD guidelines dating back 25 years. "The program is based on building costs from the 1960s," said Susan Banes Harris, Washington repre- sentative for the New York federations. "Things like mortgage ceilings and fair- market rents haven't been increased since then. So it's very difficult for groups that want to put together attrac- tive housing packages to do so." In New York, Jewish groups have tried to locate new housing for the elderly adjacent to Jewish commun- ity centers, with connecting structures — something that HUD has rejected. Complicating matters fur- ther is the fact that the cur- rent administration budget proposal includes a 45 per- cent decrease for Section 202 housing, which could put a severe crimp in Jewish hous- ing programs for the elderly in a number of cities. Late Change, Dole Helped Pass Hate Bill +Other offers may apply based on first mortgage relationship. CALL (313) 358-5170 Franklin Bank SAVINGS SOUTHFIELD GROSSE POINTE WOODS BIRMINGHAM FDIC - Insured LOOM Unique Eyewear DOC • • OF WEST BLOOMFIELD Dr. Howard J. Rosner, Optometrist West Bloomfield Plaza • Orchard Lake south of Maple • 626-0200 THE BEST CARPET DESERVES THE BEST CARE Duraclean by Maryann 425 4800 - Our foam extraction rated best by independent tests. Residential and commercial experts in carpet, furniture, drapery, and blind cleaning. BOB & MARYANN ZUKOSKY 28 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1990 Last week's Senate passage of the Hate Crimes Statistics bill was the result of sophisticated lobbying by a coalition including several major Jewish groups. And, curiously, the hate crimes coalition may have benefited indirectly from the controversy over propos- ed cuts in Israel's foreign aid allocation. The bill, which mandates the collection of statistics on crimes based on the victims' race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation, had been shot down in past sessions by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), who objected to the inclusion of statistics on crimes against homosexuals. In recent months, Jewish groups worked to enlist enough Senate co-sponsors to inoculate the bill against crippling amendments by the North Carolina conser- vative. Also, a protective amendment had been crafted by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.), stating that the bill did not condone homosexuality. But on Wednesday, it ap- peared that the Hatch- Simon amendment would not be enough to provide "cover" for Republican sena- tors, who were under intense pressure to support a com- peting Helms proposal. As a result, the hate- crimes co- alition made a tactical deci- sion to add additional lang- uage to the amendment in an effort to keep Repub- licans in line. Jesse Helms: Loses war. The added language stressed the importance of "American family life ," a semantic high-wire act in- tended to avoid the phrase "traditional family values"—the rallying cry of some anti-homosexual forces. The Hatch-Simon modification was accepted, and the crippling Helms amendment went down to a crushing 77-19 defeat Another factor in the passage of the bill was Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kans.), who served as a broker in the passage of the Hatch-Simon language. Some Jewish ac- tivists privately speculated that Dole's last-minute sup- port for the bill may have been related to his con- troversial proposals for cut- ting foreign aid to Israel. Activist To Teach Politics In E. Europe American political ac- tivists are flocking to East- ern Europe to help with the democratic revolution sweeping the continent. One of the latest is Jennifer Kessler, who organized one of the largest Jewish vol- unteer social action projects in the country at the Jewish Community Center in Wash- ington. Kessler, who now works as director of political edu- cation for Campaigns and Elections, a magazine for professional politicos, will lead a group of 25 political consultants to Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary in March. "The training program has two tracks," Kessler said. "The first is on how to win a political campaign. They have no experience; they don't know how to define their priorities, or even what their priorities are. The se- cond track involves the basic values of democracy — ideas like the separation of church and state, the media as a watchdog, the rights of minorities." Kessler expressed special concern about signs of grow-