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Muslim Help On Agudah's Bill
May Keep Feds From Koshering

309 Consecutive Weeks

INSTANT LIQUIDITY

INTEREST RATES AS OF 2 14 90

JAMES D. BESSER

-

-

Washington Correspondent

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

C

MONEY MARKET RATES'

an an Orthodox Jew-
ish group make corn-
m o n cause with
Muslims on the issue of fed-
eral help for kosher food con-
sumers?
That's a tantalizing possi-
bility when Agudath Israel
of America presses ahead
with its new Kashrut
legislation, scheduled for in-
troduction sometime in the
next few weeks.
The Agudah bill is essen-
tially a consumer protection
measure that would not put
the federal government in
the business of certifying
kosher foods, according to
the group's Washington
representative, Abba Cohen.

6.65

Franklin Savings

6.40
6.25
5.90
6.00
5.80
5.90
5.90
5.40

National Bank of Detroit
Manufacturers
Comerica
First Federal Savings Bank & Trust
Michigan National of Detroit
Standard Federal
First Federal of Michigan
First of America

*Based on S 10,000 deposit. Some minimum deposit requirements may be lower.
Higher rates may be available for larger deposits.

36 MONTH HIGH INCOME C.D.

8.00%

8.30%

Annual Percentage Rate

Annual Yield

Monthly check may be issued or reinvested to another
Franklin Savings Account

Balance of $5000 or more. Limited time offer.

"If a manufacturer puts a
symbol on a product that
conveys the impression that
the product conforms to cer-
tain religious standards —
not just kosher — the person
who introduces it into corn-
merce must file certain in-
formation with the secretary
of the Department of Health
and Services, and specifical-
ly, with the Food and Drug
Administration," Cohen
said.
Included would be the
name and address of the re-
ligious officials certifying
the product.
"With this measure, I, the
kosher consumer, can call
the government and get the
information I need to make
an informed choice," Cohen
said. "It does not set any
standards for kashrut; it will

not make kosher more
kosher."
Cohen indicated that
Agudath Israel was current-
ly seeking coalition partners
to promote the bill — in-
cluding, possibly, Muslim
groups, which have a similar
interest in food certified ac-
cording to ritual standards.

Nat Lewin, a well known
advocate for Orthodox
causes in Washington and
chair of Agudah's Washing-
ton advisory committee,
provided additional
guidance for the bill's
drafters.
The bill is expected to be
introduced by Rep. Stephen
Solarz, D-N.Y., who has
worked with the Orthodox
group since last year on
shaping the measure.

Early withdrawal subject to penalty.

Child Care Bill Battle
Focuses On Religion

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32

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1990

I

The battle over federal
child care legislation is shif-
ting into high gear again,
with the debate over church-
state language once again at
center stage.
And Jewish organizations
continue to fight an uphill
battle to develop com-
prehensive child care pro-
grams without opening the
door to federal support for
sectarian purposes.
One fundamental question
involves the nature of child
care services, according to
Judy Golub, assistant Wash-
ington representative for the
American Jewish Corn-
mittee.
"The question is whether
child care services are basi-
cally just babysitting — or
whether they have a signifi-
cant educational compo-
nent," Golub said. "If it's
education, federal funding
for sectarian institutions is
generally proscribed, espe-
cially for young kids. We
think it's a hybrid of social
service and educational ser-
vices; you have to have a law
that reflects that. We believe
churches and synagogues
should be involved in pro-
viding care — but only for
non-sectarian services."
The American Jewish
Committee supports the
House Education and Labor
Committee bill, which in-
cludes a general prohibition
against the use of money for
sectarian purposes.
But the Ways and Means

Artwork by Catherine Kanner. Copyright° 1990. Catherine Kanner. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

Committee has its own mea-
sure, which would channel
"block grant" money into
child care services — a pro-
cess which would not include
safeguards against sectarian
uses of the money.
And there are persistent
hints that some legislators
might introduce amend-
ments allowing for vouchers
that could be used for sec-
tarian day care services,
which would bring it in line
with the Senate version.

Jewish groups, including the
AJ Committee and the
American Jewish Congress,
have been lobbying hard
with House leaders to avoid
the introduction of this kind
of language.
The Senate version, incor-
porating big chunks of the
Act for Better Child Care
(ABC) originally supported
by a wide range of Jewish
groups, now includes provi-
sions allowing vouchers to
be used for religious instruc-

