INSIDE WASHINGTON

JAMES D. BESSER

Washington Correspondent

JAMES D. BESSER

Washington Correspondent

A

s the Senate debated
the giant supplemen-
tal appropriation for
the State Department, some
Jewish activists involved in
the debate found themselves
in an unusually uncomfor-
table position.
The bill was a top item on
the Jewish agenda because
of its inclusion of $400 mill-
ion in loan guarantees to
help settle Soviet Jews in
Israel - guarantees that are
seen as jeopardized by recent
I l disclosures that the Israeli
government had helped fund
the occupation of a building
in the Christian quarter in
Jerusalem by Jewish set-
tlers.
But last week, it also
became an issue for pro-
choice groups - including a
number of major Jewish
organizations involved in
the abortion fight.
On Tuesday, Sen. Brock
Adams (D-Wash.) surprised
many pro-choice activists by
introducing an amendment
that would allow the District
of Columbia to spend locally

raised revenues to help fund
abortions for poor women.
Jewish groups like the Na-
tional Council of Jewish
Women and the American
Jewish Committee had been
involved in earlier efforts to
pass this kind of language.
Adams was not alone in
regarding the supplemental
appropriations bill as a
perfect vehicle for unrelated
amendments. As of Friday,
some 68 amendments were
proposed for the legislation
as congressmen tried to take
advantage of the fact that
the bill contained several
provisions considered essen-
tial by the administration -
including emergency aid
for Nicaragua and Panama.
"The thinking was that
these provisions would make
it harder for the president to
veto the bill," said one con-
gressional aid involved in
the fight. "So the sup-
plemental became a magnet
for amendments."
But if Bush did veto the
measure, the entire sup-
plemental would have to en-
dure congressional scrutiny
again - clearing the way for a
renewed debate over possi-
ble restrictions on the use of

aid money for resettlement
in Israel.
The problem for Jewish ac-
tivists is an awkward one.
On one hand, they consider
the $400 million in housing
loan guarantees critical for
Israel's attempts to resettle
thousands of Soviet Jews.
And the bill would also
replenish State Department
funds for the resettlement of
refugees in this country.
Without that money, groups
like the Hebrew Immigrant
Aid Society will run out of
money in the early part of
this month.
But many of these same
organizations have been at
the forefront of efforts to
reverse a 1988 law barring
the District from spending
local tax money on abor-
tions.
"We've been working for
both areas - the loan guar-
antees and the District of
Columbia provisions," said
Sammie Moshenberg, Wash-
ington representative for the
National Council of Jewish
Women. "We hope the presi-
dent doesn't put us in the
difficult position of having
these two interests conflict."
The discomfort is some-
thing Jewish groups are get-
ting used to; combatants on
both sides of the abortion
issue are increasingly using
a strategy of amending
unrelated legislation.

Jackson-Vanik Waiver
Question Arises Again

With the successful com-
pletion of U.S.-Soviet trade
talks in Paris last week, the
question of a waver of the
Jackson-Vanik amendment
for the Soviets is once again
on the front burner in Wash-
ington.
And once again, the issue
threatens to be garbled by a
host of unrelated factors.
Many Soviet Jewry ac-
tivists have pressed for re-
taining the original intent of
the legislation — to link Mogt
Favored Nation status for the
Soviets solely to that
country's emigration per-
formance. MFN status
would allow the Soviets to
sell their goods in this coun-
try without restrictive
tariffs.
While Soviet Jewry groups
disagree about the wisdom of
withholding a waiver until
new Soviet emigration laws
are formally adopted, there
is little disagreement about
keeping Jackson-Vanik free
of non-related issues.
"There have been some
members of Congress who

have suggested to us that we
urge the President not to
waive Jackson-Vanik if
Lithuania is not handled
properly," said Micah Naf-
talin, national director of the

The Union of
Councils remains
concerned that the
Soviets have not
formally codified
more liberal
emigraton policies
but they are
quietly urging
legislators not to
add Lithuania to
the Jackson-Vanik
debate.

Union of Councils for Soviet
Jews. "As much as we ap-
preciate their concern, we
don't consider Jackson-
Vanik a general human-
rights vehicle; it's always
been limited strictly to
emigration."

The Union of Councils
remains concerned that the
Soviets have not formally
codified more liberal
emigration policies - but
they are quietly urging
legislators not to add
Lithuania to the Jackson-
Vanik debate.
But sentiment for some ac-
tion to press the Soviets on
Lithuania is running high in
Congress. Last week, a
group of nine Republican
senators publicly rebuked
Bush's cautious policies on
Lithuania, and signaled
their opposition to the trade
pact.
As a result, Soviet Jewry
groups are treading lightly.
"We obviously want to
keep Jackson-Vanik tied to
immigration," said Mark
Levin, associate director of
the National Conference on
Soviet Jewry. "But we're
also realists; we have to rec-
ognize that a lot of what
happens depends on the
climate between the two
countries."

Activists Gather Support
For Accommodation Bill

After an initial flurry of
controversy, the "religious
accommodations" bill ex-
pected from Rep. Stephen
Solarz (D- N.Y.) has receded
into the Byzantine innards
of the congressional
machine.
But behind the scenes,
Jewish groups and congres-
sional staffers are busy lin-
ing up support for' the bill,
which would protect workers
whose religious beliefs de-
mand special kinds of treat-
ment from employers. Under
current law, employers are
required to make
"accommodations" for
Sabbath-observing Jews —
but the scope of those ac-
commodations has been lim-
ited by some recent court
decisions.
Currently, Solarz' office is
lining up a broad-based re-
ligious coalition to fight for
the bill - a coalition that now
includes the Baptist Joint
Committee, the National
Association of Evangelicals,
as well as Jewish groups like
the American Jewish Con-
gress and Agudath Israel of
America, the organizations
whose concerns sparked the
bill.
"The more you talk to
these people, the more you
realize that they have simi-
lar concerns about religious

Stephen Solarz:
Accommodations.

accomodations," said a
spokesman for Solarz. "It
really is an inter-religious
problem that affects both
Jews and non- Jews."
Solarz' staffers are also
soliciting testimony from
both Jews and non-Jews who
have experienced problems
with employers who refused
to accommodate their re-
ligious needs.
Supporters of the bill are
anxiously awaiting word
from the Leadership Con-
ference on Civil Rights on
whether the umbrella civil
rights groups will actively
support the religious ac-
comodations measure.

Senate Measure Aimed
At Thwarting Iraq

Rep. Howard Berman (D-
Calif.) is a persistent man,
especially when it comes to
his attempts to impose sanc-
tions on the government of
Iraq for that country's in-
creasingly visible effort to
acquire weapons of mass
destruction.
And Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein, who has publicly
announced his determina-
tion to use such weapons in
retaliation for any Israeli at-
tack, is the best possible
lobbyist for the sanctions bill
that Berman is preparing to
introduce.
Berman's bill has been
carefully constructed to
minimize opposition from
business interests; an earlier
Berman sanctions package
was scuttled, in large part
because of opposition by
lobbyists for agricultural
concerns.
The wide-ranging bill
would end the sale of "dual
use" goods, which can be
used for both legitimate non-

defense manufacturing and
for weapons production. Last
year, the United States ex-
ported more than $60 mill-
ion in dual use goods to Iraq;
the Berman bill would elim-
inate them entirely.
Berman also wants to deny
Iraq access to the Export-
Import Bank. Iraq current-
ly has a $200 million ceiling
on credit guarantees
through the bank.
An important motive for
Berman is to get a bill pass-
ed — fast.
"What we want to do is be
in a position to go to the Eu-
ropeans and say,' It's time to
act with restraint in trade
with Iraq,' said a spokes-
man for the congressman.
"We're not in any position to
make that argument until
we do it ourselves."
But the bill is already pro-
voking howls from some
segments of the business
community, who are eager to
harvest the profits from
Hussein. ❑

TWC n[TDtlIT ICIAIICU KICIAIC

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AT IO N A

Amendments Choke Bill
Containing Israel Aid

