INSIDE WASHINGTON
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
Foreign Aid Battle
Worries Israel's Friends
cent weeks. There are no
signs that this surge is
specifically related to Israel.
Instead, a tight federal
budget and growing con-
cerns about the nation's
economic health appear to be
the main culprits.
But anti-foreign aid sen-
timents may encourage
legislators to accept across-
the-board aid cuts — in-
cluding cuts that would
violate the traditionally
sacrosanct aid to Israel and
Egypt. That prospect is
enough to give Jewish ac-
tivists here sleepless nights.
In this atmosphere, the
new government in Israel is
a potential time bomb.
"It may be a little more
difficult than in recent
years," said Rep. Howard
Berman (D-Calif.). "My col-
leagues are expressing more
concerns than I've heard in
the past, more questions
about the motives of Israel's
new government. But I
doubt if this is anywhere
near a majority, and it
doesn't fundamentally
threaten at this time the
passage of Israel's foreign
aid assistance."
A
s the process of
allocating foreign aid
for fiscal year 1991
progresses, possible storm
clouds are giving Jewish ac-
tivists here considerable
° anxiety.
They are specifically con-
cerned about indications
from Rep. David Obey (D-
Wis.) that the appropriations
bill may be open to amend-
ments when it reaches the
House floor, possibly late
this week.
This could open up the pos-
sibility of amendments that
would tie strings to Israel's
$3 billion allotment.
They are also concerned
that amendments on other
issues, including proposals
to slice aid to El Salvador,
could add new complexity to
an already Byzantine pro-
cess.
Further, Jewish activists
are concerned about how the
end of the Cold War, and ex-
pectations of a "peace divi-
dend," will affect the entire
Howard Berman:
Colleagues questioning.
foreign aid process.
House and Senate offices
report a sharp increase in
anti-foreign aid mail in re-
Anti-Semitism Darkens
Immigration Debate
The current debate in
Congress to revise the
nation's system of handling
immigrants has taken on
some ugly anti-Semitic over-
tones.
The House is now consider-
ing a bill to strengthen
family-based immigration
and employer-sponsored
immigration, and increase
the number of immigrants
admitted.
But the measure has pro-
voked angry reactions from
groups advocating more re-
strictive immigration. Some
of this, in fact, has entered
the realm of blatant bigotry.
"The kind of anti-
immigrant undercurrent
we've been seeing masks a
lot of anti-Hispanic, anti-
Asian, anti-black and anti-
Semitic attitudes," said Rick
Swartz, a long-time im-
migration activist in Wash-
ington. "This has been true
throughout our history, and
it's particularly true now."
Swartz pointed to the role
played by the Federation for
American Immigration
Reform (FAIR), a group that
urges restricting immigra-
tion.
"Their involvement is con-
tinuing and deepening," he
said. "They use fear and in-
nuendo to tap latent nativist
Flag Amendment's Fate
Relieves Jewish Groups
Jewish groups did not
think much of last week's
unsuccessful effort to protect
Old Glory with a constitu-
tional amendment, accor-
ding to a quick survey of
Jewish activists who par-
ticipated in the hectic,
sometimes overwrought
debate.
"We don't condone flag
burning," said Mark
Pelavin, Washington repre-
sentative for the American
Jewish Congress. "But those
purporting to protect the
flag by outlawing its
desecration would, in fact,
erode the cherished freedom
the flag symbolizes."
The group made its opi-
nions known in a letter to
members of the House and
Senate.
The issue is important to
Jews, said Pelavin, because
any tampering with the
Constitution's free speech
provisions is especially
threatening to minorities.
A number of other Jewish
organizations weighed in
with similar opinions, in-
cluding the American Jew-
ish Committee and the Na-
tional Council of Jewish
Women.
Meanwhile, some of the
more dramatic oratory in the
House on the issue came
from Rep. Larry Smith (D-
Fla.), whose outspoken style
is best known when it comes
to support for Israel.
Smith reminded his col-
leagues that one of the
Nazis' first acts upon taking
power was to ban the burn-
ing of their flag.
On Thursday, the House
rejected the proposed
amendment, thus almost
Mark Pelavin:
"Cheapens the flag."
guaranteeing that flag burn-
ing will become a hot issue
in the year's congressional
races.
"I can't think of anything
that cheapens the flag more
than using it as a political
weapon," said Pelavin. "But
this vote is almost certain to
have major political reper-
cussions."
Boschwitz Urges
Israeli Economic Reform
..e.s.ser/
D'Aglan. COP," • MM.
attitudes, and exacerbate
ethnic conflict."
The immigration bill is
now awaiting action by the
House Judiciary Committee.
But it faces strong opposi-
tion from the Administra-
tion, which has sent explicit
signals that it objects to
major parts of the bill —in-
cluding its immigration ceil-
ings that would almost
double present levels.
Some groups have adopted
a more overtly anti-Semitic
stance. One publication,
"The Truth That Lasts," re-
cently blasted Soviet Jewish
immigration, and printed
alleged quotes from Rep.
Lamar Smith (R-Texas), a
chief opponent of the current
bill.
A spokesman for Smith
said the congressman rejects
1,mo*
the kinds of sentiments ex-
pressed in the newspaper,
and pointed to his sponsor-
ship of a "special immi-
grant" bill, which would
allow more Soviet Jews into
the U.S.
But the newspaper is an-
other illustration of how the
immigration issue tends to
dredge up enduring hatreds.
"This anti-Semitic diatribe
is an example of how easily
immigration and refugee
issues can inflame
intergroup relations and ge-
nerate anti-Semitism and
racism," said Judy Golub,
associate Washington repre-
sentative for the American
Jewish Committee. Golub
has been a leading voice in
the Jewish community
favoring the current legisla-
tion.
As the world focuses its at-
tention on Israel's new polit-
ical environment, Sen. Rudy
Boschwitz (R-Minn.) has a
special interest in Israel's
economy. Boschwitz has
started a quiet campaign to
urge Israel to bolster its
economic system.
Well known for his free
market views, Boschwitz is
worried that Israel's econ-
omic system — a framework
of socialism overlaid with a
massive bureaucracy — will
make it harder for the coun-
try to absorb the thousands
of Soviet Jews arriving there.
"Israel urgently needs free
market economic reform to
absorb the tens of thousands
of Soviet Jews already in the
country, and the hundreds of
thousands expected in the
next few years," said
Boschwitz. "Israel's econo-
my is now stagnating, and it
is hard to see how it can pro-
vide enough meaningful
employment for its people,
let alone those who are on
the way."
Several months ago,
Boschwitz successfully
attached to a supplemental
appropriations bill $400
million in housing loan
guarantees for Israel.
Boschwitz's provision gives
Washington flexibility in
assuring that the guar-
antees promote efficiency
and privitization of the hous-
ing sector.
Boschwitz asserts that his
campaign contributes to
Israel's security.
"Economic and electoral
reform will contribute to
Israel's national security by
removing some of that
nation's more apparent
weaknesses," he said.
"Israel's hostile neighbors
have little incentive to offer
peace when they see that she
can't even keep her econ-
omic house in order"
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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