UP FRONT
Religious Freedom Bill
Facing Obstacles
JAMES BESSER
was ington Correspondent
W
hen legislators sink
their teeth into the
Senate version of
the Religious Freedom Res-
toration Act sometime this
spring, it will mark a new
phase in what has become
the most concerted Jewish
effort on behalf of a piece of
domestic legislation in re-
cent memory.
The bill, which was in-
troduced in the House last
year by Rep. Stephen Solarz,
D-N.Y., and a long list of co-
sponsors, seeks to reverse
the 1990 Supreme Court
decision in Employment
Division v. Smith — the so-
called Peyote case.
Almost every Jewish polit-
ical and religious organiza-
tion has pitched in, with a
degree of unanimity that is
uncommon in Jewish life.
"I'm lobbying more on this
than on any bill in 18
years," said Rabbi David
Saperstein, director of the
Religious Action Center of
Reform Judaism. "I don't
think there's any other issue
that could have such a major
impact on the future of the
Jewish community."
On the other side of the
Jewish spectrum, the Union
of Orthodox Jewish Con-
gregations of America has
tapped its grass-roots net-
work to support the bill.
"This has become our top
domestic priority for 1992,"
said William Rapfogel, di-
rector of the group's In-
stitute for Public Affairs.
"We're part of a coalition
that is unique by any stan-
dards — a coalition united
by the idea that Americans
should not be forced to com-
promise their religious
beliefs."
But numerous obstacles to
the legislation remain, in-
cluding an alternative bill
supported by the Catholic
Church, legislation designed
to punctuate the Catholics'
drive against legal abortion.
With an election in the off-
ing, that opposition may be
hard to overcome.
At first blush, the
Supreme Court case that the
religious freedom restora-
tion bill is intended to over-
turn did not seem like some-
thing that would endanger
the most basic religious
rights of American Jews.
The case involved the right
of a drug rehabilitation
counselor in Oregon to use
peyote as part of Native
American religious rituals
and ruled against him.
In the past, the govern-
ment was required to dem-
onstrate "a compelling in
terest" in enforcing legisla-
tion that had the effect of
limiting the free exercise of
religion. But in the Smith
decision, the Court discarded
the notion of compelling in-
terest.
Theoretically, based on the
decision, states could pass
laws that had the effect of
restricting the use of
ceremonial wine, or laws
limiting the right of
students to observe the Jew-
ish holidays.
Already, there have been a
number of lower court deci-
sions based on the Smith
precedent; some have af-
fected the Jewish commun-
ity.
A Michigan judge denied a
claim that a state-ordered
autopsy represented an infr-
ingement on the rights of the
victim's family, Orthodox
Jews. The judge cited the
Smith decision as the basis
for the ruling.
"We know of at least 35
cases that have come down
since Smith in which the
`religious freedom' side has
Artwork from Newsday by Bernie Cootner. Copyright C 1989. Newsday. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
lost," said Michael Lieber-
man, counsel for the Wash-
ington office of the Anti-
Defamation League. "In
many of these cases, it is
clear that under the old
standard, the plaintiff would
have won. This decision will
continue to have a negative
impact on the Jewish com-
munity until this law gets
passed."
Because of such concerns,
Continued on Page 13
Chilewich is offering two
different kosher parcels. The
first, containing 11 pounds
of chicken legs and franks,
ground turkey and turkey
sausage, costs $35. A special
Passover package contains
12 pounds of chicken legs
only and costs $30.
To place an order, contact
Chilewich at 1-800-950-
7447. Operators speak both
English and Russian.
and crafts, drama, dance and
religious training.
For information, contact
Tikvah at Camp Ramah in
Wisconsin, 65 E. Wacker
Place, Suite 820, Chicago,
Ill., 60601, or call (312) 606-
9316.
ROUND UP
Pelicans Enjoy
Succulent Carp
Tel Aviv (JTA) — Pelicans,
whose beaks hold more than
their bellies, are gorging on
Israel's famous pond-bred
fish, to the dismay of the
farmers that market them.
So succulent are the carp
that about 200 migratory
birds apparently have decid-
ed to winter in Israel instead
of their usual African
haunts. All efforts so far to
send them on their way have
failed.
The Nature Preserve Au-
thority sought help from the
air force, which provided
light planes and helicopters.
The idea was to herd the
pelicans toward the coastal
plain over which lie the
flight paths of migrating
birds. But the stubborn fowl
refuse to leave the source of
their nourishment.
"The birds have learned
quickly and evolved a new
strategy," a kibbutz pilot
complained. "We used to fly
around a large flight, cor-
ralling them in the air like
the cowboys on the plains
and herdic ig them where we
wanted them, far away from
the fish ponds.
"But they caught on to
that. Now they scatter into
small groups, and we have to
fly around each one in small,
tight circles," he said. Local
fish farmers dubbed the peli-
cans sabras, the name ap-
plied to native Israelis. That
is because "they have big
mouths; they are stubborn
and don't scare easily," one
farmer explained.
Food Parcels
Go Kosher
Moscow residents are talk-
ing turkey — kosher turkey,
that is.
The Chilewich Group,
which for years offered
"Friendship Parcels" filled
with American food to
residents of the former
Soviet Union, is expanding
to include "Kosher Friend-
ship Parcels." The parcels
will feature Empire kosher
chicken and turkey pro-
ducts.
Talking turkey in Moscow.
The program works simp-
ly. Containers of frozen Em-
pire meats are bulk-shipped
to the Chilewich warehouses
in Moscow and St.
Petersburg and stored there.
Orders are taken through
Chilewich offices in New
York, then transmitted to its
branches abroad. The reci-
pient is then notified that he
may pick up a Friendship
Parcel at the local
warehouse.
Camp Offers
Tikvah Program
Camp Ramah in Wisconsin
is taking applications for the
Tikvah Program, which
offers a Jewish experience
for learning disabled adoles-
cents between the ages of 13
and 17.
Tikvah is an eight-week
program which stresses in-
dividualized planning
tailored to meet the needs of
each child, and encourages
mainstreaming into regular
camp activities whenever
possible. Tikvah youngsters
participate in sports, arts
Gorby Plans
Trip To Israel
The Technion-Israel In-
stitute of Technology will
award its 1992 Harvey Prize
to former Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev.
Mr. Gorbachev was
selected because of his
"substantial contributions
to peace in our region by
removing his nation from an
active position in the Israel-
Arab crisis, for his contribu-
tion in reducing the regional
arms race, and his stand
against despotism during
the Gulf crisis," a Technion
spokesman said.
Mr. Gorbachev will make
his first trip to Israel in June
to receive the prize.
Compiled by
Elizabeth Applebaum
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 11