I DETROIT

AN OPEN LEI1ER TO THE JEWISH COMMUNTY OF MICHIGAN

Dear Friend,

Young Leadership Sends
80 To Lobby Capitol Hill

On Tuesday, March 17, Michigan Democrats face a critical choice for
the future of our nation, at home and abroad. Before you vote, we urge you to
consider voting for Governor Bill Clinton for President.

PHIL JACOBS

We have known Bill Clinton for many years and believe he combines
the characteristics and record we need. He has been a progressive and
innovative chief executive, who was voted most effective governor by his
peers. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and a Rhodes Scholar. Bill Clinton
is pro-choice, has a strong record on civil rights, and has put forth a dynamic
plan to rescue our economy.

When it comes to Israel, it is crystal clear that Bill Clinton is the best
man in the race. He is the only Democratic candidate to support the use of
force against Saddam Hussein's regime at a time when Iraq was on the verge
of getting nuclear weapons. As President, Bill Clinton would act to make sure
that the United States recognizes—both in word and deed—that Israel is our
most dependable ally in the Middle East.

As members of Congress who fight on behalf of Israel every day, we
know how important it is for Israel to have a good friend in the White House.
Bill Clinton would be such a President.

Governor Clinton strongly supports continued military and economic
assistance to Israel, because he knows this aid encourages long-term security
and stability. He also supports the extension of $10 billion in loan guarantees,
because he believes the U.S. has a moral commitment to help assimilate the
historic flow of Soviet Jews. While Governor Clinton backs the Bush
Administration's attempts to bring peace to the Middle East, he believes that
its recent criticisms of Israel have not been helpful.

Here at home, Bill Clinton—first among the candidates—has stood
strong against the politics of division and racism preached by the Republican
right. We know Bill Clinton and are certain that, as President, he will bring all
Americans together, regardless of their race, religion, sex, age or income.

Governor Clinton's specific plans provide for short-term recovery and
long-term investments in people—a turn away from the Reagan/Bush
policies that have left so many people behind. His economic program stresses
investment in our children—from day care to national education standards
and a national trust fund that would allow any young person to borrow the
money for college and pay it back with two years of community service or
through a portion of their income.

On Tuesday, please join us in helping to select a Democratic nominee
who shares our concerns. Please cast your vote for Bill Clinton.

Joseph Lieberman
U.S. Senator, Connecticut

Daniel R. Glickman
U.S. Representative
Kansas, 4th District

Paid for by the Clinton for President Committee.

20

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1992

Stephen Solarz
U.S. Representative
New York, 13th District

Managing Editor

W

hen 80 Detroit area
young adults leave
Saturday for Wash-
ington, D.C., they're not
necessarily going for the
cherry blossoms or a tour of
the FBI Building.
Members of the Federa-
tion's Young Adult Division
will be spending the
weekend lobbying Michigan
senators and congressmen
as well as being briefed on
issues important to national
and world Jewry.
The Young Leadership
Cabinet's Eighth Washing-
ton Conference will attract
2,500 delegates from around
the nation, Canada and
Israel.
Gilbert Borman, who is co-
chair of the Detroit delega-
tion along with Lynn
Sachse, said the conference
is an important opportunity
for young adults to discuss
issues with contemporaries
from all over the nation.
"There is an emergence of
a new group of young
American Jews who realize
that there is no such thing as
a free lunch. People go to the
conference and they return
energized."
Shelley Milin, assistant
Campaign director and the
primary Federation staffer
working with the delegation,
said each one of these con-
ferences usually takes on a
central issue. In the past,
those issues have included
Russian Jewish emigration
and national election
preferences. In 1986, the
conference was visited by
then-Vice President George
Bush. This year, Ms. Milin
said a major issue will be the
$10 billion in loan guar-
antees that Israel has been
seeking from the U.S.
"This represents a corn-
bination of taking a group
that is interested and corn-
mitted to Washington to
meet and network with peo-
ple of similar interests from
all over the country," said
Ms. Milin.
Besides the loan guar-
antees, conference par-
ticipants will also run into
issues concerning U.S. ap-
propriations to Israel, the
abortion issue and the Re-
ligious Freedom Restoration
Act, as well as others. The
Religious Freedom Restora-
tion Act is seen as an impor-
tant underdog issue. The act
can severely curtail the

right to the free exercise of
religion.
It eliminated the govern-
ment's obligation to demon-
strate a "compelling state
interest" before depriving
an individual of the right to
practice his or her religion.
The act came about when
the Supreme Court ruled the
state of Oregon could deny
unemployment benefits to
persons discharged from
their jobs for using peyote in
Native American religious
ceremonies. Peyote is a
small, spineless cactus that
is chewed in religious
ceremonies by some Indians
for its hallucinogenic effects.
The far-reaching implica-
tions now make it possible
for any law or restriction to
be placed on a religious

The weekend
conference will
address all kinds
of Jewish issues.

group. If a school system has
a ruling against the wearing
of hats or headgear in school,
a student could be prohibited
from wearing a yarmulke.
There's no longer a con-
stitutional obligation to ac-
commodate religion, accor-
ding to Miriam Imerman of
the Jewish Community
Council. She added that
kosher slaughter, circumci-
sions and other practices
could be endangered. Before
the Supreme Court decision,
the state had to show cause
before it interfered with re-
ligious belief.
There is, according to Ms.
Milin, a possibility that
President Bush could ad-
dress the conference.
Speakers already scheduled
include Maryland Senator
Barbara Mikulski, a staunch
supporter of Israel; Israeli
Defense Minister Moshe
Arens; Ambassador Zalman
Shoval; Yitzhak Rabin,
Labor Party candidate for
prime minister of Israel;
Shoshana Cardin, chairman
of the Conference of Presi-
dents Of Major American
Jewish Organizations; Jack
Kemp, U.S. Secretary of
Housing and Urban Develop-
ment and others.

Co-chair Lynn Sachse said
participants will be getting
together after the conference
back in Detroit for some sort
of follow-up.

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