JCCouncil Gets Out Vote
KIMBERLY UFTON STAFF WRITER
Council's grass-roots political
task force.
"Our community has tradi-
tionally been listened to by
politicians and those in high
office," Mr. Frank said. "If our
percentage of voters drops, our
influence and strength do as
well."
Although Jewish voting per-
centages have always been
higher than the national 50
percent average, numbers
have dropped significantly in
the past decade, from a one-
time high of 90 percent to 60
percent.
Democratic and Republican
pollsters are predicting that
the Jewish vote may be par-
ticularly significant in this
election, with many Jewish
voters living in key electoral
and possible swing states like
Florida, Pennsylvania, New
York, California, Michigan,
Maryland and Illinois.
Schools Hosting
Mock Elections
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he Jewish Community
Council is diving into
the world of electoral
politics as organizers
work out details for its first get
out the vote phone drive.
In the coming weeks, the
Council will be asking repre-
sentatives throughout the
community to contribute to the
efforts by sharing phone lists.
In addition, organizers are
looking for volunteers to make
calls to up to 7,000 Jewish
households on Sunday, Nov. 1
— the scheduled phone-a-
thon.
The phone-a-thon will take
place from 4 p.m. through 8
p.m. at the Max Fisher build-
ing at 6735 Telegraph, Bloom-
field Township. Volunteers
will be asked to call members
of the Jewish community dur-
ing one-hour shifts.
Callers will simply remind
the community to vote in the
Nov. 3 presidential election.
Volunteers will be instructed
not to offer voting advice.
"The very fact that we are
only 2.5 percent of the popu-
lation makes it imperative
that we turn out in numbers
to have an impact," said Fred
Frank, chairman of the JC-
With the help of social stud-
ies teacher Barry Lepler, stu-
dents at Norup Middle School
in Oak Park are taking an ac-
tive interest in the presiden-
tial race.
Now plans for a mock elec-
tion are under way.
Norup is just one of many
schools getting into the politi-
cal swing of things.
Among the others is Or-
chard Lake Middle School in
West Bloomfield. There, H.
Ross Perot's re-entry into the
presidential race hasn't made
much impact. Just weeks
away from the election, De-
mocratic candidate Bill Clin-
ton is leading a classroom poll
in Ken Gutman's social stud-
ies classes.
On Sundays, Marc Kay's
high school political awareness
class at the Agency for Jewish
Education also is delving into
campaign issues. Each week,
the students discuss issues
such as media coverage, Israel
and peace in the Middle East.
In the coming weeks, the
class will consider holding a
mock election — or at least a
debate.
Buttons Appeal
To Jewish Voters
Appealing to ethnic voters
is not a new invention of the
political wheel. Remember
Ronald Reagan's campaign?
To appeal to Jewish voters,
staffers passed out bumper
stickers printed with Rea-
gan/Bush in Hebrew.
But the Clinton campaign
has really outdone itself. Staff
have printed buttons for all
types of voters — and in sev-
eral languages. Clinton
spokesman Marc Ginsberg
says in addition to the Hebew
buttons that are circulating,
there are similar buttons in
Spanish and in Polish — to
name a few.
"Bill was wearing one (He-
brew) for a while," Mr. Gins-
berg added.
In fact, the Clinton camp
printed buttons for supporters
from Arkansas that state, "I'm
from Arkansas. Ask Me About
My Governor," and specially
printed buttons for women
from Michigan. These say,
"Hear Us Roar: Michigan
Women For Clinton-Gore."
Judge Doctoroff
Expects Tough Race
Marty Doctoroff is off and
running again.
The chief justice for Michi-
gan's Court of Appeals is fac-
ing what he perceives will be
a tough race between three
candidates vying for two six-
year positions for the 2nd Dis-
trict appeals court.
Other candidates are in-
cumbent Clifford Taylor and
challenger George Kileen, who
is endorsed by right to life
groups.
So far, Mr. Doctoroff is the
only Jewish judge on the state
appeals court, which is divid-
ed into three districts. Appel-
late judges hear cases on
appeal from the state's lower
courts.
Wayne County Judge He-
lene White, also Jewish, hopes
to win a seat on the court for
the 1st District, which com-
prises Wayne County.
Mr. Doctoroff, 59, a gradu-
ate of Harvard and the Uni-
versity of Michigan Law
School, was appointed to fill a
vacancy on the Court of Ap-
peals by former Gov. James
Blanchard in 1987. He was re-
elected to complete the term
shortly thereafter.
He practiced law for 27
years before taking the judi-
cial post. For three years af-
ter law school, he was a
special agent for the FBI.
Mr. Doctoroff is active in
many community and Jewish
organizations, including the
Society of Former Special
Agents, the Anti-Defamation
League of B'nai Brith, serving
as a member of the National
Law Committee and Nation-
al Civil Rights Committee. ❑
Marty Doctoroff