COMMUNITY -WIDE JONATHAN POLLARD RALLY Committee, Congress Remain Separate 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 16th Jewish Community Center Maple/Drake Building No Charge * Guest Speakers: RABBI AVI WEISS CAROL POLLARD Sister of Jonathan Pollard Personal Rabbi of Jonathan Pollard For further information, call David Tanzman, Chairman, 548-9046 * Those wishing to make a contribution to the JONATHAN POLLARD FUND may do so by making a check payable to: The Young Israel Council of Metro Detroit, 24061 Coolidge, Oak Park, MI 48237 LEVI WRANGLER Get your next pair of SANSABELT ® NIBBLES & NUTS Cf) w Our hats are off to DADS* & GRADS Cfl w *Father's Day is June 20th Gift Baskets & Trays For All Occasions Ca 737-8088 LU .1,11m Outside Of Michigan n„ H- age 1-800-752-2133 Special Candy & Sugarfree Available starting at $3999 X 2 0 L"1) Free Tailoring Sizes 32-60 .Come in and see our great N selection of Levi C' n( I 4 /-/.• 4 0 0 et , ., 0 •14, M ) fi ll Akti5130,' in sizes 29-54, length to 38 * . * .... ,,, .... ,, . * ,., .... JOHN R MEN'S WEAR 33020 NORTHWESTERN LU 24 slacks at a sensible price EsterCa3 J. Local & Nationwide Delivery 9 Mile & John R (take 1-75 to 9 Mile) open daily 9:30-6:30; Mon. & Fri. 9:30-8:00 543 - 4646 Sun. 11-5 DESTRUCTION DESIGNED FOR THE Bio New York (JTA) — Merger talks between the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress came to an unsuccessful end last week, with the two organizations agreeing to remain separate. A merger had promised to reduce overhead, ad- ministrative expenses and overlapping programs of the two groups, which have os- tensibly similar goals of pro- tecting Jewish interests around the world and pro- moting American democracy at home. Similar talks had taken place in the early 1970s. Given the general decline of money available to Jewish organizations, as well as specific budget crises under- gone by the two groups in the late 1980s, this round of talks were seen as potential- ly more fruitful. But the once bitter differ- ences between the two groups remain manifest in the distinct governance systems of the two organiza- tions, and they could not be overcome despite six months of talks. A central obstacle to the merger, though one not offi- cially raised in the talks, was the political stances of the groups. AJCongress is strongly liberal, both on domestic issues and Israeli politics. AJCommittee is more avowedly centrist on Israel, and publishes the neo- Conservative magazine Commentary. AJCongress was founded in 1922, in large measure out of anger and frustration among Eastern European immigrants that they were excluded by the German- Jewish elite which founded AJCommittee in 1906. The ethnic gap was reflected in ideology, as well, with the AJCommittee distinctly cool toward Zion- ism in its early years and the AJCongress embracing it. While all that is history, and both sides agree that little separates the AJCom- mittee membership from that of the AJCongress, the residue of the original dif- ferences remain entrenched in the organizations' by- laws. In keeping with its original aspirations to be a democratic congress, the AJCongress leadership is elected by its members; in keeping with the original self-selection of the AJCommittee, some AJCommittee leadership positions are reserved for those who contribute at least $5,000 to the organization. Trying to contain both groups within a new organ- ization is "an enormously difficult gap to bridge," said AJCongress President Robert Lifton. "That's not culture, that's hard, prac- tical common sense." AJCommittee President Alfred Moses also dismissed talk of cultural differences. "We're as grass roots as you can be. We're the people who have the daily minyan at our meetings," he said. Also at issue was the pro- portionate weight the two organizations would have in a merged body. Weighing by membership would give parity to the AJCongress, which claims 50,000 members against the 40,000 reported by the AJCommittee. But as measured by size of operations, the $19 million budget of the AJCommittee budget far outweighs that of the AJCongress, which is $7 million. Had the merger been bas- ed on anything less than an equal footing, it would have been likely that the distinc- tive AJCongress political position would have been lost. The political differences between the two organiza- tions were highlighted in March, when the admission of the left-wing Americans for Peace Now into the Con- ference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations was debated. AJCongress strongly favored Peace Now's admis- sion. AJCongress had been one of the few organizations bringing a dovish perspec- tive to the communal con- sensus, as voiced by the Con- ference of Presidents. AJCommittee, however, supported an unsuccessful effort to table the issue. At the time, one observer described the Peace Now vote as "the deathblow for the merger," because it made clear that "it would be an absorption" of AJCongress.