Where Has Doug Ross Gone? Doug Ross T hese days, Doug Ross' political re- sume is looking pretty good. He has served in the Michigan legislature and in the state cabinet position of commerce director under former Gov. Jim Blan- chard. Then he moved to Washington to work as a consultant. Next, he returned to Michigan to try and "fix" government through the private sec- tor. It seems as if he's back on the insider's track — yet this time at the presi- dential level. If he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as assistant secretary of labor, Mr. Ross will become the first Bill Clinton presidential appointment among Michigan's Jewish Demo- crats. The only other high pro- file Jewish politico from the state is Faylene Owen of Lansing, who has been named to the commission that selects White House Fellows. Fellows, ranging in age from 20 to 40, are selected to spend a year at work in the White House. Meanwhile, as he awaits word of his appointment, which insid- IDF Discusses Homosexual Rights p Jim Blanchard ers suggest will sail smoothly through the Senate, Mr. Ross and his wife, Carol, are living in Alexandria, Va., in the same apartment complex with friends Jim Blanchard, the proposed U.S. ambassador to Canada, and Janet Blanchard, now a White House scheduler. resident Bill Clinton is not the only one bringing the gay and lesbian rights issue to the forefront. Nearly 10 years ago, the Israel Defense Forces put policy on its books that prevents discrimination against homosexuals and lesbians who openly declare their sexual orientation. Yet homosexuality in Israel had not been dis- cussed openly before President Clinton took office and immediately called for a ban on the U.S. policy that discrimi- nates against gays in the military. In February, Yael Dayan, who chairs the Knesset committee on the status of women, orga- nized a press conference of homosexuals in the parlia- ment building. Eleven members of the Knesset showed up for the meeting, while the reli- gious wings of the Knesset boycotted in protest. The meeting aroused debate among government and military leaders. Gays in the military is an issue in Israel. Despite complaints by some homosexuals that they were forced to retire from the military, the IDF maintains that homosexu- ality is not grounds for dis- charge and should not affect promotion or advancement. Assisted Suicide, Religious Freedom On Agenda of American Jewish Committee A ssisted suicide and religious freedom top the agenda of the local chapter of the American Jewish Committee. Executive Director Sharona Shapiro and AJCommittee Legal Director Sam Rabinove, who came to Detroit last week for the AJCommittee annual meeting, have spent much time dis- cussing the organization's role in Michigan's assisted suicide debate. Now the organization has launched a task force to study assisted suicide, made illegal by both hous- es of the Michigan legisla- ture. The commission will be chaired by attorney Barbara Smith, who ran unsuccessfully for the state legislature last fall, and AJCommittee national board of governors liaison Mary Shapero, who is married to federal bank- ruptcy judge Wally Shapero. The task force will report findings to its national board in February, at which time AJCommittee will consider taking a position on the issue that has been brought to center stage by Royal Oak pathologist Jack Kevorkian, dubbed "Dr. Death" by the media. AJCommittee also has a host of other issues up for discussion. The human rights organization recent- ly signed a friend of the court brief in support of a U.S. Supreme Court reli- gious freedom case in which a Caribbean tribe based in Hialeah, Fla., has been restricted from per- forming ritualistic animal sacrifices in its church. The case, Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye vs. City of Hialeah, is await- ing a decision by the High Court. Mr. Rabinove said that although Jewish religious practice abandoned animal sacrifice after the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, "the overriding principle is religious free- dom for all." "The Court's decision could have negative impli- cations for Jews," he said. "Should government ever Cr) C) 'CD CO w forbid for religious purpos- es an activity it freely per- mits for all kinds of non- 59 religious purposes?"