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REPUBLICANS page 71
"Now I break the middle matzah and conceal one half as the afikoman.
Later we will share it. as in days of old the Passover offering itself was
shared at this service in Jerusalem. Among people everywhere.
sharing of bread forms a bond of fellowship.°
The Institute for
Single Jewish
Mothers
The Institute for
Single Jewish Mothers will .
• provide you with resources and
instructions to make your own Seder
wants to help you and your family
enjoy a wonderful Passover Seder.
If you are making a Seder for
your family for the first time or
if you would like to join another
family for a Seder we are here
to help you.
match your family with another family
for a Seder
arrange for small groups of single
Jewish mothers and children to have
a Seder together
assist in linking you and your family
to a synagogue family Seder
For more information
call Julia Greenblatt
at the Institute
for Single Jewish Mothers
(810) 354-1050.
The Institute for Single Jewish Mothers is a program of Jewish Experiences for Families (J.E.F.F.).
J.E.F.F. is a division of the Agency for Jewish Education.
I.S.J.M. is a recipient of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Max M. Fisher Community Foundation.
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impotent to influence a party that in Congress is the result of a far-
currently controls both Houses of sighted policy among pro-Israel
Congress, and has its sight set on groups of working with candidates
the White House.
from liberal and conservative fac-
One lesson of Mr. Buchanan's tions of both major parties.
surge is that Jews will have to do
Jewish Republicans have ar-
a better job of finding an effective gued that to have any significant
balance between their continuing impact in their party, more Jews
moral commitment to the posi- need to become involved — de-
tions advocated by the Democrats spite their aversion to some ele-
— and the reality that Jewish se- ments of the party's doctrine.
curity depends on having strong
They point out that the De-
relations with all the major po- mocrats also harbor some factions
litical factions.
unfriendly to Israel. And they still
Republicans have always of- trot out accusations about Jesse
fered two arguments in favor of Jackson's status as a loyal Demo-
Jewish participation in their par- crat, although that charge de-
ty.
pends more on old grudges than
Jews, they say, like most mid- any recent statements by the Rev.
dle-class, non-black Americans, Jackson.
no longer have a natural affinity
Like it or not, they say, the Re-
for the New Deal liberalism that publican party represents a sub-
has always been a staple of the stantial chunk of the political
Jewish political diet.
cosmos. If Jews continue to shy
Even Jews who take liberal po- away in big numbers, the com-
sitions on key domestic issues like munity will have no role to play
abortion have a vested
interest in fiscal conser-
vatism, they argue; in-
creasingly, a Jewish
community that is ex-
ploring its religious roots
should be attracted to the
moral conservatism that
Republicans claim as
their own.
But those contentions
have not been supported
by survey research data
or by local and national
elections. In fact, there
are indications that while
Jews may be more con-
servative on selected is-
sues like affirmative
action, they remain
strongly in favor of re-
productive choice, civil
rights and extensive gov-
ernment social service
programs — the litmus
test issues that separate
the liberals from every-
body else.
Pat Bu chanan
in the party's future.
Even without the in- gives the thumbs
That is precisely what
fluence of the Christian up after w inning in is happening with the
right, most Jews would New Ha mpshire. Buchanan phenomenon.
remain on the Democra-
The Republican party
tic side of the ledger; the
is in the middle of a seis-
growing presence of far-right and mic shift, the likes of which have
religious-right elements in the
not been seen for many genera-
party only strengthens that affin- tions. Traditional GOP conser-
ity.
vatism is giving way in apolitical
"Fiscally, I am a Republican," tidal wave to an old-fashioned
a top Jewish activist told me re- Southern Democratic populism,
cently. "In terms of foreign poli- complete with nativism and iso-
cy and defense issues, I stand with lationism.
the Republican mainstream. But
Jews, thanks to their long-
I have problems with the Repub- standing aversion to the GOP,
lican view on issues of economic have almost no power to affect the
welfare and social justice. I can- course of this high-stakes battle.
not help but believe that their pol-
Jewish Republicans have inch-
itics of economic polarization are rectly encouraged this rejection of
bad for the Jews."
their party by not being forceful
But Jewish Republicans have enough in acknowledging and
another argument that makes fighting the demagogues under
more sense.
the Republican umbrella.
Jewish political power has al-
"They're influence is exagger-
ways been based on building good ated," Jewish Republican leaders
working relations with political repeatedly assured me when
factions across the spectrum.
asked about the power of the reli-
It would be hard to dispute that gious right in their party. They
the strong universal aid allotment were even more forceful in deny-
[7 /