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specific school prayer language,
setting up the prospect of a show-
down between pro-school prayer
conservatives.
The Oklahoma lawmaker is de-
manding "a clear, explicit and un-
mistakable provision that the
Constitution permits student-
sponsored prayer in public schools
... We should do what the Amer-
ican people want and expect, and
what the congressional leadership
pledged to do."
Few observers expect that to
happen in the few weeks left be-
fore Congress adjourns; accord-
ing to several Jewish activists, the
issue is being raised this month
to give groups such as the Chris-
tian Coalition a benchmark issue
to use in their upcoming voters'
guides — "a cynical use of the leg-
islative process," said Richard
Foltin, legislative director of the
American Jewish Committee.
But even if the current push is
little more than a political pay-
off to Christian Coalition director
Ralph Reed, it will force the school
prayer issue into the fall cam-
paigns, and it will almost certainly
set the stage for a renewed battle
in the 105th Congress.
"It's a cumulative process," said
an official with a major Jewish
group here. "When you have peo-
ple in Congress like Representa-
tive Istook pushing extreme
positions against more moderate
— but still unacceptable — posi-
tions by other party leaders, it
shifts the whole debate. We prob-
ably won't lose this round, but this
be."
But Mr. Istook, the sponsor of round will make it harder to win
the original amendment, is dig- the next time, or the time after
ging in his heels and demanding that." f:
speech. I don't understand how
anybody can be threatened by
hearing something with which
they disagree."
Mr. Istook and supporters in
Christian right groups regularly
cite cases of children forbidden
from reading the Bible, or saying
grace before meals. Jewish and
mainstream Christian leaders in-
sist that such incidents are almost
always the result of local officials
who do not understand what cur-
rent law allows and prohibits.
A series of congressional hear-
ings around the country failed to
make a compelling case for Mr.
Istook's position; as a result, Re-
publican leaders shifted gears and
pressed for a much vaguer
amendment simply stating that
the government shall not "deny
to any person equal access to a
benefit or otherwise discriminate
against any person on account of
religious belief, expression or ex-
ercise."
That's hardly an improvement,
Jewish leaders say; if passed, it
would replace decades worth
of First Amendment jurispru-
dence with vague constitutional
language that would result in fu-
rious court battles over interpre-
tation.
`This is a 'toss the dice' amend-
ment," said Michael Lieberman,
associate director and counsel for
the Anti-Defamation League's
Washington office. "No one can
possibly predict what the outcome
of this kind of amendment would
A Lifestyle Choice
Has Made A Difference
EILEEN GOLTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
B
ecoming an observant Jew
is hard work. Good work if
you can get it, but not the
easiest thing I've ever
done.
Our family became shomer
Shabbat after years of living a
secular life. Trying to create and
maintain this life style in a small
city in the Midwest with fewer
than 500 other Jews (none of
whom are observant) has been
the real challenge. There were
times while we were in transition
when I wondered if there is any-
one else out there who felt as hes-
itant about embracing the whole
megillah that goes along with be-
ing observant as I did. None of
these "restrictions" I had to con-
tend with seemed to make any
sense to me. It was only as we
came to really live what we were
trying to "do" that it all fell into
place.
I was raised in a loving, liber-
al Jewish household in the Chica-
go area. We practiced what I like
to call Bacon, Lettuce and Toma-
to Reform. I traveled the Friday -\
night service, Sunday school
route and attended all the bar/bat
Mitzvah extravaganzas I was in-
vited to. A few speeches, a can-
dlelighting ceremony followed by
a slew of relatives and friends
dancing the horah was the height
of the special day. The service /
was something I had to endure-c- \
to get to the party.
LIFESTYLE page 132