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CHRISTIAN page 130

best drug rehabilitation work is
being done by agencies connect-
ed to religious organizations —
including Jewish groups.
But by arguing that new laws
must be enacted to allow religion-
based treatment programs, the
coalition reveals its true motives,
Jewish groups say.
In fact, the courts already have
made it clear that religious
groups can compete for federal
funds in areas such as drug re-
habilitation — as long as the ser-
vices are offered in a
non-sectarian way, said Mark
Pelavin, associate director of the
Religious Action Center of Re-
form Judaism.
"What the Christian Coalition
wants is something else — gov-
ernment funding without the
safeguards that currently exist,"
he said. 'That represents a dan-
gerous move toward government
funding of religious activity."
The Christian Coalition, he
said, is using successful religion-
based drug treatment centers as
a wedge to force the government
to fund even those programs that
operate in "pervasively sectari-
an" environments that could lead
to proselytization and religious
coercion.
Interestingly, one of the top
items in the coalition's Contract
with the American Family — a
"religious freedom" amendment
to the constitution that would le-
galize school prayer — was just
a footnote to the 1997 agenda;
prayer in schools simply didn't
sell as well as coalition leaders
expected in 1995.

tivists agree with the latter point,
but say the cost would be too high.
"From a selfish point of view, I
would love to use a voucher that
would cut the cost of sending my
kids to a Jewish school," said one
prominent Jewish activist here.
"But I shudder at what this would
do to our public schools and to the
millions of parents who couldn't
afford private religious schools,
even with vouchers."
But vouchers will be a hard
idea to fight in the new Congress,
as the coalition has calculated;
strong support for these propos-
als from Orthodox groups will
make the fight that much harder.

Tom Lantos

Annan-Wallenberg
Connection

Orthodox support
will make it harder
to fight.

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Kofi Annan, the new United Na-
tions secretary general, was a hit
on both sides of the aisle when he
came to Capitol Hill recently to
plead for payment of this country's
big debt to the international body.
And there was an intriguing
The coalition has zeroed in on
Jewish
twist to the visit by Mr.
vouchers as something that's
more do-able in 1997; its attempt Arman, a 58-year old Ghanaian.
to recast its agenda as an effort At a private dinner held in the
to help the poor may seem trans- Capitol, Mr. Annan was hosted
parent to liberals and civil liber- by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.),
tarians, but it is a pragmatic the only Holocaust survivor in
political decision that may play Congress.
The Jewish connection: Raoul
well in the new Congress, which
Wallenberg,
the Swedish diplo-
will be looking for ways to cut
programs without seeming un- mat who saved thousands of
Jews from Hitler's death camps,
caring.
That's the problem for Jewish including Mr. Lantos and his
groups that will line up — most- wife. Mr. Annan's wife, Nane, is
ly — in the ranks of the opposi- a Swedish attorney who also hap-
tion. Their problem will be pens to be Mr. Wallenberg's
compounded by the fact that there niece. Ms. Annan and her moth-
are significant divisions in the er, Mr. Wallenberg's half-sister,
were present at last year's un-
Jewish world.
veiling
of a Wallenberg bust in
Orthodox groups such as Agu-
dath Israel of America agree with the Capitol — a memorial that
the evangelicals that "school was the result of years of persis-
choice" programs would increase tent lobbying by Mr. Lantos.
Also present at the intimate
educational opportunity for all
Americans — and, along the way, dinner were Supreme Court Jus-
strengthen the Jewish day school tice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who
movement by providing financial participated in the unveiling cer-
incentives for parents who opt out emony, and Stuart Eizenstat, a
longtime Jewish activist and top
of the public schools.
Many mainstream Jewish ac- Clinton administration official.

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