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fear among some Jews of the
Christian right, in some part
stirred up by the press. And it
gives them comfort to have Jews
in the Legislature and in the Re-
publican Party," he said.
State representatives are lim-
ited to three 2-year terms; sena-
tors may hold office for two 4-year
terms. Next year, 72 of 110 House
seats and all 38 Senate seats are
up for grabs.
Oakland County Commission-
er Gilda Jacobs, a Jew, plans to
run for Rep. Gubow's seat. And
Rep. Gubow may seek the nomi-
nation for the office of state attor-
ney general, if Frank Kelley
decides not to run again.
But the chances of a Jew suc-
ceeding Rep. Leland are slim to
none.
Rep. Leland, 48, has repre-
sented a section of northwest De-
troit since 1980, surviving the
slings and arrows of redistricting
and opponents who have ques-
tioned a white man's ability to rep-
resent the interests of a majority
black district.
He plans to run against in-
cumbent Democrat Michael
O'Brien for a Senate seat, never
mind that the two are fellow trav-
elers. If he unseats Sen. O'Brien,
Rep. Leland would be the only
Jewish senator in the state.
`There are only so many places
you can elect a_ Jewishlegislator.
Once rm gone, there will proba-
bly never be a Jewish legislator in
that area," Rep. Leland said. "As
far as the Senate is concerned,
Lana Pollack is gone, David
Honigman is gone, Jack Faxon is
gone."
The legislators who represent
districts with substantial Jewish
populations, like West Bloomfield
and Southfield, aren't giving up
their seats, he pointed out.
But Rep. Leland was reluctant
to comment on the importance of
a Jewish presence in the Legisla-
ture.
"For me to say I deserve to be
here because I'm a Jew, I don't
think that's a good reason," he
said. Still, "I think if you want rep-
resentation of America, then we
ought to be representative." Rep.
Leland chairs the transportation
committee.
At one point, there were sev-
en Jewish legislators serving at
the same time: Reps. Maxine
Berman, Gubow, Leland and
Brater and Sens. Lana Pollack,
Honigman and Faxon.
Aside from the obvious impact
on Jewish representation, term
limits strip the Legislature of its
"institutional memory," leaving
lobbyists and other special inter-
est groups to prey on naive legis-
lators, noted Lansing political
consultant Craig Ruff.
For the Jewish community, it
is essential that incoming law-
makers understand the interests
and needs of the community —
especially in light of the transfer
of funding power from the feder-
al to the state government. Yet,
by the time freshmen are brought
up to speed, they're ready to go
home or run for a different office.
"When you talk about Jewish
Family Service or JVS or JARC
or Kadima, or any of those agen-
cies, I bring a history of that kind
with me," Rep. Gubow said. '1 use
a lot of that in how I make my de-
cisions on some of the issues that
are before us."
Then there are the more arcane
aspects of Jewish custom that
non-Jewish lawmakers might not
appreciate. Rep. Gubow pointed
to burial rituals, autopsies and
Jewish divorces, all of which have
demanded his attention as a state
lawmaker at one time or another.
And there is value in just being
there.
Said Rep. Leland, "[When] is-
sues that come up pertain to so-
cial services, people ask, 'Why do
we have to send money to the
Pqr 'VW
-,x••
Cindy Hughey of the Michigan Jewish
Conference.
Jewish community?' Fm there to
defend [against] some of the
stereotypes. I've had to explain
that not every Jew in this coun-
try is rich, and that we're not all
bankers, jewelers and lawyers."
He has also been there to
counter some odious misconcep-
tions about Jews from colleagues
— one of them being that the
Holocaust was an invention.
That he's been able to discuss is-
sues face to face has diffused ten-
sion and perhaps opened some
eyes.
With the decreasing legislative
clout of Jewish lawmakers, the
emphasis has been on coalition-
building among Jewish and non-
Jewish organizations statewide.
There was a time when the Jew-
ish community had greater ac-
cess to the governor's office, when
Max Fisher could make a phone
call and "a matter was taken care
of," Rep. Gubow said.
`Things have char, n Lar 3-
ing and a lot of pan., tllo ad -
ministration are not necessarily
familiar with the Jewish com-
munity," he said. "Much of the
power base has shifted from
southeast to west Michigan, so