L
Graveside and Cemetery
Chapel Services
with
Substantial Savings
Minor Opposition To
Indyk Nomination
JAMES BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
Indyk Nomination
With confirmation hearings not
yet on the Senate calendar, the
nomination of Martin Indyk as
assistant secretary of state for
Near Eastern affairs appears to
be generating almost no opposi-
tion — except from one Jewish
group and a handful of Arab-
American activists, whose objec-
tions reflect radically different
perceptions of Mr. Indyk's qual-
ifications.
As ambassador to Israel, and
the first Jew to hold that post,
Mr. Indyk generally has won_
high marks for carrying out the
Clinton administration's policies
during a difficult period.
But the nomination of a parti-
san pro-Israel activist to the post
— Mr. Indyk once worked for the
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) and its off-
•
shoot, the Washington Institute
for Near East Policy — sends a
damaging signal about Wash-
ington's commitment to its role
as an "honest broker," according
to Khalil E. Jahshan, president
of the National Association of
Arab Americans.
"There is a very deep feeling of
frustration and disappointment
•
in our community about this ap-
•
pointment and others," he said.
"It has nothing to do with Mr. In-
dyk's Jewish background, but
with the fact that he was an ac-
tivist and an employee of a lob-
bying organization working on
behalf of Israel. We feel the U.S.
administration has subcontract-
ed its policy in the Middle East
to Jewish organizations."
•
Mr. Jahshan-also objects to the
/-• fact that Mr. Indyk is a political
appointee in a post that general-
ly goes to career diplomats.
But most Jewish groups
strongly support the appoint-
ment.
In a letter to Sen. Jesse Helms,
R-N.C., chair of the Senate For-
eign Relations Committee, the
Anti-Defamation League praised
\- 2 Mr. Indyk's lifelong commitment
to nurturing and deepening ties
between the U.S. and Israel as
well as promoting steadfast U.S.
support for the peace process."
So far, only the Zionist Orga-
nization of America is working
actively against the Indyk nom-
ination. The group's president,
Philadelphian Mort Klein, took
a similarly lonely stand against
) Deputy Secretary of State Strobe
Talbot, and more recently against
New York Times columnist Tom
Friedman.
Mr. Klein accused Mr. Indyk of
Alan & Jonathan Dorfman
•
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Martin Indyk:
Won high marks.
"meddling in Israel's internal at-
tain," citing news reports that the
ambassador had "pressured"
Prime Minister Binyamin Ne-
tanyahu not to appoint Infra-
structure Minister Ariel Sharon
as finance minister. He also
charged Mr. Indyk with "covering
up" for terrorists and "berating Is-
rael in demeaning language."
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11 ■ 11=11MINIIIMIli
Genetic Discrimination Ban
Jewish women's groups were
pleased with the decision by the
Clinton administration to back
legislation barring discrimina-
tion by health insurers on the ba-
sis of genetic testing.
The White House announced
its own legislative package that
"can provide protection for those
who are screened for certain types
of genetic health complications,"
said presidential spokesman Mike
McCurry. The proposal would add
to legislation sponsored by Rep.
Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine,
which would bar insurers from
canceling or denying coverage on
the basis of genetic information,
or from requiring genetic testing
before issuing coverage.
Jewish women's groups, in-
cluding Hadassah and the Amer-
ican Jewish Congress Commission
on Women's Equality, have made
the legislation a top priority be-
cause of recent research suggest-
ing that Ashkenazi Jewish women
may have a higher genetic pre-
disposition to breast cancer than
other groups.
Fears about losing health in-
surance, these groups argue, may
keep some Jewish women from
seeking tests to uncover the mu-
tated gene.
"I think the president's support
is wonderful," said Lois Waldman,
director of the AJCongress Com-
mission for Women's Equality. ❑
The Family of the Late
MARTIN HOFFER &
FRANCES HOFFER
Announces the unveiling of a monument in their
memory 11:00 a.m. Sunday July 27, at Hebrew
Memorial Park. Rabbi Shapiro will officiate.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend.
Picture your
family.
Schedule a mammogram and learn
proper breast self-examination. Call:
Michigan Cancer Foundation's
Breast Cancer Detection Center
2611 N. Woodward in Berkley:
(810) 543-7982
The Family
of the Late
JAMES J. (JACK) KLAIN
Wishes to acknowledge with deep appreciation
the many comforting messages and expressions
of kindness and concern during the
family's recent bereavement.
145