The Jewish National Fund
requests the pleasure of your company at the
1999 Keter Shem Toy Award Dinner
"The Crown of Good Name"
Administration and pro-Israel offi-
cials alike say Barak's biggest accom-
plishment has been re-establishing a
personal connection with top U.S.
leaders.
"The most fundamental thing is that
the prime minister has established a
working rapport with the president
[Bill Clinton]," said Howard Kohr,
executive director of the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobby
"I would make the case there has
been an unprecedented amount of
communication since the prime minis-
ter took office."
It's known that Clinton was eager
for the close, respectful relationship he
had with the late Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin. The straightforward,
energetic Barak, whose sense of urgency
about advancing the peace process
seems unclouded by subterranean
motives, provided it.
Despite some early missteps —
including Barak's initial desire to forgo
implementation of the Wye Agreement
— officials here see him as honest and
open. That contrasts with their view of
his predecessor, Binyamin Netanyahu.
And American officials are pleased with
Barak's respectful treatment of Arafat
and other Arab heads, which they also
see as essential to a successful peace
process.
"It was wise of Barak to meet with
key Arab leaders before his trip to
Washington," said Martin Raffel,
director of the Israel task force of the
Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
"That sent exactly the right signal to
the region, and it was appreciated in
Washington."
But Barak, the JCPA official added,
has been less effective in working with
American Jews in building support for
the peace process as it takes up the
emotionally wrenching permanent-sta-
tus issues. Some community leaders
also complain that Barak has done lit-
tle to address their concerns about
Israel's ongoing religious pluralism
battle, which ultimately will determine
the Jewish character of the state.
The honeymoon that Barak has
enjoyed on the issue could soon disap-
pear, Raffel noted, as graduates of the
first "conversion course" prepare to go
to the Israeli rabbinate to have their
conversions finalized. If they are not
accepted as converts, Barak could
"find himself entangled in the issue."
And that, amidst the intensity of
final-status talks, could undercut
American Jewish political support for
Barak at a critical moment in Israel's
history. E
Wye peace process; renewed a
warm and working relationship
with President [Bill] Clinton and
the American government; carried
out an ambitious yet pragmatic
approach to negotiations with
[Yasser] Arafat and the Palestinian
Authority; established a friendly
and cordial relationship with
President Mubarek of Egypt and
King Abdullah of Jordan; and
negotiated a framework agreement
for permanent status. Any land
handed over to Arafat from now on
will conform with the conceptual
Map of territory that he will end
-- -
up -with in the final
status agreement.
- .Norman IVaimark,
national vice president,
Labor Zionist
Alliance/Midwest
Region
'
"Ehud Barak restored the magic of
momentum to the peace process in
his first 100 days. Barak's Sharm el-
Sheikh Memorandum builds on the
1967 United Nations Security
Council Resolution 242, the 1978
Camp David Accords and the 1998
Wye Agreement. In the 1960s, land-
for-peace was the watchword. In the
1990s, land-for-security is the for-
mula for negotiations.
"With respect to land for security,
the Palestinian crackdown on terrorism
resulted in a marked improvement in
Israeli security: As a result, Barak
agreed for Israel to withdraw from a
further 11 percent of the West Bank.
"On the Syrian front, however,
Barak has not worked the same
magic. While Barak broke with
Netanyahu regarding Palestinian
issues, Barak reaffirmed Netanyahu's
(and Yitzhak Rabin's) policies. Israel
would resume negotiations with Syria
with a view toward concluding a full
peace that bolsters Israel's security
"At issue now is whether Barak
will break from the Rabin-
Netanyahu [policy] on the Syrian
front in his next 100 days."
--- Raymond Tanter,
former White House
National Security
Council staffer,
University
of Michigan _political
science professor and
author of
"Rogue Regimes:
Terrorism and
Proliferation'
honoring
The Legacy of Rev. Dr. James R. Lyons
1937-1998
Monday, November 8, 1999
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Cocktails 6:00 P.M.
Program/Dinner 7:00 P.M.
Previous Keter Shem Tov Award Recipients
Mr. & Mrs. Norman Allan
Mrs. Tillie Brandwine
Senator Jack Faxon
Mr. & Mrs. Irving Hermelin
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Jackier
Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Kaufman
Mrs. Edythe Jackier Mulivor
Mr. & Mrs. Irving Pitt
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Shenkman
Rabbi & Mrs. M. Robert Syme
Keter Shem Toy Award Tribute Committee
TM
JEWISH
NATIONAL FUND
Honorary Chairs
Tillie Brandwine
Governor John Engler
Senator Jack Faxon
Sharkey Haddad
Edythe Jackier
His Eminence, Adam Cardinal Maida
Sarah & Irving Pitt
Frank Stella
Rabbi M. Robert Syme
Host Chairs
Michael Jacob
Leonard Trunsky
Jewish National Fund
Ecumenical Institute
Dinner Chairs
Sandy Schore
Robert Schwartz
Merton & Beverly Segal
Harvey & Lucille Weisberg
To help us celebrate the life of the founder of the
Ecumenical Institute for Jewish Christian Studies
please call JNF at: 248-557-6644
-
Detroit Jewi_sh News
10/15
1999