News Digest

ADVANCING

Tharitab Choice'

Jewish reaction mixed
as Bush pushes
faith-based initiatives.

SHARON SAMBER

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Washington
resident-elect
George W Bush's
meeting last week
with religious leaders
shows he intends to move
ahead with his controver-
sial plan to involve reli-
gious institutions in social
welfare programming.

ro

It also sent a signal
about who in the Jewish
community he plans to
consult on the issue — a
signal that some Jewish
leaders are not happy
about.
Bush's meeting in
Austin included some 30
Christian, Jewish and
Muslim leaders. He laid
out plans to establish a
federal Office of Faith-

Leaflets Threaten
Israeli Arabs

Jerusalem/JTA — Leaflets threatening
Israeli Arabs with hanging if they vote
in Israel's upcoming election were dis-
tributed in Arab communities over the
weekend and published in an adver-
tisement in a leading Israeli Arab
newspaper.
The announcements reportedly were
signed by an unknown group called
the Nasserist Movement.

Israel Admits
More Palestinians

Jerusalem/JTA — Israel allowed 6,000
more Palestinians to return to jobs in
Israel in a further easing of sanctions.
Last week, the state gave permission
to 10,000 Palestinians to return to
their jobs, but only 1,000 did so.
Work permits have been granted to

12/29

2000

26

Based Action.
The Jewish representa-
tives at the meeting were
Murray Friedman, a con-
servative thinker who
also serves as director of
the Mid-Atlantic region
of the American Jewish
Committee, and Rabbi
Daniel Lapin, a Seattle-
area based Orthodox
rabbi and president of
Toward Tradition.

married Palestinians aged 35 and over
who have at least one child, previously
worked in Israel and have undergone a
security check.

Iranians March
Against Israel

Jerusalem/JTA — Tens of thousands
of Iranian marchers chanted "Death to
Israel, Death to the U.S.A.," during an
annual Jerusalem Day protest in
Teheran.
Iranian officials charged that Israel
does not intend to compromise with
the Palestinians and accused the
world's Islamic community of not
doing enough for Palestinians.

Adoption Ring
Investigated

Jerusalem/JTA — Israeli police are
investigating an illegal adoption ring

Jewish Opinion
Divided

The early timing of the
meeting suggests Bush's
desire to make so-called
charitable choice pro-
grams a priority.
Charitable choice,
passed as part of the
1996 welfare reform leg-
islation, allows religious
institutions to bid for
government social serv-

chance at more funding.
ice contracts in areas
Friedman, who is
such as drug counseling
working
on a project
and job training.
with a number of reli-
"I'm afraid we'll hear a
glous groups to study
lot of it in the next four
charitable
years," said the
choice, said he
Rev. Barry
President -elect
conveyed to
Lynn, executive
Bush, at
Bush the con-
director of
Austin-B ergstrom
cerns
of some
Americans
Internati onal
in
the
Jewish
United for
Airport
community
Separation of
on Dec. 26
about religious
Church and
intrusion in
Stare, a group
the public arena.
that monitors religious
Bush told the group
liberties. Lynn calls the
that his plan would not
establishment of a federal
fund churches, just the
office "outrageous," and
services that the churches
anticipates many lawsuits
perform, said Friedman,
will emerge challenging
who also is director of
the religious-based pro-
the Feinstein Center for
gramming.
American Jewish History
The Jewish community
at Temple University in
remains divided on the
Philadelphia.
role of faith-based organi-
Friedman said he sens-
zations in public policy.
es
the Jewish communi-
Most Jewish organiza-
ty is nervous about the
tions worry about viola-
issue but he encourages
tions of church-state
Jewish groups to enter
separation, as well as the
the discussion.
possibility that such pro-
Lapin, the other Jewish
grams could involve
participant, said he told
proselytizing and coer-
Bush the meeting would
cion. But others want to
help "to undo the epi-
give synagogues and
demic of secularism that
Jewish organizations
was unleashed in
more of a role and a

involving women from Russia and
Ukraine allegedly brought to Israel to
give birth and then sell their babies to
barren Israeli couples.
According to reports, in some cases
the women were already pregnant
when they came to Israel. In other
cases, they underwent fertility treat-
ments in Israel to increase their
chances of getting pregnant.

Army Targets
Palestinians

Jerusalem/JTA — A senior Israeli officer
confirmed that the Israeli army has been
systematically eliminating Palestinian
terrorists, Israel Radio reported.
However, the officer would not call
this a policy of liquidation, saying the
purpose is to thwart attacks against
Israeli soldiers and civilians. The offi-
cer called the policy effective, saying
terrorists are now putting more focus
on staying safe than carrying out

attacks. He said only terrorists are tar-
geted, not innocent civilians or
Palestinian leaders.

Fight At Border
Lasts Two Days

Jerusalem/JTA — Palestinian gunmen
fired at Israeli army posts guarding th e
border with Egypt in the southern
Gaza Strip.
At least one Palestinian was killed in
the Dec. 21 fighting. A day earlier, Israel
troops fought a five-hour battle with
Palestinian gunmen in the same area.

Knesset Votes
On Deferments

Jerusalem/JTA — Israel's Knesset ga
preliminary approval to a bill that
would extend army draft deferments
for Orthodox yeshiva students for
another four months.

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