finance limits could diminish Jewish
and pro-Israel political clout, most
stayed clear of the high-profile con-
ar e ssional battle.
But one Jewish group welcomed the
development, and several leading
Jewish fundraisers said that if it sur-
vives debate in the House and the pos-
sibility of a presidential veto, it could
help, not hurt, pro-Israel activism.
"It's an important and significant
victory," said Mark Pelavin, associate
director of the Religious Action
Center of Reform Judaism. "It's a seri-
ous advance over current law, and it
will go a long way toward reducing the
role of money in politics."
Overall, he said, McCain-Feingold
boosts the interests of American Jews
because "things that are good for the
health of American democracy are
good for the Jewish community."
Some pro-Israel fundraisers worry
that the measure, if enacted, would
open the door to more sweeping cam-
paign finance reform. But as it stands,
McCain-Feingold is unlikely to limit
pro-Israel giving.
The Senate legislation eliminates
only one component of campaign
finance — soft money, the unregulated
contributions by corporations, unions
and individuals to political parties.
It also restricts campaign advertising
by outside groups in the last days of
political campaigns.
Both have been used extensively by
corporate interests in recent years; pro-
Israel givers do not make much use of
soft money.
McCain-Feingold could actually
revive sagging pro-Israel political
action committees (PACs), said Dr.
Mandell Ganchrow, founder of the
Hudson Valley PAC and a former
Orthodox Union president.
"This will be an opportunity for
individuals who don't have hundreds
of thousands of dollars to give to par-
ticipate in the system through the
PACs," he said.
The rise of soft money, he said,
favored huge corporate givers;
McCain-Feingold will tilt the balance
back to more modest donors.
Gilbert Kahn, a Kean University polit-
ical scientist from New Jersey, agreed.
In the big picture, Jews are impor-
tant players in campaign finance, but
not mega-players," he said. "Those are
the people who will be hurt most by
the elimination of soft money."
If McCain-Feingold survives the
House and the inevitable court chal-
lenges, "it will give a bigger chance to
the strong players in the Jewish com-
munity to be active," he said.
Faith-Based Shift?
The White House may be rethinking
its strategy for implementing President
George W. Bush's sweeping faith-based
approach to social and health services,
but conservative lawmakers are mov-
ing full speed ahead.
This week, the House began consid-
ering a measure that cuts to the heart
of the "charitable choice" debate.
The "Community Solutions Act,"
introduced by Rep. J.C. Watts (R-
Okla.) and Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio),
uses the tax code to encourage charita-
ble giving — something Jewish groups
generally support.,
But the measure also makes it easier
for religious groups that provide social
and health services to apply for and
get government money to provide
those services.
That "charitable choice" concept
will be the epicenter of a major politi-
cal earthquake as Congress tackles the
new legislation.
Jewish groups are deeply split on
charitable choice.
"This is an important step in mov-
ing this agenda forward — which we
have supported since its inception,"
said Nathan Diament, director of the
Orthodox Union's Institute for Public
Affairs. "It's well balanced, in terms of
both protecting the rights of benefici-
aries and the rights of the faith-based
provider agencies."
Not so, said Richard Foltin, legisla-
tive director for the American Jewish
Committee, who argued that the meas-
ure will allow religious discrimination
in hiring and inappropriate religious
activity, all using taxpayer money.
But Foltin said the politics of chari-
table choice have changed in recent
weeks. Opponents are "better off than
we were a year ago," he said.
Several leading conservatives —
including Christian right leaders such
as Pat Robertson — have expressed
strong reservations about the plan
because it would allow funding to reli-
gious groups they dislike.
And the very prominence of the
issue in the Bush agenda has spotlight-
ed an issue that, until now, has cruised
just below most political radar screens.
What is not clear yet is how actively
the Bush administration will push the
new bill.
"The administration seemed to indi-
cate it wants to put the charitable
choice component of their faith-based
initiative on the back burner," said a
Jewish conservative activist. "Congress,
obviously, has a different view, and it
will be interesting to see if they end up
on the same track."
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