This Week

Liberty Vs. Securit y

Hot debate expected at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

SHARON SAMBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

individuals and their counsel undermines due process.
The directive has the effect of weakening not only the
protection of attorney-client privilege, but also the
basic right to competent legal counsel altogether.
• The detention of immigrants: the resolution says
many feel that detaining suspects without charge for
an unspecified "reasonable time" during a "national
emergency" violates not only the due process protec-
tions of the Sixth Amendment, but also the will of
Congress.
• Military tribunals: The resolution objects to the
proposed use of closed-door military tribunals.
"Open military tribunals, bound by the traditional
protections that govern both our civilian and mili-
tary courts, might be an important tool in prosecut-
ing the exponents of terror," the resolution says, but
courts should not operate behind closed doors with-
out many of the constitutional and procedural safe-
guards.
Despite the delicate nature of the debate, there is a
lot of restlessness in the field to get some clarity on
the issue of civil liberties, according to Hannah
Rosenthal, JCPA's executive director. The quandary,

Washington, D.C.
f you think the Jewish community has been
quiet on the civil liberties debate lately, just
wait. A resolution charging that the United
States has not struck a balance between civil
rights and national security in certain areas is expect-
ed to be the most hotly discussed issue at the annual
conference in Washington next week.
The civil liberties resolution. slated for the JCPA
plenum has been proposed by the Union of
American Hebrew Congregations, the congregation-
al arm of the Reform movement. In putting forth
the resolution, the Reform movement — and its co-
sponsors, the community relations councils of
Detroit and St. Louis — are challenging the organ-
,
ized Jewish community to take a stand.
"It's time for the organized Jewish community to
express a cautious concern of the rolling back of civil
liberties in the face of terrorism," said David Bohm,
the president of the St. Louis Jewish Community
Relations Council and the co-chair of a JCPA task
force on Jewish security and the Bill of Rights.
Others v ■ rho believe the issue deserves more study will
offer an alternative resolution to postpone any action.
Opponents of the resolution worry that voicing
opposition to some anti-terrorism measures would
send the wrong message to the White House as it
pushes forward with its fight against terrorism, which
benefits Israel and is supported by most Americans.
SHARON SAMBER
It's not clear which path will prevail when the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
debate gets going among delegates to the Feb. 17-19
meeting of the JCPA, an umbrella group of 13
Washington, D.C.
national organizations and 123 local federations and
s young Jewish leaders
community relations councils.
waved Israeli flags and
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the country
speakers exhorted them
has been embroiled in debate about how to increase
to go to Israel, it might
security, but not violate personal rights.
have seemed strange that Jewish
Jewish groups have, for the most part, kept rela-
federations are concerned about
tively silent on the topic, .parting company with civil the next generation of leadership
rights groups they are often aligned with. When the
and its relationship to Israel.
antiterrorism bill moved quickly through Congress
But anxiety is growing in the
in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, Jewish groups
Jewish community as the num-
found it hard to quickly assess the nuances of the
bers of American Jews visiting
bill. Then the Department of Justice issued a num-
Israel — especially young ones —
ber of directives that raised some concern.
continue to drop.

I

she and others say, is how to fight the war against
terrorism, but still maintain the protections under
which the Jewish community in particular has bene-
fitted. "We can't subvert the values we have here at
home," she said.
Now is the time to stake out a position, according
to Mark Pelavin, associate director of the Religious
Action Center of Reform Judaism. The resolution is
not extreme, Pelavin said. There are fundamental con-
cerns about where civil liberties are heading now and
the resolution is intended to be a voice of caution.
Others, however, think more reflection is needed.
They say it is difficult to determine where to draw
the line between national security and individual
freedoms.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of
Bergen County, N.J., will offer an alternative to the
resolution, calling for more study of the three points
and several additional issues, including the idea of
issuing national identity cards and profiling. The
alternative resolution suggests that JCPA develop a
more detailed policy statement on the issue when
the study is completed after several months.

Israel Comparison

Jerome Milch, former chair of the JCRC of Bergen
County, said his community feels "you shouldn't
rush into this." These issues are the same kinds of
issues Israel faces, Milch said, and the Jewish state's
experience has influenced his thought process.
He cited, as an example, a talk he heard from an

Weakening Link?

Federations worry that American Jewish ties to Israel are softening

A

Three Points

The UAHC resolution "applauds the Bush
.
Administration for its overall efforts to make our
nation and our world safe for us and for our chil-
dren." But it details three areas where the group says
the Bush administration is not appropriately balanc-
ing combating terrorism and protecting civil liberties:
• Attorney-client privilege: the resolution says the
Department of Justice directive allowing federal officials
to listen in on conversations between certain detained

2/15
2002

26

With 2,000 leaders from
around the country gathered in
Washington this week for the
biennial United Jewish
Communities' Young Leadership
Conference, there was a chance to
assess where the American Jewish
community stands vis-a-vis Israel.
Financial support from commu-
nities to Israel remains strong, but
emotional attachment seems to be

at a crossroads. Fewer people visit-
ing Israel makes it difficult to artic-
ulate the necessity of helping Israel,
and distances the United States
from its ally and friend in the
Middle East, the 30- and 40-some-
thing-year-old participants in the
conference said. It also makes for
uncertainty about future leaders of
the American Jewish community.
When teens and college-age
young adults go on Israel trips,
many forge a lifelong connection
to the Jewish state, that later
translates into leading positions in
the federation system. If fewer
youths get that "Israel experi-
ence," however, the result could
have unwelcome consequences for
the Jewish community.
"There could be a long-term
drag on leadership development if
it goes on too long," said the
UJC's president and CEO, •
Stephen Hoffman.
Since the Palestinian intifada
(uprising) began 16 months ago,
and especially since the Sept. 11

terror attacks, youth movements
have canceled summer trips and
the American Jewish connection to
Israel has been tested, some warn.

Dwindling Visits

Karen Alpiner of Detroit is worried
about the dwindling numbers of
American Jews visiting Israel and
v ■ That will happen as fewer people
are able to recount firsthand the
situation in Israel. Alpiner wants
UJC to sponsor more family mis-
sions. The idea is one Hoffman
agrees with — but for the future.
"When things get better, we'll
have to make more investments in
missions," he said.
Hoffman believes Birthright
Israel — the free trip for young
people who have never visited
Israel on a peer trip — could alle-
viate the damage from the decrease
in youth trips. In addition, UJC is
considering running an Israel-
focused summer camp, with a pro-
totype possible for this summer.

