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SARNER
the obligatory buzzwords like "peace"
and "security," repeated so often as to
render them meaningless.
Such is democracy in action, Israeli
style. And we all know what the result
will be: Another slate of 120 Knesset
members, long on ego and self-inter-
est, but short on integrity, responsibili-
ty and answering to the people; anoth-
er bloated, dysfunctional governing
coalition to further alienate the public;
another reminder that Israel is virtual-
ly ungovernable, and will remain so
until there is major electoral reform.
The current system is a crying
shame, and almost everybody knows it.
Hard not to. For years, in response to
calls from the public, politicians have
paid lip service to the need for electoral
reform. Surprise, surprise, they never
quite get around to legislating it for
fear of risking their Knesset seats.
So far this campaign, electoral
reform has barely rated a mention
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from page 34
BESSER from page 35
Conn., an Orthodox Jew.
That contest could become a flash
point for new black-Jewish tensions,
especially if Sharpton's candidacy gains
traction among black voters, a critical
bloc in the 2004 Democratic primar-
ies, and if Jewish Democrats are seen
as organizing the opposition to him.
Local community relations councils,
with their emphasis on outreach to
non-Jewish groups, will continue to be
the critical first responder as commu-
nity leaders try to halt the deteriora-
tion of the traditional alliance.
The power to
amaze yourself"
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1/24
2003
36
a
• New Alliances. As black-Jewish rela-
tions wane, the Jewish community has
found new best friends, at least on the
question of Israel, in the Christian right.
Local community relations groups
face a daunting problem: how to
maintain old coalitions with largely
liberal groups in the face of this new
connection to religious conservatives
who regard liberals as just this side of
demonic.
And the Rev. Pat Robertson and many
televangelist colleagues have inflamed
American Moslem public opinion with
statements that look to many Jews like
the rankest kind of bigotry.
Community relations councils,
working in local coalitions that
increasingly include Muslims, will
have to make a clear case that this
from the candidates. Only one party,
Yisrael b'Aliyah, has actively addressed
the issue in its platform and in recent-
ly proposed legislation.
Specifically, it calls for two main
changes to make the Knesset more rep-
resentative and accountable to the pub-
lic. The first entails creating legislative
districts for the direct election of
Knesset members who would represent
a specific region, like in most western
democracies. Lawmakers would then
report to their constituencies and not
just to the powers of their party.
The second proposal would raise the
threshold (from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent
of total votes) by which a party needs to
enter the Knesset. This would prevent
small splinter parties from wielding inor-
dinate power over coalition agreements
and Knesset decisions as they do now
All pretty sensible stuff long overdue
but, sadly, still likely a long way off.
What will it take for such change to
ever happen? A lot more than just
paka-paka. ❑
from Israel's
kind of intolerance
supporters in the Christian world or
from Jewish extremists — is not repre-
sentative of the Jewish or the pro-
Israel communities.
Robertson and company are deeply
polarizing figures; because of their
increasingly visible support for Israel,
the Jewish community could get
drawn into the line of fire, a commu-
nity relations time bomb.
• Budget Crises Galore. It's not just
federal; some 37 states, including
Michigan, are now facing catastrophic
deficits of their own.
In Washington, Jewish lobbyists are
trying to protect funding for critical
Jewish social and health services;
across the country, local Jewish groups
will be doing the same with local and
state funding as frantic legislators hack
away at spending.
The upcoming budget battle is also
a potential community relations night-
mare, pitting ethnic, religious and
racial groups against each other as they
vie for shares of a shrinking pie.
Jewish groups have a responsibility
to fight hard to preserve essential
funding that serves needy Jews, but
also to work with other communities
to protect overall health and human
services budgets.
Social justice and communal self-
interest will be an increasingly difficult
balancing act; Jewish community rela-
tions groups will play a critical role in
helping the Jewish community do it
the right way.
—
❑