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Leaders differ on whether to seek government aid
to keep synagogues and other Jewish sites safe.
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
I
New York
t soon could be a conundrum
for American Jews: Should ,
communities allow govern-
ment money into synagogues
in order to keep terrorists out?
Behind the scenes at this year's
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
plenum, officials debated how to rec-
oncile separation between church
and state with the growing need for
money to ease soaring post-Sept. 11
security costs.
Especially contentious is whether
money should go to synagogues and
day schools.
"We are working diligently to try
and reach a consensus," said Charles
Konigsberg, vice president for public
policy at the United Jewish
Communities, umbrella group for
North American federations.
UJC likely will look to the annual
Homeland Security appropriations in
Congress in the coming weeks for
security assistance for non-profit
organizations. ,
U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-
Conn., ranking minority member of
the Senate Governmental Affairs
Committee, may be a key ally on
this issue, insiders say.
The project could partner Jewish
groups with hospitals, museums, the
American Red Cross, and, possibly,
mosques.
According to several sources,
Jewish organizations are in almost
complete agreement that seeking
loan guarantees from the federal gov-
ernment for security costs would not
violate their perception of church-
state separation, because no direct
federal aid would go to the organiza-
tions. However, some are specifically
pushing for grants instead of or in
addition to the guarantees.
Some more liberal Jewish groups
either are pushing for the Jewish
community to focus on the loan
guarantees or to set up a two-tier
system proposing aid to federation
buildings and other community serv-
ice centers, along with loan guaran-
tees to religious institutions.
Others counter that such a system
would make synagogues and relij
gious buildings second-class institu-
tions.
The Bush administration has
heavily touted faith-based initiatives
and other venues to allow religious
groups to seek federal dollars.
While the Orthodox community
has embraced such proposals enthu-
siastically, most Jewish groups have
opposed them or been uncertain.
Jewish leaders opposing faith-
based initiatives worry that this
exception could set a precedent.
Speaking at a JCPA forum, Rabbi
David Saperstein, executive director
of the Religious Action Center of
Reform Judaism, said the issue of
federal aid for security was "on the
cusp" of dicey issues of church-state
separation.
"You can look at this as direct
government funding of houses of
worship and parochial schools, some-
thing the Supreme Court has never
upheld and which raises serious con-
stitutional issues for separationists,"
he said. "On the other hand, it raises
the issue of extraordinary circum-
stances in which the government is
paying for things which would not
have been required to be done by
houses of worship if not for extraor-
dinary circumstances."
Even those who do not support
seeking federal aid say they under-
stand the rationale for the exemption
from long-standing Jewish public
policy and are likely not to contest
openly the majority's decision.
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