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Helping The Most Vulnerable
Washington/JTA
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fficials at the National Bureau of
Economic Research announced
what economists and most
people had known for quite some time
— our nation is suffering through one of
the worst economic recessions since the
Great Depression.
The need for chesed (kindness) and tik-
kun olam (repair of the world) has never
been stronger than it is today. Despite
numerous signs of a worsening economy
and pleas for assistance, the lines of those
seeking help have grown longer; the
demand for food pantries and soup kitch-
ens has risen precipitously, and volunteers
and service providers have been stretched
to the limit.
Local Jewish federation agencies are
reporting a profoundly disturbing nation-
wide trend whereby a whole new group of
workers — bus drivers, teachers and trash
collectors, who once made a steady and suf-
ficient living — are now joining the long
lines of those seeking assistance. Jewish
communities across the nation are finding
that increased levels of poverty, hunger and
economic insecurity are growing concerns
of social service agencies and other partners
that do not have the financial resources to
meet the increased need.
It is becoming quite apparent that with-
out federal intervention, it is only a matter
of time before our nation's safety net for
the most vulnerable will be in severe risk
of collapsing.
It is no coincidence that tzedakah, the
word we commonly translate to mean the
Jewish obligation to give charity, literally
means "justice." As Jews, we are command-
ed to act so that there will be "no needy
among you:' not only because it is moral,
but also because it benefits the whole.
Now is the time to raise our voices in sup-
port of federal aid for those who are most
affected by the recession — to advocate to
our elected representatives that they insti-
tute comprehensive legislation to protect
our nation's most vulnerable.
Our country worked its way out of the
last economic recession in 2004 by imple-
menting a series of tax reforms and direct
aid to states. Most notable was a multibil-
lion-dollar infusion by the federal govern-
ment to increase the federal medical assis-
tance percentage rate, or FMAP. Simply put,
FMAP provides funds for Medicaid that
help make health coverage affordable to
low- and moderate-income families, whose
members are generally the first to be laid
off and lose company health benefits when
the economy goes into a downturn.
The FMAP increase was credited as one
of the most effective and immediate mea-
sures taken to reverse the previous reces-
sion. Since then, despite repeated calls from
our nation's governors and others, Congress
has not used this tool to ward off or reverse
today's current economic decline. It is time
to dust off this option and take serious
steps toward ending the recession.
Some will argue that it is the responsibil-
ity of the states and not the federal gov-
ernment to provide food, health care and
shelter to those most in need. But no state
is immune from the economy's collapse.
Nearly every state is now experiencing
severe budget shortfalls and deficits that are
paralyzing their efforts to provide needed
services for the most vulnerable among
us. Unlike the federal government, the vast
majority of states are required by law to
have a balanced budget. This means that
when state revenue declines, the legislature
has two options to fill the void: cut spend-
ing or raise taxes, both of which have dire
ramifications for an ailing economy.
The federal government has more flex-
ibility in setting its budgets. Increasing
aid to FMAP would allow states to avert
further budget cuts and enable governors
to allocate limited resources to other
programs. It also would allow the most
vulnerable to continue to access affordable
health care when they need it the most.
Congress can immediately implement this
action without having to raise taxes or cut
services elsewhere.
William C. Daroff
and Hadar Susskind
Special Commentary
President Obama, House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi and other congressional decision
makers from both sides of the aisle already
have pledged their support for a temporary,
timely and targeted increase for FMAP.
Additionally, they have promised that an
economic recovery bill would be among the
first pieces of legislation considered in the
111th Congress. As economic conditions
across the United States and specifically
within 43 states grows worse, we must
ensure that any economic recovery legisla-
tion includes an FMAP increase.
History will judge our nation by the
quality of life it provides for its most vul-
nerable citizens. We as a community must
advocate in favor of these proposals if they
are to become reality. I I
William C. Daroff is vice president for pub-
lic policy and director of the United Jewish
Communities' Washington office. Hadar
Susskind is director of the Jewish Council for
Public Affairs' Washington office. This piece
appeared originally in the Washington Jewish
Week.
Israel Needs Its Version Of Al Jazeera
Jerusalem/JTA
D
uring the three weeks of the war
between Israel and the Hamas, I
was asked often what the Jews of
the diaspora could do for Israel. The answer
that seems to have emerged: develop a
global TV network and Internet portal.
In Israel, there is a sense of victory over
llamas following the unilateral cease-fire
announced by the Israeli government. As
we move into national elections, the politi-
cians have begun competing with each
other for credit for the decisive military
victory based on the premise that this
credit will be converted into electoral sup-
port on Election Day.
While there may be a consensus on
Israel's military victory, there is a strong
question how Israel has fared on the public
relations front. Despite Israel's seeming
moral edge over the llamas given the
country's suffering rocket attacks aimed
at civilians for the past eight years and
C2
February 5 • 2009
the disengagement that brought about the
unilateral withdrawal from the entire Gaza
Strip in the summer of 2005, Israel's moral
stance was strongly questioned by the
international media as films of wounded
and dead Palestinian children were broad-
cast around the world.
Why did many of the international news
media "buy" the Hamas narrative of the
conflict as opposed to Israel's?
While skeptics may view this as part
of the trend of global anti-Semitism, it is
critical that we deal with this issue since
international opinion is an important
"battlefield:" Ultimately, this is a global
economy and a small world, and if Israel is
going to get the international recognition
for its case, we must address this issue
with the same strategic planning as we
address the military operation.
While there may be multiple approaches
to this issue, one direction should be the
establishment of international English-
speaking TV channel and Internet portal.
An important conveyer of the llamas nar-
rative was Al Jazeera, which recently recog-
nized the importance of communication
not only with the Arab world in its native
Arabic, but also with the English-speaking
world as well. Al Jazeera gave the llamas
a media edge with which Israel could not
compete. The network was on the scene in
real time, and while it had the "credibility"
of being an independent news source, it
became the shofar of the Hamas narrative.
As opposed to this English-speaking, on-
site reporting, Israel has to filter its reports
to foreign journalists, many of whom are
not proficient in Hebrew. These journal-
ists have no access to an Israeli narrative
outside of the one portrayed by the gov-
ernment's spokesmen and their reporting
reflects their skepticism of the official line.
An important aspect of having a Jewish
TV station as opposed to an Israeli one is
that it will have access to the Arab capitals
in the same way as All Jazeera has access to
Jerusalem. Thus this station could become
an important chan-
nel of communica-
tion between Israel
and its neighbors
in the same way
as Al Jazeera has
become with its
Jonathan
recent interview
Mirvis
of Israeli President
Special
Shimon Peres and
Commentary
Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert.
The advantage of digital communica-
tion is its ability to reach millions of
people; we dare not miss this opportunity.
It is paradoxical whereas Jews as individu-
als, such as Steven Spielberg, have been
so successful in communicating cultural
messages as a people, we still do not have
a vehicle for "national" communication. I I
Dr. Jonathan Mirvis is international director of
the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School based at
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.