I World Funding Fight Battle gets nasty at critical juncture for U.N. agency aiding Palestinians. Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington C rooks. Whores. That's what they call each other in polite com- pany. UNRWA, the massive United Nations bureaucracy that administers assis- tance to the Palestinians, is locked in an unseemly epithet-laden battle in Washington with some pro-Israel figures who say the relief agency should be shut down because it has been co-opted by radicals. They challenge not only the legitimacy of UNRWA, but also the refugee status of the 4.3 million Palestinians it is charged with serving, including 1.6 million in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It's not a new fight, but its tone has become ferocious just when the new Obama administration is attempting to restore civility to a peace process blood- ied by the conflict in January in the Gaza Strip. The fight comes as policymakers say the United Nations Relief and Works Agency is more critical than ever in getting des- perately needed food and supplies to the Palestinians, and also when the agency is facing physical attacks from the Hamas- led regime in Gaza. In the U.S. Congress, Reps. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., are reviving their campaign to cut U.S. funds to UNRWA until it comes clean about what the lawmakers say are its irregularities and its coziness with ter- rorists. The United States provides between a fifth and a quarter of UNRWA's $440 mil- lion to $540 million annual budget. (The discrepancy in the 2008 figures arises from the gap between pledges from donor countries and actual projected payments.) In recent days the lawmakers have been seeking Jewish support for a nonbinding resolution calling on UNRWA to tighten its employment policies against terror- A48 March 19 • 2009 A Palestinian gets flour at a UNRWA warehouse in Gaza City. ist infiltration, and for a separate letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton asking for a cutoff in funding for UNRWA until a U.S. review of the agency is completed. In a recent conference call organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Rothman said he needed Jewish commu- nal help to overcome institutional resis- tance in Washington to cutting off fund- ing for UNRWA, particularly among "the U.S. Senate leadership who think that is an unfair and unreasonable burden on Palestinians!' Later, in an interview, Kirk bluntly likened the agency to his home state's scandal-plagued political machine. "This reminds of Rod Blagojevich in its cor- ruption," Kirk said, referring to the recent removal of the Illinois governor. In their letter to Clinton, Kirk and Rothman suggest alternative "bilateral assistance mechanisms" to deliver aid. The problem with this idea, some observ- ers say, is that only a few such mecha- nisms exist on the ground, and they lack UNRMs infrastructure. The respected American Near East Refugee Aidhas managed to distribute $4 million in food and medical aid since the end of fighting — a minor amount compared to the tens of millions UNRWA is expected to deliver. In the past, Israel has said that despite its frequent disagreements with the agen- cy, UNRWA is critical in getting relief to the Palestinians; Israel relies on the agency to keep Gaza from a total collapse. Israeli authorities watched nervously after UNRWA temporarily shut down operations to protest raids by Hamas gunmen on its storehouses. The Bush and Obama administra- tions also have seen UNRWA as critical. President Bush in December ordered most of the $85 million in Palestinian relief funds to be funneled through the agency, and President Obama ordered that $13 million of $20 million in emer- gency postwar assistance be set aside for UNRWA. Even as it is set to receive additional U.S. aid, the relief agency is facing a new wave of criticism — this time from its former chief legal counsel, James Lindsay. In a recently released report written for a pro-Israel think tank, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Lindsay described UNRWA as highly politicized. But he insisted that UNRWA "is part of the solution," and has praised the role of its schools in creating the Palestinian intellectual class that now takes a leader- ship role in multiple disciplines through- out the Arab world. Still, Lindsay asserted, UNRWA is also part of the problem" because it allows itself to be politicized by the Palestinians. Reps. Kirk, Rothman and several Jewish groups accuse UNRWA of effectively hir- ing terrorists, citing anecdotal evidence but no substantive research. In his report, which otherwise is tough on UNRWA, Lindsay dismissed claims that the agency employs terrorists, noting that only a "few" of its 15,000 workers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have "been convicted of terrorism-related charges!" But Lindsay criticized UNRWA for allowing staff to become members of banned political groups, including Hamas. "The agency makes no effort to discour- age supporters or members of Hamas (or any other terrorist group) from joining its staff,' he writes. UNRWA says it simply does not have the resources to track the extracurricular activities of all 29,000 staffers around the world. Doing so would effectively cripple the agency's operations in Gaza, where Hamas membership predominates and at times has been foisted upon residents. El (( Making Matzah Bread of the unleavened variety will be the big attraction at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield when Shalom Street opens its annual Barbara and Douglas Bloom Matzah Factory March 22-26 and March 29. While offering shmurah matzah making, baking and tasting to prereg- istered groups during the week, two events will be open to the public. Federation's Shalom Family will host a program on Sunday, March 22, from 3-5 p.m. that includes matzah baking, crafts and music for families with children up to age 6. New this year, the Matzah Factory will present Pesach Productions, an activity-filled afternoon based on tele- vision game shows, on Sunday, March 29, from 1-5 p.m. Iron Chef Pesach, Passover On Demand, the $10,000 Pyramid and other Passover-themed activities will be offered. The programs are best suited for children ages 5-12, but open to all. The Matzah Factory is organized and run by Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education, Jewish Experiences for Families, Shalom Street and the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, with support of Barbara and Douglas Bloom of Birmingham and under the rabbinic supervision of Rabbi Amzalak and members of Bais Chabad. In addition to the tour of the Matzah Factory, visitors to Shalom Street will participate in a number of Passover activities, including creating crafts and learning the symbols of the Passover seder table. For information, contact Gail Greenberg, (248) 205- 2536 or greenberg@jfmd.org JTS Alums Dr. Mikhail Krutikov holds a joint appointment in both the Slavic Department and the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He will kick off the the Jewish Theological Seminary of America's Graduate School Alumni Series at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at the Frankel Center, which is a cosponsor. Krutikov, who received his doc- toral degree from JTS, will discuss "Encounters with the Shtetl in the 21st Century," a glimpse at part of an anthropological project dealing with current Jewish life in the former Soviet Union. For information and reservations, call (212) 678-8024 or visit www.jtsa. edu/alumni/events.xml.