March 12, 2001 Vol. 3, No. 4

This Week in Washington...

For more information, contact Reva Price, Washington Representative at rprice@thejcpa.org

Are Your Senators on the List? Responding to the continuing efforts spearheaded by the Chicago JCRC (and others as well!) on behalf of the Israeli hostages, Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) has circulated a letter to President Bush encouraging him to make return of the four kidnapped Israelis a priority in the Administration’s dealings with the countries or the region. The letter notes that "the failure of the July 2000 Camp David talks – and the subsequent campaign of Palestinian violence that has resulted in the loss of lives of hundreds since September – serve as stark reminders that achieving an enduring peace in the Middle East will not be easy. Nevertheless, we believe the United States must continue to work closely with Israel to help bring an end to the violence, facilitating constructive negotiations when possible while continuing to firmly support Israel’s security. The United States must send a clear signal to the nations of the Middle East that America abhors the calculated use of violence and that the American people stand by Israel - our democratic ally and closest partner in Middle East peace." As of today, the letter has been signed by 24 Senators including: Torricelli, G. Smith, Cleland, Landrieu, Brownback, Durban, Lieberman, Specter, Schumer, Collins, McConnell, DeWine, Murray, Ensign, Reid, Bond, Carnahan, Johnson, Sarbanes, Santorum, Boxer, Clinton, and Voinovich. Please take action TODAY: If your Senators are not on the list, please call them and ask that they alert Greg Gross in Senator Fitzgerald’s office of their intention to sign the letter by the close of business Tuesday 3/13/01. Hats off to JCPA Plenum delegates who raised the issue with their representatives, resulting in support by 93 members! And by the way, did you notice how many members wore their blue ribbons during President Bush’s address to the joint session?

Ball Starts Rolling on Election Reform: This week, Representative Conyers (MI) and Senators Daschle (SD) and Dodd (CT) will introduce election reform legislation which closely resembles elements of the JCPA resolution on this topic adopted by the Plenum last month. Contact lmallin@thejcpa.org for a copy of the Election Reform resolution. Although several similar initiatives have been introduced during the past few weeks, the proposed "Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act" deals most comprehensively with many of the voting irregularities which surfaced in the 2000 general election. Last week, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a voting rights initiative which would increase the number of federal monitors overseeing elections, would permit the hiring of a new senior counsel to oversee enforcement and recommend necessary reforms to federal election law. Ashcroft announced he would also work with governors, secretaries of state and Congress to implement voting reform. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee chaired by Senator McConnell (KY) will hold hearings this week on issues affecting elections.

Reading, Writing, and Delaying: Despite approval of reauthorization of provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the measure will not go to the floor this week as originally announced. Instead, the bill will most likely be put back on the calendar sometime after the April recess, allowing for the Senate to first complete work its work on the Bankruptcy bill, campaign finance reform and the budget resolution. Keep an eye on the bill’s progress, since it is expected that when the full Senate finally debates the issue, vouchers, block grants, "charter states" and charitable choice will all be offered as amendments.

This Just In: Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (UT) has announced that the Senate will hold hearings on "Faith-Based Solutions: What Are the Legal Issues? on April 25, 2001. Watch this space for more details as they become available. JCPA Executive Director Hannah Rosenthal will join Dr. John DiIulio, Jr. in a discussion of the new White House initiative tomorrow in Washington, D.C. at the Religious Action Center’s Consultation on Conscience.

This Week in New York…

For more information, contact Benita Gayle-Almeleh, Director of Community Relations and Special Projects at bga@thejcpa.org

Hasbara Update: Plenum delegates were briefed at our Town Hall meeting concerning new hasbara efforts. The results of a major poll of American public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian situation -- with the sample divided into four groups: general public, elites, influential Americans, American Jews -- as well as the insights from focus group sessions will be released tomorrow at a press conference in New York City. This initiative was funded by the Presidents Conference, ADL, AJCommittee, and United Jewish Communities. The JCPA, NY JCRC and American Jewish Congress also serve as members of the working group. The JCPA will convene its member agencies in the near future to consider implications of the data for the ongoing Israel advocacy effort taking place at the national and local levels.

Mark Your Calendars: Please note the following changes in dates for upcoming JCPA meetings: Sunday October 28-Monday, 29, 2001 New York City, Task Force and Board Meetings; the 2002 Plenum will take place February 16 – 19th in Washington. The plenum will start after sundown Saturday night, and end Tuesday evening.