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JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS URGES CONGRESS TO ACT SWIFTLY ON HATE CRIMES AND GUN CONTROL

August 17, 1999 - New York - In a statement issued today, Steven Schwarz, Chair of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) once again urged Congress to act swiftly to enact stronger hate crimes and gun control legislation, stating "each time that the U.S. Congress rejects gun control legislation, hate groups and their warriors score a major victory." Below is the full text of Mr. Schwarz' statement, issued in conjunction with the satellite broadcast this afternoon convened by the United Jewish Communities, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Centers Association, and the JCPA.

One week after the horrific bloodshed at the North Valley Jewish Community Center, the shock, pain, and anger at this vile anti-Semitic attack is still palpable among American Jews across the country. Since the attack, the JCPA has worked with its 13 national and 122 local member agencies to coordinate a comprehensive response to this tragedy.

Last Thursday our agency convened a national teleconference, with representatives from over 70 member agencies, to discuss security issues as well as the public policy and community relations implications of the events in Los Angeles. The discussion included presentations by officials of the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. We are pleased to once again be cooperating with the ADL, the UJC, and the JCCA in convening today's satellite broadcast.

In addressing these legitimate security concerns, we must emphasize to those who would wish to sow the seeds of fear among Jews that they will not emerge victorious. Our institutions must and will remain open, safe and accessible to all. Likewise, our resolve to nurture a society of tolerance has only deepened in the days since the attack in Granada Hills.

We are grateful that we are not alone in this quest. The Jewish community is thankful for the tremendous outpouring of support from across the American racial, religious and ethnic spectrum. In days to come, the JCPA and its member agencies will continue to reach out to our partners in the broader community, to strive to find enduring solutions to the insidious poison of hate that threatens American society and its democratic values.

Two important steps that can be taken -- and must be taken -- are the enactment of stronger hate crimes and gun control laws, at both the federal and state levels. No legislative action can be a panacea for the complex problem of hatred and bigotry. However, each time that the U.S. Congress rejects gun control legislation, hate groups and their warriors score a major victory. We must guarantee all American children an upbringing free of the type of deadly violence that will haunt the memories of many of the children who were at the North Valley JCC. We urge Congress to fulfill its obligation to our nation's children through swift passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and by taking dramatic steps to enact significant gun control legislation when it returns to Washington in September.

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The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the public affairs body of the organized Jewish community and serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 122 community agencies which comprise the field of Jewish community relations.