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Friday August 16, 2002

Jews rally to maintain a pro-Israel Congress

SHARON SAMBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

WASHINGTON -- With Israel under attack and seemingly at its most vulnerable in decades, Jews are trying to ensure that the next U.S. Congress maintains a strong pro-Israel bent.

Education, health care and the economy probably will be key issues for most voters when they go to the polls in November.

But candidates also want to have a strong anti-terrorism platform in the election, and "support for Israel is one way to do that," according to Democratic pollster Mark Mellman.

A particularly important test case will take place Aug. 20, when Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), faces a primary challenger who has received support from the Jewish community.

The race has attracted the involvement of Jews locally and nationally.

McKinney's vote against a pro-Israel resolution in May added to a record of remarks over the years that the pro-Israel community has considered insensitive, even outrageous at times.

In the shadow of Israel's Operation Protective Wall in the West Bank in the spring, McKinney was one of only 21 representatives who voted against a resolution that expressed solidarity with Israel, reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense, supported additional defense assistance for Israel and condemned Palestinian terrorism.

Denise Majette, a retired state judge, is challenging McKinney in the Democratic primary. She has taken a strong pro-Israel stance and is now neck-and-neck with the five-term incumbent.

Morris Amitay, a pro-Israel activist and founder of Washington PAC, a pro-Israel group, said there is "a lot of activity" by Jews on behalf of Majette.

The McKinney race follows a triumph for Jewish involvement in an Alabama congressional contest in June.

Jews from around the country opened their wallets for attorney Artur Davis, who defeated Rep. Earl Hilliard in the Democratic primary runoff for Alabama's 7th district.

Activists considered Hilliard anti-Israel because of his voting record in Congress.

With other races looming in the fall, Jewish voters are continuing to look beyond their own backyards and past the usual foreign and domestic concerns to focus on a candidate's stance regarding Israel.

"There is a willingness to get active," said Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition. "There is a tremendous amount of political fund-raising."

Leaders of the RJC have helped raise more than a quarter million dollars for Norm Coleman, the Republican challenger to Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.).

While both candidates are Jewish, Coleman's pro-Israel stance has gratified Jewish leaders, who are troubled by the Arab-American community's support of Wellstone.

In the end, the pro-Israel majority in Congress is likely to be strengthened as a result of the 2002 races and the departure of anti-Israel voices, such as Hilliard and Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio), from Capitol Hill.

Other races garnering attention include New Hampshire's senatorial race, where much of the talk about the Republican primary between Rep. John Sununu and incumbent Sen. Bob Smith has revolved around the candidates' records on terrorism and Israel.

Sununu has come under fire for supporting U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority, though he also has voted for U.S. aid to Israel and has returned campaign contributions from Arab leaders who backed Hamas.

Smith has accused Sununu, who is of Lebanese and Palestinian descent, of being soft on terrorism and supporting radical, anti-Israel causes.

The issue is not going to make or break most races, said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, echoing the view of others.

David Fink, a Jewish Democrat running for a congressional seat in Michigan's 9th District, said both he and his opponent are pro-Israel.

It will be domestic issues of import to the Jewish community -- such as abortion and school prayer -- that voters will look at when they decide, he said.

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