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January 23, 2004/Tevet 29 5764, Vol. 56, No. 18
Opportunities for advocacy
Many ways exist to become politically involved
BARRY COHEN
Editor
Rachel Sheinbein, left, and Jennifer Schwarz took part in the April 2002 Israel solidarity rally in Washington, D.C., and also visited the Capitol in conjunction with Hadassah's Day on the Hill political advocacy program.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Schwarz
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When Jennifer Schwarz visited Washington, D.C., to take part in the Washington 12 National Young Leadership conference in 2000, she did not look forward to lobbying her congressmen.
"I was least looking forward to going to Congress and talking with senators and representatives," she says. "I never realized our voice mattered."
However, when they paid attention to what she and her fellow participants had to say, says Schwarz, "it was empowering."
For Washington 12, Schwarz was one of 3,000 "young, passionate, Jewish people." Based upon her experience at the conference, she returned two years later to "Washington 13" and will return this spring to "Washington 14," March 21-23.
Through the conferences, sponsored by United Jewish Communities, participants learn to become advocates for the issues that affect the local community, she says.
Schwarz says she has taken the political skills she acquired and used them to be more active locally. She describes herself as more politically focused and having "the commitment and drive in thinking about ways to make the community stronger."
In 2003, Schwarz received the Lee Amada Young Leadership Award from Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.
Currently, 24 people are registered to attend the "Washington 14" conference, says John Magoulas, federation senior campaign associate. In 2002, approximately the same number of people attended. The event is open for those between the age of 25-45 and the registration deadline is March 1. Confirmed featured speakers include Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), and Paul Begala, former adviser of President Bill Clinton and current co-host of CNN's "Crossfire."
But people do not need to travel to Washington, D.C., to learn how to become political advocates. Many opportunities exist in the local community.
Two organizations that are sponsoring visits to the Arizona Capitol are the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix and Hadassah Valley of the Sun.
The JCRC "Day at the Arizona Legislature" will be from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m Monday, Feb. 2. The event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
In years past, JCRC held a legislative reception to inform state senators and representatives about the issues that affect the Jewish community, says Berry Sweet, chairwoman of the JCRC government relations committee.
The Phoenix and Tucson federations made a change this year to get more people involved in interacting with government officials, she says.
The event will include an educational session about how a bill becomes a law. Participants will also be able to meet with their legislators in privately scheduled appointments and interact with them during an informal luncheon.
"We want to create awareness and understanding of our participants of how to communicate with state legislators," says Cathy Wolf, JCRC director. Another goal is to show state legislators that the community is engaged and willing to educate themselves about various issues, she adds.
Attempts have been made to involve more communities than just Phoenix and Tucson at the event, says Wolf.
"We would love to create a network ... of advocates on a state level," she notes.
Wolf hopes 50 people participate. "The more we have representing the community, the more powerful our voice becomes," she says. The registration deadline is Jan. 26.
Sweet hopes participants will become more "comfortable, enthusiastic and committed" to what takes place in the halls of the state legislature. "They will learn how one person can impact the system," she says.
Plans for the Hadassah Valley of the Sun "Date with the State" visit to the Arizona Capitol on Feb. 24 began last fall.
State Sen. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) suggested to Hadassah leaders that before they meet with state legislators, they should train to become effective advocates, says Beth Shapiro, chairwoman of Date With the State and Hadassah Valley of the Sun communications vice president.
This led to the development of a "Lobbying 101" event on Nov. 19, attended by Susan Weinberg, Hadassah national leader; Giffords; State Rep. Deb Gullet (R-Central Phoenix); and George Weisz, former chief of staff for Gov. Jane Hull.
Lobbying 101 gave participants the skills "not to be intimidated to lobby," says Shapiro. "Lawmakers are not on such a high pedestal that we can't reach them."
Hadassah's upcoming visit to the Arizona state legislature is modeled on the national "Date With the State" advocacy training program - when Hadassah members visit the nation's Capitol.
On the bus ride to the Arizona legislature, Weinberg will provide the participants, many of whom attended Lobbying 101, with a "succinct re-education" of how to interact with legislators, says Shapiro.
The program will include a breakfast and meet-and-greet with state lawmakers, as well as smaller meetings with the legislators in their districts, she says.
"We want people to become confident with the legislative process and be able to communicate with lawmakers," says Shapiro. "We want them to learn to be their own advocates."
Another goal is for Arizona lawmakers to know more about Hadassah and the issues its membership espouses, she says, such as the establishment of an Arizona-Israel trade and exchange commission, stem cell research, expanded coverage of hate crimes, gun control and tuition tax credits/school vouchers, among other issues, explains Shapiro.
She hopes 50 people will attend the event on Feb. 24, which is open to Hadassah membership.
In addition to the events sponsored by the Phoenix and Tucson federations and Hadassah Valley of the Sun, there are other opportunities for people to become political advocates, says George Weisz, who is currently assistant to Mayor Phil Gordon.
"There are more opportunities here than in other cities because there is less of a political hierarchy," he says.
People can easily speak at state government commissions, which cover a variety of issues, such as domestic violence, he notes.
"If you believe in (a candidate), you can get involved in campaigns and help get them into office," he says.
Weisz is also co-chairman of the JCRC government relations committee. One of the JCRC's activities is to monitor bills as soon as they are filed at the state legislature and to inform its membership about the bills' impact the Jewish community, he says. The upcoming Day at the Arizona Legislature will show participants how easy it is to have an effect upon the bills that are argued in the Senate and House of Representatives.
"It's a clich‚, but one person can make a difference," says Weisz.
One person who got passionately involved about an issue was Fanny Schlomowitz, who died Nov. 26, 2003.
In the early 1990s, she received Holocaust restitution payments from the Austrian government. However, the Housing and Urban Development treated the payments as income and doubled and then quadrupled the rent for her one-bedroom apartment at Kivel Campus of Care.
Schlomowitz refused to pay for the increased rent because she did not believe the restitution should be viewed as income.
"Anything she construed was not fair, she would voice her opinion," says Rabbi Marty Scharf, Kivel and community chaplain.
Then-U.S. Rep. Sam Coppersmith and U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini championed her cause and helped pass what was known as the "Schlomowitz bill," which prohibited the federal government from considering Holocaust restitution as income. The bill passed in July of 1995.
"She was one of those people who made a huge impact on folks," says Coppersmith.
Anyone with enough effort can make a difference, he adds. "Pick something where you can develop an expertise."
Start with a neighborhood school board or local government; get involved with a political campaign, he adds.
"Local or state races are begging for volunteers and for staffing," says Coppersmith.
Someone else who has embraced an issue and impacted the local community is Carol Kamin, executive director of Children's Action Alliance.
"Our mission is to improve the condition of families and children in the state" through changes in public policy, she says.
"We all take care of our own kids, but we are responsible for taking care of others' kids," says Kamin, who has worked at CAA for 15 years. The responsibility to care for those in the community who are often the weakest is the Jewish aspect of her commitment to CAA, she notes.
Kamin says that CAA looks for many different types of advocates because people have varying amounts of time to devote to family and children's issues.
CAA has developed a 5,000-strong alert network, she says. This network receives information about various bills affecting health care, child care, children's health insurance and Child Protective Services and instructs participants how to get in touch with legislators and the governor and how to write letters to the editor to local newspapers, she explains.
CAA also educates the community about what policies are good for families and children and encourages people to vote for those candidates who support those policies, she says.
Those with more time and expertise can join a CAA ad hoc committee. An example is the child welfare committee, she says. Thirty people from around the state who are knowledgeable about child welfare are kept informed about various bills, state budget issues and political barriers to the passage of pro-family and pro-child legislation, explains Kamin.
When people call Children Action Alliance and ask what they can do to help, "I can't say, 'come down and rock a baby,' " she says.
She can ask them to contribute expertise or money, join an ad hoc committee, get on an alert network or learn how to testify at the state legislature, she says.
Other Valley organizations that offer opportunities for political advocacy are the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League.
Calls to the local AIPAC office had not been returned at press time.
When people call the AJC and ask how they can become active, "we try to match the individual to the interests," says Rabbi Robert Kravtiz, executive director of the Arizona chapter of the AJC.
Interests include church and state, reproductive rights, support for Israel and monitoring the media, he explains.
Kravitz defines advocacy as calling a congressman, writing a letter to the editor, calling a television station to offer constructive feedback about coverage, visiting the state legislature or testifying before a congressional committee.
Bill Straus, ADL regional director, agrees that it is crucial to match people's interests with advocacy opportunities.
"You need to find activities that mesh with your passions," he says. "It's like feeling a tug on a line for a fisherman."
A problem is when people try to become active but then feel disenchanted because they do not feel like they are making an impact, he notes.
One way to see the results of efforts is to join a political precinct and work to support a candidate or to get signatures for a ballot initiative, he says.
In this way, people can prevent "getting lost in a sea of people," says Straus.
When asked about how someone can become politically active, Jerry Landau, former Assistant County Attorney, responds, "in what way?"
They can work for a candidate or a political party, become a lobbyist, support an initiative or a proposition or join a grassroots effort, he explains.
"The more involved an individual gets, the less that person will feel disenchanted," he says.
For 11 years, Landau worked as a liaison to the state legislature. On behalf of the criminal justice system, he proposed legislation that he thought would have a positive affect on the community and opposed legislation he thought would have a negative affect, he explains.
Landau has decided to make the jump from working as a political liaison to becoming a politician.
On Jan. 14, he formally announced that he will be running for County Attorney, to replace Rick Romley, who has decided not to run for re-election.
"We need to keep our communities safe," says Landau. "I want to work on a local level and be pro-active in fighting crime and educate people about how to prevent crime."
The election is scheduled for Sept. 7.
Straus notes that when anyone wants to become politically active, "you need to school yourself."
"There are plenty of ways to make a difference."
Contact the writer at barry_cohen@jewishaz.com.
Details
- What: The Arizona Jewish Community's Day at the Arizona Legislature
- When: 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2
- Where: Program begins in the Grand Canyon Room, Executive Tower, Arizona State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix
- Cost: $10
- Call: 480-634-4900, ext. 1120 or e-mail jcrc@jewishphoenix.org
- What: Hadassah Valley of the Sun Date with the State
- When: 7 a.m.-1 p.m.,Thursday, Feb. 24
- Where: Arizona State Capitol
- Cost: $25
- Call: 480-998-1880
- What: Washington 14 National Young Leadership Conference
- When: March 21-23
- Where: Washington, D.C.
- Cost: $550 registration; additional cost for hotel accommodations, Washington Hilton and Towers, (202) 483-3000
- Call: (212) 284-6584 or www.ujc.org/washington14
Other organizations:
- American Israel Political Action Committee
(AIPAC) 602-277-3318
- American Jewish Committee (AJC)
480-970-6363
- Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
602-274-0991
- Arizona Democratic Party
602-298-4200
- Arizona Libertarian Party
602-248-8425
- Arizona Republican Party
602-957-7770
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