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May 27, 2005/Iyar 18 5765, Volume 57, No. 39
Delegates rally to the cause
Thousands converge on Washington
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Amid lavish multimedia presentations at this year's policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, there was a strong sense of business as usual.
The powerful pro-Israel lobby was working hard to show it is the same organization it had been before reports of a federal investigation surfaced and two senior officials, who allegedly received and passed on classified information to Israel, were dismissed.
At the same time, it was trying to broaden its appeal, highlighting the American over the Israel in its name, placing a more human face on its lay leadership and diversifying its ranks.
Its membership seemed unruffled by the scandal, more focused on such policy issues as the Iranian threat and Israel's disengagement plan than on newspaper headlines.
Since allegations first surfaced last August, supporters and political officials have rallied behind the organization, giving money and lending support.
They gathered in Washington this week in record numbers for the policy conference. The 5,000 delegates, including more than 850 students, hoped to send a message that the organization is the same group it always has been.
AIPAC's message resonated with those who came to the Washington Convention Center for the three-day conference, which culminated with lobbying on Capitol Hill on May 24.
The organization received major kudos from high-profile speakers, including Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).
"Judging by how many students I see in the audience today, I know that AIPAC's future is clearly going to be bright," Rice said in her address on May 23.
Sharon, in his first visit to the United States as prime minister without an invitation to meet President Bush, thanked AIPAC for its "tremendous work" in contributing to the close relations between Israel and the United States.
"AIPAC's continued support is more important now than ever before," he said.
Nearly half the members of the U.S. Congress participated in the conference. Most of them attended the May 23 gala dinner, which featured speeches by the leaders of both parties in both houses of Congress.
Those statements and statistics are seen as key, as detractors were watching to see whether AIPAC would lose some of its luster because of the negative press.
Inside the convention, AIPAC leaders were making the case that the organization works for the good of the United States, not just Israel. This year's theme, "Israel. An American Value," included an opening plenary featuring non-Jewish AIPAC backers.
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