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September 10, 1999/29 Elul 5759, Vol. 52, No. 1
Jewish lobbyists want new laws
DANIEL KURTZMAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - After a summer marred by anti-Semitic violence, Jewish lobbyists are vowing to push lawmakers to enact stricter laws to combat hate crimes and control guns. As Congress returns from its August recess, both efforts are likely to garner a high profile, although it remains unclear whether meaningful changes will be adopted.
Ensuring greater protections for free religious practice and maintaining current spending levels for social service programs are also key concerns for the Jewish community on the domestic front, while efforts to contain Iran and secure funding for Israel and the Palestinians to implement the Wye River land-for-peace deal will be the focus of activity in the international arena.
Gun control, meanwhile, is shaping up as the toughest battle. The Senate has already adopted a juvenile justice bill that would subject individuals purchasing guns at gun shows to background checks, ban the import of magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds and require that trigger locks or other safety devices be sold with handguns. But the House of Representatives, following a fierce lobbying effort by the National Rifle Association, rejected those proposals in June.
While most Jewish activists continue to back those proposals, some are urging Congress to go much further, particularly following the recent spate of deadly assaults across the country, including shooting rampages targeted at Jews in Illinois and California. One effort, being led by the American Jewish Congress, seeks to build grass-roots support for sweeping federal gun control legislation.
The organized Jewish community has been calling for more stringent gun control measures for years, but what was once considered something of a low-priority issue has taken on a new sense of urgency. "There were lots of members of the Jewish community who had glazed eyes when we talked about gun control and gun safety issues in the past, and unfortunately I think Buford Furrow and Benjamin Smith have gotten the attention of the Jewish community as to why gun control is a Jewish issue," said the Anti-Defamation League's Washington counsel, Michael Lieberman, referring to the white supremacists suspected in the shootings of Jews and other minorities in California and Illinois.
At the same time, recent hate crimes have also generated momentum for legislation aimed at strengthening the federal hate crimes statute. In July the Senate unanimously approved the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which allows the federal government to prosecute hate crimes sparked by sexual orientation, gender and disability. Current federal law applies only to crimes motivated by race, color, religion or national origin.
The House has already held hearings on the measure, but it remains unclear whether there will be enough support to overcome opposition from conservative Republicans.
On the religious freedom front, the Jewish community's long-standing goal of ensuring that Americans can practice their religion free from government intrusion faces an uncertain fate. With House passage in July of the Religious Liberty Protection Act, activists will be turning their attention to the Senate.
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