Israel enjoys broad-based, bipartisan support on Capitol Hill

Melissa Radler

03/27/04 "Jerusalem Post" -- When it comes to Israel's war on terror, concern over Iranian nuclear capabilities and support for the Syria Accountability Act, Israel enjoys broad-based, bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said Thursday after meetings with more than 40 senators in Washington. 

In a series of meetings that culminated in the dedication of a Torah in memory of more than 1,000 Jewish victims of terror and those who perished in the September 11 attacks on the US, senators from dozens of states reiterated their support on issues of concern to Israel and the Jewish community. 

"The Republicans and Democrats, despite all the political differences and some of the election year innuendo, the fact is they share an agenda," said the Presidents Conference's executive vice chairman, Malcolm Hoenlein. He noted senators on both sides of the isle voiced support for the killing of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Israel's right to build a security fence to halt terrorism. 

In a meeting with Senate Republicans, Rick Santorum (R-PA), chairman of the meeting, announced plans to introduce legislation requiring US officials to mention Jewish refugees from Arab lands whenever Palestinian refugees are mentioned in a diplomatic context, while George Voinovich (R-Ohio) said he will propose a bill that would require the State Department to issue a report on anti-Semitism, a Presidents Conference official noted. 

Senate Democrats, whose meeting was chaired by Hillary Clinton (D-NY), discussed the need to implement the Syrian Accountability Act, exert pressure on the Saudis to shut down charities that support terrorism, and address growing European anti-Semitism. Clinton noted her support for the High-Risk Non-Profit Security Enhancement Act of 2004, a bill providing federal assistance to high-risk non-profits, including those benefiting the Jewish community. The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). 

Following the meetings, a ceremony marking the completion of a Torah scroll memorializing American and Israeli victims of terror was held in an unprecedented gathering in the Capitol Building. The Torah, the brainchild of four young Brooklynites - Carolyn Roiter, Simon Jacobson and Esther and Leibel Montal - who raised funds through private donations and hired a scribe in order to commemorate those killed since September 2000, includes the names of more than 1,000 Jewish victims of terror in Israel embroidered in gold thread on a red velvet cover, and a breastplate dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks. 

"We felt we had to do something, we felt we had to make a statement and not just let these people turn into numbers," said Roiter before the ceremony. "When you see how many names are on this cover, it's overwhelming, but the only way to give each individual the memory they deserve, is by memorializing each one of them for eternity," she said. During the ceremony, elected officials were invited to have a letter inscribed in the Torah, and according to Hoenlein, the line was an hour long. In the coming weeks, the Torah will be sent to Jerusalem, where it will be housed permanently at the Western Wall, said Roiter.

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