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http://nationalvanguard.org/story.php?id=2566
$100 Million in Homeland Security Funds To Protect J*WS?
Report; Posted on: 2004-03-31 02:22:48 [ Printer friendly ]
J*WS believe they have found a way to maneuver around church-state separation
The United Jewish Communities, which is spearheading the effort to garner federal funds to protect Jewish organizations, is touting a plan to give the federal dollars directly to contractors, who would then perform "security upgrades" at Jewish sites.
By having the flow of money go from the federal government to the contractor, there no
longer will be church-state concerns, said the slick Charles Konigsberg, vice president for public policy at UJC, the umbrella organization of North American Jewish federations.
On Thursday, lawmake
rs
ere expected to introduce bills in both houses of Cong
ress authorizing $100 million for J*WS to upgrade security at "high-risk, non-profit institutions." (J*wspeak for hated Jewish organizations, like the ADL, likely to be targeted by Muslims.)
Under the plan, non-profit sites would seek qualification from their states' homeland security departments. Each state then would submit a prioritized list of sites to the Department of Homeland Security.
The federal government would decide which sites to fund and would enter into contracts with security firms that would administer the work.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (pictured, D-N.Y.), who is sponsoring the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives said, "t's exactly equivalent to what we do in getting a cop outside a synagogu
e on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur.
After last year's bombings of synagogues in Istanbul and Casablanca, Nadler said, he believes the government has an obligation to help secure Jewish si
tes
that
are vulne
rable to terrorist attacks.
UJC believes its appro
ach is in keeping with the needs of Jewish organizations, which face rising security costs because of increased fears of terrorism and the perception of rising anti-Semitism worldwide. UJC has garnered support from the American Jewish Congress, Orthodox Union and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
Even Jewish groups that are not inclined to support the legislation aren't expected to oppose it actively because of the community's pressing security needs. We will continue to raise the concerns, the ADL's Foxman said. Will I be testifying against it? Probably not.
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?int...in
tcategoryid=3
As terror fears rise, UJC idea could
help garner homeland security funds
By Matthew E. Berger
WASHINGTON, March 30 (JTA) --Wi
th Jewi
sh organ
izations divided o
ver the use of federal homeland security funds to protect Jewish sites,
supporters believe they have found a way to assuage concerns over church-state separation.
The United Jewish Communities, which is spearheading the effort to garner federal funds for high-risk non-profit organizations, is touting a plan to give the federal dollars directly to contractors, who would perform security upgrades at Jewish and other vulnerable sites.
By having the flow of money go from the federal government to the contractor, there no longer will be church-state concerns, said Charles Konigsberg, vice president for public policy at UJC, the umbrella organization of North American Jewish federations.
But some Jewish groups concerned that the program may trample on church-state separation are
n't supporting UJC's efforts.
"t's a gimmick to avoid the issue, said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "t's still going to be sy
nagogues, c
hurches and
mosques asking for money.
On Thursday, lawmakers were expected to i
ntroduce bills in both houses of Congress authorizing $100 million to upgrade security at high-risk, non-profit institutions. The legislation is expected to have bipartisan support, though it's unclear whether there is enough money for the proposal in the national budget.
Under the plan, non-profit sites would seek qualification from their states' homeland security departments. Each state then would submit a prioritized list of sites to the Department of Homeland Security.
The federal government would decide which sites to fund and would enter into contracts with security firms that would administer the work.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who is sponsoring the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives with Rep. G
eorge Nethercutt (R-Wash.), said he would not have supported direct federal aid to religious institutions but feels the suggested mechanism is acceptable.
<
br>"t's exactl
y equivalent to
what we do in getting a cop outsi
de a synagogue on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Ki
ppur, Nadler said.
The bill, to be sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), would provide some of the $1 billion that sponsors estimate is needed to secure non-profit institutions.
After last year's bombings of synagogues in Istanbul and Casablanca, Nadler said, he believes the government has an obligation to help secure U.S. sites that are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Konigsberg said he believes the new system would expedite the process because money would be given directly to those performing the work.
However, some lawmakers remain concerned that using contractors would make the process more bureaucratic --and that issue may put a hitch into UJC's plans to roll-out
the program this week.
Some groups also argue that the use by synagogues or day schools of federal funds, even if they come through a middle
man, violates the
constitutional sepa
ration of church and state.
Jewish
groups have been discussing the
issue with the UJC for months, and several organizations were pushing for the community to promote loan guarantees for Jewish sites rather than direct aid. Indeed, the proposed bill includes loan guarantees as an alternative to federal funding. That would allow Jewish sites to pay for the improvements themselves, but over time and at a more affordable rate.
However, UJC believes its approach is more in keeping with the needs of its member federations, which face rising security costs because of increased fears of terrorism and the perception of rising anti-Semitism worldwide.
UJC has garnered support from the American Jewish Congress, Orthodox Union and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
Outside the Jewish community, th
e legislation is backed by, among others, the American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA and the American Hospital Association.
The Ameri
can Jewish Committee,
Religious Action Center
for Reform Judaism and Jewish Council for Public
Affairs still are reviewing the s
uggested provisions.
While we certainly appreciate the new realities this legislation seeks to address, we continue to have concerns about its application to houses of worship and other pervasively sectarian institutions, said Mark Pelavin, the RAC's associate director. We are working closely with the bill's sponsors, and our leadership is in the process of reviewing the most recent draft of the legislation.
Even Jewish groups that are not inclined to support the legislation aren't expected to oppose it actively because of the community's pressing security needs.
We will continue to raise the concerns, Foxman said. Will I be testifying against it? Probably not.
Jewish opponents of the plan also worry that t
he legislation could pit Jewish communities against each other for federal aid, questioning whether synagogues in smaller citi
es would get as much atte
ntion as those in places li
ke New York or Chicago.
In recent years, federal
disaster
aid and historical-preservation money have gone to all classes of Jewish institutions, though there is debate about whether Jewish institutions should accept such funds.
The Bush administration has pushed faith-based initiatives and other initiatives to allow religious groups to seek federal dollars. While the Orthodox community has embraced such proposals enthusiastically, most Jewish groups either have opposed them or have been ambivalent.
Some Jewish groups have complained that UJC has rushed the effort without allowing enough discussion in the Jewish community on the legislation's ramifications. Sources said UJC wanted to have the legislation introduced before it brings its leadership to Capitol Hill to lobby in April.
Konigsberg, however,
says a more important factor in the timing was Congress' appropriations process.
â┚¬Ã…¡ÃƒÆ’”�šÃ”š© JTA.
Reproduction of material wit
hout written permission is stri
ctly prohibited.
http://nationalvanguard.org/story.php?id=2566
$100 Million in Homeland Security Funds To Protect J*WS?
Report; Posted on: 2004-03-31 02:22:48 [ Printer friendly ]
J*WS believe they have found a way to maneuver around church-state separation
The United Jewish Communities, which is spearheading the effort to garner federal funds to protect Jewish organizations, is touting a plan to give the federal dollars directly to contractors, who would then perform "security upgrades" at Jewish sites.
By having the flow of money go from the federal government to the contractor, there no
longer will be church-state concerns, said the slick Charles Konigsberg, vice president for public policy at UJC, the umbrella organization of North American Jewish federations.
On Thursday, lawmake
rs
ere expected to introduce bills in both houses of Cong
ress authorizing $100 million for J*WS to upgrade security at "high-risk, non-profit institutions." (J*wspeak for hated Jewish organizations, like the ADL, likely to be targeted by Muslims.)
Under the plan, non-profit sites would seek qualification from their states' homeland security departments. Each state then would submit a prioritized list of sites to the Department of Homeland Security.
The federal government would decide which sites to fund and would enter into contracts with security firms that would administer the work.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (pictured, D-N.Y.), who is sponsoring the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives said, "t's exactly equivalent to what we do in getting a cop outside a synagogu
e on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur.
After last year's bombings of synagogues in Istanbul and Casablanca, Nadler said, he believes the government has an obligation to help secure Jewish si
tes
that
are vulne
rable to terrorist attacks.
UJC believes its appro
ach is in keeping with the needs of Jewish organizations, which face rising security costs because of increased fears of terrorism and the perception of rising anti-Semitism worldwide. UJC has garnered support from the American Jewish Congress, Orthodox Union and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
Even Jewish groups that are not inclined to support the legislation aren't expected to oppose it actively because of the community's pressing security needs. We will continue to raise the concerns, the ADL's Foxman said. Will I be testifying against it? Probably not.
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?int...in
tcategoryid=3
As terror fears rise, UJC idea could
help garner homeland security funds
By Matthew E. Berger
WASHINGTON, March 30 (JTA) --Wi
th Jewi
sh organ
izations divided o
ver the use of federal homeland security funds to protect Jewish sites,
supporters believe they have found a way to assuage concerns over church-state separation.
The United Jewish Communities, which is spearheading the effort to garner federal funds for high-risk non-profit organizations, is touting a plan to give the federal dollars directly to contractors, who would perform security upgrades at Jewish and other vulnerable sites.
By having the flow of money go from the federal government to the contractor, there no longer will be church-state concerns, said Charles Konigsberg, vice president for public policy at UJC, the umbrella organization of North American Jewish federations.
But some Jewish groups concerned that the program may trample on church-state separation are
n't supporting UJC's efforts.
"t's a gimmick to avoid the issue, said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "t's still going to be sy
nagogues, c
hurches and
mosques asking for money.
On Thursday, lawmakers were expected to i
ntroduce bills in both houses of Congress authorizing $100 million to upgrade security at high-risk, non-profit institutions. The legislation is expected to have bipartisan support, though it's unclear whether there is enough money for the proposal in the national budget.
Under the plan, non-profit sites would seek qualification from their states' homeland security departments. Each state then would submit a prioritized list of sites to the Department of Homeland Security.
The federal government would decide which sites to fund and would enter into contracts with security firms that would administer the work.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who is sponsoring the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives with Rep. G
eorge Nethercutt (R-Wash.), said he would not have supported direct federal aid to religious institutions but feels the suggested mechanism is acceptable.
<
br>"t's exactl
y equivalent to
what we do in getting a cop outsi
de a synagogue on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Ki
ppur, Nadler said.
The bill, to be sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), would provide some of the $1 billion that sponsors estimate is needed to secure non-profit institutions.
After last year's bombings of synagogues in Istanbul and Casablanca, Nadler said, he believes the government has an obligation to help secure U.S. sites that are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Konigsberg said he believes the new system would expedite the process because money would be given directly to those performing the work.
However, some lawmakers remain concerned that using contractors would make the process more bureaucratic --and that issue may put a hitch into UJC's plans to roll-out
the program this week.
Some groups also argue that the use by synagogues or day schools of federal funds, even if they come through a middle
man, violates the
constitutional sepa
ration of church and state.
Jewish
groups have been discussing the
issue with the UJC for months, and several organizations were pushing for the community to promote loan guarantees for Jewish sites rather than direct aid. Indeed, the proposed bill includes loan guarantees as an alternative to federal funding. That would allow Jewish sites to pay for the improvements themselves, but over time and at a more affordable rate.
However, UJC believes its approach is more in keeping with the needs of its member federations, which face rising security costs because of increased fears of terrorism and the perception of rising anti-Semitism worldwide.
UJC has garnered support from the American Jewish Congress, Orthodox Union and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
Outside the Jewish community, th
e legislation is backed by, among others, the American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA and the American Hospital Association.
The Ameri
can Jewish Committee,
Religious Action Center
for Reform Judaism and Jewish Council for Public
Affairs still are reviewing the s
uggested provisions.
While we certainly appreciate the new realities this legislation seeks to address, we continue to have concerns about its application to houses of worship and other pervasively sectarian institutions, said Mark Pelavin, the RAC's associate director. We are working closely with the bill's sponsors, and our leadership is in the process of reviewing the most recent draft of the legislation.
Even Jewish groups that are not inclined to support the legislation aren't expected to oppose it actively because of the community's pressing security needs.
We will continue to raise the concerns, Foxman said. Will I be testifying against it? Probably not.
Jewish opponents of the plan also worry that t
he legislation could pit Jewish communities against each other for federal aid, questioning whether synagogues in smaller citi
es would get as much atte
ntion as those in places li
ke New York or Chicago.
In recent years, federal
disaster
aid and historical-preservation money have gone to all classes of Jewish institutions, though there is debate about whether Jewish institutions should accept such funds.
The Bush administration has pushed faith-based initiatives and other initiatives to allow religious groups to seek federal dollars. While the Orthodox community has embraced such proposals enthusiastically, most Jewish groups either have opposed them or have been ambivalent.
Some Jewish groups have complained that UJC has rushed the effort without allowing enough discussion in the Jewish community on the legislation's ramifications. Sources said UJC wanted to have the legislation introduced before it brings its leadership to Capitol Hill to lobby in April.
Konigsberg, however,
says a more important factor in the timing was Congress' appropriations process.
â┚¬Ã…¡ÃƒÆ’”�šÃ”š© JTA.
Reproduction of material wit
hout written permission is stri
ctly prohibited.