High Level Government Officials And Congressional Leaders Brief Orthodox Union Leaders In White House, Senate And House Meetings

Nearly 100 national lay and rabbinical leaders of the Orthodox Union traveled to the nation's capital on Wednesday, April 6th for the Union's annual Leadership Mission to Washington. The two day mission was organized by the OU's Institute for Public Affairs.

Wednesday's program included a private viewing of Judaica treasures at the Library of Congress, as well as an OU Board of Directors meeting which featured a presentation by Dr. Charles Krauthammer, the noted political analyst, writer and TV personality. The meeting's discussions focused upon Prime Minister Sharon's plan for Gaza Disengagement and other aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

On Thursday, the delegation began its meetings with America's policymakers with a series of briefings by high level White House officials. Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams discussed the current discussions between the U.S., Israel and the Palestinians in anticipation of Prime Minister Sharon's impending visit to President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. In the face of recent press reports of disagreements between American and Israeli officials over certain issues, Abrams assured the OU leaders that the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and Messrs. Bush and Sharon individually, is as strong as ever. Abrams emphasized the Administration's steadfast commitment to the sequential steps of the "Road Map" which requires the dismantling of the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure as the threshold requirement for any further negotiations and undertakings.

In a rare appearance before a Jewish organization, the OU delegation was addressed by Karl Rove, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Adviser to President Bush. In the course of his remarks, Rove sought to give the Orthodox leaders a sense from "behind the scenes" of what animates President Bush and how he operates. Of special note, Rove told accounts of President Bush's personal commitment to combating the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe and elsewhere, and of the President raising this concern in a very direct manner with foreign heads of state.

Jim Towey, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives, also addressed the group. The OU has worked very closely with the Administration on the faith-based initiative since its inception. OU leaders discussed with Mr. Towey current challenges to the social welfare sector in the context of budgetary challenges, as well as the need to codify in statute many of the critical policies ensuring the equal, non-discriminatory treatment of faith-based entities by government programs which have been put in place by presidential executive orders.

Tevi Troy, Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, came to speak on issues ranging from education tax credits, to social security reform, to the end of life issues raised to national attention recently by the Terri Schiavo case.

This set of high-level White House briefings was facilitated and hosted by the White House's liaison to the Jewish community Noam Neusner, with whom the OU works very closely on behalf of the community.

As was the case with all of participating White House officials, Neusner expressed appreciation for the OU's representation of the Orthodox community and the promotion of the community's interests and values in the public policy arena. Neusner praised the consistency and steadfastness of the OU, stating that "you know what values the OU stands for and those are the policies the OU pursues."

The OU leaders then traveled to Capitol Hill for the afternoon's interactions with the U.S. Congress. The afternoon began with a luncheon in the U.S. Senate at which a special presentation was made to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) for the leadership role he played last year in working with the OU to appropriate federal homeland security funds for the explicit purpose of making grants to synagogues and other vulnerable nonprofit institutions to improve their physical security in the face of terrorist threats.

In a formidable demonstration of their high regard for the OU and its influence, many other key senators addressed the luncheon as well. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) praised the OU for its work in Washington on behalf of the community and expressed cautious optimism that the new circumstances in the Middle East will lead to Israel's greater security and peace. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) spoke of her firm commitment to the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, of which she is an original cosponsor, and her optimism that this longstanding priority of the OU will be passed this year; Clinton also urged the OU leaders to think about the adverse impact that increasing federal budget deficits will have on U.S. ability to continue to pursue a range of policies the OU supports at home and abroad. Others attending the luncheon and addressing OU concerns included Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Jim Talent (R-MO), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI), and Gordon Smith (R-OR). Several others who had signaled their intention to stop by were unable to do so as they had traveled to Rome for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Following the Senate luncheon, the mission moved across the Capitol to the House of Representatives where participants met with the offices of their home-district representatives. A group of senior OU officers met with House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) to discuss the OU's policy agenda as well.

OU President Steve Savitsky stated that “the Union’s work on behalf of the Orthodox Jewish community’s values and interests in the arena of public policy is one of many critical roles the organization plays in its work to serve American Orthodox Jewry.”

Moshe Bane, chairman of the Union’s Institute for Public Affairs, added that “as representatives of the Orthodox Jewish community we are very appreciative of the time the White House officials, Senators and Representatives spent with us discussing critical issues. We cherish the fact that this country affords us the opportunity to engage with them, as Orthodox Jews, on policy matters.”

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