Issues and Positions

IPA Leadership Development

Washington Wire

OU IPA Washington Wire - June 6, 2007
July 05, 2007
Welcome to the Wire!

Please take a moment to come visit our Website.

Want the inside scoop? Or a point of view you aren't seeing elsewhere? Visit the new IPA Blog on the IPA homepage. For news, views, and a perspective you might otherwise miss.
___________________________________________________________________________

On the Hill

Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) have recently introduced the Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Assistance Act (HR 1092 and S. 963 respectively). This bill would authorize the Department of Education to give grants of $2,000,000 a year, for the next five years, to educational organizations to supplement their Holocaust programs. With Holocaust denial more prevalent today it is educate all Americans on the atrocities that have occurred so that they may never happen again. Contact your Senators and Representatives urging them to cosponsor The Holocaust Education Act or H.R 1092/ S. 963. Click here for a list of your local senators, or representatives and call today!

Recently introduced was the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision and Extension act of 2007 (H.R 2761). Too often insurance companies use travel to Israel as grounds to reject or drop applications for life insurance. Not only does this compound the financial burden of starting a new home in Israel it results in the loss of years of savings. Sec 11 of the bill would effectively address these discriminatory practices by preventing life insurance companies from rejecting applicants due to past or future lawful travel plans.

Israel and the Middle East

In the wake of the recent British academic boycott of Israel, U.S. university presidents visited Israel the past week to strengthen academic ties. Haaretz reports that a delegation of American university presidents arrived in Israel yesterday on a visit organized by the American Jewish Committee's (AJC) Project Interchange. The project aims to explain Israel's policies to the leaders of U.S. academic institutions and to strengthen scientific collaboration between the two countries. Read the article here.

Congress is heading for a showdown with the White House over sanctions aimed at stopping the Iranian regime's nuclear ambitions. Nathan Guttman of The Forward reports "last week, an overwhelming majority in Congress passed the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act, which would levy economic sanctions against companies that deal with Iran. The measure will likely lead to a clash with the White House because it includes a provision preventing the president from using executive privilege to grant to certain companies a waiver from the sanctions." The legislation was authored by California Democrat Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Read the article here.

Campaign '08

With the recent takeover of the Gaza strip by Hamas militants, one of the most pressing questions for the Jewish community has been how to respond in a way that will stabilize the region. While some experts argue for uniting the Palestinian factions, others encourage isolating Hamas and strengthening Abbas's more moderate government. Can the current events become a stepping-stone to meaningful advancements in our quest for a strong and secure homeland? Click here to hear how the presidential hopefuls have responded to these questions and how they believe we can achieve a lasting peace.

(While the IPA endeavors to bring the Washington Wire readership statements from presidential candidates on issues of interest to the OU community, doing so does not indicate any endorsement of any party or candidate by the IPA or IPA staff.)
________________________________________________________________________________

Links

IPA Website

IPA Blog

Conference of Presidents' Daily Alert
_________________________________________________________________________

Suggestions and Comments

We welcome any suggestions and/or comments you might have regarding this or future issues of the Washington Wire. We encourage you to contact us with any suggestions or comments
regarding the Orthodox Union Institute for Public Affairs please contact Ari Lustig at .

If you know someone who'd like to receive the OU-IPA Washington Wire, please have them register at our registration page, http://ou.org/public/subscribe.htm, where you can also sign up for IPA Action Alerts, the OU's "Shabbat Shalom" weekly email, and receive information regarding other OU programs and projects.

[This email is comprised of excerpts from cited news articles and does not necessarily represent the views, opinions, or positions of the Institute for Public Affairs, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, its affiliates or its employees.