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Politics : Clinton -- doomed & wagging, Japan collapses, Y2K bug, etc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alan Markoff who wrote (661)	10/20/1998 4:37:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

Jerusalem Post - 10/20/98 By MARILYN HENRY NEW YORK (October 20) -- Jewish identity and attachment to Israel are declining in the US, with only one-quarter of American Jews believing that Israel is "very important," according to Steven M. Cohen, a Hebrew University sociologist. "There is not a threat to Jewish continuity in America - the question is what kind of Judaism," said Cohen, who released the results of a national study on Jewish religious and ethnic identity in America at a news conference in New York yesterday. A narrow majority - 52 percent - said "Israel is critical to sustaining American Jewish life." Only one-third said Israel is extremely important to their sense of being Jewish, while only 18% regard visiting Israel at least once as essential to being a "good Jew," according to Cohen's research. Only 20% think it is essential to support Israel. The erosion of ties with Israel has taken place over 25 years, with multiple reasons for the decline, Cohen said. Some have to do with changes in Jewish identity. "If American Jews become less ethnic, Israel is less important," he said. However, Israeli actions are also involved in the decline, including confusion about the peace process and alienation over Israeli religious policies and "who is a Jew," he said. "It is not that people are turning against Israel, but they are moving to a more neutral position in their consciousness," Cohen said. American Jews are experiencing declines in almost all forms of ethnic identity, although they seem to be maintaining levels of religious identity, according to Cohen's research, which was conducted for the Jewish Community Center Association. In a study of 1,000 Jews, Cohen distinguished between ethnic and religious identity. Religious identity - which was measured by faith in God, ritual observance, and religious commitment - is fairly stable, with no dramatic differences between younger and older Jews. Ethnic identity was measured according to a scale that rated commitment to Jewish peoplehood, attachment to Israel, sentiment on intermarriage, the level of Jewish friendship, loyalty to Jewish institutions, and the perception of social justice as a Jewish value. All are weaker among younger Jews than older ones. "While younger Jews are just as religiously committed as their elders, they are less ethnically identified," Cohen said. The ethnic component, though weakening, is still stronger than the religious dimension in American Jewish identity, Cohen said. He added that he believes the ethnic drive to be Jewish is much more powerful than the religious one. A quarter of those surveyed said that religion is "very important" in their lives, while 47% said that being Jewish is "very important." Almost one-third of those surveyed said they "don't really feel competent praying in synagogue," and as many said that "most synagogue services are not interesting to me." The erosion in measures of ethnic identity varies with age. Some 60% of Jews over 55 say that most of their close friends are Jewish; that drops to about 36% for Jews 25-44. Cohen focused special attention on Jewish friendship, which, he said, "indicates a lot of things about the nature of Jewish life in America." It reveals that Jews are dispersed geographically and by occupation, that they are less likely to need and want other Jews as friends, and thus are less likely to need organizations and institutions that provide them with a place to be with other Jews.

To: Alan Markoff who wrote (661)	10/20/1998 4:40:00 PM
From: SOROS	Respond to of 1151

AP - 10/20/98 QUEENSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- Jordan's ailing King Hussein was joining Mideast peace talks today as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators sought for a sixth day to break a deadlock over the West Bank. President Clinton canceled a fund-raising trip to California to return to the talks at a Chesapeake Bay retreat. ''There are still gaps, significant ones,'' said State Department spokesman James P. Rubin. Hussein, who signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, was to arrive at the Wye River conference center, about 70 miles east of Washington, in the early afternoon, White House press secretary Joe Lockhart said. ''We felt he could play a constructive role in the talks today,'' Lockhart said. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright issued the invitation to Hussein, who has been in the Washington area in recent days and has been in touch by telephone with Albright and others to offer his advice on the talks. The involvement of the king, who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and is the longest-serving ruler in the Middle East, could symbolize that Arabs and Israelis can join together to overcome differences. ''We think he has the unique ability to bring home to the delegations the necessity for making peace,'' Rubin said. Lockhart would not discuss the possibility of Clinton continuing the Wye talks beyond today. ''The president is determined and focused on helping the parties make the tough choices,'' Lockhart said. A senior official said today that hard bargaining began with the meeting and dinner Clinton held Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. But the ''negative side'' is still having to get agreement on the details. The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said: ''And that is still not there yet. Some serious problems remain all across the board.'' The talks, which began Thursday, were complicated by a terrorist incident Monday in which a Palestinian hurled two grenades into a crowded bus stop in Beersheba, south of Jerusalem. Sixty-four Israelis were injured. Even so, the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators pressed ahead at a Wye River conference center on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Aides kept to their practice of not commenting on the substance of the talks, but described them as ''workmanlike.'' Clinton, who has invested some 44 hours of his time in the marathon negotiations so far, stayed with Netanyahu and Arafat until nearly midnight, then flew back to the White House. He was returning to Wye today and left open the possibility of continuing the negotiations on Wednesday. ''Given the importance of the issues at hand, the president, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat believe it is appropriate to stay and continue to work on these important issues,'' Lockhart said. But in a more sobering assessment just before Clinton was due to resume his personal mediation today, Rubin said the administration would declare a windup ''when we have concluded we've done all we can do.'' At the same time, the negotiations moved ahead. Despite warning it would not negotiate on nonsecurity issues after a terrorist attack back home, Israeli officials held talks on establishing a ''safe passage'' for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank. The last-minute decision to scrap the two-day California trip, in which Clinton was to raise money for the campaigns of Sen. Barbara Boxer and other congressional candidates, came as the president settled into a long night of talks Monday with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. After a 2 1/2-hour meeting, Clinton, Netanyahu and Arafat and top aides sat down to a dinner of lamb and fish. Lockhart described the atmosphere at the late-night meal as cordial. ''It's not a waste of time,'' Rubin said Monday evening of Clinton's decision to scrap his California fund-raising trip to keep the Wye talks going. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who has not left the 1,100-acre Wye River compound since the talks began, was staying overnight again, Rubin said. The talks originally were to have ended by Sunday. The key sticking point has been Israel's demand for stronger Palestinian assurances to crack down on terrorist attacks on Israelis as part of a deal in which Israel would withdraw from a further 13 percent of the West Bank that Israel has held since the 1967 Middle East War. Among other issues are a proposed Palestinian airport, ways to provide easy and safe passage for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank and economic development in the area. The Wye talks are a crucial juncture in the long-stalled Mideast peace talks because of the political capital Clinton has invested in their success, and because the parties face a May 4, 1999, deadline; if there is no West Bank deal by then, Arafat says he will unilaterally declare a Palestinian state -- a move of potentially explosive consequences for the region.