Abramoff outlook positive

WASHINGTON, March 14 — Jack Abramoff’s friends and associates don’t expect his resignation as chief lobbyist at law firm Greenberg Traurig to affect Stacks Deli and his other Washington-area Jewish projects. And Stacks’ frequent patrons hope that the only kosher restaurant in downtown Washington continues serving its high-stacked sandwiches. Both Greenberg Traurig and a Senate committee have opened investigations into Abramoff’s work with four American Indian tribes, specifically the large fees he charged for lobbying on behalf of the tribes and the even larger amount of money Michael Scanlon, a former aide to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), received for public relations work for the tribes. The investigations follow a Washington Post article last month that revealed that the Republican lobbyist and his firm had been paid $15.1 million over the past three years for his work with the tribes, and Scanlon has received double that amount. The article also alleged that Abramoff had encouraged the tribes to increase their political giving to Republicans. Those who know Abramoff, a close political ally of DeLay, argue that the Post articles fail to show that the lobbyist has done anything wrong, and charge that he is being targeted by political opponents and competitors. Even Jewish Democrats, while unsure of where the investigations may lead, respect his philanthropic work for the Jewish community. Abramoff, 44, declined to comment for this article. Other than his alliance with DeLay, Abramoff is best known among Jewish Washingtonians for his ownership of Stacks. Abramoff has said he was inspired to open the facility because of Washington’s lack of a kosher restaurant. Abramoff inaugurated a second, more upscale kosher restaurant, Archives, around the same time Stacks opened in late 2002, but Archives closed shortly thereafter and has not reopened. Abramoff’s other major Jewish venture is Eshkol Academy, a Columbia yeshiva that has billed itself as a standard for “Jewish prep schools.” Serving as the Yeshiva of Greater Washington’s president in the 2000-01 school year, Abramoff became dissatisfied with the school’s management but was unable to institute the reforms he believed were needed. So he chose to create “another educational option,” one that focused both on religious and general studies, he said in an interview last fall. “Too frequently in the yeshiva world, talents on the non-[Jewish] learning side are . . . dismissed. I felt particularly strong about providing proper exposure to the outside world,” he said, pointing to his own career as an example of how an observant Jew can achieve success in nonreligious pursuits. Abramoff said he has spent “millions” on the project, which is not the first time he has helped form a new school. In the early 1990s, he was instrumental in creating the kindergarten-through-sixth-grade Torah School of Greater Washington, taking time off from work to help get that Silver Spring institution off the ground. Those familiar with Abramoff’s Jewish community work are hoping that his recent troubles do not affect those activities. Michael Hoffman, president of Southeast Hebrew Congregation — where Abramoff is a “life member” — noted the lobbyist has been “very generous” to the local Jewish community. Hoffman said the community needs to “continue to be grateful and support him in tough times.” “It would be a shame if the name of a wonderful person is besmirched when there is no evidence to date” that he has done anything wrong, Hoffman said.