Orthodox Jewish Leaders Meet with Carter Administration Officials

Orthodox Jewish leaders from 12 states stressed to Carter Administration officials last week that “the status of Jerusalem is not negotiable, and must not be included among the various bargaining elements of the peace process.”

The 125 Jewish leaders were here for a day of meetings at the White House and State Department with officials, including Vice President Walter Mondale, Zbigniew Brzezinski, the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs, and Harold Soonders, Assistant Secretary for Near East and South Asian Affairs.

Rabbi Moshe Sherer, president of Agudath Israel of America, which sponsored the event, opened the proceedings by noting that the Orthodox group had come to Washington “to see and be seen and to hear and be heard.” The topics discussed included Israel, Soviet Jewry, and the plight of Iranian Jewry. At the White House, the group which included men and women, also discussed government aid to non-public schools, the Orthodox position on drafting women and neighborhood preservation programs for the middle class.

Mondale reportedly admitted that the U.S. had made several mistakes with regard to its policy in the Middle East, but claimed that the Carter Administration had never pressured Israel into any concessions nor had it conditioned acceptance of any U.S. view on economic and military aid. He also expressed his disappointment at the recent downturn in Soviet Jewish emigration. Brzezinski rejected criticism from the group on the U.S. abstention vote on Jerusalem in the UN June 30 and said that the latest vote was in no way similar to the earlier vote. He reaffirmed the U.S. position not to negotiate with the Palestine Liberation Organization until the PLO recognizes UN Resolutions 242, 338 and Israel’s right to exist. Even then, he noted, the U.S. would only accept the PLO into the peace negotiations, and they would still have to prove themselves worthy of recognition.

At a Congressional luncheon for the Agudath Israel leaders, Sens. Jacob Javits (R. NY) and Daniel Moynihan (D. NY) warned of difficult times ahead for Israel. Moynihan deplored the U.S. vote in the UN and also the continued silence of the U.S. government at various international conference where anti-Israel resolutions are adopted on a regular basis.

Javits said that the Senate was still overwhelmingly in support of Israel and would serve as a check and balance on the executive branch in government in any attempt to pressure Israel into suicidal concessions. He said, “At least 70 Senators and a majority of the House of Representatives are strong supporters of Israel.”