WASHINGTON, March 16 — President Bush was a hot topic of conversation at this week’s Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism’s Consultation on Conscience, but many of the 450 delegates were not singing “Hail to the Chief.” Reform Jews from around the United States voiced strong support for a change in Bush’s policy on stem-cell research and gave a polite but chilly reception to a White House official presenting the president’s priorities as the three-day conference kicked off on Sunday. “Many people in attendance are unhappy with the direction of Bush’s agenda,” said Anne Fishkin, 66, of South Charleston, W.Va. There are “a lot of issues in domestic and social policy we don’t see eye-to-eye on,” said Jeffrey Roth, 42, of Kendall Park, N.J. High on that agenda is opposition to Bush’s restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research. Actor Michael J. Fox was among those urging Bush to change his position on Sunday evening at the District’s Washington Hebrew Congregation. Fox, best known for his roles on the television sitcoms “Family Ties” and “Spin City,” was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. In recent years, he has curtailed his acting career to raise money for Parkinson’s research and to deal with his condition, which was noticeable in his slightly slurred speech. The actor, who is not Jewish but is a member of the Reform Central Synagogue in New York with his Jewish wife, Family Ties co-star Tracy Pollan, and their four children, told the approximately 2,000-person crowd that the president’s “current policy serves to dampen” research that could help sufferers of Parkinson’s, diabetes and other diseases. The federal government allows research only on the 13 stem-cell lines that existed when Bush announced his policy in August 2001, and spends just $20 million of the $28 billion National Institutes of Health budget on embryonic stem-cell research. That’s less, Fox quipped, “than we fund on erectile dysfunction.” “Stem-cell research may or may not live up to its potential, but it will only be a false hope if we do not act upon it,” Fox said, noting that in the next four years, more than 4 million people could die from diseases that could possibly be cured by embryonic stem cells. Fox and Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis also criticized those who oppose such research. Talve, whose 18-year-old daughter suffers from a heart condition that might be helped by embryonic stem cells, pointed out that opponents say embryonic stem-cell research creates life “with the intention of destroying it.” In fact, the next morning, White House Jewish liaison Noam Neusner made that argument in response to a question from the group. But in truth, she said, the life is being created for pikuach nefesh, to try to save another life — which in Jewish tradition is equivalent to saving the entire world. Fox said that while he deeply respects ethical and religious concerns, “by allowing some of the research to proceed, however restricted, the administration has already conceded the argument.” He also said he resented the “inference that my morality is somehow suspect.” “I’m a law-abiding citizen, a loving father,” he said. “I worry if my kids are eating right, how are they getting home from Hebrew school.” Later, he joked that how he got home from Hebrew school was “not something my parents worried about.” “Morality can’t be boiled down to a single issue, [like] pro-life or anti-gay marriage. How well we take care of our sick and aged is no less a measure of morality, and perhaps a higher one,” he said to applause. Talve warned that “we can’t allow one group to limit religious freedom,” wondering how “right-to-life” proponents could be “so certain they know when human life begins.” Following the two emotional speeches, Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), a sponsor of legislation to expand the number of stem-cell lines, urged the audience to write letters and lobby legislators to urge a change in policy. Sunday night’s audience included not only delegates to the RAC conference but also many young adults drawn by Fox’s presence. And they said the event had motivated them to become activists. “He’s an inspiration,” Sandi Rundenstein of Chevy Chase said about Fox. The 27-year-old said that the legislators who “represent me are already on my side,” but hoped she could “influence others,” including those who represent her family in New Jersey. Inspired by what he called Fox’s “passion [and] knowledge of the issue,” Mike Silver, 26, of Washington, promised to write letters to congressional leadership and the White House. There were plenty of other Bush critics in attendance Monday morning, as White House representative Neusner presented the president’s agenda to RAC delegates on Capitol Hill. Most of Neusner’s prepared remarks focused on foreign policy, with the liaison saying that recent elections and other developments in the Middle East “remind us of the period of time when the Cold War was ending.” He also noted that because of their history, Jews understand “freedom’s power as a moral good.” Neusner pointed to the recent Palestinian elections as a “direct result” of Bush’s policy of not meeting with “people like [the late Palestinian leader Yasser] Arafat.” Referencing the red state/blue state divide, Neusner joked that he knew he would be facing a “dark blue crowd” while facing a litany of tough questions on such topics as the divide between rich and poor, rights for gays and lesbians and the genocide in Sudan. Some laughter from the crowd could be heard after Neusner said that the president’s policies “show him to be very compassionate,” and when he referred to his boss as a “transparent figure” who is “exactly what he appears to be” — which Neusner said he thought was a compliment. After his talk, delegates vowed to work against some White House policies, including the budget, stem cells and the administration’s stance on Sudan. Neusner encouraged delegates to “make your voices heard on” about Sudan. Abe Goldsmith of Lake Forest, Ill., did just that, telling a reporter he would like to see less consulting of allies and more immediate action “bombing the Sudanese Air Force.” One delegate took her complaints with the White House directly to Neusner, approaching him after his speech and announcing that as a “fourth-generation Texan, I can’t wait until George W. Bush and [House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay return” to Texas for good. Then she walked away quickly, not waiting for a response. Other speakers included Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on climate change, the situation in Sudan and judicial nominations, respectively, as well as freshman Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon.
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