***************CAR-Rl SORT* *C-027 22:39 11,/J()/·::Ji:: R.I. JEWISH HISTORICAL ASSOC. 130 S(~s::. ion:; St Pr·ovic1erice Rl: ()2906--3444 ll l,, ,,,l,l l,l, ,ll, ,, ,11 ,,,,l l,,l,, l,l,, l,l,,l,, ll,ll,, ,,l,l,I Rhode Island Jewish Jewish Community HERALD PAGES ;3, 6-9 The Only English-Jewish Weekly in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts VOLUME LXIX, NUMBER 14 ADAR 2, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1999 35¢ PER COPY Hl:WS RT A Government for The AliLRHCI: People and by The People by Kimberly Ann Orlandi look at Washington and I don't tently with his views then he had • Britain's first Nazi war Herald Editor thinkitcouldgetanymorepara­ every right to withdraw the crimes trial opened in Lon­ he Rand.om House dictio­ lyzed than it already is." With nomination," said Guinier. don. Anthony Sawoniuk, nary defines democracy as: that the rooms filled with laugh­ "Whatifeltwasunfortunatewas 77, was charged with the Ta form of government in ter at her remark. Gui nier points that the debate, which had been 1942 murders of four Jews which the supreme power to the government of South Af­ one-sided, was never opened up in the German-occupied is vested in the people and exer­ rica as her example of propor­ to include other points of view town of Domachevo in cised directly by them or by their tional voting. and what [President] Clinton Belarus. In 1991, Britain elected agents under a free elec­ "In 1994, South Africa really did was miss that oppor­ enacted legislation permit­ toral system. Maybe someone adopted a system of propor­ tunity to discuss it openly." Lani Guinier ting the prosecution of Nazi ought to alert Washington to this tional voting in direct opposi­ Giunier doesn' t claim that war crimes suspegs who definition, because according to tion to the previous winner­ she, in any way, had a right to Professor and civil rights attor­ take-all system, a system much speak in front of the Senate when settled in Britain after That optimistic attitude is World War II. ney Lani Gujnier this definition like that of the United States. the firestorm concerning her is not being adhered to. With this new system, South political ideologies became pub­ what drives this ambitious 1 • Hadassah health care pro­ At a recent appearance at the Africa was able to give the whHe lic. What she does regret is that woman and what propels her to fessionals are working University of Rhode Island, minority some representation she was never given the oppor­ make the American public withagroupofTexasdoc­ Guinier spoke to a group of uni­ in the legislature," said Guinier. tunity to defend herself within aware that they have the power tors and a non-profit in­ versity faculty about the cons of "They assured seats within the the press-who were the insti­ to change things, but change can ternational relief organi­ our current electoral system and national assembly for political gators to the political firestorm. not come by telling people to go zation to send 85,000 the pros of proportional voting­ parties in proportion to the per­ Ironically, to this day, she holds out and participate in a corrupt pounds of medical sup­ a concept which sparked unwar­ centage of votes cast for that no bitterness toward her oppo­ system, because most will say plies to the West Bank ranted alarm in 1993 when party." nents and no regrets that she why bother? Iri her views, the and Gaza Strip. The Giunier was nominated by her Their new system now di­ had to go through such a public political system works for those AmeriCares Felief group friend, President Bill Clinton, to rectly reflects the racial diver­ experience. ForGuinier,shestill with the money to control it. and the Jerusalem-based the position of Assistant Attor­ sity of the country-something remains a democratic idealist, That seemed quite evident in Hadassah Medical Orga­ ney General of Civil Rights. lacking within our democracy, but "with a small d." The with­ the state's last election where, nization will distribute the According to Guinier, as long according to Guinier, who, her­ drawal of her nomination now unlike his opponents Myrth materials, which are oe­ as you hold an election and only self, is a child of ethnically di­ meant that change wasn't go­ York and Governor Lincoln Al­ ing donated as part of an a few people show up, people verse parents-her father be­ ing to come from inside-it mond, Cool Moose candidate effort to improve medical would say "that is democracy." ing African American and her would have to come from reach­ Bob Healey found himself at a care for Palestinians. WhatGuinier proposes is a sys­ mother being Jewish. Unfortu­ ing out to those who shared her disadvantage because he was • Lawyers for El Al Israel tem where the people who are nately, the system Guinier is commitment to a free govern­ unable to afford the expensive Airlines reportedly asked elected are held accountable by suggesting forour government, ment. television air time needed to get the nation's attorney gen­ the voters and not just by their sadly, was one of the beliefs "There's not a high percent­ his message to the people. eral for permission to fly own egos. Opponents of pro­ and political ideals which cost age in looking backwards, ex­ Guinier points to the fact that on Shabbat. Transporta­ portional representation say that her the nomination. cept to learn," said Guinier. "It's candidates have become so de­ tion Minister Shaul it would paralyze government. "I told the president initially, from our failures that we learn pendent on electronic media, Yahalom of the National With a smile Guinier said, "I that if I wasn't serving consis- to succeed." that television seems to have Religious Party, who op­ taken over the electoral process poses the move, has ap­ causing candidates to lose touch proved the sale ofonly 49 with the door-to-door aspect of percent of the state-owned voting. The answer, according airline to retain control King Abdullah to Renew to Guinier, is to clean-up gov­ over whether it flies on ernment from the ground up. the Sabbath. Cooperation With Israel "When you link campaign • A meeting of the Jerusalem finance reform to free television local religious council was by Douglas Davis vide a written commitment not report after secretly visiting access for candidates to a sys­ canceled when nearly all LONDON (JT A) - One of to conduct any operations in Jor­ Amman at the request of tem which would allow more of the members boycotted the first acts of Jordan's King dan, such as the botched Mossad Hussein to observe the training political parties to mobilize to protest the inclusion of Abdullah will be to authorize attempt in September 1997 to of Jordan's special forces unit around issues of concern for all representatives from the the resumption of strategic co­ assassinate Hamas official and to assess Abdullah's mili­ people, then I believe that you Reform and Conservative operation with Israel, including KhaledMashaalinAmman-a tary abilities. will see voters express an inter­ movements. Council head the restora lion of full-scale intel­ move that prompted Hussein to Abdullah made a reciprocal est because then you're saying Rabbi Yitzhak 'Ralbag ligence cooperation, according shut down the Mossad station. secret visit to Defense Ministry it's not just that we want your called the session after be­ to well-placed sources in The London-based newslet­ headquarters in Tel Aviv as vote, we want your voice." ing ordered to do so by the Amman quoted by the .foreign ter reported recently that Mordechai's guest last year, For years, the American pub­ High Court of Justice. Report newsletter. Mossad head Efraim Halevy before his father's health dete­ lic has been bombarded with riorated, and later urged his the message that government is • Israel's approximately $54 This is expected to lead to the met his Jordanian counterpart, father to reinstate the special a game-a place where the billion 1999 budget in­ reopening of an Israeli intelH­ Samikh Batikhi, after Hussein's gence station in Amman - de­ funeral and that they agreed to strategic relationship with Is­ Washington elite use their po­ cludes $4 million to 'fund litical positions to jockey them­ Israel-Diaspora relations. scribed as a "gold mine" foroffi­ hold further talks. rael. "Now that Abdullah is king," selves for another position, leav­ "This decision is a sym­ cials with Mossad, the Jewish It also reported that the re­ said the newsletter, "he will do ing theirconstituents in the dust. bolic step in the relation­ s tate's foreign intelligence sumption of deep strategic co­ this himself." "The two parties aren' t orga­ ship between Israel and agency. operation is the result of past It is also expected that Tur­ nized around solving problems, the Diaspora," said Trade Abdullah is also reported to secret contacts between King key will tie itself more closely to they're concerned with staying Minister Natan Sharan­ be ready to renew strategic un­ Abdullah, then a major general the Israeli-Jordanian strategi c in office and using this one-way sky, who added that the derstandings, such as the late commanding Jordan's Special understanding through three­ libertarianism to allow an in­ move reflected Is rael' s King Hussein'ssecretagreement Forces, and former Defense Min­ way, counter-terrorism exer­ cumbent posi lions of great lead ­ "obligation" to be a "shin­ during the 1991 Gulf War grant­ ister Yitzhak Mordechai, now a ci ses and the assignment of ership," said Guinier.