As Vice President Al Gore prepares to officially launch his presidential campaign next week, his “charitable choice” initiative has sparked much concern in the Jewish community, as well as a $200,000 project to study the controversial proposal.
Responding to Gore’s plan to expand federal funding of social services provided by religious groups, the American Jewish Committee is beginning a study in a long-shot attempt to span “the unbridgeable” gap between staunch defenders of the separation of church and state and advocates of the Gore plan.

That squeak audible over Washington this week was the sound of the pro-Israel lobby turning on a dime. Stung by criticism by some Labor leaders of a longstanding pro-Likud tilt, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), began a quick readjustment at this week’s annual policy conference in Washington.
“What you’re hearing is an organization adapting to a new environment,” said Gary Polland, a longtime AIPAC activist from Texas who objected to the softening of some traditional AIPAC positions.