News

January 31, 2003
© 2003, The Jewish Advocate. All Rights Reserved. Republished by permission.
By Susie Davidson Advocate Correspondent

JALSA's First Annual Meeting Draws Many Area Politicians

BROOKLINE ‑ Them was much lox but little schlock at the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action's annual meeting brunch Sunday at the Holiday Inn.

Celebrating the first year of the progressive, multi‑generational group headed by Sheila Decter, the morning was marked by a strong commitment to civil rights and constitutional liberties. Honorees Edward Barshak, Gerald Berlin, Sumner Z. Kaplan and Congressman Barney Frank, the guest speaker, mingled with State Reps. Alice Wolf, Kay Khan, Jay Kaufman, Frank Smizik and Ruth Balser as well as City Councilor Felix Arroyo.

Other attendees included David Friedman, the counsel and chief policy adviser to State Senate President Robert Travaglini, Brad Kramer of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, and Frank's mother, Elsie, the president emeritus of the Massachusetts Association of Older Americans.

Masters of ceremonies Jamie Fleckner and JALSA President David Guberman spoke about the continuing need for JALSA's work, despite the fact that American Jews are largely well off, free from discrimination, and that an Orthodox Jew is running for the presidency.

"Success never nullifies the responsibility for all citizens to fight bigotry and safeguard the ideals of freedom and liberty," Guberman said.

"Nothing is as haimische as speaking to this group," said Frank, who was introduced by Friedman. "Without you, I wouldn't have won (his bid for Congress) in 1980."

Frank discussed current challenges to Americans, Jews and liberals. Since the terrorist bombings on Sept. 11, 2001, there is increased airline security and less privacy for citizens.

Though he cited progress and said free speech has not been noticeably curtailed, Frank discussed the unfair treatment, of immigrants, even those who are here in violation of their visas.

"There are some ringleaders who got swept into the wave of fundamentalism in their countries who should be prosecuted," he said, "but solitary confinement for life is not, to me, the American dream."

He concluded with a critical discussion of President George W. Bush's faith‑based initiative and a tribute to Decter. "Aliva Shalom to the AJCongress," he said jokingly.

Honoree Berlin, who received a U.S. Navy Bronze Star for minesweeping work and just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary, was the first assistant attorney general of the Division of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, president of the Massachusetts American Civil Liberties Union and AJCongress, and regional attorney and director of the Commission on Law and Social Action.

Barshak, a longtime civil rights attorney at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, which received a Boston Bar Association Pro Bono Award, was also honored. He helped implement the state's racial imbalance law for minority education and represented the NAACP for over a decade.

Kaplan, a former Army brigadier general, past AJCongress president and former state representative from Brookline, is on JALSA's Executive Committee.

"Congressman Frank reminded the audience of the need for greater surveillance, but also to have it be both useful and subject to our traditional set of checks and balances," Decter said in reviewing the event. "The kind of excesses that historically were carried out by (Herbert) Hoover as head of the FBI cannot now be given to the executive department without limitation. Requiring officials to go to judges for permission to eavesdrop on Americans and putting the burden of proof on government to demonstrate their role, if non‑terrorist related information becomes known in the public marketplace as a result of that surveillance, is the kind of balance that JALSA believes is essential.

"Congressman Frank indicated his concern for the extended detention of persons who have not been shown to have a relation to terrorist activities," she continued. "JALSA is concerned about the indefinite detention of persons of Middle Eastern background who have not been found guilty of terrorist acts. JALSA will continue to ask the INS and the Justice Department to demonstrate that the roundup of such persons is actually making us safer."

Civil rights attorney Harvey Silverglate will speak at JALSA's First Sunday program from 5‑ 7 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 2) at Temple Sinai, 50 Sewall Ave. in Coolidge Corner.