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DATE 07-29-2010 BY 60324 uc baw/sab/lsg
ww w . b ~ ~ ret 1: • com.
Last update - 09:42 09/08/200~
The $ilence of'the Jewish le~ders
By Shmuel Rosner
Last week, an indictment was issued agaiilst Steve Rosen and Keith·
Weissman, two former AIPAC. employees.-They are c~arged'with
passing claSsified security information, received~during their work at
the Jewish lobQY, to various people, including employees ofthe
Israel~ Embassy in Washington~ This charge sheet r~ises trou!,ling
questions. But is this the whole ~torY?.Is·,this why Rosen-was under
surveillance for six years?
'Commentators, reporters, legal expert~ .and va~ous organizations
have already begun delving into the material. Lucy Dalglish,~
executive director· ofthe Reporters CQll)mittee for:F~eedom 'ofthe
Pre~s, was.quoted in a sho~t"article in The New York Times as saying
s~e was concerned ~bout-the chilling effect such an investigatipn will
have on journalists. The same word was used by, Laura Rosen in T~e
N'ation,-a radical left institution which cannot be accused of
ip.stinctive sympathy f~r AlPAC, under '~he headlipe liThe Big Chill.II
'.
They both appear'to believe that the investigation serve~ the interests
ofthe Bush administration, 1Vhi~h is stricter onJ~aks th.an its
predecessors •. Ifone buys this explantion; the meaning is simple:
Rosen and Weissman are the victims through ~hoin a message is
being delivered. Anyone who tries to get information will have to
.face.Fecieral·investigators~l;3ad news for media representatives,
lobbyists an~ memqers ofresearch institutes. .
The investigation is also bad n~ws for the Jewish community. Dozens
ofpeople, most ~fthem Jews, have already been questioned. rhere'
were those who felt anger, particularly whel.1 asked questions such as,
"Does AIPAC have dualloyalties?" or "Why do Jews actually have to
act on'behalfofIsrael?" They'told their friends they were asked '
"strang~ questions." Som~ ofthem called one Jewish organization or
another in order to ask, "Why-don't you say something? Why don't
you make your voice heard?"
They are still waiting. Jewish leaders are keeping silent·-- but not
becau~e·they have nothing ,to say. On the co.ntrary, in private
,