ABSTRACT

Leaders of religious groups, such as the Jewish community, by and large fall into the latter category. Despite the absence of officially recognized leaders of the Jewish community, there is at the national level a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and in many cities Jewish federations and community relations councils. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an organization that lobbies for Israel in the United States and is perhaps the chief rival of the Conference of Presidents, is nevertheless a member of that body. In some respects the 1988 presidential campaign was a repetition of the 1984 Reagan-Mondale race which preceded it. Early in the campaign, Dukakis had endorsed a letter sent by thirty senators to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, criticizing his quick rejection of Secretary of State George Shultz's attempts to open negotiations. Few leaders or organizations endorsed candidates in the primaries or general election, although the level of direct campaign activity was more impressive.