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In Washington itself, pro-Israel lobbying has so far been decidedly soft-sell. Last week a group headed by Rabbi Israel Miller, head of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, met with Joseph Sisco, Under Secretary for Political Affairs. Later the group talked with 20 Jewish U.S. Representatives. "I think the Jewish leadership is concerned, but it hasn't really got into lobbying yet," says Thomas Rees, a Democratic Congressman from a largely Jewish district in Southern California.
The test—and more intense lobbying—will doubtless come soon. President Ford will meet with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israel's Rabin next month, and only then will the results of the Administration's Middle East reassessment become clear. Ford will also tell Congress what he wants to give Jerusalem in the way of military and economic aid in the next fiscal year. If the money and the diplomatic support are not as much as Israel's friends think it needs—and if the special American-Israeli relationship seems to be weakening—the Ford Administration will probably discover that even the responsible Jewish organizations can talk very tough indeed.