More than any other issue of public policy, the national debate over affirmative action has been characterized by confusion and even deliberate distortion. One of the saddest consequences of this has been a challenge to the historic coalition between the Jewish and African-American communities.

Fortunately, there are enough leaders and scholars in both communities who share basic support for affirmative action and have not permitted this challenge to cause irreparable damage to the coalition.

Sharing basic support does not mean total agreement on every aspect of affirmative action. There are, in fact, important differences on the central idea of affirmative action and especially on specific applications of the idea within the Black community, within the Jewish community, within the liberal community and within the conservative community, etc, etc.

Unfortunately, this past year has seen hysterical sloganeering instead of the rational, nuanced debate that is needed. The California legislative initiative and the angry race for the Republican presidential nomination sparked much of this hysteria, with Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX), for example, promising that on the first day of a Gramm administration, all affirmative action would end. President Clinton's reaction to all this was, in my judgment, right on target: Some problems have developed in affirmative action, but the basic idea is right and it is needed, so mend it where necessary, but don't end it.

Active Element

As a representative of a major Jewish organization, I can attest that this has been the Jewish view for 30 years now, with very few exceptions. We have been an active element in a civil rights movement that won battle after battle in the courts and in the halls of Congress and the agencies of government. Discrimination was made illegal. Many thousands of Blacks -- and then Hispanics and women and handicapped Americans -- benefitted from this in employment and education and public accommodations. But progress was too slow and uncertain. De facto discrimination persisted. Positive, affirmative action was required. The result, beyond dispute, is that many more thousands, perhaps millions, got their first breaks in college admissions or in employment for which they were qualified.