Pro-Israel Lobbying Group Holds Meeting Amid Worries

But the investigation is continuing. Earlier this month, a Defense Department policy analyst, Lawrence Franklin, was charged with disclosing two years ago classified information related to potential attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. Court documents and law enforcement sources said Franklin made the unauthorized disclosure to two pro-Israel lobbyists while having lunch at a restaurant in Arlington in 2003.

The documents did not identify the recipients of the information, but law enforcement sources said they were two top AIPAC officials, whom they identified as Rosen and Weissman.

For more than two decades, Rosen has been a mainstay of AIPAC and the architect of the group's ever-increasing clout. Though Rosen was listed below Executive Director Howard Kohr on AIPAC's organizational chart, people familiar with AIPAC's history say that Kohr is a protege of Rosen's and got that job with his help. Kohr declined to be interviewed about Rosen.

"He [Rosen] is a quiet guy," said M.J. Rosenberg, director of policy analysis for the Israel Policy Forum, another pro-Israel group, and a former AIPAC employee. "But everyone knows he's the brains behind the outfit."

AIPAC aides say that is an exaggeration, but several acknowledge that Rosen's absence at the upcoming conference will be felt. A former AIPAC executive joked that the unofficial theme of the conference this year will be "Steve who?" -- a reference to the group's effort to distance itself from the man who once was one of its most prominent officials.

If there is any damage to AIPAC's image, spokesmen assert that it has not yet become evident. The group's fundraising is up 20 percent over last year, its membership is at record levels and attendance at the policy conference will be at least triple the turnout of four years ago.

AIPAC's board is also likely to strongly endorse the remaining top executives of the organization. "We are very pleased with our leadership. We have an incredible team led by Howard Kohr and we hope and expect he will continue to lead the organization for a long time to come," said Bernice Manocherian, AIPAC's president.

Manocherian added that, at AIPAC, "our eye is on the ball. We're focused on our work."

But no one doubts that the Rosen affair has been a distraction.

"AIPAC is taking this investigation very seriously," said Hannah Rosenthal, a former executive at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and now executive director of the Chicago Foundation for Women. "There may be a short-term bumpy road."