54 Friday, kly 7,1978

THE DETROIT JEWISH US

There May Be An OrDa Game in Your Future

REHOVOT -- What do a
Swedish schoolgirl, an
American teenager and an
Australian cowboy have in
common?
An OrDa thinking-fun
game.
Within a few years, OrDa
Industries Ltd., manufac-
turer of over 60 educational
games and toys for tots,
teens and their parents, has
reached a delighted clien-
tele in the United States,
Scandinavia, Iran, Au-
stralia, Germany, France,
Britain, Holland and Ven-
ezuela — in addition to de-
veloping into Israel's lead-
ing producer of games and
puzzles.
OrDa games have an im-
pressive lineage. The com-
pany plant is located in Re-
hovot's Industrial Park for
Science-based Industries,
and products are developed
in cooperation with major
academic institutions: Tel
Aviv and Bar-Ilan Univer-
sities, "Yissum" of the He-
brew University of
Jerusalem, and the "Yeda"
Institute of the Weizmann
Institute of Science.
"Our line is divided into
two segments," explains
Yitzhak Segal, general
manager of OrDa, which is a
member of the Koor Food
and Consumer Goods
Group.
"We offer an 'early learn-

ing' group of games called
"And it should be em-
the Growing Up Line. These
phasized that we don't have
games actually "grow" with
the
advertising budget of
the child's development.
our competitors."
They are geared for the
Abroad, about 50 percent
three to six and five to eight
of the final price tag of a
age levels and are presently
game goes for advertising.
exported to 14 countries.
OrDa has had to seek out
"Our Family Line for ages
representatives who were
eight and up is segmented
willing to invest their own
into standard and imperial
funds and energy.
sizes and is distributed in 18
It has been particularly
countries.
fortunate in the United
"We receive hundreds of
States and Scandinavia,
suggestions for new games
where its distributors have
every year from all sectors
excellent market connec-
of Israel." notes Segal. "and
tions.
we take them all seriously.
•
We have a special team
which examines and de-
New Desert Road
velops new projects."
JERUSALEM — The
OrDa games are- con-
Jewish National Fund has
ceived, created, developed
blazed a new 25-mile road
and produced in Israel and
from Jerusalem to the Dead
are pre-tested by psychol-
Sea.
ogists and children before
The road, an alternate
going into full-scale produc-
route which parallels the
tion. Design and packaging
existing road at certain
are stressed to meet inter-
points, passes areas which
national standards.
were previously isolated
This year, Puzzlecar, a
from the national road net-
wooden puzzle that is "fit"
work, such as.the young set-
into a plastic chassis to be-
tlement of Tekoah, in the
At left, an employee at the OrDa toy and game factory checks a "Puzzlecar," Judean Desert, and Hero-
come a "moving puzzle", is
being introduced. The ini- while at right, two boys play one of OrDa's new educational
dian, the archeological re-
games.
tial placement exceeds half
mains of Herod's summer
a million units.
will be initially introduced
palace.
thinking games with an
Within
only
a
few
years,
In addition a line of into the latter market, and
From there the road runs
added dimension of moving OrDa's exports have grown
wooden pre-school puzzles, is expected to attract com-
playing surfaces, ancient even beyond its own expec- southeast to Ein Gedi and
designed and executed in petitive reaction through-
games from biblical times in tations. "OrDa's first export Kibutz Mitzpe Shalem, pas-
cooperation with one of the out the world.
modern presentations, and shipments in 1972, totalled sing through scenic wadis
outstanding toy and games
New products are also on
educational toys not pre- $25,000", points out Murray and canyons near waterfalls
sources in the United States the drawing board, such as
sently on the market.
Grant, the company's mar- which were previously inac-
keting manager. "In 1976 cessible.
our record was $50D,000."
We exported over
When a young girl mar-
500,000 games last year ries an old man, he gets
By YOSEPH GMAT
shepherd. Changing one's
At this stage, seven
point in favor of their own-
alone," Grant points out. younger but she gets older.
World Zionist Organization
way of life is a long process permanent settlements
ership. This has led to many
JERUSALEM — Out of a which cannot be achieved are planned for Bedouin
clashes with the au-
: total of 53,000 Bedouins in overnight."
habitation. Thus far, only
thorities.
Israel at the end of1977,the Plans tosetuppermanent
two have been estab- .The last decade has
Bedouin population in the living quarters for concent- lished: one east of wrought basic changes in
Negev
numbered 40,000 ration of the Bedouin popu- Beersheba and another the type of einployment now
persons, organized into 25 lation have met with dif- in the Shuval region.
sought by many of the Be-
different tribes. ficulties due to the =wit- Four thousand Bedouins,
douin population, especially
The tribes vary in size; lingness of the Bedouins to
approximately 10 per-
the younger generation.
there are eight with over leave theirjands. They fear cent
of the Bedouin popu-
Many now work in various
4,000 members each. The that the seven areas ear-
lation in the Negev, now sectors of the modern
natural rate of increase marked for Bedouin settle-
live in these two settle-
economy in Jewish settle-.
among the Bedouins is five ment are nothing but a fu- ments.
ments, cities and develop-
tosix percent.Inview ofthis ture source of unskilled
ment towns far from their
fact, the Planning Commis- labor for building and in-
The Bedouins are still
are house calls
own
homes.
unprepared to forsake the
sion predicts that the Be- dustry in the Negev.
They are employed in
douin population will
Despite the gradual na- land on which they have
a thing of
construction, industry,
number over 120,000 by the ture of the transition pro- lived for so many years.
transportation and d
year 2000.
cess from nomadism to Many of the tribes — espe-
cal
work.
Others
are
the
past??
Raising livestock has semi-nomadism to perma- cially those in the
studying in secondary
traditionally been the main nent settlement, the Be- Beersheba-Arad region —
schools
and
acquiring
source of income and subsis- douins — and especially the' demand recognition of their
professions. While some
tence for the Bedouins, and younger generation — are ownership of the land on
have become indepen-
OF COURSE NOT!
the shortage of grazing undergoing rapid economic, which they live.
workers, operating
lands is a constant problem, social and political changes.
Since they expect no solu-
heavy
equipment and ag-
especially during a drought Nevertheless, despite signs Lion to the land problem or ricultural
machinery, the
season like this year.
that the affinity of the indi- recognition of their claims
main form of employ-
The El Azama Tribe victual to the tribal in the foreseeable future,
ment
among
the Be-
Let
today numbers some framework has weakened, the Bedouins are enforcing
douins is as hired work-
6,000 members who are the latter still remains the their claims through the ers.
There
is
a
constant
primarily engaged in most important and inf- construction ofstrong build- rise
in living standards,
raising livestock. Sheikh luential factor in the socio- ing structures, usually
including the increase in
visit your home or
Farcy recently spoke bit- political behavior of the Be- without permits, likely to
construction.
terly to Labor Party douins:
that of a friend or
constitute an additional
The process of transition
Chairman Shimon Peres,
from an economy based on
"We must move our ,
relative each week.
-
agriculture will continue
flocks from the drought . 4 "."1:t r""-
:,
tilkao•
f.,40 - (Rt.. ' rri-d.'-'ajlio. and gather momentum jn
-
zone to grazing lands in
4' k:
To: The Jewish News
-*
the
years to come. The fore-
'
-
the north and center of
Allk
17515 W 9 Mae Rd . Sulte 865
)11
cast for the future envisages
g
Southfield. Mich. 48075
the country. They de-
a
mere
10
percent
of
the
Be-
wand that we sell our
Please send a year's gilt subscription to:
douin workforce engaged in
flocks and begin a diffe-
agriculture and raising
rent way of life from that
NAME
livestock. It remains to he
to which we have been
seen how the Bedouins will
ADDRESS
accustomed for many
adapt to this new way of life
generations.
CITY
STATE
ZIP
and what sort of Israeli Be-
- "Who knows better than
OCCASION:"---
douin would emerge if the
you, that both our prophets
characteristic black tent
FROM.
and the prophets of Israel
i
and the romantic nomad
were shepherds. Abrahani,
fil512 enclosed
t
shepherd are to become
our forefather, was a
i
largely things of the past.

Israel's Bedouin Are Leaving Nomadic Life

The Jewish News