q,€r ? 32 —Friday, April 5, 1985 , THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS - Sam, Formerly of Diamond Bakery NEWS would like to wish everyone a Happy & Healthy PASSOVER Economic Crisis Sparks Debate Among Coalition BEST BAKE SHOPPE 3244 Orchard Lake Rd., N. of Commerce Rd. Orchard Lake Village (Keego Harbor) 682-5161 A complete line of Breads, Challas, Rolls Danish and Pastries Beauty Salon Franklin Racquet Club 357-4343 Makeup by Classique Cosmetics Jerusalem (JTA) — A glimmer of good economic news that emerged with the March statistics just published in Israel failed to quell the bitter verbal battle being waged within the unity co- alition government over the latest economic measures. The principal antagonists are Deputy Premier and Housing Minister David Levy, a rising power within Likud's Herut fac- tion, and Finance Minister Yit- zhak Modai, a Likud Liberal whose across-the-board price hikes less than a week before Passover stirred Levy's wrath. Labor ministers and party offi- cials have joined the fray. The Cabinet last Sunday ap- proved a new economic package to replace one in effect since January which was not working. It calls for a round of wage and price increases, to be followed by a two month freeze. The ministers left the timing to the Treasury and Modai, arguing that the gov- ernment could no longer bear the strain of price subsidies, put the hikes into effect as of midnight last Sunday. He made the move despite pleas by about a dozen fellow ministers to hold off until after Passover, or at least until after tonight's Seder (there is no second Seder in Is- rael). Levy promptly took up the cudgels for the consumers. He spoke Sunday of distraught housewives rushing to the super- markets the previous night to stock up before the price rises took effect. He spoke Monday of house- wives trying to prepare for the holidays confronted by 20 percent increases in the price of virtually all goods and services. They are spending what remains of their families' last wage packet, he said. March wages were paid Monday. Levy blasted the Treasury as unfeeling and insensitive. He broadened his attack to include the entire unity government which he claimed has failed to cure the economy and is in grave danger of dissolution. His re- marks drew angry rebuttals from Laborites Moshe Shahal and Gad Yaacobi, the ministers of energy and infrastructure and economic planning respectively, who ob- served that it was the previous Likud government that created the economic mess. Uzi Baram, Labor Party Secre- tary General, publicly challenged LeVy this week to propose for- mally to his Herut faction's Cen- tral Committee that Likud secede from the unity government. MOdai, speaking in his own de- fense, said it was quite impossible to cure Israel's long-standing eco- nomic ills in the six-seven months of the unity regime. He said he would be happy indeed if the economy could be put right in two years. Modai and his Treasury aides — and optimists of all political 'persuasion — took some solace from figures released Monday by the Central Bureau of Statistics. They showed that in March — for the first time in many months — the Treasury did not print new money. Moreover, Israel's foreign currency reserves declined last month by only $55 million, a much smaller decline than in previous months. Modai said today that these fig- ures do not mean the economy has turned the corner. But they are not entirely coincidental indicat- ing his policies have had some ef- fect. Safe Deposits Jerusalem (JTA) — An alert passer-by was credited last week with averting an explosion out- side a Jerusalem bank. Police sappers were summoned to the Bank Hapoalim branch of Hebron Road in the Talpiot section after the passer-by spotted a suspicious-looking parcel at- tached to a bicycle that was pro- pped against a wall of the bank. They found a relatively small exp- losive charge in a nylon bag which was safely dismantled. HOLIDAY GREETINGS Audette Cadillac, Inc. 7- 7;7 5r5 71 . - 7100 Orchard Lake Rd 7100 Orchard Lake Road West Bloomfield 851-7200