HOWARD, GAIL, JOEY & SCOTT NISKAR NEWS Wish All Their Friends & Relatives Jewish Leader In L.A. Charged With Fraud A HAPPY TOM TUGEND PASSOVER Special to The Jewish News L INTRODUCING EL AL'S JEWISH HERITAGE TOURS TO HUNGARY- CZECHOSLOVAKIA, POLAND AND ISRAEL Remember the past, as EL AL takes you back to your roots in Eastern Europe. You'll be able to tour places like Budapest, Warsaw and Prague. More important, you'll be able to discover your heritage. Then, rejoice in the future as EL AL takes you forward to Israel—symbol of the _Jewish spirit reborn. For more information about EL AL's new Jewish Heritage Tours to Eastern Europe and Israel, see your travel agent or call EL AL at 1-800-EL AL SUN (1-800-352-5786). r For a free, detailed color brochure, please write: EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES Jewish Heritage Tours 850 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE, ZIP L ELLYA MINIM/ The Airline of Israel The airline people believe in. COME TO ISRAEL. COME STAY WITH FRIENDS. 66 Friday, April 10, 1987 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS os Angeles — The regional president of the American Friends of 'Ibl Aviv University and two other men have been ordered to stand trial in federal court on charges that they have fraudulently inflated the value of a property, sought by the U.S. National Park Ser- vice, by about $2 million. Jerry Oren, 61, a real estate developer and one of the most respected members of the local Israeli community, was indicted on the charges by a federal grand jury in early March. Also indicted were two former consultants to his firm, Oren Realty and Development Co., 56-year old Radoslav Sutnar of Los Angeles, and Moshe Ziv, 36, of New York. At their arraignment, the three men pleaded not guilty and were released on $10,000 bond each. They are due for a pretrial hearing on May 18 and for trial on May 26. According to the indict- ment in the complex case, Oren owned a 336-acre tract of undeveloped land, called Cheeseboro Canyon, in western Los Angeles County, which the National Park Ser- vice wished to incorporate in- to its Santa Monica Moun- tains Recreation Area. Serious dealings began in 1983 between Oren and the Trust for Public Land, a non- profit conservation group negotiating on behalf of the Park Service. In 1984, the trust ordered an appraisal which put the value of the tract at $5.8 million. After receiving a copy of the appraisal, Oren allegedly said he had received higher offers for the property. Short- ly afterwards, according to the indictment, Oren phoned Ziv in New York and asked him to write a letter in- dicating that a client of Ziv's real estate firm wanted to buy the Cheeseboro Canyon land. Ziv allegedly fabricated such a letter which included an offer of $9 3 million for the tract. On receipt, Oren and Sutnar allegedly changed the date on the letter to back Oren's earlier claim that there were higher bidders for the land sought by the Park Service. On the basis of the pur- ported New York offer, the trust recalculated the value of the land to $8,4 million and presented this figure to the Park Service. In early 1985, Oren Realty sold the land for $7 5 million to the trust, which im- mediately resold it to the Park. Service for $8 million. Oren's office referred our call to Oren's lawyer, Burton Marks, who stated: "Mr. Oren denies any wrongdoing, whatsoever. All the transactions were above- board and were conducted with the full knowledge of the National Park Service. The price paid for the property was a fair one." Marks specifically denied that Oren had altered the date on the letter from Ziv, containing the allegedly fraudulent $9.3 million bid. According to conversations with four of Oren's friends and acquaintances, Oren was raised in 'Ibl Aviv and was wounded while serving in the Israeli army during the War of Independence. He came to the United States in the ear- ly '50s to study architecture and engineering, then became a real estate salesman, broker ( and developer, and estab- lished his own firm. Those interviewed unani- mously described Oren in such words as "generous, warm, friendly and compas- sionate." Said one friend, Shimon Erem, "there isn't one Israeli cause that Jerry hasn't supported generously." Another friend noted that "Jerry has done many mitz- vot and has done so quietly, behind the scenes." Among the causes closest to Oren's heart has been 'Ibl Aviv University, and he cur- rently serves as president of the Western Region for the university's American sup- port group. He has endowed a Chair in Solid State Physics at the university. His friends say that Oren has also been a substantial supporter of Ben-Gurion University, the Hebrew University, Zbl Aviv Founda- tion, Israel Bonds, the Real Estate Division of the United Jewish Fund and the Jewish Iblevision Network. He is also said to be active in Republican Party affairs. Oren faces charges of wire fraud and causing a false statement to be made to an agency of the U.S. govern- ment. If convicted on both counts, Oren could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison and $11,000 in fines.