NOTEBOOK 1 Eft Study Centers Take Israelis To The Field Remember the 1 1 th Commandment: "And Thou Shalt be Informed" 1- • s'"*- P'N r"\ N•er " You've read the five books of Moses. Isn't it time to try the Fifty-Two Issues of the Detroit Jewish News? It may not be holy, but it's weekly! And such a bargain. To order your own subscription call 354-6060. 33A FRIDAY, OCT. 9, 1987 Jerusalem — A network of 26 Field Study Centers (FSCs) presently exists in Israel to help meet the coun- try's needs in developing en- vironmental education pro- grams and promoting nature conservation projects. Func- tioning semi-autonomously within the larger parent organization, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), each of these 26 centers is located in one of the dramatically varied geographical regions throughout Israel. Each center focuses its instruction on the unique characteristics of the surroundings, with the emphasis on climatic and geologic conditions, flora and fauna, history and archaeology. FSCs serve over 400,000 people annually. In addition, most centers provide hostel accommodation for 120-200 persons and utilize learning facilities such as classrooms, laboratories and special media equipment. When com- bined with actual field study, participants in FSC programs experience a total involve- ment with their locality, thereby providing them with an excellent opportunity to experience directly what they have learned. The idea for Field Study Centers began back in 1959 when Yossi Feldman, an Israeli guide with a Bedouin- like knowledge in the ways of the desert, took over a few ramshackle huts at the Ein Gedi oasis and began taking people on hikes through the Judean Desert. At the huts, where the guests camped, Yossi related the cultural and geological history of Ein Gedi. As Yossi's tours grew in popularity, the then recently established Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel considered it a credible means of furthering nature conser- vation and made Yossi and his hikes part of its work. Meanwhile, in the lush Mediterranean scrub forest of Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee, another veteran guide, Yoav Sagi, founded a similar hiking and study base, with an old abandoned bus serving as the first hostel. The Field Study Centers are geared primarily toward group education, providing in-the-field knowledge of the particular region to a broad spectrum of youth and adults. Israel's school system coor- dinates carefully with the Study Centers and, as a result, almost every pupil in the country spends at least one week every year at a dif- ferent FSC. For elementary age children, study programs begin in their local surroun- dings and as students mature, instructional programs in- clude hikes and field trips throughout the land. For the older students, outdoor clubs in schools, organized by FSC instructors, meet on a regular basis to increase their knowledge about their own region. Study Centers also hold summer camps and day programs for local children, which include hiking, bird- watching, cave exploring, etc. NEWS Israel, China Hold Meeting New York (JTA) — In an unprecedented meeting last week between the Foreign Ministers of the People's Republic of China and Israel, it was concluded that con- tacts between representatives of both countries will con- tinue in the future. The meeting between Shimon Peres, Israel's Foreign Minister, and his Chinese counterpart, Wu Xuegian, was the first meeting ever between the Foreign Ministers of China and Israel. China and Israel have no diplomatic ties and China has been a strong sup- porter of the Arab side in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The meeting between the two officials took place at the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, and lasted almost two hours. Although representatives of China and Israel have met in the United Nations in the last few months, the Peres-Xuegian meeting was the highest level of contact between China and Israel. Moreover, the Chinese publicly announced the meet- ing and allowed photograph- ers to take pictures of the two officials at the end of their meeting. Why Work? Tel Aviv (JTA) — If you can believe it, most Israelis work for the love of it, not the money. Haaretz reported that according to a poll conducted by Mina Zemach of the Dahaf Institute, only two percent of the 1,140 Israelis interviewed admitted they worked only to earn money.