mts Send Letters Of Support fell' To Soviet Refusenik Family One way to learn about Jewish life around the world is to write to a Jewish family in another country. What is daily life like in the pen pal's country? What is Jewish life like? How are the holidays celebrated? *Cost of an international air mail letter is 45 cents per half ounce. This month, the address of a Russian Jewish refusenik has been made available by the Soviet Jewry Committee of the Jewish Community Council. Before writing, please read these special rules for corresponding with Russian Jews: Letters should be personal, warm, sympathetic and should ask about birthdays, anniversaries and family events. Cards should be exchanged on these occasions and on the Jewish holidays as well. Avoid any anti-Soviet material and Visitors Guide Is Published The Metropolitan Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau has printed a comprehensive Visitors Guide. Single copies of the guide are available at no charge by writing the Detroit Visitor Information Center, 2 E. Jefferson, Detroit, 48226. refrain from mentioning names of Soviet Jewry rescue organizations. Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew or English may be used. This month's refusenik family is that of Yuri and Natalia Cherniak of Moscow. Cherniak, a nuclear physicist, was first refused an exit visa in 1988 for "security reasons." However, late in November Cherniak was one of about two dozen refuseniks who had the secrecy designation lifted. After applying for an exit visa in 1976, Dr. Cherniak was dismissed from his position as a theoretical physicist at Moscow State University's Institute of Nuclear Physics. Permission to emigrate was denied Dr. Cherniak on grounds of security, despite the fact that he had not worked with classified materials since 1971, having passed the five-year period designated by Soviet authorities as an appropriate length of clearance time following such research. Dr. Cherniak now does research at home, having been forbidden to enter institute libraries. He repairs cars to earn a living. Letters may be mailed to the Cherniaks as follows: USSR, RSFSR, Moscow 117279, Profsoyuznaya 85-1-93, Cherniak, Yuri. THE JEWISH TRAVELER Edited by Alan M. Tigay About 40 cities are described in this paperbacked volume, which gives information on where to stay, kosher restaurants, synagogues, Jewish community centers, sights of Jewish interest, Jewish history and culture. THE SELECTIVE GUIDE FOR THE JEWISH TRAVELER By Warren Freedman The book gives an overview of restaurants, hotels, communal organizations, landmarks and synagogues. THE JEWISH TRAVEL GUIDE Edited by Sidney Lightman The guide contains up-to-date information on kosher restaurants, hotels, synagogues, places of historic interest and Jewish organizations, in places such as the Far East as well as behind the Iron Curtain. The current edition features a revised section on New York City. WORLD GUIDE FOR THE JEWISH TRAVELER By Warren Freedman This paperback edition gives information about Jewish sites, synagogues, museums and memorials and Israel; gives information about Jewish history as well as little-known facts. TRAVELING JEWISH IN AMERICA: FOR BUSINESS AND PLEASURE Compiled by Brynna C. Bloomfield and Jane M. Moskowitz Edited by Ellen Chernofsky iThis paperbacked guide includes state-by-state listings of synagogues, restaurants and kosher caterers, accommodations and mikvaot. Keeping Kosher On The Road Part Of Overall Travel Plan BY HEIDI PRESS News Editor Business consultant Yehuda Stebbins of Southfield does a lot of traveling in his job. Sometimes it's a short two-day trip, other times it's several days or a week. And just as any other traveler, Stebbins must plan for accommodations, mode of transportation, clothing and other basic necessities. But Stebbins, an observant Jew, has another consideration — keeping kosher on the road. For observant Jews, being able to have kosher food and observing Shabbat are major considerations when traveling. On a short trip, when Stebbins drives to his destination, he'll take what he calls a small emergency supply of food, consisting of matzah, sardines, gefilte fish and potatoes. Rather than china and silverware which have to be washed„ he uses paper plates and plastic utensils which he can throw away. He even has a small microwave and a tiny refrigerator that plug into the car's lighter. The refrigerator can be reversed to act as an oven. Yet finding kosher food is fairly simple in large cities, he said. "In any supermarket in the United States you can find enough kosher food to feed youself." On longer trips, he advises checking hotels in advance to see if they can provide kosher food for observant guests. Some Holiday Inns provide the service, but an advance inquiry is advised. Other hotels have a source for kosher airline food which can be heated in a microwave. . Some books, such as Traveling Jewish In America, by Brynna Bloomfield and Jane Moskowitz, are helpful. They list synagogues, kosher restaurants, accommodations and mikvaot. Networking also is used to determine if a restaurant or other establishment where kosher food is served is at the same kashrut level as the observant traveler. One can usually ask in his hometown if someone is familiar with the "foreign" establishment or knows someone who is a reliable kashrut source. A personal reference usually is the best source, providing what Stebbins called "absolute confidence." Making arrangements for Shabbat observance and daily prayers are also considerations for the observant traveler. Stebbins said observant travelers schedule their journeys so that they will be able to find a private place to daven and lay tefillin. He told a story about how an observant Jew had to stop to don tefillin in a phone booth and was picked up by the police because they thought he was shooting drugs. Observant Jews need to stay on low floors, because they cannot push buttons on Shabbat to operate an elevator. Also, housekeeping must be told in advance that they cannot enter the room to clean on Shabbat because they may close the lights, which an observant Jew will not be able to turn on. Arrangements can be made with any hotel for lighting Shabbat candles; all a traveler has to do is ask, Stebbins advised. "Most hotels will be most accommodating, as long as you ask." Usually, an unused room is made available. When he takes a trip that will include a Shabbat, Stebbins carries with him candles, Havdalah materials and wine. Stebbins also found a way to observe eating in a sukkah on the road during the intermediate days of Sukkot. He parks his car next to the curb, opens up two doors on the same side of the car and puts branches on the tops of the doors. He removes one of the seats, places it under the branches and has a "mobile" sukkah. "If you have desire to do it, you can do it," he said, but added that it helps to have a four-door automobile. Stebbins said that he wanted to make clear that arranging for kosher food and Shabbat is not a problem for observant Jews; it's just a regular part of planning a trip. "Planning is part of the excitement of the trip," he said. "When you plan something nicely, it works out." THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS L-9