UP FRONT

Shaliach: Olim Seek Pride
Not Washing Machines

ELIZABETH KAPLAN

Staff Writer

H

Robert Weiss and Liz Greenberg of B'nai B'rith Youth Organization address a press
conference at the Jewish Community Center. BBYO members will canvass area merchants to
see what Israeli products they sell and encourage them to import from Israel.

Federation Is Considering
Enhancement Proposal

members are not expected to make
recommendations
on the matter
Staff Writer
before submitting it to the board for
fficers of the Jewish Welfare discussion.
JWF President Dr. Conrad Giles
Federation say they will con-
sider adding a pool and other said the board will consider to pro-
improvements to the Jimmy Prentis posal "to get a sense of where the of-
Morris Jewish Community Center in ficer's group wishes it to go."
Dr. Giles said the proposal most
Oak Park.
Enthusiasm for the proposal, to be likely will go back to committees
discussed Jan. 26 by Federation board after the meeting.
"We are prepared to work with
members, comes just a few months,
months after 800 Oak Park and them to come up with a consensus
Southfield residents signed petitions that's in the best interest of the com-
requesting that a pool be added to the munity and the Center and the
Federation," said JCC President
Oak Park branch of the JCC.
Despite the favorable response to Richard Maddin.
Dr. Giles called the proposal "an
the improvements, a final decision for
the $2 million enhancement plan is unusually ambitious one."
"I have a sense that we are ob-
not imminent. Federation committees
Continued
on Page 31
have discussed the proposals, but

MIKE ROSENBAUM

0

e's not expecting a revolution.
Chaim Chesler doesn't envi-
sion planes filled with
American olim suddenly landing at
Ben-Gurion Airport.
But Chesler, newly appointed ex-
ecutive director of the North
American Aliyah Delegation, wants
to make a difference. And that means
getting out his message that Israel of-
fers an alternative to the riches of the
United States.
"I know we don't have the
economic advantage over the United
States, Chesler said. "But we have
Jewish sovereignty in a Jewish state.
We offer Jews a sense of belonging
and pride.
"And besides," he added, "Israel
is the most fascinating place in the
world."
Chesler carried his message to a
meeting of the Chug Aliyah, a group
for people interested in moving to
Israel, during his visit last week to
Detroit. About 30 individuals attend-
ed the meeting.
His words were welcomed by
some, including a recent olah (im-
migrant) from the Detroit area and a
young woman planning to study at
the Aish HaTorah yeshivah in
Jerusalem.
Others expressed frustration at
the mechanics of moving to a new
country.
"We keep hearing, . 'Come to
Israel, " one man said to Chesler.
"But it's very difficult to just pick up
and go without the certainty of a job
or a place to live!'
"Let's talk about what it means
to go to Israel in real terms;' Chesler
responded. "You're not going because

of washing machines. You're going
because you want a different kind of
life!'
A third contingent at the Chug
Aliyah apparently had hoped to use
the forum to complain about the
Jewish state.
One man, who said he wasn't
"sure if there's really a place for me
in Israel," said he was unhappy with
many issues in the country.
Chesler's job today focuses on
bringing Jews in to Israel. His last job
was to help bring attention to their
plight to get out of the Soviet Union.
Before becoming executive direc-
tor of the aliyah delegation, Chesler
served for three years as executive
director of the Israel Public Council
for Soviet Jewry.
He started the Mothers For
Freedom group, which consists of
mothers of Soviet refuseniks. After
years of working for their freedom, he
met Natan Sharansky, Ida Nudel and
Iosif Begun as they stepped off the
plane in Israel.
"When I started the job, I had pic-
tures of 24 Prisoners of Zion on my
wall;' Chesler said in an interview.
"By the time I left, only four remain-
ed."
Those were the good times. There
were disappointments, too: Soviet
Jews who immigrated to the United
States.
"That is the saddest story of all,"
Chesler said. "We worked so hard for
them to come to Israel, and they
didn't want to!'
Soviet Jews were the easy ones.
"Believe me Chesler said, "it's
harder to bring American Jews to
Israel than Soviet Jews!'
But Chelser has a plan. Studies
have shown that young Jews who par-
Continued on Page 30

ROUND UP

Kosharovsky
To Emigrate

New York (JTA) — Yuli
Kosharovsky, a Moscow
Jewish activist who waited 17
years to leave the Soviet
Union, was notified last week
that he will be allowed to
emigrate.
Kosharovsky, who had been
adopted by a number of
groups and individuals in the
Detroit area, plans to be in
Israel before the end of next
month. He will be accom-
panied by his wife, Inna, and
their three sons Mikhail,
Eliezer and Matityahu.
The 47-year-old Kosharov-
sky, a native of Sverdlovsk in

the Ural Mountains, was
repeatedly denied a visa
because of his purported
knowledge of state secrets.

British Jew
Appointed

Brussels (JTA) — An active
member of Britain's Jewish
community and former
British Cabinet minister is
one of the 16 new appointees
to the European Commission,
the executive body of the
European Community here.
Leon Brittan, a member of
the board of deputies of
British Jewry who served as

minister of trade and in-
dustry in Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher's cabinet,
was named to be commis-
sioner in charge of com-
petitive policy and financial
institutions.

Recognition
Of PLO Urged

Strasbourg (JTA) — The
Parliament of Europe voted
60-52 last week for a resolu-
tion urging the 12 nations of
the European Community to
recognize the Palestine
Liberation Organization as
the "Palestinian government
in exile."

The resolution also stressed
the "usefulness" of a direct
meeting between the E.C.
foreign ministers and PLO
chief Yassir Arafat.
Supporting the resolution
were the Communist depu-
ties, part of the Socialist
faction, the Spanish Conser-
vatives and the ecological
Greens.

Pearl Joins Staff;
Kaplan Promoted

Richard Pearl, a former
editor of the Wisconsin
Jewish Chronicle and the
Omaha Jewish Press, has
joined The Jewish News as a
staff writer. Pearl replaces

David Holzel, who will be ser-
ving as an Israel correspon-
dent for The Jewish News and
its sister publication, The
Baltimore Jewish Times.
A native of St. Louis, Pearl's
reporting responsibilities will
center on local communal
organizations.
Elizabeth Kaplan, a staff
writer for The Jewish News
for the past year, has been
promoted to features editor.
Ms. Kaplan will concentrate
on in-depth writing and plan
the • content of the weekly
Close-Up feature. Prior to
joining The Jewish News, Ms.
Kaplan served as associate
editor of The Kansas City
Jewish Chronicle.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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