relations and disseminating the message that "at all costs, the PLO is not a partner to negotiations," he said. Despite this declaration that Israel will stay the course, events of the last month have caused a change in Israeli perceptions, Wall said. He expressed confidence that the new government will restore an Israeli concensus that will allow American Jews to more comfortably support Israel. American Jews may feel caught between their govern- ment's new attitude toward the PLO and Israel's non- recognition. They may want a speedy solution to relieve their discomfort. That is not Israel's job, Ettinger said. Wall pointed out that, at the moment, Israel is concen- trating on shoring up its economy. The PLO and public relations are found some- where lower on Israel's list of priorities. Friends of Israel must be content to wait for a reasoned Israeli response. "There's no magic wand here. the stakes are too high to turn this into a Madison Avenue competition," Wall said. David Holzel is currently covering Israel for The Jewish News and The Baltimore Jewish Times from Jerusalem. Holocaust Program Is Rejected Again Washington (JTA) — Educa- tion Secretary Lauro Cavazos recently rejected the latest appeal from members of Con- gress to fund a Holocaust education program for junior and senior high school students. In a Dec. 27 letter to Rep. Ted Weiss (D-N.Y.), who was seeking $70,000 in discre- tionary funds for the Brook- line, Mass.-based program, Cavazos said, "I do not an- ticipate overturning the deci- sions made as part of the grants process for last year." Weiss and other lawmakers have also complained that rightwing groups, such as Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, have lobbied hard against the program. The department evaluated the program positively in 1986 and 1987, but right- wing reviewers of the pro- gram said it did not adequate- ly present the Nazi point of view. Last year, the department eliminated the civics, geography and history categories from which the program would have been funded. Cavazos also said he found "no evidence of anti-Semitic bias" against the program. Simcha Seeks Members Simcha, the nonprofit sup- port organization in south- eastern Michigan for Jewish lesbians and gays, is now ac- cepting members. There is an annual membership fee. To find out more about Simcha or to become a member, call the organization's 24-hour infor- mational hotline, 353-8025 or write to: Simcha, P.O. Box 652, Southfield 48037. custom-covered sofas are now sale priced from only $599. You have an idea of the sofa you're looking for. You want a certain fabric ... a special style...a particular length. (And frankly, you probably want to save on it.) So come to Newton. 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"We're trying to project the true face of these leaders," Levy said of his office's work that includes informational meetings with groups and is- suing background papers to Israel's consulates for circulation. "You can generally count on the PLO to trip up," Wall said of the Arafat death threat. The ADL director cautioned, though, that Israel should not rely on its adversaries' mistakes as a substitute for policy. Such a policy, which Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir has promised to unveil, should be put on the table as soon as possible, said Wall who, unlike Ettinger and Levy, does not represent Israel's government. If Israel took the initiative now, it would benefit from dispelling its in- transigent image, Wall added. Ettinger disagreed. "There is no need to rush into a new initiative just because something happened," he said. 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