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INCLUDING MEALS Your Hosts, the Berkowitz Famityl MAJOR CRUISE DISCOUNTO • Lowest Available Fares Anywhere - Anytime - Any Airlines Cruise, Tour, Hotel or Car No Service Fees Best Service in the Industry GAIL SHAPIRO, Owner SUMMIT TRAVEL 28859 Orchard Lake Rd. etween 12 & 13 Mile Rd. Headquarters for HOURS: Mon: Fri. 9-6 Sat. 10:30-2 1101.ESpORTSA —CD Luggage rniciMInd issa0 Neirg# theullimote source for ollyourfrovel accessories, 6253 ORCHARD LAKE RD. NORTH OF MAPLE RD. In Sugar Wee • West Bloomfield DAILY 10 to 6:30 • THURS. 10 to 8 • SUN. 12 to 5 • CALL: 855-3180 38 FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1989 aturday night was the first time Shirley Subar Skalash had met with anyone from Detroit since she left Michigan for Israel 26 years ago. "I was very excited to get the invita- tion," she said. "Twenty-six years is a long time." Skalash was one of 200 Detroiters living in Israel in- vited and 85 shared their ex- periences at Jerusalem's Laromme Hotel Saturday night with the 78 par- ticipants of the Jewish Com- munity Council's Solidarity Trip to Israel. The Saturday night reception, arranged with the assistance of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, was the first-ever gathering of Detroiters and their olim. The solidarity trip was organized by the Council "to get Detroiters to see what's going on in Israel and to let Israelis know we stand with them," said Council President Paul D. Borman. According to the Council's assistant director, Allan Gale, until now the three pillars of Jewish community participa- tion were synagogue member- ship, Jewish education - for children and contributions to the Allied Jewish Campaign. "We want to add a fourth — a trip to Israel," like the pilgrimages in Ibmple times," Gale said. Plans for the solidarity trip began last autumn as Detroit's response to the 15 percent drop in tourism to Israel in the wake of the Palestinian uprising. "We see this as a number one priori- ty," Borman said. At the reunion, Detroit- born Israelis were invited to tell about their lives. At the prompting of Council Ex- ecutive Director David Gad- Harf, some spoke of what they like best about Israel, others of what they miss most about Detroit. "What makes life so great in Israel?" said Yetta Bodson Amster. "You can walk the streets day and night and you don't worry." "The best thing is raising our children,' said Armonite Maroko Albalak. "My 4-year- old is learning about Purim now. You feel so Jewish here so you enjoy the holidays." Adina Asher said she likes Israel because she feels at home here. "I like the feeling of being in the majority." Idel Ross said she misses Sanders hot fudge. Burt Fauden had a whole list of things he misses: the Tigers, the Pistons (but not the Lions), coney islands and Windsor barbecue ribs. At least one issue was not brought up to the podium. "We need mortgages," one olah said to her friends at her table. She was referring to the mortgage funds that some Jewish communities have established to help olim buy a home and strike deeper roots in Israel. Detroit has no "I hope it's the beginning of a truly good dialogue between Detroit and its olim." — Sheldon Klimist such fund. Borman told The Jewish News that there were some promising meetings on the subject at the Council of Jewish Federations' General Assembly last November. Sheldon Klimist wondered aloud why such a gathering had never been attempted before. "I hope it's the begin- ning of a truly good dialogue between Detroit and its olim," he said. "We're not asking for blind support for Israel, but that you take the time to understand what's going on here. We need your help." Solidarity participants had only a week to try to unders- tand Israel. Arriving on March 3, their itinerary in- cluded visits to Masada, an army base in the Golan Heights and to Detroit's Pro- ject Renewal sister city, Yavneh. The group is ex- pected to return today. For one-third of the par- ticipants, it was their first time in Israel. Less than 48 hours after landing at Ben- Gurion Airport, first-timer Arthur Leib felt his concep- tion of Israel had changed completely. "It's been a revelation," he said. He plans to tell his friends in Detriot about the miscon- ception he had about Israel caused by learning about the country solely through the media. "There's no reason for Jews to stay home," he said. Leib's wife, Miriam, was visiting Israel for the first time in 30 years. She said her visit had forged closer ties with Israel "in terms of giv- ing money and emotional sup- port." Pauline Robins, Congrega- tion Shaarey Zedek's librarian, said her first trip to Israel brought to life everything she had learned about the country from books. Shelley Geller said she felt "everybody's Judaism has a better chance to flourish" in Israel and that the Jewish state might be "a possible alternative to Florida as a sunny climate" for retirees. She noted that in exchange for a greater sense of Jewishness, Israelis aren't able to afford an American standard of living. Geller spent the evening collecting letters and messages from Detroit olim to take with her and deliver in the United States. Borman saw this as an example of the links the solidarity trip was forging between Detroiters and their olim. "In future trips there will be more contacts between Detroit people and Detroit people in Israel. It creates understanding both ways," Borman said. "This won't be a one-time thing." Borman was happy that 78 Detroiters had signed up for the trip. This was a good tur- nout in light of the leeriness of American Jews to travel to Israel this year, he said. Twenty-five Detroit Jewish organizations were represented by the trip's par- ticipants. "We want them to go back and organize more trips," said Gale. The price of $999 was sub- sidized at about $100 a person by the Jewish Welfare Federa- tion, according to Gale and Borman. Borman grew more en- thusiastic about the trip and the reunion as the night went on. "I don't know why this didn't go on before," he said near the evening's end. "But it's going to go on from now on. It's fantastic." 111 Israel Missions To Be -Outlined Newcomers to the Detroit area will learn about Israel missions sponsored by the Jewish Welfare Federation at a dinner program, 8 p.m. March 18, sponsored by the Shalom Detroit Committee of Federation's Women's Division.