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Detroit Volunteers For Israel
Set First Unity Flight For June
RICHARD PEARL
Staff Writer
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L
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Lindsay Faber adds to the Project Chametz collection.
Tviro Tons Of Chametz
Given To The Hungry
ALAN HITSKY
H '
Associate Editor
p
roject Chametz was
an overflowing suc-
cess for hungry per-
sons in southeast Michigan
and Detroit's Jewish com-
munity.
Trucks from the St. Vincent
DePaul Community Food
Depots, the designated reci-
pient of the Hunger Action
Coalition, had to make daily
collections at the food drop-off
sites at the Maple/Drake and
Jimmy Prentis Morris Jewish
Community Centers and at
United Hebrew Schools.
As of mid-day Tuesday, the
third and final day of the pro-
ject, 4,000 pounds of food not
kosher for Passover had been
contributed.
"We are overjoyed by the en-
thusiastic response," said
David Gad-Harf, executive
director of the Jewish Com-
munity Council of
Metropolitan Detroit. "We
know the food will be put to
good use. It will feed the
hungry and strengthen our
ties to the general communi-
ty." 0
'Call For Left-Overs'
Proposed By Mazon
ALAN HITSKY
Associate Editor
M
embers of eight lo-
cal synagogues have
plans for your left-
over party food. They want to
donate it to the hungry.
Mazon committees from
area congregations have
formed a coalition to broaden
Detroit participation in
Mazon — the Jewish
Response to Hunger. One of
their first goals, according to
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple
Israel, will be to establish a
pick-up service to donate left-
over food to local food banks
and soup kitchens.
Said Dr. Nancy Fishman of
Temple Israel, "We want to
create a system where in-
dividuals can call a number
and have food picked up. It
could be a wedding, bar mitz-
vah — even a shivah house."
Mazon asks Jews national-
ly to contribute three percent
of the cost of a party to help
feed the hungry. Mazon's na-
tional director, Iry Cramer of
Los Angeles, spoke to Mazon
activists two weeks ago at a
luncheon hosted by Rabbi A.
Irving Schnipper at Con-
gregation Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses.
Other congregations par-
ticipating in Mazon include
Beth Shalom, Beth El,
Emanu-El, Kol Ami, Shir
Tikvah and Shir Shalom.
The groups have formed a
central committee to coor-
dinate their efforts and
broaden particpation to other
area congregations.
Dr. Fishman believes
Mazon is becoming better
known in the community.
Last year, Temple Israel's
membership contributed
$3,500 during a Passover
campaign for the charity.
This Passover, the temple col-
lected $6,000. C
uth Vosko of Farming-
ton Hills is ready to
roll up her sleeves and
go to work for the Israeli ar-
my — again.
"It's a trip of the heart," she
says.
On the other hand, Fern
Selling of Southfield is pit-
ching in for the first time.
"I've been thinking of going
for years."
Both are participating in
the Volunteers for Israel's
first Detroit Unity Flight to
the Jewish state, scheduled
June 12-July 4.
The volunteers program,
which is subsidized by Jewish
Welfare Federation scholar-
ships, sends participants to
Israel for three weeks to live
and work with Israelis on an
army base, a kibbutz, a
hospital or a development
town.
Normally, says Yefet Ozery,
shaliach and
Detroit
volunteers program director,
people go on an individual
basis. For the Unity Flight —
which seeks to send 50 area
residents as a group — the
cost for roundtrip airfare from
Detroit plus full room and
board is about $680. A two-
week option is available for
an additional $100. Registra-
tion deadline is next Friday.
A second trip July 9-Aug. 1
is $938.
"The purpose is to give an
opportunity to American
Jews to get to know the real
Israel, by working side-by-
side with Israelis," says Ozery.
"The Americans get to know
first-hand who the Israelis
really are — what they're all
about, what they're thinking,
and so forth.
"And while they're doing
that, the Americans con-
tribute manpower which is
badly needed." He said
'The Americans
get to know first-
hand who the
Israelis really are.'
volunteers work in Israel
Defense Forces warehouses,
sorting clothing and military
equipment and maintaining
vehicles. In the hospital, they
work as nurses' assistants
and janitorial crews. On the
kibbutz, they work in the
fields and in the kitchen. And
in the development town —
Detroit's sister city, Yavneh —
they assist in teaching
English to Israeli youngsters,
work at the community
center, or help build the park
being donated by the Ford
family.
Ruth Vosko, who'd been to
Israel twice before becoming
a volunteer last year and
working at the IDF's Camp
Julis near Eshkelon, says she
feels a "duality — half of me
lives here and half lives there.
It's a trip of the heart" to go
to Israel.
"I'd always wanted to do
something with my hands for
Israel;' says the real estate
agency executive secretary.
She lived in the barracks,
wore a uniform and worked
on vehicles and tanks, made
special treads for boats, cut
gaskets, rode forklifts and
folded uniforms. The work
was timely because, just after
she and her group arrived,
the intifada began, pulling
away the camp's soldiers.
"Our work saves Israel
money and also helps the
Israeli reservists be with
their families.
"Being in the army, seeing
Israel as the Israelis do — it's
quite a different concept;' she
says. The Israelis "are thank-
ing us, but we should be
thanking them."
Since last year, she's
become a board member of
the recently formed State of
Michigan Friends of the IDF,
which raises funds for
military recreational
facilities.
Fern Selling says past cir-
cumstances prevented her
from going to Israel. The fact
her daughter Barbara was a
volunteer last year and is now
in. Israel with the World
Union of Jewish Students en-
couraged her.
"It sounded wonderful and
it's very supportive of Israel,"
says Selling, a social worker.
"It's a wonderful opportunity
and the timing is good,
too." 0
ROUND UP
1-696 Fire
Was Expensive
Michigan Department of
Transportation officials say
last Friday's fire amid con-
struction equipment on 1-696
in Oak Park caused extensive
damage.
Noel Smith, district con-
struction engineer for the
freeway, said a Monday in-
spection found 40-45 steel
beams that will have to be
replaced near the baseball
diamond area behind Con-
gregation B'nai Moshe. The
beams support the plaza that
covers the freeway. Smith
guessed repair costs will be in
excess of $1 million.
Smith does not believe
Church Street will have to be
closed when the repairs are
made.
Oak Park public safety of-
ficials say they are question-
ing juveniles in the area at
the time of the fire.
Heavy smoke forced
children at Temple Emanu-
El's nursery and Hebrew
schools to move from the
school wing into the temple's
sanctuary.
Soviet Jews
Publish Journal
Tallin, Estonia — Soviet
Jews are publishing the first
ever Jewish journal not com-
pletely controlled by
XAWAXAP
(.PACCBET.) 11WDOPMALIOHH6114 fINCTOK
authorities, the Student
Struggle for Soviet Jewry
reported last week.
Called Hashachar, Dawn,
the paper is published in
Tallin, Estonia, the Soviet
Union's most Westernized ci-
ty. More than 1,700 copies of
the two-sided flyer are being
printed in Russian.
Company Sues
Jewish Student
A Philadelphia insurance
company is suing a student at
Yeshivah Gedolah who
allegedly set off firecrackers
that started a fire at the Oak
Park day school in March
1988.
The fire caused $140,000 in
damage.
Representatives of the
Reliance Insurance Co. claim-
ed that two boys setting off
firecrackers ignited the fire
while another two students
who were smoking started
fires in closets.
The insurance company
also is suing leaders at the
yeshiva.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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