UP FRONT B'nai Moshe, B'nai David Sites Attract Potential Purchasers ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM Features Editor F Hamtramck Mayor Robert Kozaren receives a plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland from Jewish Community Council President Paul D. Borman. Looking on is Paul Odrobina, president, Polish-American Congress, Michigan division. rom polite conversa- tion at the Shabbat table to lengthy discus- sions at public events, speculation continues over whether the facilities of Con- gregation B'nai Moshe in Oak Park and B'nai David in Southfield have been sold. Officials for B'nai Moshe, which in 1959 moved to its present location at Ten Mile and Church roads, insist the synagogue has not been sold. "We haven't even received an offer," said B'nai Moshe President Sharlene Ungar. Synagogue officials say a church leader viewed the building once and is return- ing for a second visit this weekend. They would not discuss which church the of- ficial represented. A national department store chain, along with several local Jewish organiza- tions and individuals, also ex- pressed interest in the facili- ty, officials said. Discussions with the Jewish groups and individuals are ongoing. Rob Roth, past president of B'nai Moshe, said synagogue officials "have been trying to pursue any in- terest (in the building) within the Jewish community." They also raised the matter with of- Synagogue officials 'have been trying to pursue any interest in the building within the Jewish community. ficials of the Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit, he said. Federation President Dr. Conrad Giles said the Federa- Chrysler, Palace Join 1990 Detroit Maccabiah RICHARD PEARL Staff Writer --- Local Students Join Seminar Editors of two Michigan university student newspapers will attend a seminar this month in Israel designed to help campus jour- nalists learn more about the country. Adam Schrager, editor of the University of Michigan's Michigan Daily, and John Secor of Michigan State University'S- The State News will participate with 13 other American students in the seminar, which is sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League with the cooperation of the National Federation of Israeli Journalists and The Jerusalem Post. The journalists will meet with Israeli leaders on all sides of the political spec- trum, with Israeli reporters and American correspondents stationed there, and with Israeli students and educators. Herbert Berman, chairman of the ADL's campus affairs committee, said the seminar will give partipants "hands- on experience in Israel to help correct rampant misinforma- tion about the Middle East often found in college and IROUND UP university newspapers." Jewish students at U-M have in the past expressed concern that The Michigan Daily is unfair to Israel. Dai- ly editorials have called Zionism racist and suggested Israel resettled Ethiopian Jews to displace Palestinians. Rebbe Recruiting An Army Of God Rabbi Menachem Schneer- son, the Lubavitcher rebbe, is recruiting Jewish children for the army — the Army of God, that is. Called Tzivos Hashem, the "army" is open to boys and girls under age 13. New A scene from "The Shpy." soldiers will receive a com- plete starter kit filled with an identification card; a copy of The Moshiach Times, a magazine filled with stories about Judaism and Jewish life and the continuing adven- tures of "The Shpy"; an ap- plication to join the Jewish Birthday Club; and informa- tion about how they may earn badges, buttons and other items by fulfilling secret mitz- vah missions. To receive a starter kit or for more information, write Tzivos Hashem, 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11213. New Encyclopedia Is Published A New Jersey firm recent- ly published a new single- volume encyclopedia with a year-to-year history of the Jewish people from creation to the present. Called The Jewish Time Line En- cyclopedia, the work was writ- ten by historian and educator Rabbi Mattis Kantor. The encyclopedia covers almost 6,000 years of Jewish history, using chronologies and time lines to convey ma- jor events. The book ends with the Israeli withdrawl from Lebanon in 1985. Compiled by Elizabeth Applebaum tion "will behave in a respon- sible manner to do whatever it can within reason to stabilize the neighborhood." While officials say the Federation is "not in the business of buying buildings," Dr. Giles did not negate the possibility that the Federa- tion might step in should a Jewish group express strong interest in the facility. The Federation has given loans to beneficiary agents, he noted. B'nai Moshe officials are asking $2.5 million for the facility. Meanwhile, Southfield ci- ty officials are looking into purchasing Congregation B'nai David. The officials, who would not comment for attribution on the issue, are interested in using the facility as a com- munity center. ❑ Chrysler Corporation and The Palace of Auburn Hills are joining in to help with the 1990 Jewish Community Centers North American Maccabi Youth Games. The Detroit Maccabi Club team members who par- ticipated in the Aug. 20-24 Regional Maccabiah in Pitt- sburgh were told of the par- ticipation by the two at the conclusion of the regional by Jay Robinson, 1990 Games general chairman. According to Robinson's an- nouncement, the Palace will be the site of the Games' opening ceremonies in mid- August 1990, while Chrysler is to be a major corporate sponsor. David Hermelin, a prin- cipal Palace owner, told The Jewish News last week that the Palace would host the opening ceremonies. Hermelin and Bill Davidson of the Palace are honorary chairmen of the 1990 Games. Robinson said other major corporate sponsorships are be- ing sought from Eastman Kodak and Coca Cola. However, Mort Plotnick, JCCenter executive director, said he was "not prepared to make announcements" now regarding any sponsorships. Robinson, while declining to discuss specific companies, said sponsorships would help cover the costs of a range of items from T-shirts and other memorabilia to food, buses and referees' pay. Robinson noted the field in part will include some 35 basketball teams and about two dozen soccer teams. Major sponsorships, he said, "help keep the costs in line so that we can continue from year to year. Otherwise, we couldn't handle it. And other cities will hopefully realize they, too, can secure major sponsorships." He said entry fees help to defray only a part of the cost. An estimated 2,700 athletes and coaches from the United States, Canada, Latin America and Israel are ex- pected for the week-long event. Detroit hosted the se- cond North American Games in 1984, when 800 athletes participated. ❑ Israeli Workers Ordered Home Tel Aviv (JTA) — The Israeli Defense Ministry has ordered 40 Israelis to leave Colombia immediately because of the tense situation there. The order applies to the families of 40 employees of Israel Aircraft Industries and Tadiran, a military industry. Their work includes the delivery and maintenance of Kfirs, the Israel-made jet fighter planes sold to the Col- ombian air force. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 5