••••••••••••

•
•
•
• • • • 1991
• , • . • • • • • •
Early Dealer Demo

CLEARANCE SALE!

Chernobyl Children
Find Chabad Haven

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

Assistant Editor

F

irst the plants began to
shrivel; then they grew
exceptionally large.
Children in the area came
down with nosebleeds,
headaches and constant fa-
tigue. Four student deaths,
all from leukemia, were re-
ported in one classroom
alone.
The source was a 1986
nuclear explosion at the
Chernobyl power plant in
the Soviet Union. And its
victims were everything
alive within thousands of
miles. Among them were
numerous Jewish children.
A new group, the Children
of Chernobyl, has been
organized to help these chil-
dren, who because of their
age are most seriously af-
fected by radiation poison-
ing. The national coor-
dinator of the group, Jay
Litvin, spoke late last week
in Detroit about the organ-
ization's efforts.
The Children of Chernobyl
was formed in response to
requests from Soviet parents
who feared for their chil-
dren's lives, Mr. Litvin said.
Its main project is funding
the children's care at Kfar
Chabad in Israel. More than
340 children already have
been flown to Kfar Chabad,
where they receive housing,
food and medical treatment.
Mr. Litvin said another
2,660 Jewish parents have
requested their children be
brought to Kfar Chabad for
medical care.
Himself a father, Mr. Lit-
vin said it must have been a
terrible decision for the
parents to send their chil-
dren "to a place they've
never been, to people they've
never met. I can't imagine
the pain of what it would
take for me to do that."
But Kfar Chabad is these
parents' last hope, he said.
The children are brought out
from the Soviet Union on
emergency medical visas.
Affected by radiation poison-
ing from the Chernobyl acci-
dent, many suffer with
"Chernobyl AIDS," Mr. Lit-
vin said. Their immune
system is seriously affected,
"they have no resistance.
When they get a cold, it
turns into pneumonia."
At Kfar Chabad the chil-
dren are diagnosed and
receive treatment for visible
symptoms, Mr. Litvin said.
Though the more serious
effects of radiation may take

years to surface, some im-
mediate care can save the
children's lives, he added.
Just removing the children
from the contaminated re-
gions where they live is a
critical first step, Mr. Litvin
said. Not only have the chil-
dren themselves been harm-
ed, the food and water they
ingest continues the poison-
ing process. "If you live in
Byelorussia you're taking
radioactive material into
your body. Period," he said.
For years, the Soviet
government forbade any
discussion about the afteref-
fects of Chernobyl, he said. It
was against the law to link
the unprecedented number
of illnesses, including
leukemia and kidney
failure, with the Chernobyl
accident.
Mr. Litvin said that
$12,500 provides transporta-
tion and general care for
each child of Chernobyl. At
Kfar Chabad, the children
also attend school and
receive constant medical
monitoring from Hadassah-
based physicians. ❑

Nazi, War Crimes
Witnesses Sought

The governments of
Australia and the United
States have requested the
assistance of the World
Jewish Congress in connec-
tion with on-going prosecu-
tions of Nazi war criminals
and their collaborators.
The Australian government
is seeking witnesses for two
war crimes investigations in-
to murders committed in the
Vinnitsa district of the
Ukraine: Vinnitsa, Tyvrov,
Gorbaniyka, Sytkivtsi, Il-
linetsky, Gnivan, Selyschi,
Gryzhintsy, Shabelnya,
Brailov.
The U.S. Department of
Justice is seeking to identify
and interview persons regar-
ding the persecution and
murder of civilians in the
Joniskis district of Lithuania
in the summer of 1941. In ad-
dition, the Justice Depart-
ment is also seeking to inter-
view persons imprisoned at
Austria's Gusen 1 (sub-camp
of Mauthausen) from
February 1940 to May 1945;
or at Ebensee (sub-camp of
Mauthausen) from April
1944-May 1945.
If you have information
useful to these investigations,
contact: Ms. Bessy Pupko,
World Jewish Congress, 501
Madison Ave., New York, N.Y.
10022, (212) 755-5770.

YOUR CHOICE

SEDAN DeVILLE, ELDORADO OR BROUGHAM

12 to Choose From All At $24,900 + Tax
All Low Mileage and Backed by Factory 48 Month/$50,000
NEW CAR BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY WITH $0 DEDUCTIBLE
...OR SMARTLEASE A NEW
SEDAN DEVILLE

a Month
36 Months

No Money Down*

'First month's lease payment of $469 plus $550 refundable security deposit for a total of $1,019 due at
lease signing. Tax, license, title fees and insurance extra. You must take delivery from dealer stock by June
10, 1991. GMAC must approve lease. Example based on Sedan DeVille: $32,211 MSRP including destina-
tion charge. Total of 36 monthly Payments is $16,884. Option to purchase at lease end for $15,945. Mileage
charge of 10' per mile over 45,000. Leasee pays for excessive wear and use.

T

-Nt) eade

Roadsid e
-servi ce
-

OGER

A

SMARTLEASE

► INKE

DILLAC

General Motors Family Since 1917
758-1800

WE HAVE WHAT THE
THE COMPETITION
DOESN'T
COME
JOIN
US!

Take advantage of our SPECIAL YOUNG ADULT* offer and experience the finest
Health Club in the area. One full year
of Health Club Membership for

ONLY $500

• Nautilus
• Hi-Tech Treadmills
• Racquetball
• Aerobics

• Indoor/Outdoor Tracks
• Indoor/Outdoor Tennis
• Indoor/Outdoor Pools
• Versaclimber

• Squash
• Stairmaster
• Universal Equipment
• Whirlpool/Steam/Sauna

A NEW GENERATION OF FUN IS HERE

For further information contact the Membership Depal tment

•

it

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
6600 West Maple Road
West Bloomfield, Michigan 48322
=11
661-1000, ext. 265 or 266

* 18-25 with valid drivers license

* Certain restrictions may apply

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

21