UP FRONT
Memphis Churches Seek
Funds For Soviet Jews
Despite some skepticism, Jewish leaders
are grateful for the efforts of a broad
coalition of Christian groups.
NEIL RUBIN
Special to The Jewish News
U
p to 10,000 "Bible-
believing" Christians
in Memphis, Tenn.,
are expected to donate about
$1 million for Soviet Jewry.
The occasion is a star-
studded rally hosted by
Christians eager to assist
the Jewish state as it faces
the unprecedented challenge
of resettling hundreds of
thousands of Soviet Jews
and other immigrants.
If the event is a success —
and Memphis Jewish com-
munity officials believe it
will be — organizers say the
show could go on the road in
the coming months to about
a dozen cities along the East
Coast.
Such a development could
mean millions of dollars for
the Jewish community as it
seeks additional sources of
funding for Israel's needs.
The 10,000-member Mem-
Neil Rubin is assistant editor
of the Atlanta Jewish Times.
phis Jewish community
raised $1.5 million in its
1991 campaign for Soviet
Jewry.
Called "On Wings of
Eagles," the July 1 program
will feature addresses from
U.S. Secretary of Housing
Jack Kemp, Israel Ambas-
sador Zalman Shoval,
If the event is
successful, the
show could go on
the road in the
coming months.
Jerusalem Post publisher
Yehuda Levy and a perfor-
mance by country-and-
western star Ricky Skaggs.
The event is the brainchild
of Ed McAteer, creator of the
annual prayer breakfast
meeting in Washington,
D.C., also a program during
which Bible-believing Chris-
tians focus on support for
Israel.
While the Memphis Jew-
ish community has en-
couraged organizers of the
E
3
event, some of its members
have privately expressed
concern over accepting such
support. Part of the theology
of some "On Wings of
Eagles" sponsors includes
the ingathering of the Jews
in Israel as a prelude to Ar-
mageddon, the final battle
between the good and evil
forces. That step, they
believe, is necessary for the
return of Jesus.
"There are those who are
very skeptical of the motives
behind this and who fear
proselytization," said Gary
Siepser, executive director of
the Memphis Jewish Fed-
eration.
But he said he was
satisfied that "this is not
strictly a fundamentalist
event. There are some of the
mainline middle-of-the-road
churches in there. I'm pleas-
ed that this thing has ap-
pealed to a broad spectrum
of the Christian world."
Other Memphis Jewish
leaders also expressed sup-
port. "We are thrilled that
the Christian community is
interested in a very tangible
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way in assisting Soviet Jews
returning to Israel," said
Sam Chafetz, chairman of
the Memphis Jewish Fed-
eration community relations
committee.
"If someone like Ed
McAteer had existed in 1943
and said he wanted to get
Jews out of Poland and
Hungary and Germany, we
would have kissed him.
Athena which Freud kept on
his desk, and an Egyptian
statue of Imhotep, the an-
cient scribe and physician
associated with the inter-
pretation of dreams. The ob-
jects were selected from
more than 2,000 antiquities
transferred to London from
Freud's Vienna apartment
in 1938. The entire collec-
tion is permanently housed
at the Freud Museum in
London.
The exhibit runs June 29
through Aug. 16. Entrance
to the museum is free and
open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tues-
day through Friday and 1 to
4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The study, conducted
among Jews in New Jersey,
Rhode Island, Dallas and
San Francisco, also shows
that most Jewish volunteers
are women, aged 35-54, mar-
ried, with children at home,
who are employed part-time
and enjoy a relatively high
educational level and
household income.
Volunteering is higher
among those attending syn-
agogue services more often
and observing more re-
ligious practices, Mr. Berger
found. The rates further in-
crease with years of formal
Jewish education and with
visits to Israel.
Although secular organ-
izations are often perceived
as competing for Jewish
time and funds, Jews who
volunteer with Jewish
organizations are more like-
ly to volunteer for secular
groups as well, the study
reveals.
ROUND UP
Scientists Develop
Insulin Pill
Jerusalem — Hadassah-
Hebrew University Medical
Center scientists have de-
veloped an oral insulin pill
for treatment of diabetes
which can replace the tradi-
tional injection of insulin.
The pill, which enters the
bloodstream through the in-
testines, was created after a
decade of research. Next,
scientists will hold controll-
ed clinical trials with vol-
unteers who take multiple
doses of the pills for a three-
to-six day period.
Israel's Funniest
Home Videos?
This camel was one of
hundreds of fans greeting
"America's Funniest Home
Videos" host Bob Saget upon
his arrival last month at
Ben-Gurion Airport. Mr.
Saget was in Israel for a
week stay, where he filmed
new footage for the "Home
Videos" program.
Bob Saget and friend.
Accompanied by his wife
and parents, Mr. Saget also
toured historic Israeli sites
while in Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem.
AJC Publishes
Feminist Directory
New York — The Ameri-
can Jewish Congress recent-
ly published the first edition
of the International Fem-
inist Directory, which pro-
vides names, addresses,
telephone numbers, occupa-
tions, interests and organ-
izational affiliation of Jew-
ish feminists worldwide.
The directory is an
outgrowth of the first Inter-
national Jewish Feminist
Conference, held in
Jerusalem in 1988. At the
conclusion of the conference,
the AJCongress decided to
produce a directory to ensure
continued contact and com-
munication among con-
ference participants and
Jewish women from all parts
of the world.
For a copy of the directory,
send $5 to the Commission
for Women's Equality,
American Jewish Congress,
15 E. 84th St., New York,
N.Y. 10028.
U-M Museum Hosts
Freud Exhibition
Ann Arbor — The Univer-
sity of Michigan's Francis
Kelsey Museum of Archae-
ology is hosting an exhibi-
tion of 65 prints, books,
sculptures and artifacts from
the personal collection of
Sigmund Freud.
Featured in the exhibition
will be a bronze statuette of
Who Becomes
A Volunteer?
Waltham, Mass. — Jews
whose Jewish friends ask
them to volunteer are most
likely to give time to Jewish
organizations, according to a
new study by Gabriel Berger
of Brandeis University's
Center for Modern Jewish
Studies.
Compiled by
Elizabeth Applebaum
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 11