SECOND CLASS
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Celebrating 50 years of growth with the Detroit Jewish Community.
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
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MARCH 27, 1992 / 22 ADAR 2 5752
Holocaust Center Given
$75,000 Michigan Grant
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
T
he Michigan Depart-
ment of Commerce
last week announced
it would award a $75,000
operating grant to the Holo-
caust Memorial Center.
The HMC, awarded the
grant from the Outstate
Equity Package, should
receive the supplemental
funds to its annual $900,000
budget by mid-April. The
equity funds will compen-
sate in part for anticipated
state budget funding losses
to the arts and museums.
Gov. John Engler last
March slashed many discre-
tionary grants from the state
budget — including an an-
nual $110,000 contribution
to the HMC.
"We are very, very en-
thusiastic about this," said
HMC Executive Director
Rabbi Charles Rosenzveig.
"It is still going to be hard,
but we are grateful that we
were able to get this much."
HMC, which opened in
1984, was built with $7 mill-
ion in private funds on the
grounds of the Maple-Drake
Jewish Community Center.
Since its opening, the HMC
has attracted nearly 700,000
visitors — mostly students.
The museum raises money
from contributors, annual
dinners, which each net
about $150,000, and from
membership contributions
from 2,200 individuals.
Membership contributions
range from $100 to $1,000 a
year.
Continued on Page 16
CLOSE-UP
From an HMC exhibit: State funds will help the museum's operations.
Incident Spoils
Hillel's Purim
NOAM M.M. NEUSNER
Staff Writer
S
Checkmate
for Shamir?
Labor's Yitzhak Rabin
is making a successful move
with Israeli voters.
Page 24
even Hillel Day School
students and one
teacher were
hospitalized after a 12-year-
old former student sprayed a
chemical repellant while
Purim celebration relay
races were going on in the
school's gym March 19.
Police reports and school
officials said a Hillel seventh-
grader and the former Hillel
student entered on the gym's
north side. As they walked
next to the gym's wall, the
former student sprayed the
chemical repellant.
There were about 60
students in the gym at the
time of the incident.
The repellant, which is
commonly used to ward off
attackers and is similar to
Mace, contained the
chemical capsaicin, which
causes burning and stinging
in the eyes, nose, skin and
throat and makes breathing
difficult. It can also cause
pulmonary irritation, which
will result in extensive
coughing. Capsaicin is found
in certain plants, including
hot peppers.
The youths who caused the
incident were apprehended
shortly after they walked
out of the gym, according to
reports.
"The teachers, as it was
happening, knew immedi-
ately what had happened,"
said Hillel principal Mark
Smiley. The gym was
evacuated and ambulances
and police were called. The
students and teacher
transported to the hospital
were all discharged.
The two students will be
charged in Oakland County
Juvenile Court with im-
proper use of the repellant
device. The former Hillel
student was at the school at
the invitation of the other
student. The non-Hillel stu-
dent had brought the spray-
ing device to school with him
that day.
While the Hillel student
The repellant
contained the
chemical
capsaicin, which
causes burning and
stinging in the
eyes, nose, skin
and throat and
makes breathing
difficult.
will be suspended indefi-
nitely, Dr. Smiley said he
hoped the experience will
result in some constructive
lessons.
"There's a lot of learning
going on," he said. "It was
an unfortunate act that had
many more implications
than the kids themselves
realized. They caused em-
barrassment to themselves,
their parents, the school and
the community." ❑