U-M Senior Wins
National Contest
Networking Pays Off
For JVS Task Force
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
O
ne dark March morn-
ing, Mara Benjamin,
a senior at the
University of
Michigan, was lying awake
wishing she could take her
father, Frederick, to Israel.
Ms. Benjamin, coordina-
tor of the Jewish feminist
group at U-M Hillel, trav-
eled last year through
Israel, but her father, an
attorney in Southfield, had
never gone.
"Israel has always been
this abstract thing in our
house," she said. "I want to
show him that Israel is
real."
The Middle East-North
African studies major, who
also is concentrating in
women's studies, will get
her chance to take her
father to Israel this sum-
mer.
Ms. Benjamin is the win-
ner of the national UJA
Update "Come to Israel"
contest, sponsored by the
United Jewish Appeal.
UJA Update is a weekly
Jewish television show on
cable, hosted by Detroit
native Joel Tauber, nation-
al chair of UJA.
From around the coun-
try, more than 200 Jews
and Christians of all ages
entered the contest.
Entrants were asked to
explain in 50 words or less
why they would like to see
Israel on a UJA mission
with someone close to
them. Representatives of
UJA's missions and com-
munications departments,
as well as of National
Jewish Television, served
on a panel of judges, who
determined the winner on
the basis of content and
style.
The winning words came
to Mara at 2 a.m., when
she says she thinks most
clearly. In about 15 min-
utes, she wrote her poem:
I look at my father:
beard and hair a digni-
fied silver.
Into his face — I see a
Jew, in every sense
Wisdom and Patience but
also Fear.
His eyes hidden behind
spectacles are dull from liv-
ing vicariously through
books —
books are safe.
I want to show him
Israel is alive.
Ms. Benjamin's prize
includes a trip for two on a
UJA mission to Israel and
airfare aboard El Al. She
leaves for Israel July 1.
Her father will join her for
10 days in August.
She wants him to see
Safed, the artists' colony in
A
Mara Benjamin:
Taking her dad.
the mountains. Beyond the
sites, however, Ms.
Benjamin hopes her dad
will gain firsthand knowl-
edge about. Israeli politics,
culture and the Palestinian
issue -- topics that intrigue
them both.
"I'm looking forward to
experiencing this wonder-
ful dream," Mr. Benjamin
says. "This will give me the
opportunity to experience
the entire atmosphere of
Israel — the sights, the
smells. And it will let me
see the issues from the per-
spective of someone who is
in the country, rather than
completely removed." 0
New Tax Won't Hurt Charities
KIMBERLY LIFTON STAFF WRITER
p
resident Bill Clinton's
proposed tax package
is good news for fund-
raisers.
Charitable giving already
is big business. In 1991,
Americans donated $124.8
billion to charitable causes.
Financial management
expert Edward Jay Beck-
with believes Americans
will continue donating
money to their favorite
charities no matter what
happens on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Beckwith, a
Washington, D.C., lawyer
who represents charitable
and other tax-exempt orga-
nizations, spoke this week
on the state of charitable
affairs at a meeting of the
Federated Endowment
Fund professional advisory
committee.
"This is a good-neWs story
no matter how it breaks,"
Mr. Beckwith said. "I don't
think tax rates correlate to
giving, one way or another.
Giving goes up every year
whether taxes are up or
down."
Mr. Clinton's plan in-
cludes an economic growth
package geared to creating
jobs and decreasing the
national debt. He has faced
trouble selling the package
to Congress, as many have
labeled it a tax-and-spend
plan.
In part, Mr. Clinton has
called for increasing taxes
on individuals and corpora-
tions, putting some of the
wealthiest Americans in the
40 percent tax bracket. The
estate tax rate would jump
from 50 percent to 55 per-
cent.
While people await the
outcome of the tax package,
Mr. Beckwith said, fund-
raisers can take advantage
of potential tax saving
incentives for those who
donate to charity.
Endowments and estate
gift giving are big revenue
raisers, he said, adding that
the tax plan most likely
would have no impact on
these areas.
"When taxes are up, peo-
ple find more incentive to
give," he said. "You can
encourage greater gift giv-
ing than originally antici-
pated." ❑
task force created by
the Jewish Vocation-
al Service has made
headway in connect-
ing American businesses
with JVS employment spe-
cialists who help Russian
emigres find jobs with U.S.
firms.
"The objective (ultimate-
ly) is to match refugees
with jobs that make use of
their abilities — from a
warehouse worker to a sci-
entist and anything in
between," said Joel Jacob,
task force chairman.
The Refugee Employ-
ment Task Force was
formed late last year by 12
professionals who, through
their connections in the
business community, have
helped JVS get a foot in the
door of local companies.
"We're not saying we
want the businesses to hire
the refugees, but rather
just to meet with the
employment specialists at
JVS," Mr. Jacob said. "It's
been very successful."
So far, the task force has
put JVS in contact with six
businesses that have hired
refugees, including the
Kmart Corp.
"We want to build on
that and get more compa-
nies involved," Mr. Jacob
added. "We're looking for
people to sit on the task
force who have influence
with other companies.
Businesspeople tend to
know other people in busi-
ness."
The president of Sprayco
in Farmington Hills, Mr.
Jacob said he especially
hopes JVS will get an "in"
with drugstore chains.
These types of businesses,
he said, work with many
vendors. Opportunities for
networking, therefore, are
great, he said. ❑
Israel Independence
Day Joins Students
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
A
melia Letvin was busy
Sunday morning glu-
ing popsicle sticks
together in the shape
of a Star of David. She scat-
tered blue glitter across her
creation and tied a white
ribbon to it.
In preparation for Israel
Independence Day, students
in grades 3-8 of the
Congregational Religious
School met at Congregation
B'nai David to create paint-
ed posters, Star of David
necklaces, fabric Israeli
flags and sing Jewish songs.
It was the third time in
the first academic year of
the Congregational Reli-
gious School that students
from Congregations Beth
Abraham Hillel Moses, Beth
Achim and B'nai David
joined for a project.
Weekly, classes meet at
Beth Abraham Hillel Moses
and Beth Achim. B'nai
David students may attend
either location. In the fall,
all three congregations met
for a program on Jewish
views of Thanksgiving. In
March, they met again for a
mock Jewish wedding, brit
and babynaming.
"We're trying to build a
larger base of camaraderie
among the Conservative
Movement," said Barry
Levine, education director of
the Congregational
Religious School. "We're also
hoping the children will get
to know one another better
and create a greater spirit."
Shira Traison, a 5th-
grade student from B'nai
David, said she likes the
concept.
"I think it's a good idea
for kids who don't live by
each other to get together
and have fun," Shira said.
She quickly returned to
her green poster board with
red paint reading "Israel" in
Hebrew and English.
Amelia Letvin agreed. "I
think its a pretty good idea,"
Amelia said. "But I think it
would be better if we had
more time to just talk to
each other." ❑