Baseball In Israel
Gains In Popularity
60 years from now
a young mother will need an
emergency kidney transplant.
Thanks to your bequest today,
Hadassah will be them to help.
When you put Hadassah in your will, you're helping people in need for
generations to come. We've always been on the forefront of healing, research,
teaching and youth rescue in Israel. Withyour bequest our future will be as
glorious as our past. Please write today for our free brochure " Legacy for
Tomorrow." Or call 1-800-880-WILL.
HADASSAH
When there's a will there's a way.
HADASSAH, WILLS & BEQUESTS DEPARTMENT, 50 WEST 58TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019
ANNOUNCING..."EQUITY TRADE PROGRAM" WE PAYOFF YOUR TRADE!*
MEL FARR
TRADE IN YOUR PRESENT
VEHICLE WITH US TODAY
REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH
YOU OWE!*
REDUCED INTEREST RATES! LOWER LEASE PAYMENTS!
BUY OR LEASE NOW & SAVE!
• TOYOTA •
LINCOLN
MERCURY MAZDA • VW
A
1 NEW '94 MARK VI
NEW '94 CAMRY LE
"Over 25 at similar savings"
$335638
Stk. 1L40914, 4.6L, V8 eng., 4 spd., elec. W/OD,
elec. traction assist & much much more! $4,477
down, $300 sec. dep.
za AS
ms o E .
279,A.
YOUR CHOICE! SAME LOW PAYMENT!
w
CJ)
w
CC
F-
LJJ
0
LU
F-
18
NEW '94 TOWN CAR
$165990
159,,,„}
NEW '9 MAZDA 626 LX"
LEASE $
tlii:r4eM,Mod,o,a..ii r i, pswiri5plk. cdaesps.., tilt, cruise and
24 Mos.
"15 available at similar savings"
All alkt,
BUY $30,771)
BUY
$15,990
4,*51 8 279
121
'EXECUTIVE SERIES'
tk. #40900, 4.6L V8 eng., auto. W/OD & morel
\54,060 down, $300 sec. dep.
BUY
Stk. 14548. auto., air, luxury pkg., floor mats, tilt,
cruise. $3,500 down, $175 sec. dep.
LEASE $
24 Mos. S I
M
U/hL1.0)
1765 S.
CALL NOW! 24 HOUR INFORMATION CENTER
4178
Telegraph Rd.
Highland Rd.
Bloomfield
Waterford
Hills
1.800-MEL-FARR
With approved credit. Some deals may require additional down oymt. Certain restrictions apply. All prices plus tax. title, plate. lic.. doc. & destination or acouisition
fees. Vehicles w/zero down are plus 1st mos. pymt., sec. dep., plate, tax, title, lic. dest., doc. All prices include rebates assigned to dealer. All advertised pymts. are with
20% down unless otherwise specified. Leases alt require 1st ma. sec. dep., plus down pymt. Based on cony. financing. To get total pymt., mutt. pymt. by no. or mos.
Option to purchase at lease end for predetermined amt. Price determined at lease inception. 15,000 miles per yr. limit on leases. 110/mile excess (100 on Toyota) Leasee
resp. for excessive wear & tear. Sales Ends April 29, 1994 at 6 p.m.
Jerusalem (JTA) — After 15
years in the minor leagues of
Israel's sports hierarchy,
baseball and softball are
finally getting some respect.
While Little League will
probably never be as popular
in Israel as soccer or basket-
ball, more and more children
are showing up for batting
practice than ever before.
And, though not quite as
popular as its younger
counterpart, adult softball is
also gaining momentum.
Fifteen years ago, a bunch
of North American immi-
grants here decided to get
together once or twice a
week and play a few lei-
surely games of softball in
the park. There were no
sponsors, no budget and
hardly any equipment.
Today, the Israel Softball
Association, with a budget of
about $50,000, boasts 21
adult teams, which are spon-
sored by small businesses in
the community. They corn-
pete according to a strict
schedule, and travel around
the country for "away
games."
Little League baseball has
proved even more popular.
Established just six years
ago, the Israel Association of
Baseball has 70 teams, with
more joining the ranks all
the time. To date, there are
no organized baseball games
for the over-18 set.
Though many of the teams
resemble the Bad News
Bears — at least until the
children, 90 percent of whom
were born in Israel, learn
the difference between a foul
ball and a home run — some
are competing on the inter-
national level. Last year,
Israel's Little League team
placed third in the Mac-
cabiah games.
Organizers attribute
baseball's local success to a
variety of factors. These in-
clude the Little League's
strong Maccabiah finish and
the fact that American
baseball is finally getting
some air time on Israeli
television sets, thanks to the
introduction of a cable sports
channel a few years ago.
A third factor is funding.
Until two years ago,
baseball received virtually
no government funding, and
nothing at all from the coun-
try's popular sports lottery.
The Sport Toto, as it is
known, distributes tens of
millions of shekels to sports
facilities and teams
throughout Israel.
Until recently, the vast
majority of that money went
directly to soccer and
basketball. Feeling disen-
franchised, a group of
"orphan" sports joined
together and sued the Sport
Toto. They won, and the
baseball association was
awarded an annual budget
of $125,000.
The remainder of the
Little League budget of
$167,000 comes from the
Ministry of Education, Cul-
ture and Sport, corporate
sponsors (often a pizzeria,
insurance company or
clothing store), and players'
membership dues.
As important as the money
is, say the organizers, it is
just a drop in the proverbial
bucket. "Things are a lot
better than they used to be,
but we're still incredibly
short of funds," said Arthur
Lenk, chairman of the soft-
ball association and a
To date, there are
no organized
baseball games for
the over-18 set.
baseball association board
member.
"At least today we have
enough money to buy some
equipment, but there's still a
need for decent playing
fields and better equip-
ment," he said.
Asked where additional
funding might come from,
Mr. Lenk said he'd like to
find an overseas donor.
"We'd like to find someone
in America who loves Israel
and baseball, someone who
would like to make quality
baseball a reality in Israel."
In truth, the playing fields
and equipment at both Little
League and softball games
are woefully inadequate,
with the exception of a state-
of-the-art field at Kibbutz
Gezer, outside Jerusalem.
A recent Little League
game for 8- to 10-year-olds
would have made American
baseball fans shudder. The
game was played on a patchy
grass field with camel-like
humps and lumps. Except
for T-shirts provided by their
sponsors, most of the players
lacked basic equipment like
helmets and cleats. E,1