It's A Snap ISRAEL DIGEST' Specially compiled by The Jerusalem Post —$1 EQUALS 2.9800 NIS (shekels) - Close Price 10/15193— Kids say Kmart/Kodak program is picture-perfect. Consumer Prices Jump 1 Percent STEVE STEIN STAFF WRITER The Consumer Price Index in Israel shot up 1 percent in March as rising housing prices continued to fan inflation. Central Bureau of Statistics economists now estimate in- flation for 1994 will be 10 per- cent. The government has set its goal for inflation this year at 8 percent. Treasury economists were caught by surprise, expecting a price rise of about half a per- T hey learned about the en- flower bed; Amanda picked ducks and sunsets. The 'needed im- vironment and they swimming in a lake near her provement' shots were of things learned about photogra- home; and Greg captured a scene like water pollution and garbage. phy. Best of all, it was fun, of birds on a beach at Sanibal Is- I thought everyone did a great and they'd recommend it to oth- land on the Gulf of Mexico while job." er kids. he was on vacation. Celebrity photographer Linda That was the consensus of What did the youngster's learn Solomon of Birmingham came up three second-graders at Eagle El- about photography through "It's with the idea for the "It's A Snap" ementary in the Farmington A Snap"? program and presented it to School District who participated "Keep the main part of the Kmart, which tested it in sever- in the new nation-wide "It's A photo in the middle of the pic- al areas in 1992. Snap! Using Cameras in the Cur- ture," said Greg, whose grandfa- The Troy-based retailer was riculum" program sponsored by ther is photographer Leo Knight. pleased with the test results, so the Kmart Corp. and Eastman "The line of the horizon must it decided to go nation-wide this Kodak Co. be straight," Jamie said. "And year and it joined forces with Ko- Jamie Hillenberg, 8, Greg don't move when you're taking a dak. Approximately 250,000 Shumer, 7, and Amanda Segal, picture." youngsters across the country, 7, were among approximately 70 'Don't get too close to your sub- including an estimated 5,000 in second-graders in three classes ject," Amanda said. Detroit, are taking part in "It's A at Eagle who took Snap." six pictures of things Ms. Solomon is in the environment the spokesperson they considered for the program. beautiful and six of She's been criss- areas that needed crossing the coun- improvement. try in recent weeks Each Eagle stu- visiting schools dent in the "It's A and doing inter- Snap" program re- views. ceived a Kodak Fun She also nar- Time 35mm single- rates a 20-minute use camera and the videotape on the photos were devel- basics of photogra- oped free by Kmart. phy which is used When the shots in the curriculum. were returned, the Ms. Solomon children were asked will judge the to select their best national contest, one. taking a look at Those pictures, approximately along with captions 7,500 entries to written by the kids, pick the top are posted on a dis- three winners. play at Eagle locat- "Studying ed in the hallway photography is across from the an excellent Greg Shumer, Amanda Segal and Jamie main office. way for chil- Hillenberg sta nd in front of the "It's A Beginning May Snap" display at Eagle Elementary School. dren to build 15, the start of "Kids self-esteem and Week at Kmart," the display will All three students confidence," be at Eagle's Kmart partner store are in Kristin Mar- said Ms. on Orchard Lake Road between tin's class at Eagle. Solomon, who 13 and 14 Mile roads in Farm- Ms. Martin called the has taught stu- ington Hills. General manager "It's A Snap" pro- dents as young Jerry Takis and office manager gram "valuable, ben- as age 3. Katie Smith are the store's "It's eficial and a positive "This is the A Snap" liasions with the school. experience for the most reward- Every Eagle student in the kids. They were very ing project I've program will receive a "Certifi- enthusiastic about it. ever done," she cate of Achievement" and the Maybe some of these Linda Solomon, nationally known added. "I got photojournalist and "It's a Snap!" school's grand-, first- and second- youngsters will make spokesperson. my first cam- place winners will be entered in photography or tak- era when I was a national contest. ing care of our environment their 5, so I know how photography Jamie, Greg and Amanda all career because of what they can change your life. I think you selected one of their "beautiful" learned. learn to appreciate life more photos as their best. Jamie took "Most of the kids' beautiful' when you're interested in pho- a shot of a neighbor's rock and photos were of trees, water, birds tography." ❑ cent for last month. But Jonathan Katz, head of Eco nomic Modeling and Forecast- ing, expected the higher index based on the increase of hous- ing prices at the end of last year. Mr. Katz said in the coming months he expects to see the moderating impact of the stock market's sharp downturn ear- lier this year on housing prices. Problems Threaten Economy Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce economists re- ported that although there are no significant signs of a slow- down, political and security problems are threatening the Israeli economy with instabili- ty. According to the economists, most indicators until the end of last month were positive. Tax revenues were up,industrial production rose, imports of pro- duction inputs and of machin- ery and equipment increased, retail trade expanded and the number ofjob seekers fell. The only negative indicators were the drop in industrial ex- ports and in job offers. The re- cent closure will have a harsh impact on agriculture and on building. The economists esti- mate the harm suffered by the housing industry will have wider repercussions on the economy, affecting growth and pushing up interest rates. Employment Picture Brightens The number of Israeli jobless along with some worrying who registered with the Em- trends - more jobless going ployment Service last month longer without work, resistance dropped 5.3 percent, following to positive change in the Negev the trend of the 7.6 percent and other depressed areas, drop in February. jobless who are not ready to But Minister of Labor and take the work available and a Social Affairs Ora Namir pre- grim picture ofjob offers. sented the positive statistics More Wool For Laura Ashley Polgat Industries' textile plant in Ofakim, Israel, is expected to increase its sales of wool fab- rics to British fashion house Laura Ashley this year by.66 percent. In 1993, the factory export- ed 3.5 million meters of wool fabric, mainly to Great Britain and the United States. Last year the plant had $60 million worth of total sales. The Tourists Are Coming! The Hebron massacre appar- ently did not deter many tourists to Israel last month as some 177,100 of them visited, the Central Bureau of Statis- tics reported. The March figures represent a 37 percent jump in visitors compared to the previous month. During the first quar- ter of the year, 415,800 tourists visited, an 18 percent increase compared to the previous quar- ter.