COMPILED BY STEVE STEIN

A Bicentennial
Celebration
In St. Thomas

The St. Thomas Synagogue was built In 1833.

uestion: The oldest
synagogue in con-
tinuous use under
the American flag is locat-
ed in what city? If you said,
"St. Thomas, in the Virgin
Islands," give yourself a
pat on the back.
The historic St. Thomas
Synagogue, constructed on
Synagogue Hill in 1833, at-
tracts thousands of tourists
each year. The synagogue
actually dates to 1796,
when the Hebrew Congre-
gation of St. Thomas was
founded.
To commemorate 200
years of Jewish life in St.
Thomas, an international

bicentennial celebration is
planned for August 1995
through June 1996.
Activities include an
original Sephardic service
as it was performed 200
years ago; an interfaith
Passover seder for more
than 1,000 participants; a
performance by violinist
Itzhak Perlman; a speech
by U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Gins-
burg; and entertainment
by national and interna-
tional celebrities.
For information, call the
bicentennial hotline at 1-
800-628-3943.

g hE,xichare cilliwight

T

he Parents of North Ameri-
Founded in 1974, the all-vol-
can Israelis (PNAI)has pub- unteer PNAI operates without
lished a 32-page Guide & fund-raising. It originally was an
Reference for Families with Off- educational and support organi-
spring in Israel.
zation for parents with one or
It contains 12 sections of in- more children living in Israel, but
formation on topics
it recently opened
such as financial
its membership to
and employment
children, siblings,
resources for olim
grandparents and
(immigrants), ser-
other close rela-
vice in the Israeli
tives of North
army, absentee vot-
American Israelis.
ing, passports,
For information
birth certificates
about PNAI and
and taxes.
the guide, contact
Other topics in-
Leonard Eisen-
clude buying prop-
berg, international
erty in Israel,
vice president for
shipping to Israel,
membership,
bank accounts and The "Climb'n Hug" toy.
13618 Whippet
money transfers,
Way West, Delray
things to do in Israel beyond Beach, FL 33484, or Lester Har-
tourism, boosting Israel's econo- ris, international president, 7229
my, travel tips and telephone Stanford, University City, MO
plans.
63130.

Tree Is A Memorial to Mrs. Onassis

D

DETRO IT J EWIS H NEWS

uring a 1978 visit
to the Jewish Na-
tional Fund's John
F. Kennedy Memorial in
the hills of Jerusalem,
Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis planted a tree
which now stands in her
memory.
Mrs. Onassis, who died
last month at age 64,
planted a sapling near the
memorial next to those
planted earlier by Sen.
and Mrs. Edward Ken-
nedy, Lee Radziwill (her
sister) and Robert
Sergeant Shriver (her
brother-in-law).
After entering the
memorial, Mrs. Onassis
stood in silence next to the
eternal flame in the cen-
ter that is a replica of the
one that burns at Presi- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis plants a tree near
dent Kennedy's tomb the John F. Kennedy Memorial.
in Arlington National
Cemetery.
side a bas relief impression of her
She also laid a wreath along- late husband's face, and signed

the guest book on a page set
aside for visiting members of the
Kennedy family.
The memorial is in the shape
of a truncated tree, symbolizing
the life of a man who died too
soon.

Security for
Synagogues

Climbs arid Hugs

N

ew on the market is a
"Climb'n Hug" toy in-
vented by an Israeli fa-
ther. Climb'n Hug in an
interactive ladder game that
strengthens muscles and im-
proves balance and hand-eye co-
ordination for both parent and
child.
The five-rung ladder is made
from artificial fabrics and meets

safety requirements in both
North America and Europe. In
Israel, the toy was tested and ap-
proved by the Wingate Institute's
Department for Sports Medicine.
Climb'n Hug is being sold
worldwide by New Product Re-
sources Ltd., P.O. Box 579, 40201
Kfar Vitkin, Israel. Telephone
number is 972-9-663203. Fax is
972-9-663673.

A

ttention, synagogues:
Copies of the free Securi-
y for Synagogues pam-
phlet are available by writing
the Harry and Jane Fischel
Foundation, 60 East 42nd
Street, New York, N.Y. 10165.
Most of the pamphlet is corn-
posed of portions of the Securi-

What's Wrong With The Word `Jew'?

ordPerfect 6.0's new
and improved Gram-
matik style and gram-
mar-checker will not contain a
suggestion that infuriated a user,
according to an item in New York
magazine.
Mark Charendoff, director of
the Institute for Jewish Learn-
ing in Toronto, wrote a letter,
then checked it through Gram-
matik.

When the word Jew was high-
lighted, the program said, "Pejo-
rative. Avoid this offensive term."
That was the blanket statement.
No examples were given.
Grammatik also warns users
not to use the word girl, sug-
gesting "young person, young
woman or woman." Stewardess
and chairman also are frowned
upon because they are too gen-
der-specific.

ty for Community Institutions
handbook, published by the
Anti-Defamation League.
The remainder deals with
safeguarding Torah scrolls
against theft and fire as well as
other special needs for syna-
gogues. This part was written
by a special committee of the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Con-
gregations and the National
Council of Young Israel.

An Israeli father devised a "Climb'n Hug" toy while playing with his children.

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