RUTH ROVNER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS PHOTO BY RUTH ROVNER Low Prices To Lots Of Places Everyday. On Martha's Vineyard: Beaches, Bluffs, Judaism Victorian architecture in Oak Bluffs. Greyhound makes it so easy to get there with low fares everyday on every bus. just walk up and buy your ticket. We can take you to over 2400 destinations around the country. To find out about low fares and convenient schedules, call 1 800 231 2222. - - - From Detroit to: Atlanta $59 Grand Rapids $19 Chicago $26 Indianapolis $32 Cincinnati $30 Louisville $40 Cleveland $20 New York $55 Columbus $23 Pittsburgh $33 Go Greyhound. and leap the diving to us. 1995 Greyhound Lines, Inc. Prices subject to change. Some restrictions and limitations may apply. Israel 5N1V' Europe, Jordan, Egypt and more... Airfares discounted more than 30% Hotels, Daily Tours, Tour Packages Private Guided Tours & Group Tours Canary Islands winter escape! One week from $649 incl. (312) 878-0407 Et (800) 878-0407 Galilee Tours r. trip air from NYC or Boston 6 nts hotel, tours & more c oa en i Ag o: oe ft s y of Travel Telephone 810 647 9660 CLASSIFIED GET RESULTS! Call The Jewish News 1-800-860-9660 354.5959 hilcgrill in Travel ,149 Pierce Street, Birmingham, MI 48009 - - S ituated out on the Atlantic Ocean seven miles from Cape Cod, Martha's Vine- yard is one of the Eastern seaboard's most popular vacation spots. Every summer, its population swells from 14,000 to almost 90,000. Celebrities have summer homes here; and tourists come for a day or a week, taking the ferry from Wood's Hole or Fal- mouth. Spring and fall weekends, too, are popular times for week- end getaways. What draws so many visitors, whether for a day or a season, is a tranquil island with miles of paved bike paths, secluded beach- es, wildlife preserves — woods, salt marshes, meadows — and lush vegetation. In fact, the island got its un- usual name when explorer and seaman Batholomew Gosnold an- chored here back in the 1600s and found wild grapes. He named the vineyard for his daughter Martha, and soon Martha's Vine- yard was the name of the entire island . True to its name, the is- land today has a vineyard and a winery producing fine wines. Each of the three main towns on the island has its own partic- ular attractions. In Edgartown, the Vineyard Museum is a col- lection of buildings that preserve and interpret the island's histo- ry. Oak Bluffs is home to the na- tion's oldest carousel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It also features an array of ornate Victorian ar- chitecture. And Vineyard Haven has a special attraction for Jewish trav- elers. A 150-year-old Greek revival building on Center Street is head- quarters for the Martha's Vine- yard Hebrew Center, a Reform congregation. Visitors are often surprised to fine a Jewish community on this rural island. But in fact, the Jew- ish presence on the island dates back to the early 1900s. "At that time, there were just three Jewish families," says Arthur Wortzel, president of the congregation. "Then, by the 1940s, 15 families got together to form a congregation." They purposely called their congregation a "center," explains Mr. Wortzel. "It was intended as a meeting place. But there was no resident rabbi and they con- ducted services themselves." Over the years, as more Jew- ish families began to take vaca- tions on the island; the congregation expanded and members began to hold Shabbat services officiated by visiting rab- bis. Today it's a 400-member con- gregation with its own rabbi, Joshua Plaut, who serves the con- gregation half-time; he's also rab- bi for Hillel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cam- bridge.