12 MONTH
CERTIFICATE

5,25%
5,35%,

Access To Israel
Is Virtually Unlimited

INTEREST RATE

A.P.Y.

GABRIEL LEVENSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

T

he physically challenged —

slow walking, wheelchair-
bound, deaf, sightless —
can now enjoy virtually un-
limited access to Israel, in a tour
program just inaugurated by an
enterprising and enlightened
travel agency, appropriately
named "AccessAbility Travel."
Trained guides, special equip-
ment and the involvement of the
agency's principal officers in the
program empower disabled par-
ticipants to experience the natur-
al wonders of the Jewish state, its
history and its culture — almost
as fully as "enabled" travelers.
The founder of AccessAbility, I.
Jay Levitts, is a Vietnam veteran
who saw the consequences of war
first-hand, he says, and is a mem-
ber of the board of trustees of the

60 MONTH
CERTIFICATE

5,5(yo
161%

INTEREST RATE

A.P.Y./'

These are fixed rate certificates of deposit that are insured by Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC). A minimum opening deposit and balance of $500.00
is required to obtain the stated Annual Percentage Yield.

group, the sightseeing and the
pace of the sightseeing are se-
lected to meet the particular re-
quirements of the non-walking
participants; a lift-equipped mo-
torcoach is available which al-
lows up to six wheelchair users
to remain in their own wheel-
chairs while they tour.
For deaf participants, an ASL
(American Sign Language) in-
terpreter accompanies the group.
The AccessAbility/Amir pro-
grams for the blind include a
more tactile approach, with
Braille and additional audio in-
formation. The rough stone sur-
faces of sites like the Western
Wall, the smooth marble surfaces
of the statuary in the Billy Rose
Sculpture Garden, the textile ex-
hibits at the Israel Museum, the

01e*****.

Cr

Flagstorr Bank

*4'4'

Deposits

* 7.1s

Federally Insured

to 5.100,000

*

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Beck
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IENDEA

CALL (810)338-7700 or (810)352-7700

*4 '444***

Main Office 2600 Telegraph Rd. Bloomfield Hills, Mi 48302

-

Annual percentage yield when compounded quarterly. Rate is accurate as of 2/16/96. Penalty for early withdrawal from certificate accounts may be assessed.

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LANE KIMBALL TRUBEY

Award-winning dedignd <liiue

1968

(/)

LLJ

goldsmith and platinum jeweller

UJ

No flea market 4- 0: No Lalique doorknobd.

CC

<Incit

-or_eriLive_ry
in the Motor City.
the finedt made-to
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Ask anybody.

LU

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F-

[8 1 0] 541 2978 for more information or an appointment

-

54

1205 north main street • royal oak • adjacent free parking

Genesis Fund, an organization
that raises funds and awareness
for children born with birth de-
fects and genetic disorders. Judith
Perry, director of the agency, is
the mother of a daughter who was
born with cerebral palsy and died
at the age of 20.
Representing AccessAbility in
Israel is the Jerusalem-based
Amir Agency, which, for the past
15 years, has specialized in tours
for people with visual, hearing
and mobility impairments. Each
Amir escorted group tour is
specifically tailored for the indi-
viduals comprising the group.
The day before a given tour
gets under way, an Amir repre-
sentative will go over the route,
to ensure there are no obstacles
or potholes to impede wheelchair
movement, and to make certain
that the facilities on the itiner-
ary have been alerted to receive
the tour group appropriately.
If it is a mobility-impaired

bark of the tree planted in a Jew-
ish National Fund forest, the salt
taste of the Dead Sea, the fra-
grance of an orange grove, the
smell of coffee brewing on Ben
Yehuda Street, the rustle of
leaves, the sounds and smells of
an open air market roast ... each
yields its own character through
touch, taste, smell and sound.
Ms. Perry points out that there
are approximately 50 million dis-
abled Americans, with very few
travel-related businesses focused
on serving this enormous seg-
ment of our population. Access-
Ability tours are geared for the
disabled, both those who can get
around on their own and those
who need to bring along on their
trips companions or attendants.
In short, the market for the dis-
abled is actually double, approx-
imating 100 million, including
both the disabled themselves and
the persons who accompany
them.

