President's Column

by Neal F. Zalenko, President, JNF Council of Michigan

0

OREN KAY/METH tEISRAEI.

CI)

FunD

17100 West
10 Mile Road

Southfield, MI
48075
Phone 557-6644

FAX: (810) 557-2412

:i n April 29, 1996 Prime Minister Shimon Peres met in Washington D.C. with 30 Jewish National Fund
(JNF) leaders and donors. The private meeting took place at Blair House, the residence for visiting
dignitaries. The opportunity to meet with a head of state is a great honor, but it was especially moving
to meet with an Israeli, a Jew and a real person. His warmth, humor and yiddishkite were apparent from the
moment he walked into the room.
The Prime Minister spoke, without notes, and in a casual and open style. His commitment to the healthy
ecological balance in Israel was apparent as he related the elements of his personal support for the efforts of
Jewish National Fund. He described the realities of the land and pointed out that 85% of the people in Israel
live on only 48% of the territory. Since the country is so small, eventually, some of the people will have to settle
in the other 52%. This area is mostly the Negev desert and is one area where JNF's help is critically needed.
With the aid of new agricultural technologies, confronting the obstacles of desert living is now possible.
Protecting the natural balance of clean air, water and land is a high priority for this government. JNF is a
recognized leader in developing and maintaining harmony with the land.
The Prime Minister spoke of the Jewish people having more depth then territory; more tradition than land;
and more intelligence than countryside. The vision for Israel has surpasse&the dream for its mere existence
and now requires a new vision and focus. Peres spoke of this new vision: an Israel that will evolve from being
"compensation for the Holocaust to a spiritual and educational center for all Jews." He asked, who is a Jew?
The answer currently is based on ones matriarchal lineage. In the future the answer will be "are your children
Jewish?."
The Prime Minister inspired all those present with his vision, beyond a time of war, to a time when Israel will
be a place we will go with our children and our grandchildren; to study, to learn, to touch our yiddishkite and
to practice and share the rich traditions of being a Jew. I hope to see all of you there sitting under the shade of a
JNF tree.

Young Leadership Golf Outing,
July 29, 1996

"Of Blessed
Memory"

Howard Meyers, Chairman,
announces that the 2nd annual
Young Leadership Golf Outing
will be held on Monday, July 29th
at Tanglewood Golf Course in
South Lyon, Michigan. The shot-
gun start will be at 9:00 a.m.
"We expect 144 golfers, which
will be a 40% increase over last
years successful event," stated Mr.
Meyers. "We offer a unique op-
portunity for all age golfers to

We mourn the loss of:
BELOVED MOTHER OF LU-
CILLE PLOTKIN, ANNE EL-
MAN, LEO TURTELTAUB,
JOSHUA FIRESTONE, MAR-
TIN FELDMAN, DAVID
DVORKIN, HERMAN GROSS-
MAN, LOUIS GREENBERG,
BERTRAM GORDON, JANET
HARRIS, LOIS LEIB, ALLEN
LEIDERMAN, SHIRLEY
MARKOWITZ, BERNARD
LEVIN, ROSE LOEB, ANN
AISEN, HANNAH BEILIS, VI-
VIAN CHAIFETZ, SARAH H.
SMITH, HARRY SCHWARTZ,
LORRAINE WEDGLE, SHEILA
PUTNAM, LILLIAN MOORE,
JOSEPH DOVITZ.

help raise camp scholarships for
needy Israeli children to attend
Israeli camps.
The cost of the outing includ-
ing continental breakfast, lunch,
green fees, carts, prizes, etc. is
$100.
For information on how you
can participate as a golfer or hole
sponsor, call Howard Meyers at
810-268-8650 or Jewish Nation-
al Fund office at 810-557-6644. ❖

Garden Donors Enrolled
As Of May 7, 1996:

We acknowledge with sincere
appreciation the following Gar-
den Donors who enrolled in the
Michigan Garden Club as of May
7, 1996:
YOLANDA TISDALE AND
FAMILY; THE GREEN'S, THE

ROSTON'S AND THE SIEGEL'S;
ANNE & EUGENE GREEN-
STEIN; THE BAR MITZVAH OF
ARI JOSHUA BRANDES; MELIS-
SA & LAWRENCE LAX;
FRIENDS AT JEWISH COMMU-
NITYCENTER

HOLD THE DATE!!!!!

GOVERNOR JOHN ENGLER TREE OF LIFE AWARD
DINNER MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1996
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN

Golden Book
Subscribers As Of
May 7, 1996:

Golden Book subscribers help
the JNF continue land reclama-
tion in Israel. We salute the fol-
lowing contributors for Golden
Books as of May 7, 1996:
DOREEN & DAVID HER-
M E LI N ; MARILYN KARBAL,
THE BRANT'S AND THE
DAVIS'.

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17p1)Vh"

"And You Shall
Teach Your
Children"

The following letter was re-
ceived at our office and is self-ex-
planitory. The Jewish National
Fund applauds Danny, Mr. &
Mrs. Alexander Akkerman, and
Temple Israel's Tyner Religious
School for this wonderful re-
sponse:

Jewish National Fund
17100 W. Ten Mile Road
Southfield, Michigan 48075.

When I become a Bar Mitzvah
here at Temple Israel, I must do
some mitzvahs to help Jewish
causes. I have decided to send
money to the Jewish National
Fund to help the State of Israel.
I saved up this money from my
birthdays in the past. I was told
you would do projects for Israel

such as forestation, water, chil-
dren's camps, and resettlement
of Soviet Jews. I hope my dona-
tion will make Israel a better
place instead of a big desert. Now
I can go to bed knowing that I
have begun to do my share in be-
ing a good Jew and helping oth-
ers.

CC) •

N-

T

Sincerely,

Danny Alderman

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