THE JEWISH NEWS
FRONT
This Week's Top Stories
Rejecting
Communism
New Americans
breathe a collective
sigh of relief over
Yeltsin's victory.
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
atasha Garbuzov is a transla-
tor at the Jewish Federation
Apartments' (JFA) Prentis
building, where many of the el-
derly residents sat glued to their tele-
vision sets watching broadcasts on
last week's election in the former So-
viet Union.
"Many of the seniors don't speak
English, and to them an event in Rus-
sia is like it is happening here," she
said. "Some still have family across
the ocean, and all are for
Betya
(Boris) Yeltsin because
Datsenko:
they suffered under Com-
Watching
munism and don't want
and waiting. i
t back."
There are 135 New Americans liv-
ing in JFA's Prentis building in Oak
Park.
"You can't break all the ties from
your former country," said Rivka
Latinskaya. "You still want the
N
COMMUNISM page 7
Sign Of The Times?
• •
A startling vision greets drivers along 1-696.
'42 a Zitif
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ou may be the type to ig-
nore billboards — you
don't care about the
world's best restaurant
just 5 miles ahead and you're not
looking for a motel where $39.95
a night means cable TV, too —
but this one is certain to catch
your attention.
Located in Warren on the west
side of the 1-696 service drive
near Groesbeck Highway, a mas-
sive red sign shows a graphic pic-
ture of a bloodied, half-dead child
and calls on passersby to "Stop
the Aggression in Lebanon! End
Israel Occupation! PLEASE
HELP!"
Both the Anti-Defamation
League and the Jewish Commu-
nity Council are aware of the
sign. The first to express concern
to the ADL was a gentile woman;
a few Jews, but certainly not an
outpouring, have since phoned.
That so few in the Jewish com-
munity seem to be aware of the
billboard may not be surprising
considering the fact
that it stands on the
It may be
east side, where only
offensive,
a handful of Jews
but it can't
be removed.
live.
But those who
happen upon the sign remain
mystified by one obvious omis-
sion: Who put it there?
There's no phone number at
the bottom, and no organization
has taken credit for its place-
ment. Of course, there is defi-
nitely a group behind this
billboard, though finding out ex-
actly who it is can be something
n
End Israeli Occupation!
PLEASE HELP!
RAILEASE
AIM
2111!
of a challenge.
The billboard is owned by a
company called Railease, hardly
a prominent name among out-
door advertisers. Spokesmen for
some of the leading billboard
companies in metropolitan De-
troit had never even heard of it.
Nor is Railease listed in any of
the major business directories.
It turns out, however, that
Railease is in our own back yard.
Though not included in local
phone books or with directory in-
formation, it is affiliated with Mc- —
Donald Advertising, which is
based in Southfield. McDonald
Advertising also is not listed.
Railease has rented the sign
to the Lebanese-American Her-
SIGN page 21
3