Trekking For Trade
0.
Gov. Engler traversed Israel on his first-ever trade
mission to the Holy Land.
PHOTO BY NEAL DUCHIN
NEAL DUCHIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Gov. Engler visits Yad Vashem.
ith entrepreneurial de-
termination, Gov. John
Engler enthusiastical-
ly passed out his He-
brew-English business cards to
Israelis.
Accompanied by a 15-member
delegation from Michigan, Gov.
Engler traveled the length of Is-
rael on his first-ever trade trip
there. At the end
of his three-day
visit, the delega-
tion met with
Jordanian offi-
cials and Pales-
tinian Authority
representatives
before traveling
to northern Italy.
The trip, co-
sponsored by the
Jewish Commu-
nity Council of
Metropolitan De-
troit and the Jew-
ish Federation of
Metropolitan De-
troit, was delayed
for over a year be-
cause of Ameri-
can and Israeli
elections. Bob
Aronson, execu-
tive vice president
of the Federation,
commented that
the trip "took a lot
of planning, but it was well worth
it."
Gov. Engler was accorded VIP
treatment that is customarily of-
fered to heads of state and other
foreign dignitaries. He visited the
Old City of Jerusalem and Yad
Vashem and participated in a
wreath-laying ceremony at for-
mer Prime Minister Yitzhak Ra-
bin's gravesite. Israeli military
officials provided the governor
with a helicopter tour of the
Golan Heights, explaining its
strategic importance to Israeli
security.
He also met with both Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
and opposition leader Shimon
Peres, and stopped at Phoenicia
American-Israel Glass Indus-
tries, a factory in the Central
Galilee that is partially owned by
Detroiters William Davidson and
David Hermelin. There, he met
and talked with Israeli Trade
Minister Natan Sharansky.
At the center of the governor's
mission was the signing of a
"Strategic Trade Program" dur-
ing his visit to the Central
Galilee — which is designated as
a region for cultural and eco-
nomic exchange between the
Jewish Federation and Israel.
And while it contains no specif-
ic trade provisions, the trade pro-
gram is regarded as an
important blueprint for future
agreements.
The governor remarked that
the "highly technological devel-
opments in Israel are very excit-
ing," particularly with regard to
automotive-related applications.
Israel's abundance of highly
skilled engineers could comple-
ment the natural resources and
the industrial base that exist in
Michigan, he said.
"I know that what he re-
marked on at our closing dinner
was the strong foundation that
has already been built between
Israel and Michigan, particular-
ly in the Partnership 2000 region,
and he saw many specific oppor-
tunities for joint business ven-
tures and other forms of
collaboration," said Jewish Com-
munity Council Executive Di-
rector David Gad-Harf, a
member of the delegation.
'We hope there will be a fol-
low-up trip that will bring busi-
nesspeople from Michigan to
Israel, where there will be real
discussion between business-
people and their counterparts."
. Michigan exports $97.3 mil-
lion worth of goods and services
to Israel and close to $30 billion
in exports worldwide, making
the state the fourth biggest ex-
TREKKING page 12
DETROIT FRIENDS OF
ALYN HOSPITAL
invite you to join in an evening of support of Israel's only
long term Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Center
for Physically Handicapped Children.
Ol
°UR-)
honoring
MARK L. DIEM, D.O.
One Of Our
Community's Finest Volunteers
Monday Evening, June 16, 1997
7:30 p.m.
A Dessert Reception
will be held at the home of Barbara and Michael Horowitz
Robert Stewart Photography
GUARDIAN ANGEL PROGRAM
This year's fund raising efforts focus on the long-term care of youngsters who
have suffered head trauma in injuries, thus necessitating comprehensive individu-
alized multi-disciplinary treatment programs. Alyn Hospital is the primary referral
center for on-going care for severe head injury patients throughout Israel.
Minimum Donation $118.00 (per person)
Please R.S.V.P. to Miriam Goldberg, President, at 248-737-2209 by June 9th.
These are the services that set us apart...
from new construction management, to furniture on the cutting
edge of design, to the simple addition of the right accessory...
our clients will be the first to tell you...
the finished project speaks for itself.
32506 Northwestern Highway
Farmington Hills, MI • (248) 851-7540
•