GENERALI ASSICURAZIONI GENERALI S.p.A. An Open Letter to the Families of Holocaust Victims Vietnam, Israel Sign Pact Jerusalem (JPFS) — Israel and Vietnam signed an agricultural agreement during Israel Agri- culture Minister Rafael Eitan's visit to Ho Chi Minh City. As part of the deal, Israel will donate $50 million for the creation of a joint research team on fruit tree development and a similar amount for the establishment of a 2.5-acre model vegetable pro- duction plant, including a nurs- ery, tomato-growing unit, and a sorting and packing area. The ministry said it hopes Vietnam will become a transit country for Israeli agricultural ex- ports to Asia. Israel May Charge Autos Jerusalem (JPFS) — The gov- ernment is considering charging a toll on all private vehicles en- tering the three major cities, based on a report presented to the cabinet by Treasury officials. As part of the plans for struc- tural changes in the economy, se- nior Treasury officials asked ministers to approve a series of measures to reduce traffic con- gestion in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. To discuss the toll proposal in more detail, Finance Minister Yaakov Neeman asked the cabi- net to agree to the immediate es- tablishment of an interministerial committee, which will report back before June 1, 1998. In addition to approving the es- tablishment of the committee, the Treasury also brought to the cab- inet a series of other proposals for transportation improvements in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa: * The creation of a program of public-transport-only routes in the city centers to be prepared by Dec. 30 and up and running by Dec. 31, 2000. The plans will not only include the routes, but also the order of preference for their construction. In Tel Aviv, the project will be coordinated with the anticipated routes of the metropolitan light railway. A similar constraint ap- plies to the preparation of the routes in Jerusalem and Haifa. A supervisory body, which will pre- vent private vehicle access to the new routes, will be operational prior to Jan. 1, 1998, under the joint auspices of the Transport and Internal Security ministries. * Inner-city public transport routes will be completely redraft- ed no later than June 30. These will be specifically designed to tie in with rail services, particularly in the Gush Dan area. * A complete overhaul of pub- lic transport information will be implemented by March 1. I n 1831, a group of Jewish merchants in what is now Italy founded a new insurance company called Assicurazioni Generali. During, the first months of 1832, it opened offices in the major cities of the Hapsburg Empire in Central and Eastern Europe. Following the split-up of that Empire at the end of World War I, Generali continued its prominent role in the insurance industry in the newly independent countries which emerged. During and after the dark years of World War II, Generali faced expropriations of its properties and the properties of its insureds. The racial laws of the Nazi and fascist era and the state action of Soviet-dominated regimes in Central and Eastern Europe severely damaged Generali's ability to do business there. The cold-war Communist regimes in Eastern Europe nationalized and expropriated all major businesses, seizing all of Generali's insurance businesses there, including its offices, 184 buildings and 14 companies controlled by Generali. As a result, Generali today has very little information and few records regarding policies issued by its former branches in Central and Eastern Europe. Throughout the years, the company has had a long affiliation with the Jewish people. This relationship has been reflected in its history, from its founding of the Migdal insurance company in 1930's Jewish Palestine, to its recent $320 million investment in Israel to assume the majority position in Migdal, today the leading insurer in the Jewish State. In reaffirming its historic commitment, Generali has also announced its decision to establish a fund of $12 million, to be administered by an independent committee in Israel, in honor of Generali policyholders who perished in the Holocaust. Fund monies will be given to organizations and public bodies dedicated to the eternalization of the memory of the Holocaust; to the assistance of Holocaust victims and their families through the provision of medical, psychological and other assistance; and may be applied by the independent committee for discretionary payments to those who held Generali policies issued before World War II in Central and Eastern Europe or their loved ones who survived them. In addition, a Policy Information Center is being established to provide families of Holocaust victims with information in Generali's possession about Generali policies which may have been issued to their loved ones during the pre-war era. Generali is in the process of computerizing whatever information it does have regarding policies held during the war. Specialists at the Policy Information Center will work with individuals to process their requests for information. A search of Generali's archives in Trieste will be conducted and available policy data will be forwarded to the requesting families. Data- from the archives will also be provided to Yad Vashern in Jerusalem to support its ongoing efforts to compile the names of all Holocaust victims. In response to Generali's decision to take these steps, Knesset Members Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, Chairman of the Finance Committee; Michael Kleiner, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Insurance; and Avraham Hirschson, Subcommittee Chairman of the Committee for Restitution of Jewish Property, wrote to the company: "We wish to confirm as most praiseworthy the establishment by you of a fund in Israel in memory of the people insured by Generali who perished in the Holocaust. We realize this to be a fulfillment of Generali's public obligation in memory of the Holocaust victims... We wish to welcome Generali's presence in Israel as a most welcome contribution to Israel's economy . .." If you would like to request an archival search on behalf of a relative who was insured by Generali in Central or Eastern Europe prior to or during World War II, call or write to the Policy Information Center at: 1-800-456-8174 Policy Information Center • 45 Rockefeller Plaza • Suite 2000 • New York, New York 10111-0100 In a visit to Israel this month, in meetings with President Weizman and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Generali Managing Director Gianfranco Gutty spoke of Generali feeling "committed to the memory of those of its insured in Central and East Europe who perished in the Holocaust." The Information Center and the decision to set up the $12 million fund are an expression of that feeling. Respectfully, ASSICURAZIONI GENERALI This material is distributed by Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter and Associates, Inc., 1850 NI Street, NW, Suite 550, Washington, D.C. 20036, on behalf of Assicura:ioni Generali, S.p.A., PiaLia Duca degli Abru::i, n. 2, 34132, Trieste, Ital. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. STEVE BROWN'S DON'T LET HOUSEHOLD PESTS HOLD YOU HOSTAGE! FIREPLACE & BARBECUE DIST. CALL THE ERADICO PROFESSIONALS! Eradico's safe and proven methods keep your home free of insects, rodents and other pests. Trust Eradico for an honest assessment of your needs and dependable, affordable service. Cockroaches • Ants • Fleas • Bees • Hornets • Wasps • Rats • Mice and any other pests. For a FREE inspection and estimate, Call Today! - rz. ma 2 =EL ri . z . iMin. MO AMP AM. ow. war—mum... MICHIGAN'S PREMIERE FIREPLACE & • • • • • 'MP 41111111. parr CONTROL Eradicate With &yak., Michigan's Largest Independent Pest Control Company For Service Throughout Southeastern Michigan Call: (248) 546-6200 frtit BBQ SHOWROOM Custom Mantels Granite & Marble Glass Doors Gas Logs Gas Grills FREE Shols)eitHceome v= (810) 547-6777 In The Warehouse District!! 6% Ia. MA .64 8 We A 10662 Northend Oak Park, Michigan Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 to 5:00 p.m. Sat. 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Or by Appointment VISIT OUR DESIGN CENTER AND SHOWROOM RECOMMENDED BY MICHIGAN'S TOP ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS & BUILDERS