Holiday RTNWM a,VAM I IV , Israel's Sela Program Helps Student Orphans SHARONA MARCOVITCH Special to The Jewish News t was Wishing You Another Picture Perfect Year! Lieberman Photography Look for us at our NEW location in Crosswinds Mall 248-851-7340 L A Very Happy and • Healthy New Year to All Our Friends and Family and Customers I Wir:F4U11 ..2_1111 •11 COMPLETE PRINTING & COPYING SERVICES (810) 559-2230 28635 Southfield Road Lathrup Village, Michigan 48076 Fax: (810) 559-8510 The Management and Staff of CHARTER HOUSE BARBER SHOP ON THE BOARDWALK Wish Their Customers and Friends The Very Best Of Health, Happiness & Prosperity In The New Year difficult saying good- bye to my parents," recalled Dimitry Bersbn, a 17-year- old student from Moscow, who is enrolled in the Jewish Agency for Israel Sela program. The Jewish Agency is the main overseas beneficia- ry of the Allied Jewish Campaign. "They insisted I come but I could see it was really painful for them to see me go. They persuaded me that it was time for me to leave Russia. They said there is anti-Semitism and there is crime. They convinced me that I would get much better educa- tion in Israel." Mr. Berson is one of 82 students residing at the Jewish Agency's Ibim Student Village near Sderot in the Northern Negev. Sela is a Hebrew acronym for "Students in Israel Without Parents." Participants are all high school graduates from the for- mer Soviet Union who want to fur- ther their studies and who are pre- pared to make aliyah in advance of their families. Despite their own disbelief in the future of Russia, it does not seem likely that Mr. Berson's parents will follow him to Israel in the near future. But a lot depends on how well Mr. Berson succeeds in meeting his parent's expectations. Mr. Berson is attending an eight- month course at Ibim, which began with a four-month basic Hebrew ulpan, followed by a four month pre- academic preparation program at near- by Sha'ar HaNegev Regional College. Mr. Berson acknowledged that he became "a bit depressed and home- sick" after his first six weeks away from home, but that soon passed. "The winter sunshine is really uplift- ing when I think about the cold in Moscow. And I've made some really good friends at Ibim." Gadi Zohar, the coordinator of the Sela program at Ibim, is optimistic about Mr. Berson's future in Israel. Based on his experience since the pro- gram began one year ago, Mr. Zohar is confident that Berson and his Colleagues will fulfill the expectations of the Jewish Agency program. Mr. Berson, who plans to study business administration at Tel Aviv University after he concludes the Sela program at Ibim, is already infatuated with his new surroundings. Sharona Marcovitch writes for the United Jewish Appeal. Dimitry Berson "Israel is much more attractive country than I anticipated," explained Mr. Berson. "I hope my parents will follow the advice they gave me. Israel is the real future of the Jewish people." No-Shot Flu Vaccine The world's first influenza vaccine in the form of nose drops has been found safe and effective and is in the process of being approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and other govern- ment bodies. The vaccine has been tested on 51 medical students, 24 of them given one dose and others two doses. None suffered side effects, and a single dose was enough to provide immunity. the successful clinical trials were announced by Professor Zichria Zakay-Rones, a senior virologist at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, who headed a team that has worked on the new vaccine deliv- ery system for six years. Developing the flu vaccine was a complex procedure, using three cur- rent strains of killed flu virus that can be absorbed effectively through the mucous membranes, instead of going directly into the blood stream. In conventional flu vaccine, virus < antibodies are created and remain pri- marily in the blood; this only pro- vides partial protection because the virus first enters the body via the res- piratory system, where it begins to multiply. — WZPS