Business While no area agencies have gone out of business due to the latest cut in airline commissions, none are waiting for the next cut to happen. Shapiro sees a darker future. As a member of the board of the Associa- tion of Retail Travel Agents, she pre- dicts smaller agencies will merge with larger ones while others will shut their doors forever. Still, other agents remain opti- mistic. Lana Gordon of Lana Gordon Travel plans to withhold any addition- al fees for airline tickets, in part because she handles mostly European and Israel travel and cruises already. "I can and will absorb the loss. I will bite the bullet," she said. "That is part of business." Ambassador and Mrs. David B. Hermelin ❑ Their Heads High In the face of heavy competition from South Africa, Israeli ostrich producers have earned a worldwide reputation for high-quality products. We say so long and not goodbye Wishing you the best of luck in Norway. We will miss you. Ronald Riback President The Goldman.-Hermelin Education Foundation NICKY BLACKBURN Special to The Jewish News A Steven Margolin President Hillel Day School • EVAN PICONE • MARTINEZ VALERO • PEPE IMENEZ • BANDOLINO • SESTO MEUCCI • VS • MON.-SAT. 10-6 t‘ t (1) 0 ALL FALL SF AIAWINTER 50 /0 OFF SELECTED WINTER 20% OFF AND FASHION BOOTS Starting Friday, December 5th (previous sales & evening shoes excluded) CRUISEWEAR ARRIVING DAILY 0 12/5 1997 G. SHOE GALLERY 15 Mile and Orchard Lake Road — West Bloomfield 248.85105470 150 • EVAN PICONE • MARTINEZ VALERO • 1 CM • 0 0 PEPE IMENEZ • BANDOLINO • SESTO MEUCCI • VS • s popular legend would have it, the founding of Israel's ostrich industry was a cloak-and-dagger-style operation which even the Mossad would have been proud of. In 1982, so the story goes, a Dutch-Israeli made the trip to South Africa, the largest ostrich producer in the world, bought some eggs and furtively smuggled them back into Israel. In due time, the eggs hatched, and lo, a new industry was born. The real story, however, is a little more dull. True, the industry was founded when an Israeli brought back eggs from South Africa, but there was nothing illegal about the transaction. Fabricated though the story is, like all myths, it imparts an important mes- sage: a potent mixture of Israeli chutz- pah and initiative helped found what has, within a very short time, turned into a highly successful industry. In less than 15 years, Israel has become the world's second largest pro- ducer of ostriches after South Africa and a leading pioneer in the field.