This Week

Sylvia Babcock 's
luvestmed in Tomorrow

"I want to inspire Jewish children to remain Jewish,
to explore their roots and come away with memories
of Israel that will remain with them always. The
Jewish Life Fund is a way of involving myself in the
Jewish continuity of our people."

IT

hen it comes to Jewish continuity,
Sylvia Babcock has plenty of hands-on
experience.

At 86, she's slowed down a bit, but she's
still active and interested in Jewish life —
volunteering with the Leonard N. Simons •
Jewish Community Archives and the Jewish
Historical Society of Michigan, among others.
A 60-year contributor to Federation's Annual
Campaign, she's a blue-ribbon member of the
Quarter Century Club.

participants will grow. So, with her gift to
the Jewish Life Fund, she's going to help
make it happen.

Sylvia's not looking for a reward. But, if one
youngster returns from Israel a stronger Jew,
she says, that will be payment enough.

THE JEWISH LIFE FUND
Helping to ensure our Jewish future

THE BLUMENSTEIN FAMILY YOUNG ADULT ISRAEL MISSIONS

FUND • THE IRWIN & BETHEA GREEN COLLEGE LIFE FUND •

NORA LEE & GUY BARRON PARTNERSHIP 2000 PEOPLE-TO-

PEOPLE FUND • THE MADELEINE & MANDELL L. BERMAN FAMILY

EDUCATION FUND • THE JANE & D. LARRY SHERMAN FAMILY

ISRAEL EXPERIENCE FUND • THE DR. MILTON & LOIS SHIFFMAN

DAY SCHOOL TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM • THE CENTER FOR

CONGREGATIONAL EXCELLENCE, SUPPORTED BY THE WILLIAM

DAVIDSON AND DAVID & DOREEN HERMELIN FAMILIES

But Sylvia isn't one to live in the past.
For her grandchildren and those who will
come after them, she's investing in tomorrow.
That's why she established the Sylvia Babcock
Jewish Life Fund.

Her gift — part of The Jane and D. Larry
Sherman Family Israel Experience Fund — will
help endow once-in-a-lifetime experiences in
Israel for young people, forging deep and last-
ing connections between our children and
their peers in Israel.

She figures that if the Jewish community can
make such Israel experiences affordable for
every teen and young adult, the number of

WANT TO HELP ENSURE OUR JEWISH FUTURE?

WANT TO HONOR A LOVED ONE? WANT TO

MAKE YOURSELF PROUD? YOU CAN DO IT ALL

WITH A JEWISH LIFE FUND ENDOWMENT OF

$3,000 OR MORE — PAYABLE OVER THREE

YEARS. FOR INFORMATION, CALL MATT

ENGELBERT AT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

ENDOWMENT FUND, (248) 203-1453.

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1/7
2000

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man Martin Abel and family members
filed a civil suit against Yaker. In 1997,
they won a judgment of $72,000, equal
to their investment, against Yaker but
have not been able to collect.
During the course of the civil trial,
the investors turned over information
on the alleged fraud to Birmingham
police, who began their investigation in
1997.
O'Brien stressed that all investors are
due restitution under the law, but
expressed concern that restitution from
Yaker may be "uncollectable."
Not all the investors can afford to
absorb their losses, said Noah Fishman
of Midland, Texas. "A lot of people got
hurt badly," he said, including engineers
and travel agents. "Many of these peo- -
ple have had to face repossessions."
Fishman, a soil geologist, said it was
his idea to explore for oil under the
Dead Sea using directional drilling. "I
think of places where oil ought to be
found. Then I work up the data and
usually approach one of the major oil
companies," he said.
But the major companies, with
heavy investment in the Arab world,
were resistant to doing business in
Israel, Fishman said.
"A lot of that has changed now," he
said.
Fishman said he believed he had to
raise private money for the project.
That's when he was introduced to.
Yaker.
"It was a big deal for us to raise the
drilling money. But nothing ever got
drilled," Fishman said. "I believed
[Yaker] for years. I talked to him eight,
10 times a day. I thought he was my
best friend. I even stayed in his house in
Aspen."
The oil business "is a world where
you make your money deals on a hand-
shake, and where your reputation is.
golden," said Fishman. A number of
investors in Midland bought into the
deal based on Fishman's expertise, he
said.
When the deal soured, Fishman had
to deal with "repo guys" and-feared los-
ing his house. "I'm still paying on those
bills," he said.
Fishman said Yaker made several
trips to Israel to look at an abandoned
well near the Jordanian border. When
he realized Yaker "had no money in his
hands to get a big rig needed for the
drilling procedure," Fishman filed suit
against Yaker in federal court in Texas.
Last January, he won a $514,000 judg-
ment plus damages based on the con-
tract he had with Yaker for his geologi-
cal services. Fishman said, however, he
still hasn't collected on the judgment. ❑

