JTA via e-mail. "I did this because I was profoundly touched by the ceme- tery when I was in Prague. I proceed- ed to write an impassioned letter of my own, which I forwarded along with the original letter to every Jew or concerned person on my e-mail list. I was therefore incredibly embarrassed to find out that what I had forwarded was misinformation." Bird is not alone. Eyal Dulin, who also lives in the United States, did the same. "I am ashamed to say that I reacted in a knee-jerk fashion when I received the mentioned e-mail. "It was only after hitting the send button that my common sense sud- denly kicked in and I did what I should have done in the first place, question the authenticity of the mes- sage," Dulin concluded. Residents of the Czech Republic were less likely to be fooled. Graduate student Denisa Kera was amused by the chain letter at first, but then became angry. "The petition I got was organized by someone who does not have any idea of what is happening in Prague," she said. "I was actually amused by the stupidity of someone who wants to save something that is not in danger. But now I acknowledge that it is a dangerous petition because many peo- ple believed it." There's no way to know how many people have received the e-mail, but if each person who got it forwarded it to only five people, by the fifth generation there would be 3,125 copies of the mes- sage. If those 3,125 people each for- warded it to five people, there would be 15,625 copies. Some copies have included lists of more than 60 recipients. Michal Pober, who lives near Prague, said he got the e- mail when it was sent to all the partici- pants in last year's conference of child survivors of the Holocaust. That confer- ence had literally hundreds of people on its mailing list, so in all probability, hun- dreds of thousands of people have got- ten the chain letter. Nobody seems to know who is responsible for the original letter, but the Federation of Czech Jewish Communities would like to find out, said Kraus, its executive secretary. 'As to the chain letter, I don't know [where it came from] and that would be of an interest to us, as well you can imagine," he said. The Czech Jewish community has been frustrated by what it sees as outside interference in- the cemetery issue, with rabbis from Great Britain organizing protests in London and Prague. The e-mail cites as its source a let- ter written by Czech Chief Rabbi Karol Sidon to the London Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe. Rabbi Abraham Ginsberg, of the committee, said his organization was behind the international campaign to find a solution to the cemetery con- troversy. He denied sending the erro- neous e-mail. "We don't publish articles through e-mail," Rabbi Ginsberg said, noting that he doesn't even have a computer. The Czech Ministry of Culture has posted correct information about the cemetery on its Web site, and Ceska Pojistovna, the Anti-Defamation League and the World Jewish Congress have all attempted to correct the errors in the e-mail. Experts on e-mail chain letters have simple advice on what people should do when they receive electronic petitions. Don't Spread That Hoax!, a Web site devoted to fighting the phenome- non, advises, "Don't send it unless you either know the message is true, you can authenticate [the sender's identi- ty], or you know the sender personally and know they would have written this message. "If the message tells you to do something, check with someone knowledgeable that you can trust, advises the site, at If they're old enough to get married, they're old enough to get their own Jewish News. If you have family or friends who are marrying, consider giving them a subscription to The Detroit Jewish News. It's the community's "book of why." With it, they'll keep in touch with Jewish life. Interesting articles about their heritage, the holidays, current events and politics. Plus art, literature, dance, kosher cooking...who's having a baby, who's having a bar mitzvah and who's passed away. Give your newlyweds...or any family and friends who want to stay in touch, a useful way to do it. Give them The Detroit Jewish News by calling (248) 354-6620 today. 33 I'd like to send a 52-week Jewish News gift subscription Plus 5 free issues of Style Magazine www.nonprofit.netthoax/hoax.html "I distrust unsolicited informa- tion no matter which medium is used to propagate it," said Andrew Barrett of the Forum for Responsible and Ethical E-mail, at A $72 value ... just $48 ($65 out of state) Please bill me www.ybecker.net "When it comes to e-mail, it's particularly helpful to remember that, since it is so inexpensive to send, and can be sent with relative anonymity, the sender risks little or nothing at all by propagating their dubious message," he said. Barrett recommends asking a reli- able authority before taking action on e-mail petitions. "Forward them a copy of the message and ask if they've seen it before and if they can provide any guidance," he said. Don't Spread That Hoax! also recom- mends keeping the date in mind when e-mail comes your way. "When April 1 comes up, the Net will be awash in phony messages, forged return addresses, pranks and general amusing nonsense. The best thing to do is read them and have a good laugh." ❑ Payment Enclosed Card No. Exp. Date Visa MasterCard Signature (Required) Your Name Your Address Your City State Zip Phone Gift Card Message: Send the Gift Subscription to: Name Address City State Zip Phone Mail to: Detroit Jewish News, P.O. Box 2267, Southfield, MI 48037-2267 Phone: (248) 354-6620 Fax: (248) 354-1210 Allow 2-3 weeks delivery of The Detroit Jewish News DETROIT JEWISZ NEWS ellrN OLDN6H a 6/2 2000 89