This Week

News Digest

Plant Your Way
To Israel

New York — Jewish National Fund's
new Plant Your Way to Israel program
invites young people ages 5-25 to
"earn" a trip to Israel by selling tree
certificates to friends, neighbors and
relatives. The only requirement, other
than age, is a desire to visit Israel.
"Our goal is to connect young peo-
ple to Israel so that they grow up feel-
ing closer to their roots," said JNF
Executive Vice President Russell
Robinson.
Participants earn money toward a
trip to Israel with each $36 Plant Your
Way to Israel tree certificate they sell.
Half the money from each sale goes
toward the tree planting and half to a
special account on behalf of the partic-
ipants. There is no limit to the
amount a participant can accrue and
the money can be used toward several
trips to Israel, regardless of the trip
sponsor.
To register, call 1 (800) 542-8733,
ext. 360 or e-mail education@jnf.org
Children younger 18 require parental
permission to enroll.

study that has found these foundations
give only 37 percent of their money to
Jewish causes — 6 percent of which
goes to Jewish day schools.
Wertheimer made his comments in
suburban New York to a conference of
about 300 major donors to day
schools, where he urged day schools to
tap this potential funding source.

Chapman University is Prof. Marilyn
Harran. An expert on the Protestant
Reformation, Harran has been instru-
mental in creating the university's
Holocaust program.

Dems Open
Joint Office

New York/JTA — A three-day festival
celebrating the 140th anniversary of
the birth of Jewish composer Gustav
Mahler is slated to be held next month
in his hometown of Jihlava in the
Czech Republic.
A special commemorative medal is
being minted for the festival, which
will include performances of Mahler's
works and an international conference
on the composer.

Farmington Hills — The Michigan
Democratic Coordinated Campaign
opened its 11th district field office in
Farmington Hills. It represents
Gore/Lieberman, Debbie Stabenow
for Senate, Matthew Frumin for
Congress/ 11th District, Aldo Vagnozzi
for State House/37th District;
Marietta Robinson, Edward Thomas
and E. Thomas Fitzgerald for
Michigan Supreme Court; and All
Kids First, the no-school-vouchers
group.
The office at 29940 Orchard Lake
Road, north of 13 Mile. Coordinated
Campaign Deputy Field Director
Michael Simon coordinates volunteer
activities; call (248) 626-9461.

Festival To Fete
Composer Mahler

Status Of Women
Is Protested

Jerusalem/JTA — Jewish women
around the world should help Israeli
women gain equality, said a female
Israeli Cabinet minister.
The status of women in Israel is
really an outrage," Absorption
Minister Yuli Tamir told a conference
of female donors to the United Jewish
Communities in Tel Aviv last week.

"

Family Foundations
Hurt Community

New York/JTA — The funding pat-
terns of Jewish family foundations rep-
resent a "massive hemorrhage of
Jewish money flowing out of the
Jewish community," said the provost
of the Conservative movement's Jewish
Theological Seminary.
Jack Wertheimer is working on a

College Creates
Shoah Chair

Los Angeles/JTA — A small, church-
affiliated institution near Los Angeles
has added to its growing reputation as
a center for Holocaust studies by
establishing a permanent chair in
Holocaust Education.
The first holder of the chair at

Putin Lauds Jews
At JCC Opening

Moscow/JTA — Russian President
Vladimir Putin praised the Russian
Jewish community's revival at a cere-

mony dedicating a Lubavitch-spon-
sored Jewish community center, the
first of its kind in the region.
During a speech Monday seen as an
unprecedented demonstration of
Kremlin support for Russia's Jewish
community, Putin also praised the
Lubavitch-dominated Federation of
Jewish Communities as a "highly con-
structive and influential organization."
One of Israel's former chief rabbis,
Mordechai Eliyahu, presented Putin
with a shofar.

Pittsburgh Man
Ruled Competent

New York/JTA — A man accused of
killing five minority individuals,
including one Jewish woman, near
Pittsburgh in April was ruled compe-
tent last Friday to stand trial.
Anti-psychotic drugs and counseling
improved the condition of Richard
Scott Baumhammers, his psychiatrist
said.

Lieberman Walks
On Lighter Side

New York/JTA — On a late-night talk
show, vice presidential candidate Sen.
Joe Lieberman showed his lighter side
when he was urged to come up with
better campaign slogans.
Lieberman offered a few ideas, some
of which have been circulating as jokes
on the Internet for weeks: "A matzah
ball in every soup," "Gore-Lieber-
man. No bull. No pork," and "With
malice toward none, but a little guilt
for everyone."

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