Israeli Researchers
Win Prize

charging $6,700 on average and not-
ing that Jews, who must bury their
dead as soon as possible, are hit partic-
ularly hard by the high rates.

New York/JTA — Two researchers
from the Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology in Haifa won a prize con-
sidered a good predictor of the Nobel
prizes in medicine.
Dr. Aaron Chiechanover and Dr.
Avram Hershko are sharing the $50,000
Lasker medical awards with Alexander
Varshaysky of the California Institute of
Technology for their work in showing a
key way cells get rid of proteins.

Jerusalem/JTA — One in three Israeli
children is overweight, according to a
report by the nation's Clalit health
fund. The problem was attributed to
poor nutrition and not enough exercise.

Find May Bolster
Flood Account

Israel Will
Redesign Passports

New York/JTA — U.S. explorers made
a discovery that may provide confir-
mation for the biblical flood account.
A National Geographic expedition
found evidence of human habitation
hundreds of feet below the Black Sea.
Explorers said the area had been
widely populated before a catastrophic
flood some 7,500 years ago.

Jerusalem/JTA — Israel is planning to
revamp its passports to make them
more difficult to counterfeit. It may
add a hologram or silver stripe.
The decision follows complaints
from police that the Israeli passport is
considered one of the easiest to forge.
Tel Aviv/JTA — Israeli and Palestinian
officials resumed their contacts
Wednesday, a day after Israel made
conflicting announcements about
whether negotiations were on or off.

Pact Reached
On Funeral Prices

New York/JTA — The umbrella group
for Orthodox congregations joined
with a Jewish funeral home in New
York to create a fixed price of $2,495
to $2,795 for funerals.
The agreement between the
Orthodox Union and Parkside
Memorial Chapels follows a report
issued by a New York consumer panel
criticizing the funeral industry for

Israeli Children
Are Overweight

Peace Talks Standoff
Comes Under Fire

Tel Aviv/JTA — Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Barak came under widespread
criticism for reversing himself on
Tuesday, when he first canceled, then
rescheduled, contacts with the
Palestinians. Barak attributed his
reversal to "misunderstandings and

errors," and he accused the media of
focusing on the trivial.

West Nile Virus
Called Epidemic

Tel Aviv/JTA — Israeli health officials
said the spread of the West Nile virus
in the country has reached "epidemic"
proportions. Since August, the virus
has killed 13 people and left 161 sick,
the Health Ministry said Wednesday.
A ministry spokeswoman said offi-
cials are trying to combat the virus by
spraying mosquito-infested areas and
warning people to use insect repellents.

Foundation Offers
Day School Loans

New York/JTA — A foundation is offer-
ing what it believes is the largest-ever
interest-free loan program for building
construction at Jewish day schools.
The New York-based Avi Chai
Foundation, which provides grants
and supports research related to day
schools, has a $50 million loan pool
and is inviting individual schools to
apply for loans of up to $1 million.

Chernobyl Affects
Children Of Victims

Tel Aviv/JTA — Children born after
the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident
are more likely to suffer from radiation
diseases than those who were in the
area at the time of the disaster.
This conclusion comes from an

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Israeli study of 1,080 Jewish children
brought from the affected areas
around Chernobyl in Belarus and
Ukraine to Israel as part of the
Lubavitch movement's Children of
Chernobyl program. The findings
were released at a news conference in
Jerusalem that coincided with the
arrival of another 60 children, includ-
ing The 2,001st - child to come since
the start of the project.

Citibank Eyes
Israeli Branches

Tel Aviv/JTA — U.S.-based Citibank
plans to launch retail banking branch-
es in Israel by the second quarter of
next year, the bank's vice chairman
said Wednesday.
William Rhodes said it is too early
to determine how many branches it
would open, but it would include a
"combination of bricks-and-mortar
branches" as well as Internet banking
services. Since July, the bank has been
offering corporate banking service in
Tel Aviv as part of a pilot program.

Historic Synagogue
Now Public Hall

Prague/JTA — A 260-year-old dilapi-
dated synagogue in the Czech town of
Ledec Nad Sazavou has been restored
and converted into a concert and exhi-
bition hall.
It will be used to commemorate the
local Jewish community, which was
wiped out by the Nazis during World
War II.

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