WITH RATES
THIS BIG
WHO NEEDS A
G IMMICKY
H EADLINE?

This we k

Study in Israel

Colleges weigh the risks to their students abroad.

JULIE WIENER

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

EV T

New York

Visit our Birmingham branch and Farmington Hills branch, or
call 1 800 421 Bank to discover the bank where personal service
and BIG RATES are Paramount.

-

-

-

BIRMINGHAM BRANCH
1732 West Maple Road
Birmingham. MI 48009
(248) 723-4800
FAX (248) 723-4848
HOURS: MON.-FRI. 9-6. SAT. 9-12

FARMINGTON HILLS BRANCH
31000 Northwestern Hwy.. Suite 150
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(248) 538-7600
FAX (248) 538-7580
HOURS: MON.-FR1. 9-6

PARAMOUNT

BANK

Your Hometown Bank

FDIC
INSURED

'Annual Percentage Yield for balances of $500 minimum.
"Annual Percentage Yield for balances of 52500 minimum.

Jewish News Staff Writer- Diana
Lieberman contributed to this story

Rated "One of the
Top 20 Walkable
Communities in the Country"

p

12/22
2000

18

LENDER

he recent Palestinian violence
and the resulting U.S. State
Department advisory against
travel to Israel is causing some
American universities to rethink their
support for study in Israel.
That issue came to the fore this month
as George Washington University first
decided not to give credit to students
studying abroad at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, then quickly
reversed course under pressure.
Columbia University and the
University of Pennsylvania also consid-
ered denying credit for study at Israeli
universities. Ultimately they dropped
their plans following complaints from
Jewish groups on campus.
The wrangling comes as the number
of American students planning to study
in Israel next semester is decreasing.
Officials at Tel Aviv and Hebrew uni-
versities both acknowledged that applica-
tions were significantly down for the
spring semester.
Michigan State University suspended
all currently active programs in Israel the
second week of October, said Edward
Ingraham, acting director of the Office
of Study Abroad.
At the time, the office was sponsoring
one student each at Hebrew University
in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University and
Ben Gurion University in Beersheva.
Only the student at Hebrew University
returned to the United States; the other
two remained in Israel. MSU also has
suspended its Israel programs for this
coming semester, Ingraham said. No
decision has been made on its two estab-
lished summer programs in Israel.
The University of Michigan does not
run any programs in Israel, said Dr.
Carol Dickerman, director of the Office

of International Programs. In the past,
students have attended Hebrew
University, Tel Aviv University or Ben
Gurion University, and applied through
the office of undergraduate admissions
for transfer credit.
Israel is the most popular destination
for American Jews studying abroad, and
approximately 3,300 American students
studied in Israel during the 1998-99
school year, according to the Chronicle
of Higher Education.
Approximately 450 Americans are cur-
rently enrolled at Hebrew University,
whose program for overseas students is
the largest in Israel.
The policy at George Washington, a
private university in Washington, was
unusual in that it specifically denied
credit from Hebrew University. This is
because Hebrew University's Mount
Scopus campus is in eastern Jerusalem,
an area singled out for special caution in
the travel advisory, university officials
said.
Israeli officials and American Jewish
leaders argue that Mount Scopus has
been an Israeli enclave since 1948, and is
safe. Their discussions with George
Washington University officials led the
university to reverse its policy.
The school will continue to accept
credits earned at Hebrew University.
However, the university now tells stu-
dents that if they do not heed State
Department warnings "they are acting
entirely on their own, without the sanc-
tion of the University"
The debate at George Washington,
Penn and Columbia reflects the schools'
fear of being held liable should their stu-
dents be harmed while studying in Israel.
Some universities have resolved the
matter by asking students and their par-
ents to sign a waiver absolving the uni-
versity of liability. ❑

by Walkable Communities, Inc of High Springs, Florida

-

