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Seminars.*
Adult
Jewish
Enrichment

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the community's largest and most diverse selection of adult
Jewish education courses invites you to its

More Birthright
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KICKOFF EUEllT

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The Second Manual Shiffman Family Lecture

AVI MACHLIS

Featuring

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Jerusalem
ewish communities must start
thinking about new means of
funding to sustain the Birthright Israel
program, which sponsors free Israel
trips for Jewish students, according to
the philanthropists who have support-
ed the trips until now.
In 2004, the program will send
25,000 people to Israel, philanthropist
Michael Steinhardt said at a news con-
ference in Jerusalem. "If we are to suc-
ceed in our dream, we have to not
only inspire our communities but to
generate more philanthropic support."
The five-year program is financed by
$70 million from 14 Jewish philan-
thropists, $70 million from the Israeli
government and $70 million from
world Jewish communities. The phi-
lanthropists — most prominent
among them Steinhardt and Charles
Bronfman — will withdraw their sup-
port for Birthright after five years.
Bronfman said the time is coming
when the Jewish community would have
to address the question of "when does"
the philanthropists' "responsibility end
and somebody else's responsibility start."
The comments were made as 5,000
Jewish students from 21 countries trav-
eled around Israel in the first round of
this year's Birthright project. A total of
14,000 students will participate in
Birthright programs through this sum-
mer, compared with 8,000 last year.
The sudden influx of visitors gave a
temporary boost to Israel's tourism
industry, which has been undergoing a
crisis since the violent conflict with the
Palestinians began in late September.
The crisis has created opportunities
for students to get a firsthand view of
Israeli politics and the issues the coun-
try faces.
Steinhardt, chairman of Jewish
Renaissance Media, parent company
of the Detroit Jewish News, said he was
with one group at the Western Wall
during a protest led by Israel's chief
rabbis against ceding sovereignty on
the Temple Mount.
Students watched in awe as hun-
dreds of protesters began to blow sho-
fars simultaneously in the shadow of
the Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites.
"It was, for them, an extraordinary
experience," he said. El

RfiBBI LIIWREHCE RUSIMER

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noted author, lecturer and spiritual leader, who will speak on

"The Silent filet
What Really Happened at mount Sinai"

Tuesday, Februaty 13, 2001 • 7:30 p.m.

Jewish Community Center • D. Dan and Betty Kahn Building
Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Rd. • West Bloomfield, MI

Book sale and signing to follow • Free of charge • Public invited

Sign up for SILK courses at the kickoff euent.

Co-sponsored by: Libby Mall, Jewish Family Service and the
Jewish Federation Community Outreach and Education Department

Join us for SILK! February 27-111arch 29, 2001
Ht both JCC locations

For more information, please call the JCC Jewish Life and Learning Department at (248) 661-7649.

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit

D. Dan and Betty Kahn Building • Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Rd. • West Bloomfield, MI
Jimmy Prentis Morris Building • A. Alfred Taubman Jewish Community Campus
15110 W. 10 Mile Rd. • Oak Park, MI

CC

ft generous endowment to SRJE was made by
Cis Maisel Reitman.

1/12

WERE FART OF THE TEAM

Jewish

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2001

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