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Maccabiah Gaines
will Bean July 16

SHARON SAMB ER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

with adoptive fami-
less," Cherner says.
Otzma particpants, from
lies — the partici-
To Caryn
Jennie Allan andMelissa Ellstein
pant's home away
Rosen-Adelman,
lay stones on the grave of Golda
from home, another
co-chair of Project
Meir on Mt. Herd as, from left,
way into Israeli socie-
Otzma, that's how
Ark Pager, Michael Telpner and
ty: Beker says.
it should be.
Sharone Blue look on.
Asked to appraise
Otzma, she stress-
Project Otzma's strengths and weakness-
es, "is not an 'Israel Experience.' And
es, Hillary Cherner says, "It's individual-
it's not the Jewish Peace Corps." It
ized, and that's great. You get to know
started as a project, she says, "but it
Israel, to satisfy your curiosity through
became a model ... It evolved into this
multiple experiences. But for people who
international community" bringing
need more structure, that's a weakness."
together the North American and
Israeli Jewish cultures.
During Otzma's first 15 years, she
says, the post-college environment has
Building Involvement
changed and the program reshaped
Bandler says 1,164 young adults have
itself to meet participants' needs for
completed the program in Otzma's first
professional
growth.
15 years; Detroit's Jewish Federation
"Israel
was
changing, too, and the
has been involved with the program
Israel
experiences
had to be relevant,
from the start. Five- and 10-year fol-
too,"
she
says.
Hence
the emphasis on
low-up studies showed that 83 percent
using
the
skills
Otzma-niks
bring with
of the participants say they or someone
them.
else in their household contributes to
Rosen-Adelman, overseas chair of
Jewish organizations; 73 percent have
the Chicago federation board, doesn't
done volunteer work for Jewish organi-
think Otzma's done a good job letting
zations; 66 percent belong to Jewish
organizations other than synagogues;
- Israelis in general know what the pro-
ject's accomplished, even through the
and 39 percent have become Jewish
adoptive families. The new Otzma-
communal professionals.
Atidim
component, through the Israel
And though Otzma does not specifi-
Defense
Force, should help.
cally promote aliyah to Israel, Bandler
Army
officials
want to boost the
says approximately 50 have immigrated.
number of high schoolers from Israeli
Ted Farber, the retiring veteran exec-
development towns able to handle
utive vice president of the Greater
military high technology and to get
Washington Jewish Federation, has
into college math and physics pro-
had Otzma alumni on his staff and
grams.
But the IDF faces a shortage of
estimates that two dozen former par-
tutors.
One
officer, a project adoptive
ticipants are active in the area's organ-
father,
persuaded
colleagues to try
ized Jewish • community.
Otzma, Rosen-Adelman says.
"One way we've used Otzma grads,"
So this August, Otzma, in conjunc-
Farber says, "is as spokespeople to
tion
with the Israeli military, plans to
other young adults interested in Israel
launch
a pilot program. This new
programs like Birthright Israel."
track
will
furnish 20 skilled tutors for
Overall, Washington subsidized its
a
seven-month
course preparing Israeli
eight Otzma-niks this year $3,000
teens
for
graduation
exams in five
apiece, not including the cost of the
"peripheral"
municipalities
chosen by
apartment. That excludes airfare,
the IDF.
which participants pay for themselves,
"This is a sector of Israel most pro-
and omits other significant in-country
grams
don't get into," Rosen-Adelman
expenses, among them transportation
points
out. It's also an activity that
and board during some of the tracks.
exemplifies
Otzma's approach to Israel,
"I spent several thousand dollars in
up
close
and
personal.
Israel — more than I expected." But,

❑

as with Otzma in general, "it depends
on the person ... You could do it for

— JN StaffWriter Sharon Zuckerman
contributed to this report.

Free Time Restricted

unning faster or being
stronger won't be the only
things on the minds of
U.S. athletes at the
Maccabiah Games in Israel this
month.
Maccabiah organizers in Israel had
considered postponing the games until
next summer following cancellations
from athletes worried about security
because of the ongoing violence in the
Middle East.
The games are even getting some
star play: U.S. Olympic gold medalist
Lenny Krayzelburg said he will swim
in the Maccabiah Games despite the
violence. Krayzelburg, who won three
gold medals in the 2000 Sydney

The major change concerns the ath-
letes' free time, said Alan Sherman,
national vice president of Maccabi
USA/Sports for Israel. Rather than try-
ing to supervise athletes in public
places, entertainment will be brought
to the games compound, and athletes
from other countries will be invited.
The opening ceremonies of the
games, which are held in Israel every
four years, will take place at
Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium on July 16.
Some participants, like Scott Rosen
of Pittsburgh, Pa., waited until the last
minute to decide whether to compete.
Security issues were a concern for
Rosen, but he said he was willing to
trust the organizers. In the end,
though, not enough members of the
U.S. softball team decided to compete
and Rosen had to bow out.

Olympics, said he never considered
dropping out.
Some 2,000 athletes are expected to
compete, down from the 5,000 who
originally registered for the competition.
Latest indications are that about 360
U.S. athletes will compete. Some 600
Americans were originally scheduled.
The pre-camp cultural program for
U.S. athletes — which includes educa-
tional seminars and tours to the Dead
Sea, Caesarea and the Yad Vashem
Holocaust Memorial — will take place
as planned, officials say.

Maccabi USA had planned to push
to postpone the games, but reconsid-
ered after consulting with Jewish
organizations and Israeli officials, said
Bob Spivak, the group's president.
Spivak said officials discussed securi-
ty and how the reduced number of
athletes would affect the quality of the
competition. The U.S. team was then
notified of the decision to go ahead.
But Maccabi USA organizers have
encountered a fair amount of criticism
from the U.S. delegation for not keep-
ing participants well-informed.
7/6

Washington

Ro

,

❑

2001

17