Lifeblood
Technion's water-purification institute gets Detroiters' support.
DON COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
Middle East is very dependent oil adequate water
supplies," said Stephen Grand of Bloomfield Hills,
explaining why he and his wife, Nancy, chose to
support the Institute. "There is a need to do a large
amount of testing and research to conserve, desali-
nate and recycle water, and the Technion is compe-
tently accomplishing that work.
I n the desert, nothing can bring unlikely part-
ners together like the topic of precious water.
In December, Americans, Europeans,
Israelis and Palestinians came together to dis-
cuss partnerships and devel-
opment of usable water
The Salty= and Evelyn Grand Dormito
throughout the world.
y by
Given in loving
The Fifth Annual
Desalination Conference
a Gran
Nancy and Stephen
was sponsored by the Israel
Desalination Society and
Karp
Elizabeth Marco
organized by Technion-Israel
Institute of Technology's
Rabin Desalination Lab of
the Stephen & Nancy
Grand Water Research
Institute (GWRI). The con-
ference was held at the
Nancy and Stephen Grand
GWRI in Haifa.
The Technion had estab-
"We also realized that a wonderful potential bene-
lished its water research institute in 1993, but the
fit of the research is that because all of the region's
Grands' major support, beginning in 2000, has helped
ensure it will continue to play a leading role in meeting water needs are interdependent, [the Institute] can
bring the region together for a shared purpose. It's a
Israel's water needs as well as those in the region and
way to demonstrate that the parties can work
internationally.
together."
"We recognized that the future of Israel and the
11111e1 Crisis
Concordia U. relaxes ban on Hillel, but continues to withhold money.
BRAM EISENTHAL
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Montreal
C
oncordia University's student government
has decided to remove a ban on the cam-
pus Hillel, but will continue to deny
funds to the Jewish group.
The move, taken Dec. 12, appears unlikely to
defuse a crisis brewing since the Concordia Student
Union voted to ban Hillel earlier this month. Hillel
leaders have decided to sue if the student union
doesn't apologize and reinstate the Jewish group
unconditionally.
Some 100 Jewish students crowded into the Dec.
12 meeting of the student union, but they walked out
in protest before a vote was taken on the Hillel issue.
The crisis began after a Palestinian activist com-
plained about fliers for Mahal 2000 — a program
that allows young Jews to spend several months vol-
unteering in the Israeli army — that were distributed
from Hillel's table on campus. The student union
hastily convened a meeting on Dec. 2 and — with
only a third of the union's members present — voted
to ban Hillel from campus and cut off its funding.
The ban followed several incidents this year and
last that made Concordia known as a hotbed of pro-
Palestinian, anti-Israel activism.
As the crisis grew, the student union decided to
reinstate Hillel, on condition that the group sign a
statement pledging not to distribute material that
the student union found racist or otherwise offen-
sive. Hillel leaders voted last week to sue the student
union to be reinstated without conditions.
Student union member Naomi Sarna began the
Dec. 12 meeting by denouncing the union's han-
dling of the Hillel issue. She denounced the agree-
ment Hillel was ordered to sign as propaganda, and
then led Hillel supporters in walking out of the
meeting in protest.
The conference earlier this month was clear proof
these goals are becoming a reality.
The lack of usable water in the Middle East is
widely recognized as an ecological and political issue.
Not only are economic development and quality of
life affected, but water issues have played an impor-
tant role in the existing agreements with Jordan and
the Palestinians and will be part of any political settle-
ment with the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon.
So what was the conference about? In layman's
terms, it is to develop ways to economically make
seawater and brackish water usable for urban water
supplies, releasing some of the natural and lower-
quality waters for agriculture and industry.
Because every body of water and different locations
in the sea have a different chemistry, ways must be
found to treat the water both before and after the
desalination process. The Technion has been a leader
in improving technology and bringing down the
price of the entire desalination process, including
pre- and post-treatment phases.
Less than a decade ago, the cost of desalinated sea-
water was $1 per cubic meter (1,000 liters, about
250 gallons), but with new technologies it is down
to 50 cents. The cost of desalinating brackish water
is half of this and less. Thus, desalination is becom-
ing an ever-increasing component in addressing the
water needs of all parties in the region, said
Professor Uri Shamir, director of the Grand Water
Research Institute.
A highlight of the conference was the address by
Israeli Water Commissioner Shimon Tal, who told
the scientists and industrialists attending from
around the world of the advances Israel has made
and has offered to the world. He told those assem-
bled that in 10 years desalination will produce a full
quarter of the fresh water in Israel.
❑
After 11 p.m., the union voted 10-0 to reinstate
Hillel as a student organization at Concordia, but
withhold its funding until it signs the document on
distributing literature. Afterward, the president of
the union, Sabine Friesinger, said she hopes Hillel
will sign the document.
Hillel is determined to stay the course and stand
up for its own principles. 'As of now, we will still be
continuing the legal process," said Noah Joseph, a
Jew who cast the lone dissenting vote on Dec. 2
when the student union banned Hillel.
"This is a form of blackmail that they are using to
'force us to sign their document if we want to get our
funding back. They are stealing money from us."
Dennis Murphy, the school's communications
director, said the crisis over Hillel was unlike any
other situation he could remember at Concordia,
even the uproar when pro-Palestinian rioters caused
the cancellation of a speech by former Israeli Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in September.
"In the past 10 days, I have seen a tremendous
outpouring of anger — and, mainly, support for
Hillel and the Jewish students — much more so in
the United States than in Canada," Murphy said.
"I have learned very quickly that Hillel is a group
unlike any others. It is sacred and attacking it is seen
as a type of heresy."
❑
12/20
2002
19