Senate Backs Syria Bill
Washington/JTA — The Senate
passed a bill Tuesday to punish
Syrian support for terrorism.
The Syria Accountability Act
passed by a vote of 89-4. The act
calls for the United States to punish
Syria for harboring terrorist organi-
zations and seeking to acquire
nuclear technology.
The legislation, passed by the
House of Representatives last
month, is backed by the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee and
several other Jewish groups.
The Bush administration,
which once opposed the
legislation, said it would
back it. The Senate version
has a broader presidential
waiver provision than the
House version.
The four lawmakers who
opposed the measure were
Sens. Robert Byrd, D-
W.Va., Lincoln Chafee, R-
R.I., Michael Enzi, R-
Stabenow
Wyo., and Jim Jeffords, I-
Vt.
Both of Michigan's sena-
tors, Carl Levin and
Debbie Stabenow, voted
for the bill. "Since I have
been in the U.S. Senate,"
Stabenow told the Jewish
News, "I have been pleased
to be a co-sponsor of the
Syrian Accountability Act.
This legislation sends a
strong message to Syria:
Stop harboring and supporting ter-
rorist organizations.
"Terrorist groups like Hezbollah,
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have the de
facto backing of Syria, and have
been responsible for killing hundreds
of innocent Israelis, including
women and children. This must
stop.
"This legislation demands that
Syria do so. If not, it will pay a very
high price."
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Helping with the official groundbreaking for the Friendship Circle campus are
Miriam Ferber, Bassie Shemtov, Fred Ferber, Shari Kaufman, Rob Silverstein,
Sam Blumenstein, Charlene Wolfe, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Alon Kaufman, Howard
Babcock, Ed Meer and Rabbi Berel Shemtov.
At the Chagigah Israeli Folk Dance Festival were, standing, Avi Zechory, Shelly
Korner Jackier, Jim Rust, choreographer Victor Gabbay, Meliss Jakubovic, Jacki
Smith, Gordon Smith, Francine Levine, Janelle Konstam and Cheryl Feit; seated
are Gail Berkove, Jody Mills, Phil Litt, choreographer Dudu Barzilay and Joan
McDonald.
Friendship Circle Breaks Ground
Weekend Of Dance
riendship Circle, an organization serving children with special needs,
held a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 3 for its new campus, the Meer
Family Friendship Center, and a new building, the Ferber-Kaufman
LifeTown.
The campus is located at 6890 W. Maple Road in West Bloomfield.
Ferber-Kaufman LifeTown, which will include an indoor "city street" com-
plete with functioning stores, also includes 20,000 square feet of therapeutic
and support facilities for children with special needs and their families as well
as ancillary facilities for staffers and volunteers.
Of the project's total cost of $4.5 million, $3.2 million has been raised.
According to Sachse Construction, the center's scheduled completion date is
September 2004. -
Eleven Detroit-area folk dance aficionados joined teachers Shelly Komer
Jackier and Avi Zechory at the 12th annual Israeli Folk Dance Festival held
Oct. 24-27 in Oconomowoc, Wis.
Known as Chagigah (celebration), the event included three choreographers
from Israel as well as dancers from throughout the world.
'Although we have one of the smallest folk dance communities, we sent the
largest contingent outside of Chicago, which was the sponsoring organiza-
tion," Jackier said.
The group learned 25 new dances. Some were set to old melodies and some
to melodies by contemporary Israeli performers.
Jackier and Zechory have incorporated the new dances into the repertory
they teach Thursday evenings at drop-in sessions at the West Bloomfield
Jewish Community Center. Beginning classes are 6:30-7:30 p.m.; intermedi-
ate, advanced and couples classes begin at 7:30 p.m.
r
— Keri Guten Cohen,
Story development editor
— Diana Lieberman,
Staff writer
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11/14
2003
17