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This Week
The Mitzvah Of Pizza
Israeli soldiers enjoy pizza delivered by university students.
Fee Goes To Soldiers
Bubbles the Clown, aka Nancy Backus of Redford Township, enter-
tained children, including Sam Brockhaus of West Bloomfield, at
Congregation Beth Ahm Day Camp last week. In lieu of payment,
Backus, who is not Jewish, asked that her fee be donated to the Israeli
Defense Forces Fund. "She always delights the children, but she really
wowed the staff with her generosity of spirit," said Nancy Rosenthal,
the camp's co-director.
- Lynne Konstantin, Platinum editor
Buddy's Inductee
Detroit Jewish News Senior
Columnist Danny Raskin, right,
was inducted into the Wall
of Fame at Buddy's Pizza in
Farmington Hills on Aug. 8. In
celebration of the 60th anniver-
sary of the restaurant, owner
Robert Jacobs, left, unveiled the
wall featuring 18 famous Metro
Detroit' customers, including
Rachel Nevada, WJR-AM; Rachael
Hunter, WYCD-FM; former Detroit Tiger Frank Tanana; Don Shane,
WXYZ-TV; Diana Lewis, WXYZ-TV; Cyndy Canty, Magic 105.1-FM;
and Danny Raskin. Buddy's was founded in 1946 in Detroit.
-
10 August 24 a 2006
Unable to just sit back and watch
the plight of their neighbors
in northern Israel, a group of
university students studying in
Haifa created a way to let them
know someone is thinking of
them.
The Technion-Israel Institute
of Technology and University of
Haifa students founded Shelters
Pizza for the purpose of bring-
ing pizza and. a smile to Israeli
soldiers and to children who had
been living in hot, crowded shel-
ters. They even refer to the pizza
orders as "smile orders" and take
a digital camera along on deliver-
ies to snap photos of the smiles
to send to donors who do the
ordering.
Now that those who had been
living in shelters have returned
to their homes, the students will
expand the part of their project
that includes Israeli soldiers. "We
will continue to deliver the piz-
zas, but now we will take them
to bases near the northern bor-
der," said Technion student, Yoni
Goldblat of Kiryat Haim. "We are
also planning to deliver choco-
lates and roses to injured soldiers
in the Rambarn Hospital."
The all-volunteer Shelters
Pizza staff also is helping support
pizzerias in Nahariya, Shlomi,
Tzefat and Kiryat Shmona, where
they place the pizza orders.
In the month since they began
the project, the group has deliv-
ered 650 pizzas and 120 cartons
of ice cream.
To place an order for pizza
and soft drinks at $13, or for ice
cream at $7 for a one-half gallon
carton, access the Web site at:
shelterspizza.com , send an e-mail
to: shelterspizza@gmail.com or
call 011-972-52-620-3778.
Medicaid Fraud Charged
The Michigan Attorney General's
office last week brought Medicaid
fraud charges against the
president of a Livonia company
that is the sole supplier of unit
medications for the Jewish Home
and Aging Services' (JHAS)
Fleischman Residence in West
Bloomfield.
Daniel E. Lohmeier of South
Lyon, founder and president of
Specialized Pharmacy Services
Inc. in Livonia, was charged with
148 counts alleging that he bilked
the state out of at least $5 million
since 1999.
Specialized is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Omnicare Inc. The
two companies bill the state
approximately $75 million per
year.
JHAS Executive Director Carol
Rosenberg saicLAug. 18 that
Specialized was the only sup-
plier of unit medications for
Fleischman, but declined to com-
ment further "because we just
found out about this."
Asked Monday why Specialized
was the only supplier accepted,
Rosenberg declined to comment.
Behind The Headlines
Sabi H. Shabtai, an interna-
tionally recognized expert on
terrorism, will speak at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Jewish
Community Center of Washtenaw
County, 2937 Birch Hollow Drive,
Ann Arbor.
Shabtai has served as a con-
sultant to airlines, corporations,
police and SWAT teams and the
U.S. military. A native Israeli,
he served as a diplomat and
in the intelligence branch of
the Israel Defense Forces. He is
on the faculty of the National
Institute Against Hate Crimes
and Terrorism in Los Angeles
and also has written several
screenplays, including the movie,
Passenger 5, detailing his hunt
for Carlos the Jackal and a CIA-
Mossad sting operation.
His speech coincides with
fundraising by the Jewish
Federation of Washtenaw
County for the Israel Emergency
Campaign of the United Jewish
Communities.
To register online, go to www.
jewishannarbor.org . Use the
same address to contribute to
the emergency campaign. Or call,
(734) 677-0100.
- Alan Hitsky, associate editor
In Time Of War
Columnist Brian Blum pro-
vides insight into Israel in
time of war. Look for his dis-
patches from Israel several
times weekly, exclusively on
our Web site.
Just visit JNonline.us and
click on Dispatches from
Israel on the left menu.
Latest From Israel
Want the most current
news from Israel? Check
our streaming news from
Ynetnews.com .
Just visit JNonline.us and
click on a scrolling story on
the left.
JBlog
- Shelli Liebman Dorfman,
staff writer
- Keri Guten Cohen,
story development editor
Laurie Freeman writes about
raising a daughter adopted
from China. But in recent
blogs she talks of life before
her daughter.
Only at JNonline.us. Just
click on JBlog on the menu
on the left.
Web Extras
Here's your chance to get
ahead of the printed issue of
the JN. In this spot look for a
stories that deal with break-
ing news.
Just visit JNonline.us and
click on Web Extras on the
left.
You Voted
How long do you think the
ceasefire will hold along
the Israel-Lebanese bor-
der?
More than five years 5%
One to five years 6%
Six to twelve months
10%
One to six months 36%
The end is imminent
43%
This week's question:
Now there's a ceasefire,
would you consider traveling
to Israel?
Visit the JNonline.us
homepage to cast your vote.