Front Lines NOTEBOOK JNenline Devries Competes On 'Jeopardy' D www.JNonline.us Latest From Israel anny Devries, 21, a senior at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is one of 15 undergraduate college students competing in this week's College Championship Edition of Jeopardy. Devries will be on the show broadcast at 7:30 p.m. tonight (May 8) on NBC. If he wins, he goes onto the semi-finals, which will air next week. "It was one of the most fun weekends of my life,' said Devries, who has been a Jeopardy fan for about two years. "I didn't study, but I watched a lot of Jeopardy. There are a lot of patterns they use to their questions; you pick up on that if you watch it a lot:' Devries says his best subjects are sports and Bible, while he's weakest in science and the arts. After qualifying through an online test, Devries auditioned in Chicago. Then the show was taped in Madison, Wis. He signed a contract saying he can't divulge in advance how he did on the show. Cash prizes range from $100,000 for the grand prize winner to $5,000 for quarter- finalists. He says he enjoyed making connections with the other college students and says they keep in touch. And he found he was a bit intrigued by the whole aura of television. "It did make me want to have a career on TV;' he said. "I asked the executive producer how I could get a job, and he told me to send him a resume after college." Devries will graduate from U-M in December. He's majoring in economics and political science and minoring in Judaic and Asian studies. Governor And Israel Gov. Jennifer Granholm will reschedule her investment mission to Israel and Kuwait — where she planned to meet with represen- tatives from 50 companies interested in doing business in Michigan. The weeklong trip was postponed because the governor, 49, underwent successful emer- gency surgery the night before she was set to leave on April 30. The surgery was to treat a bowel obstruction believed to be a complica- tion from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in 1993 in Washington, D.C. The sojourn was to be the governor's sixth overseas investment mission since 2004. Previous missions to Germany, Austria, Japan and Sweden resulted in 37 companies announcing $818 million in new investment; 9,000 jobs were created and retained, accord- ing to the governor's office. The focus of this trip was to be job creation opportunities with companies in the high- tech automotive, alternative energy and envi- ronmental technology industries. Israel is a world leader in homeland security and water preservation technology development. Kuwait is home to Dow Chemical's joint venture EQUATE, a plastics and chemical producer. His Web site, www.davidsyner.com , is a genealogical history of his family. - Ken) Guten Cohen, story development editor Bench Moves Jewish candidates abound in local judgeship races. The final filing deadline for candidates was April 29: • Oakland County Probate Court: Judge Barry Grant is retiring. Mark Frankel of Bloomfield Hills is among the three contend- ers. • Oakland Count Circuit Court: Nancy Grant, daughter of Judge Barry Grant, and James Alexander are among the five incum- bents seeking re-election. • 45B District Court, Oak Park: Incumbents Michelle Friedman Appel and David Gubow are seeking re-election against one challenger. • 48th District Court, Bloomfield Hills: Kimberly Small is running for re-election without opposition. All terms are six years. The general election is Nov. 4. - Robert A. Sklar, editor - Robert A. Sklar, editor Remember Foodland? David Syner is looking for people who remember Foodland grocery stores from the 1950s. They were owned by his grandparents, David Gooze, who died in 1957, and Sandy Gooze, who died in 1970. Syner, who is inter- ested in genealogy, would like to talk to any- one who remembers his grandparents' stores or might have photographs of them. Reach him at (310) 801-2279 or at corner- films@hotmaitcom. He lives in Los Angeles. A8 This Week Jewish American Experience President Bush has proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month. He cited the time as "an opportunity to celebrate the history, culture and faith of Jewish Americans and their contributions to our nation. "The story of the Jewish people in America is the story of America itself," reads the proclamation. "When the first Jewish settlers arrived on our shores hundreds of years ago, they saw a land of promise and liberty. With hard work and determination, these individu- als helped build our country and strengthen U-M senior Danny Devries, 21, of West Bloomfield, with fellow "Jeopardy" contestants Suchita Shah from the University of Wisconsin and Vera Swain from the University of South Carolina. He is the son of Dr. Jeff Devries of West Bloomfield and the late Sheri Devries. - Ken Guten Cohen, story development editor our values. Their commitment to religious freedom and their belief in democracy have enriched our society and helped make our country a beacon of hope for all." Bush made special note of Jewish Americans who have served in the military "with valor and distinction in times of war and peace." "We honor Jewish Americans who played an integral role in shaping the cultural fabric of our nation:' he said. "Their spirit and tal- ents have helped America succeed and pros- per, and their efforts continue to remind us of the many blessings of this great country." - Robert A. Sklar, editor A View Of Kibbutzim The Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies will sponsor a multi-media presentation titled "The Kibbutz in the 21st Century: Challenges, Dreams and Disappointments:' Sunday, May 18, at 2:30 p.m. at Congregation T'chiyah, 15000 W. 10 Mile Road in Oak Park. Guest speaker, Dr. Micha Balf, has been a member for nearly three decades of Micha Balf Kibbutz Maagen Michael, Israel, and is currently serving as Israel edu- cation shaliach for the Greater Washington Jewish Federation. He grew up in the United States and, after spending two years in Israel, became a convert and made aliyah in 1980. The program is free and open to the public and co-sponsored by Congregation T'chiyah and Ameinu Detroit. For reservations by Thursday, May 15, contact the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies, (313) 577-2679. - Want the most current news from Israel? Check our streaming news from Ynetnews.com for continu- ous updates and longer news, opinion and feature stories. And look at the center of our Homepage for an Israel story that changes twice daily. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. Celebrations! Find weekly listings of births, b'nai mitzvah, engagements, weddings and anniversaries as well as past simchahs all online. They are all bundled under each week's publica- tion date. Just visit JNonline.us and click on Lifecycles on the left. E-Newsletter Desire notification when stories that interest you in particular are posted on JNonline? It's easy to des- ignate the kinds of stories you like when you sign up for your personalized e-newslet- ter. Only at JNonline.us . Just click on Newsletter on the menu near the top of the page. Online Poll This week's poll question: Will you be celebrating Israel's 60 years of state- hood? Visit the JNonline.us homepage, below the left menu, to cast your vote. Poll results: Will arrest of Ben-Ami Kadish harm Israeli-US relations? Yes 53% No 47% May 8 • 2008 8. :".4X404:4 4,4 k444,404,VtiVtl AV . :IN. %. V6Ii%V. A 4i4i4.1V15iA4i.:t14iYi 0*,400k.' 4°,4,Likk.kk..A.VIA,VIA.4)A.404._ft+ki, 4', 5th 4t, 4 ,40 41; fit‘A ts. k 4 lti°4':10.2k;IPi''f',.:412:40.., ':t.4„ t;;;IXO.NicktAl'O‘ASA,