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Cou r tesy Israe l Min istry
drenched.
Several staffers returned to the building from home and got "sop-
ping wet as they worked for hours" to save files and equipment.
Magidson said employees of JPM's Sara's Deli pitched in with buck-
ets and JPM's physical education staff raced in with towels to cover
equipment and furniture.
"Everybody chipped in. It was great teamwork:' she said.
The roofing project was expected to take 2-3 weeks and the roofer's
insurance will pay for repairs. No cost estimate was available. A res-
toration company worked with JPM staff on June 4, using fans, dehu-
midifiers and anti-fungal agents;. Telephone service was restored June
5.
Magidson said the event was a major inconvenience, "but if it had
happened at one o'clock in the morning, we would have lost a lot more
than just some papers."
The Mediterranean Sea at Caesarea
- Alan Hitsky, associate editor
Israeli Tourism Up
Forty-three percent more tourists visited Israel in the first four
months of 2008 than in the same period of 2007.
"This is an extraordinarily encouraging result:' says Arie Sommer,
Israel Tourism Commissioner North and South America, "particularly
coming on top of 2007, the best year for U.S. tourism to Israel in our
60-year history"
This adds urgency to the need for additional hotels and flights, said
Shaul Tzemach, director-general of Israel's Ministry of Tourism, "espe-
cially if we are going to meet our goal of hosting 5 million tourists a
year by 2012?'
In addition to the dozens of Israeli-owned hotels and the many
US.- and European-based hotel groups with properties in Israel, the
Hilton Corporation recently announced it is reopening Jerusalem's 80-
year-old Palace Hotel in 2010, as a member of the group's prestigious
Waldorf Astoria Hotel Collection.
Actor Robert de Niro will be opening the first non-U.S. Nobu Hotel
in the Mediterranean resort of Herzliya in 2009, Sommer said.
For additional information on Israel, visit www.goisrael.com .
- Ken Guten Cohen, story development editor
Parts Supplier Picks Motown
Israel-based Raval ACS Ltd., a manufacturer of injection molded
valves and vents for vehicle fuel tanks, has announced plans to build
a $7 million research, development and manufacturing facility in
Rochester Hills.
Raval is based at Kibbutz Revivim, 25 miles south of Beersheva in
the Negev Desert. It also has a plant in Luxembourg. The company
lists 22 automobile manufacturers and 10 parts suppliers as clients.
The firm's U.S. office has eight employees. It expects to increase to
25 in Rochester Hills by 2010 and 65 by 2013. Sources believe an addi-
tional 170 outside jobs will be linked to the Rochester Hills facility.
The Michigan Economic Growth Authority gave a $1.1 million,
10-year tax abatement to lure Raval, which was also considering a
site in Tennessee. The city of Rochester Hills also is offering an eight-
year, $185,000 abatement. Raval will build its new facility in the Tan
Industrial Park at M59 and Crooks roads.
- Alan Hitsky, associate editor
When It Rains, It Pours
Work on a long-awaited new roof caused some grief June 3 at the
Jimmy Prentis Morris Building of the Jewish Community Center in
Oak Park.
At 6 p.m., water began leaking into the administrative offices
and the lobby area at JPM. "We quickly went into command mode
said building director Leslee Magidson, JCC assistant director. She
couldn't laud her staff enough for the work they did to keep comput-
ers, servers, a copying machine and other equipment from becoming
A8
June 19 • 2008
Art From The Ashes
Jewish Apartments & Services will
sponsor an "Art Fence Painting
Project" from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday,
June 29, that will bring some creativ-
ity, fun and community involvement
to its ongoing rehabilitation efforts
with the Hechtman II building.
Since the fire on April 9, JAS has
been looking for a way to turn the
smoky mess into something pleas-
ant- to -look-at as the- long-process of
rebuilding takes place.
Hechtman aftermath
The Art Fence Painting Project will
beautify the perimeter of the West
Bloomfield building, which will lift the spirits of neighbors on the
campus who pass by daily as well as other JAS residents in Hechtman
I and Meer apartments, who live next to the burned building.
Painting supplies, including brushes and paint, will be provided for
those who "adopt" a 10-foot by 6-foot length of the fence and paint a
mural of their own design on the white vinyl mesh. The painting will
be the highlight of the day's festivities as part of an overall ice cream
social, with hot dogs and beverages. Nancy Simpson is chair of the
project committee.
Prizes will be awarded to participants who echo the spirit of the
event.
JAS wants the public to be part of this effort. You must register
by June 25 so the proper amount of materials will be on hand. JAS
requests that designs be bright, uplifting and inspiring and in keeping
with the spirit of rebirth/rebuilding.
To register and receive further instructions, call the JAS office at
(248) 592-1101 or send an email to PWurdock@Jasmi.org.
- Ken Guten Cohen, story development editor
Ortho Honors
Dr. Mark E. Berkman of Berkman + Shapiro
Orthodontics in Commerce Township was honored
by the American Association of Orthodontists and
asked to be a featured speaker at its 2008 annual
meeting in Denver.
Berkman's address, "Treating Patients Like Gold:
A State-Of-The-Art Discussion:' highlighted recent
advances in the orthodontic standard of care.
Aside from maintaining a private practice,
Berkman teaches orthodontics part time at the University of
Michigan.
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