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Download "The Insiders' Guide to Choosing a CPA" at www.mrptcom/jewishnews 28411 Northwestern Highway, Suite 800 Southfield, MI 48034 www.mrpr.com 1443010 Have The 11111110% Detroit Jewish Delivered To Your Door Every Thursday For About A Dollar A Week To subscribe today call 248.351.5174 or visitJNonline.us A30 December 25 • 2008 iN I World iN West Bank Jews Increase Jerusalem/JTA — The population growth of West Bank Jews was three times higher than in all of Israel, according to a new report. The Jewish population in the West Bank grew by 107 percent during the past 12 years, according to a statistical annual report conducted by the Ariel University Center of Samaria released on Dec. 15. By comparison, the popu- lation in all of Israel grew by 29 per- cent over the same time period. There were 270,000 Jewish residents of the West Bank by the end of 2007, compared to 230,000 in 2005. Part of the reason for the high growth is the fact that the median age of Jews living in the West Bank is 20.6, compared to 28.7 for all Israelis. The younger resi- dents of the West Bank are having more children, adding to the explosive popu- lation growth, according to the report. Sholem Aleichem's 150th Kiev, Ukraine/JTA — A Kiev muse- um kicked off national observances of the 150th anniversary of the birthday of Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem. An exhibition on the Jewish writer, who was born in Ukraine and spent much of his life there, opened at the Kiev Museum of Books. His birthday will be celebrated on the state level in Ukraine next year. Sholem Aleichem died in New York in 1916. Organized under the aegis of the Jewish Council of Ukraine, the exhi- bition includes the writer's works in different languages, manuscripts, translations, photos, portraits and documents. In March, as part of the 150th celebrations, the Sholem Aleichem museum will be opened in Kiev, where the writer wrote his famous works Tevye the Milkman, Menachem-Mendl and Railway Stories. The museum, located not far from where Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir was born, will be dedicated to the famous writer and to Yiddish culture, architecture and folklore. iPhone Digital Siddur New York/JTA — A new digital prayer book is available for Apple's popular iPhone. The siddur, created by the Internet company RustyBrick, offers prayer texts in several versions as well as a feature to determine appropriate prayer times based on location. A built-in database helps users locate the nearest minyan. Downloadable through the iTunes application, the siddur costs $9.99. Eilat Crash Kills 24 Tourists Jerusalem/JTA — A special team was appointed to investigate a bus crash near Eilat that left 24 Russian tourists dead. Israel's Transportation Ministry also is investigating. Rami Vazana, the driver of another bus who passed by the ill-fated tour bus immediately before it plunged down a 45-foot embankment on Dec. 16, denied that he and the injured driver, 39-year-old Edward Gelfond, had an argument shortly before the accident. The crash was "the result of aggressive behavior on the part of drivers," Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Israeli news site Ynet. Eilat Police Supt. Shimon Butbul told Ynet News it is too early for Mofaz or anyone else to draw conclusions as to the cause of the accident. Gelfond told an Israeli television channel that he lost control of the bus when something fell on him as he attempted to pass another vehicle. He also said he was driving below the speed limit of 80 kilometers, or about 50 miles, per hour. The tour bus was filled with a group of Russian tour guides who had just arrived on a flight from St. Petersburg for an organized tour. Several of the more than 30 injured in the crash remain in Israeli hospi- tals. Named For A Nazi New York/JTA — A New Jersey super- market refused to print the name of a 3-year-old named Adolf Hitler on a birthday cake. The boy's par- ents, Heath and Deborah Campbell, are upset and are accusing the ShopRite store of being intolerant, the Associated Press reported on Dec. 17. "They need to accept a name. A name's a name said Heath Campbell, who eventually purchased the cake elsewhere. "The kid isn't going to grow up and do what [Hitler] did." Twelve people showed up to Adolf's birthday party, including several chil- dren of mixed race, the AP reported. "If we're so racist, then why would I have them come into my home?" Heath Campbell asked. The couple have two other children: JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, 1, and Honszlynn Hillier Jeannie Campbell, who will be 1 in April. 4