PRESENTS WSU 'study abroad' program links Ben-Gurion, east Jerusalem schools. W t.,.) — e / _ ( — 14 STOCK & TRUNK SHOW Thursday April 2 10-6 Friday April 3 10-3 Yigal Azrouel representative Johnna Campbell will be presenting the Spring '09 Collection available immediately and previewing the Fall '09 Collection available for special order 4076)(1:Peet eiffay,le ,Wo-act taatefield .%718, (N.E. CORNER OF TELEGRAPH & MAPLE ADJACENT TO LEE'S SPECIALTY) 248 594 8181 SHEBLOOMFIELD.COM Now taking appointments for complimentary Spring wardrobe consultations Celebrating 70 Years New! The Original Since 1939 HAGOPIAN CLEANING SERVICES Bring us your Orienta & Area Rugs right now, and we'll clean them for ayne State University in Detroit is launching its first Middle East study- abroad program for the spring-sum- mer 2009 term. The three-week course will take 12 WSU students of mixed ethnic and religious backgrounds to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and to the Palestinian Al-Quds University in east Jerusalem. This program includes lectures, tours and opportunities for the students to interact with the communities they visit. Prior to the trip, students must undergo an intensive preparation to gain insight into the people and cul- tures of the region. The three-week prep course includes an introduction to the history of the modern Middle East and the socio-cultural dimensions of the Arabs/Palestinians and Israelis. "The conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is so daunting and complex that the mere men- tion of a study-abroad course in this region elicits tension," said Miriam Greenberg, associate dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "When this study-abroad course was in the early planning stages, critics on both sides of the Middle East dispute expressed doubt about its viability given the pas- sionate opposition and ongoing tur- moil in the region. It is critical that we, as an institution of higher learning, transcend those psychological barriers and establish a model for constructive dialogue and learning. "And to quote Pirkei Avot, 'It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task. Yet, you are not free to desist from it."' Greenberg added that the goal of the trip is to demonstrate that disparate peoples share similar human aspira- tions for equality, improved quality of life and peaceful co-existence. The planned student activities and stops at such controversial sites as the West Bank in Israel highlight how Arabs and Israelis are geographically, histori- cally and culturally intertwined. "WSU's urban mission and leader- ship in community engagement are demonstrated by the establishment of this Middle East study-abroad pro- gram:' Greenberg said. "Wayne State, like Metropolitan Detroit, mirrors the geographic proximity of significant Jewish, Muslim and Christian popula- tions in the Middle East. Given this reality, the university is uniquely positioned to enlist students as the innovators and problem-solvers for overcoming barriers to global peace' For more information about this course, contact LaSondra Dawn at (313) 577-2516 or e-mail ag1646@ wayne.edu. ❑ or 25% off pick up & delivery 24 Hour Water and Fire Damage Response I in Home Cleaning Specials* 4 Rooms 99 99 2 Rooms 59 99 7' 2(3 gri:i ri- -s 5999 Expect the best...Expect the purple truck! *Some restrictions apply We're Your Leather Cleaning Specialists Rug Care Centers Oak Park Birmingham Novi Ann Arbor 8 Mile W / Coolidge S. Old Woodward N 114 1 /2 12 Mile & Novi Rd The Courtyard Shops A18 March 26 2009 Men In Hats At Shirt Box Louis Elkus, Eugene Friedman, Bentzion Shemtov, Keith Baskin and store owners Ron Elkus and Rod Brown celebrate Purim at the Shirt Box in Farmington Hills. The group heard a reading of Megillat Esther, organized by Oak Park-based Yeshivas Menachem Mendel Lubavitch rabbinical students, Bentzion Shemtov of Toledo and David Chelly, of Paris, France. Their classmates also read megillah throughout the community with the students distributing more than 1,200 mishloach manot (foods given at Purim time).