President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the White House

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Israel warned the Palestinian Authority this week that if members of Arafat's elite "Force 17" (Arafat's "Presidential Guard") continue their involvement in terrorist activities, they will become a legitimate target of Israel's security forces. Immediately upon his return tonight from the United States, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon consulted with IDF brass against the backdrop of escalation in Palestinian violence during his visit abroad.

Sharon returned to Israel from an official three-day visit to the United States, during which he met with President George Bush and administration officials, and appearing before the AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee) Conference this week in Washington, D.C. and before the leaders of Jewish organizations in New York. Members of the Prime Minister's entourage expressed satisfaction from the results of the visit, emphasizing its contribution to the positive atmosphere of cooperation between the two countries. American sources also expressed satisfaction, while indicating that talks focussed on general topics, and there are therefore few practical results.

The security consultation was convened upon the Prime Minister's return against the backdrop of the increase in terrorist activity encouraged by the Hizballah. Baruch Cohen z"l of Efrat was murdered on his way from home to Jerusalem on the Tunnel Road. At Kibbutz Manara on the border with Lebanon, Security Coordinator Yitzhak Kabartatz was abducted and slain during the country's biggest weapon theft. The perpetrators succeeded in nabbing 70 M-16 automatic rifles from the arsenal of the kibbutz. The investigation is presently focussed on hostile figures among Israeli Arabs.

Twice this week mortar shells were launched from within Palestinian-controlled territories in the Gaza Strip. One attack was aimed at Kibbutz Nachal Oz, within the Green Line, and the other aimed at the Netzarim settlement. The IDF retaliated by firing at the Force 17 Headquarters from which the mortar shells were launched.

The terrible loss of life was avoided in Jerusalem yesterday, when a municipal parking inspector discovered that an illegally parked car in the heart of the Mea She'arim neighborhood was a stolen vehicle. Police sappers called to the scene found a large explosive, meant to be detonated via a cellular telephone, was found in the trunk of the car.

Told to beef up anti-terror activity, Israel defense personnel were nonetheless needed to prevent the escalation of violence in the territories until the end of the month, the time of "Land Day", the Arab League Summit and the 22nd anniversary of Israel's peace treaty with Egypt, which falls on March 26th.

A thousand young olim, participants in Jewish Agency educational programs and lone soldiers, will be hosted this coming Seder night by veteran Israeli families as part of Operation "Seder Night Together", initiated by the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Department.

The operation will be launched next Wednesday, March 28, 2001, at the Official Residence of the President of the State, with a preliminary meeting between a number of lone olim and representatives of the families that volunteered to act as hosts. President Moshe Katsav, Jewish Agency Treasurer Chaim Chesler, and Co-Chairman of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Committee Arieh Azoulay will attend the event.

Among those who have volunteered to host olim for Seder night are: President Moshe Katsav, Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor, MK Shaul Yahalom (National Religious Party), Mayor of Ashdod Zvi Zilker, Mayor of Beersheva Yaakov Turner, Chairman of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council Shai Hermesh, and many others. The young guests include teenagers who have made aliyah without their parents through Jewish Agency educational programs, lone soldiers and student olim. Most are celebrating their first Pesach in Israel.

Jewish Agency Treasurer Chaim Chesler said that the significance of the event is a further link between the Jewish Agency and Israeli society, adding that that it is important to take an interest in young olim. "We are doing an important service, not only for the olim but also for Israeli society as a whole. I call upon Israeli citizens to open their hearts and their homes to new olim".

Arieh Azoulay, the Chairman of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah and Absorption Committee who is coordinating the event, said that hospitality enriches Israeli society. "This is the least we can do - adopt a lone oleh who has left his beloved family behind in order to become part of Israeli society, serve in the IDF and become a part of the State of Israel".

A large number of Jewish Agency employees and returning shlichim have volunteered to host olim, and other public bodies are participating in the event.

It should be noted that 10,000 more olim and Jewish tourists, participating in Jewish Agency programs, have chosen to celebrate Pesach at central Seders at Jewish Agency absorption centers and kibbutzim throughout Israel.

The Ukraine suffered a severe political crisis this past winter, leaving its mark on all areas of public life in the country, including the economic situation. The crisis erupted in November 2000 against the backdrop of a scandal initiated by left-wing groups together with some of the right-wing factions in the Ukrainian parliament who oppose President Kuchma's policy of strengthening ties with Moscow.

Leading to a wave of violent demonstrations throughout the Ukraine, the scandal broke out following the disclosure of material linking the President with the disappearance of Gongadze, a Ukrainian journalist who dried fighting government corruption. Public protests reached a peak when at the beginning of February 6,000 people in Kiev demonstrated and marched on the presidential palace demanding Kuchma's resignation. Minister of Interior Kravchenko resigned and the Deputy Head of the Presidential Guard and Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Security Services (SBU) were fired, due to ensuing violence.

The "Kuchma-Gate" Affair gravely affected the President's previously positive public image, as well as the people's confidence in the government's ability to develop a democratic state. The episode also weakened the Ukraine's image in the West as a post-communist country moving towards democracy.

Regarding the implications of the state of affairs for the Jews, the Jewish Agency is of the opinion that if the struggle worsens, the radical nationalist unity party may point fingers at the Jews, particularly the wealthy Jews who are supporters of President Kuchma.

Amos Lahat, Director of the Jewish Agency's Former Soviet Union (FSU) Department, says that the formation of an active nationalist front, together with political instability, will be a factor for Jews considering aliyah. "If the struggle deteriorates, we can assume that aliyah from the Ukraine will maintain the same level as last year, with the possibility of a slight increase", said Lahat.

According to the London Jewish Chronicle, March 8, 2001: "Demonstrators who filled the streets of Ukrainian cities... have succeeded in creating an atmosphere of gloom among the Jews, the like of which has not been seen since the breakup of the USSR". The newspaper also claims that the demonstrators' chants against the President "were sometimes mixed with anti-Semitic slogans", accusing the "Jewish mafia" of conspiring on behalf of President Kuchma.

Demonstrators in Kiev

In an address to a delegation of rabbis from the various streams of Judaism from Keren Hayesod countries visiting Israel this week, Jewish Agency Treasurer Chaim Chesler spoke of the overwhelming importance of strengthening Jewish identity in the former Soviet Union (FSU). He described Jewish identity seminars, introduced by the Jewish Agency last February, to members of the delegation. The seminars teach basic Jewish literacy through lectures and weekend experiential seminars, and have already reached out to more than 40,000 Jews, over 13,000 of whom have completed all the stages of the program. The Jewish Agency invested $1.8 million in the project over 2000 and will invest at least $2.7 million more in the current budget year, teaching potential immigrants about Jewish history and traditions. They learn about religious practices and their meaning, Zionism and Israeli history; and they experience Shabbat - many of them for the first time. The program is suitable for, but not restricted to, people who are not Jewish according to Jewish Law, and who might choose to convert to Judaism after their immigration to Israel.

"We must look after the tens of thousands of families, if not more, which have immigrated to Israel from the FSU over the past decade and that include members who are not Jewish by Jewish Law," said Chesler. "How can we expect that there would not have been assimilation and mixed marriages among Jews who were denied access to their heritage and whose Jewish identity was forcibly suppressed over 70 years of Communist rule?" He placed the problem within a worldwide Jewish context, reminding his audience that assimilation and mixed marriages are problems that has to be confronted by Jewish leaders throughout the world.

"The issues these immigrants raise for Israeli society are a ticking time-bomb", said Chesler. "While they are eligible to move to Israel under the Law of Return, and we do welcome them, the problems they will experience during their lifecycle events here are an issue for Israeli society as a whole. If they are not Jewish by Jewish Law", he reminded his audience, "they will not be able to marry in Israel. Their children will become familiar with Israeli life and Israeli values at school. They will be called upon to serve in the IDF and some may even give their lives for their country's defense. But if they are not born of Jewish mothers they may not in all cases be buried alongside their fellow soldiers."

He told the delegation of an incident, reported only last week in the Israel media, in which the IDF rabbinate insisted on leaving an empty grave next to that of an FSU-born immigrant soldier who was killed in the current unrest in Israel, "because he was not Jewish by Jewish Law."

"I have many times called upon the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to confront this issue in a sensitive manner", said Chesler, "and this evening, to you and through you, I call upon them once again. Conversion should be a far smoother process. I am convinced this would encourage more immigrants from the FSU who are not Jewish by Jewish Law to convert. We must respect religious sensitivities, but nonetheless, all these immigrants bust be welcomed into the family of Israel."

Chesler also addressed a delegation of executive directors from small Federations in the United States, and discussed the Jewish Agency budget with them.

At the end of a discussion at the Knesset this week on the subject of the Holocaust denial campaign in the Arab media, a final proposal submitted by MK Michael Kleiner (Herut) was approved, stating that "the Knesset views with great concern expressions of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial in Arab countries in general, and the Palestinian-controlled territories in particular."

Attended by twelve MK's, the discussion focussed on PA-conducted incitement against Israel. The proposal proclaims the Knesset's determination that by virtue of the fact that the PA does not prevent anti-Semitic publications in the media and in textbooks, it methodically violates the Oslo Accords, particularly the clause addressing the termination of incitement against Israel.

MK's expressed concern about future relations with the PA, "due to intense hatred and teaching of hatred of the Jewish people through the Palestinian education system." This education system, states the proposal, is training a new generation to hate and will make it difficult to bridge between he two peoples in the future us.

As for the continuation of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, the Knesset called upon the government to "insist, in any negotiations with the PA, that an emphasis is placed on changing the policy of anti-Semitic incitement by revising textbooks and monitoring the Palestinian media."

The Knesset rejected a proposal by MK Tawfik Hatib (Ra'am) calling on the government, as it fights racism and Holocaust denial, "to refrain from both racist acts and denying Palestinian suffering."

• $14,000 - The Jewish Agency's allocation for the year 2000 to Yad Lekashish, for its "Project on Intergenerational Connections", within the framework of projects that foster "Unity, Tolerance and Mutual Respect".

• $16,000 - The Jewish Agency's allocation for the year 2000 to Friends of Bayit Cham, for the "City Center", within the framework of support for "Special Needs Populations".

• $16,000 - The Jewish Agency's allocation for the year 2000 to the Yaakov Herzog Center, for the "Leaders of Tomorrow" project, within the framework of allocations "Enhancing Jewish Identity for Israelis".

• 9,568 olim arrived in Israel since the beginning of 2001. 7,167 are from the former Soviet Union.

• $16,000 - The Jewish Agency's allocation for the year 2000 to "Friends of Bayit Cham", for the City Center, within the framework of support for "Special Needs Populations".

• 793 new immigrants arrived in Israel this week. 595 from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, 81 from Ethioipa, and the rest from France, Argentina, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, the United States and Canada.

Purim Celebrations in Baku

Hundreds of Jews in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, celebrated Purim with a "Purimschpiel" festival, organized by the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). The five-day festival opened at the local Jewish community's "Eretz" club and from there continued to the Hebrew language ulpanim and Jewish Agency's aliyah groups in the city. Later, children from the Jewish Agency's kindergarten at the community center and the Gershon Welfare Center also joined in.

Shlomo Azarov, Head of the Jewish Agency's delegation to Azerbaijan, said that the festival also included a masked costume carnival organized by leaders of "Amishav", the Jewish Agency's youth movement in Baku. There were also a variety of festive events and youth competitions, in which hundreds of Jewish youngsters from the Jewish Agency's youth clubs in the adjacent towns of Gyandzha, Sumgait and Kuba participated.

At the end of the festival, a special performance was held at the municipal drama theater, where Shlomo Azarov and Meir Zizov, his JDC counterpart, congratulated the Jews of Baku on the occasion of the festival.

According to Jewish Agency estimates, there are some 15,000 Jews currently living in Azerbaijan, 13,000 of them in the capital Baku. Since the gates of the FSU were opened, 33,000 Jews have made aliyah from Azerbaijan, 9,000 of whom arrived in 2000.

Against the background of the security situation, the Jewish Agency held a special meeting today about strengthening communities along the border and the Green line, and its implications for the following regional councils: Azata, Bnai Shimon, Eshkol, Lachish, Sha'ar Hanegev, Yoav and Chof Ashkelon. Academic and security concepts for strengthening the area were presented, as well as possibilities for assistance by the Jewish Agency.

Jewish Agency Director-General Aharon Abramovich, Director-General of the Israel Department Meir Nitzan and Director of the Southern Region Moshe Almoznino participated in the meeting.

Others who attended the meeting were regional council chairmen Eliyahu Uzan of Lachish, Avraham Dvori of Eshkol, Shai Hermesh of Sha'ar Hanegev, Rani Trainin of Yoav, Meir Yifrach of Azata, Shimon Cohen of Chof Ashkelon and Moshe Faul of Bnai Shimon. The meeting took place at the Pedagogic Center of the Azata Regional Council.

New olim from the former Soviet Union and soldiers from the IDF Tracker Unit, including Bedouin and Arab soldiers, will attend educational activities to be held at the new youth center dedicated today at the Eshkol Regional Council.

The center was established with funds from the Jewish Agency's Israel Education Fund (IEF) at a cost of more than NIS 1 million, through a donation by Mark Lidshin. It includes a public library, theater, cafe, lounge and convention hall.

Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor said that the IEF would construct public buildings throughout southern Israel during 2001, including community centers, child-daycare centers, sports and cultural centers and youth clubs, at a cost of more than NIS 25 million.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Director of the Jewish Agency's Israel Education Fund Jeff Kaye, Chairman of the Eshkol Regional Council Avraham Dvori, and Federation leaders from the United States.

Upon instruction by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar was appointed this week to serve as a member of the Presidential Committee for Cooperation with Religious Organizations. Russia's second chief rabbi, Adolph Shayevich, was dismissed from the committee.

This is a further step by the Russian authorities toward strengthening Rabbi Lazar's position and a further stage in government involvement in the politics of the Jewish community. The reason for this change is international recognition of Rabbi Lazar's status as a rabbi and the government's desire to work with one body that coordinates all issues pertaining to the Jewish community.

According to publications in the popular Russian newspaper Kommersam, one official in President Putin's bureau gave two explanations for the decision to replace Rabbi Shayevich. "Mr. Lazar is the only authorized rabbi, in accordance with international norms. Moreover, the duplication of the Chief Rabbinate of Russian Jewry is extremely detrimental to the religion… Since his election to the position of Chief Rabbi last June; Rabbi Lazar has represented most Jewish communities in Russia. However, the President has no complaints about Rabbi Shayevich - he is a well-respected individual who has contributed considerably to Russian Jewry".

An information fair was held in London at the beginning of the month, at which aliyah candidates from the United Kingdom received information about the State of Israel and the process of absorption. Head of the Jewish Agency's delegation to Great Britain Dubi Bergman said that representatives of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Department and experts from Israel participated in the fair, providing potential olim with information on employment opportunities, healthcare, education, the academic world, housing, and more.

The event included workshops on various subjects, information stands and a review of political and security events in Israel, delivered by the Israeli Embassy's Information Attach? Eli Yerushalmi. It took place at the Yakar Center in a festive Israeli atmosphere and ended with a performance by Israeli singer Yaniv Daor.

Some 65 members of the Kolel Torah Mi-Tzion program from throughout North America gathered in Chicago on February for a four-day seminar. The Kolel (Torah Academy) program, in partnership with the World Zionist Organization, establishes centers for Torah study in Jewish communities around the world.

Kolels are located in Atlanta, Omaha, Southfield, Michigan, Memphis, New York, Rockville, Maryland, Syracuse, Cleveland, Overland Park, Kansas and Chicago. The participants, mostly recent graduates of Hesder Yeshivas, which combine Torah study with service in the IDF, assist local leadership in fostering Judaism in their home communities, by combining intensive studies with participation in local community life. The seminar gave the Torah scholars the opportunity to talk about their experiences encouraging members of their home communities to learn with them, teaching in local schools, and becoming involved in other community activities.

Former Defense Minister and candidate for Prime Minister MK Yitzhak Mordechai was been found guilty of committing sex crimes against two of the three women plaintiffs. Indecent acts were committed against a female officer who served in his bureau when he served as Commanding Officer of the IDF Northern Command, and another indecent act was committed against a Likud Party activist while he was Minister of Defense. He was acquitted of indecent acts against another officer and of forcing himself on a woman clerk in his bureau when he served as Minister of Transportation. Mordechai said that he would appeal to the District Court and asked to be suspended from his Knesset seat until the appeal had been heard.

Israel has taken several steps following panic surrounding the outbreak of "foot and mouth" disease. The importation of meat from Argentina was banned, Israel sent 220,000 doses of vaccination against the disease to the Palestinian Authority, where some cases were reported (Jordan stopped importing meat from the PA), and Israel began manufacturing a vaccination against the disease. Meanwhile Europeans, in complete panic over the disease, have found a culinary substitute for meat - Israeli humous, and as a result of the sudden European taste for humous, exports of this product to Europe are expected to double this year, compared with last year.

The 18,000 applications for aliyah which were submitted before publication of the amended interpretation of the Law of Return (by Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein two weeks ago) will be reviewed under the old interpretation. Namely, anyone born before his or her mother converted to Judaism will be eligible for aliya under the Law of Return. The Attorney General said that according to the old interpretation, an oleh who converted could bring with him dozens of relatives of varying degrees, which was not the original intention of the Law of Return.

Arab municipal leaders decided to recommend to their Supreme Follow-Up Committee that "Land Day", which falls on March 30th, be observed by a general labor strike in the Arab sector. They also decided to demonstrate outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem next week, protesting the budget deficits of Arab municipalities.

The driver of the IDF Spokesman was arrested on suspicion of having sold IDF weapons, while serving in a previous capacity. The Military Police is investigating whether the driver, who is a soldier, sold the weapons to hostile parities or to criminals.

Fourth year undergraduate students at the Technion's Faculty of Aeronautics, together with RAFAEL (Israel's Weapons Research Authority), have developed a pilot-less aircraft (drone) weighing less than 310 gm. (nearly 1lb.) The tiny aircraft was successfully test-flown this week, with the exception of a fault in an onboard video camera. The mini-drone is designed for assignments in confined areas (such as city streets) or to provide information for military purposes. It cannot be identified, due to its miniscule dimensions.

This year's Israel Prize for Life Achievement and Special Contribution to Society will be awarded to: former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, for "being a symbol for younger generations, for his modesty, love of the people and country and tenacity", former Foreign Minister Abba Eban for "shaping Israel's foreign service", and Mordechai Ben-Porat, who organized the aliyah of Iraqi Jewry at risk of his own life.

According to a survey carried out in recent weeks and published this week, 55% of the adult Jewish population of Israel does not know the words to "Hatikva", Israel's national anthem. This phenomena is most common among ultra-Orthodox Jews, people over the age of 50 and people with little formal education.

Next week, Kabalists in Jerusalem will hold a special prayer session on the eve of Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the Hebrew month of Nisan (when there is a new moon), to "move the dead from Gei Hinom to Gan Eden (hell to heaven)". The noted Kabalist Rabbi David Batzri will conduct the prayer. According to Batzri, the souls of the dead who had sinned while alive suffer in the next world. However, surviving relatives and friends can improve the stay of their dear ones who have gone to Gei Hinom or other domains and upgrade them to Gan Eden.

You don't need a gun anymore. This week, a Beersheva bank teller was robbed by the passing of a note. A man approximately 20 years of age entered the bank and slipped the teller a note reading "This is a robbery". The teller gave the thief the money she had in her till - NIS 10,000, and he escaped. The police have launched an investigation to find him.

You don't need Viagra anymore. A new study by an Israeli doctor from the Center for the Engineering of Blood Vessels and Impotence determined that walking 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) three times a week could restore sexual capacity and cure impotence. The study examined 243 men ages 45-55 previously treated with Viagra for sexual dysfunction. After beginning to walk regularly, 70% no longer needed Viagra. "Walking improves blood supply to the penis and pelvic area", said Dr. Alexander Ulshanitski, who performed the study over an 18-month period.

A model of honesty and good citizenship; A Ramat Gan City Hall janitor on vacation with his family in Eilat, cut his vacation short and went all the way back to Ramat Gan from Eilat (hundreds of kilometers/miles) for just one reason: to return NIS 1,800 to the bank which he had received by mistake. The cleaner, 48-year old Fahed Masrawa from Taibe, went to the bank to take out money for his trip, after having been unable to take a vacation with his family for many years due to financial constraints. A day after travelling to Eilat, the man discovered that he had received NIS 5,300 from the bank clerk, instead of the NIS 3,500 that appeared on his withdrawal slip. He realized that the clerk had made a mistake. However, after a sleepless night, the cleaner informed his surprised family that they were all going back to Ramat Gan to return the money. Clerks at the bank were astounded, as they would never have discovered the location of the missing money. As a sign of appreciation, the Mayor of Ramat Gan awarded the cleaner and his family a weekend vacation, to compensate them for their holiday that had been cut short.

An exhibit called "Chazak V'ematz" on the Jewish youth movements in Austria such as Hashomer Hatzair, Scouts, and Bnai Akiva, opened this week at the Jewish Museum in Vienna. The exhibit covers youth movements from the beginning of the 20th century through today. "Jewish youth movements have had a profound effect on the lives of many young Jews, noted Jewish Agency Emissary in Vienna Shai Mehalel. The values they imbued greatly influenced their life-directions and worldviews."

The eight-part exhibit features photos, videos, films, personal recollections and memorabilia such as flags, uniforms, pins, membership cards, and music. It documents the rise of youth movements following the escape of many Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe to Austria after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the First World War, and highlights the role of youth movements in preparing youngsters for aliyah. A section deals with philosophers such as Buber, Borochov, A.D.Gordon and Jabotinsky, a section on the Holocaust featuring interviews with survivors, and the exhibit concludes with the renewal of Jewish life in Austria, including the revival of the youth movements

"This important journey through the past, through the history of the Jewish people of Europe, is a memorial and a sign of renewal, and is a tribute to the youth movements", noted Mehalel.

Jewish youth ages 16 - 18, members of Hashomer Hazair, Bnai Akiva, and the Gemeinde Jewish youth movement, from Germany, Switzerland and Austria participated in the opening, followed by a round-table discussion of the exhibition, focussing on the influence of Jewish youth movements on the existence of a minority. Second-generation members of other minority groups in Austria, from Yugoslavia, Turkey and other countries, attended.

A new series of stamps dedicated to the Aleph-Bet (the Hebrew alphabet) were issued in February. As Prof. Yosef Naveh of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem explained, "In the second millenium BCE, the Babylonians and Assyrians wrote in Cuneiform, and the Egyptians in hieroglyphs. These forms of writing included hundreds of signs, and only scribes and the educated classes were able to read and write.

The Canaanites created a form of writing for their language (c. 1800 BCE), contributing the alphabet to mankind, and literacy became more widespread over time.

They used pictures similar to those in hieroglyphs but with one difference: in Egyptian writing the picture symbolized the name of the picture, whereas in Canaanite writing the picture symbolized only the first sound of the picture's name. A drawing of a house (bayit) symbolized the letter B, the palm of a hand (caf yad) - caf (C), water (mayim) - M, head (rosh) - R.

The Canaanite picture writing developed into linear writing. In the first millenium BCE, after the Children of Israel (Hebrews), Philistines and Aramites settled in the Land of Israel and Syria, the territory of Canaan shrank to the area of modern-day Lebanon. The Greeks called the Canaanites Phoenicians and Phoenician writing contained 22 linear symbols, most of which were called by their original picture. The names: aleph, bet, gimmel, etc. were preserved in Hebrew and in most languages whose writing originates from Phoenician writing, including Greek.

When the Children of Israel arrived in Canaan, they adopted the Canaanite - Phoenician writing tradition, and in the 9th Century BCE ancient Hebrew writing began to develop separately. The Aramites too, who arrived in Syria after the Hebrews, learned the Phoenician script and developed it as an independent branch in their own right.

In the 8th Century BCE, the Assyrians conquered the cities of Aram and found that the Aramites used a much more convenient form of writing than their own Cuneiform (containing hundreds of symbols). They turned the Aramaic language and script into the method of communication between the provinces of the Assyrian Empire and with time Aramaic became an international language.

Government officials and members of the upper classes throughout the Assyrian Empire, Babylon and Persia spoke and wrote Aramaic. During the return to Zion, the residents of Judea and Samaria wrote Hebrew texts in an ancient Hebrew script, and Aramaic texts in the Aramaic script.

After the Greeks conquered the region, Aramaic ceased to serve as the official language of the kingdom and each nation began to develop its own language and writing. Thus the Israelites developed the script commonly known as Assyrian from the Aramaic writing, and this is the forerunner of the writing we know - block Hebrew letters.

There are several stamps in the series: 22 stamps are dedicated to the letters of the aleph-bet, five stamps are devoted to the final letters (each stamp is worth 10 agorot), and one stamp, with a one shekel value, is dedicated to the entire aleph-bet.

The French Jewish Youth Bible Quiz was held in Paris last week, with 31 pupils from Jewish schools throughout France. The four teenagers who reached the final stage will go on to represent France at the International Bible Quiz, due to take place in Israel on Yom Ha'atzmaut. The four are: Raphael Naba (14) of the Yavneh School in Paris who received 62 of a possible 81 points, Ephraim Tobiana (14) of the Etz Chaim school just outside Paris who finished at 60 points, Anais Boutboul (17) of the Fabian-sous-Boyer Jewish School who finished at 59 points, and Nisim Menashe (17) of the Otzar Hatorah School also finished at 59 points.

The competition took place at Paris' Fabian-sous-Boyer Jewish School, in the presence of Israel's Ambassador to France Prof. Eli Bar-Navi, and Head of the Jewish Agency delegation ton France Dov Puder.

Dr. Yossi Haklai, representative of the Jewish Agency's Education Department in Western Europe, said that pupils at Jewish schools in France studied a special curriculum, including 40 chapters of the Bible, focusing on the subjects of mutual responsibility and involvement.

This coming Wednesday, March 28, 2001, Israel's national soccer team will take on Austria in a World Cup preliminary match. "With the reappearance of "heiderism" in Austria, we must do something declarative and concrete, and prove the power of Jewish unity and Israel's ties with world Jewry", said Amos Hermon, Co-Chairman of the Jewish Agency's Education Committee. In the framework of he Jewish Agency's educational activities, the Bnai Akiva youth movement in Vienna, led by Yankee Greenberg, is planning to bring hundreds of Jewish youth and students in Vienna to cheer on the national soccer team in this important international match.

Fans of the national soccer team will stand together in the stadium, wave Israeli flags and sing in support of the team. Amos Hermon added that the aim of the activity is to convey the message that despite the increase in anti-Semitism in Austria, Jews are not afraid, are not ashamed of being Jewish and of their ties to Israel, and proud to cheer for the national Israeli team in public.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilogram eggplant (not too large)
1-2 eggs
5 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
sliced cheese

Preparation :

• Slice un-peeled eggplants 1/2 cm. thick

• Sprinkle a bit of salt and flour on slices and place a slice of cheese between every two slices of eggplant

• Dip in batter (eggs, flour, water, salt and pepper mixed together) and fry on both sides until golden brown

• Serve hot.

B'Te'avon!     Bon Appetit!