Picture of the week:

Thirty six women most of them new immigrants from various countries, combining both arts and business, create a new multi national genre in craftsmanship.

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The Jewish community in Chile will hold a series of protests this month against the intention of neo-Nazi organizations from all over the world to hold an international convention in Santiago in mid-April marking Adolf Hitler's birthday. Jewish leaders fear that statements by the Chilean government, to the effect that it opposes the convention, will prove to be of no consequence.

"As long as there is no law in Chile which prohibits neo-Nazi and fascist organizations from meeting or being active, we fear this convention may well take place, despite the fact that the Chilean government has publicly objected to it," said Roberto Munioz, chairman of Chile's Zionist Federation and one of the organizers of the protest.

According to Munioz, the convention is being organized by the "New Society Movement" a neo-Nazi organization which operates under the name "The National Socialist Party." The convention is due to take place between April 17^th and 22^nd and neo-Nazis from Spain, Holland, England, the US, Austria, Germany, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and other countries are expected to participate.

The Jewish community's protests are being organized by the Zionist Federation, the World Zionist Organization, Zionist youth movements and Jewish student organizations. They include a rock concert, to be held at the beginning of next week at the Monumental Stadium - Chile's largest - and a call on the government of Chile to legislate a law against discrimination; a protest march by student organizations and youth movements from the center of Santiago to the presidential palace; a petition on behalf of human rights to be delivered at the presidential palace and embassies in Santiago. At the end of the month a large-scale event will be held, to which dozens of organizations and social movements representing other minority groups in Chile will be invited, in addition to the Jewish community.

The "Young Jews of Chile" movement will hold a public Friday night Shabbat service next week at the Catholic University, where a Holocaust exhibition is currently on display. "Young Jews of Chile" has already sent a letter of protest to the Italian, French, Argentine and Brazilian embassies. The movement was founded two months ago, in an effort to coordinate the activities of all the Jewish movements and organizations in the struggle against neo-Nazism.

There are 15,000 Jews in Chile, most of whom are concentrated in the capital city Santiago.

Thanks to the struggle of Rabbi Eric Silver, Barnes and Noble has removed The Protocols of the Elders of Zion from its internet site. Several months ago, Rabbi Silver, of Temple Beth David in Cheshire, Connecticut, undertook an intensive email campaign protesting the inclusion of the infamous forgery in the bookstore's listing of the Protocols under its Judaica internet site. On the site, alongside the Protocols was a research book negating the truthfulness of the Protocols.

While the bookstore's initial reaction was to cite the First Amendment of the US constitution, Silver was subsequently contacted by three Barnes and Noble executives who expressed remorse and regret.

"They made it plain to me that the company was not aware of the book's true nature at the outset, and that had they been, the book would have listed differently" said Silver. "They also assured me that reviews would be thoroughly checked to ensure that such types of publication would not appear on their web site."

"Very often a book will be classified by its publisher, and Barnes and Noble will accept their classification and that's how the error arose," says Silver. "Once Barnes and Noble became aware of the book's true nature, they acted with alacrity."

Tom Simon, Vice President of Content Development, asked Simon to prepare a review of Protocols to be posted on the web site as the first review of this publication. He also proposed that Simon include URLs to sites that advise readers about the nature of propaganda, hate literature, and the like. The company is also considering setting up a new classification called "propaganda" or "hate literature" - to ensure that these publications do not inadvertently appear in the wrong section.

A review of the Protocols by Book-Tree publishers also appears on Amazon.com. It alludes to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world: "If the Protocols are real, we had better take a close look at international affairs around the world. We neither support nor deny this message. We are only providing access to those to want to read them."

In a special Jewish Agency operation Sasha Grayev was brought to Israel today. Nine-year old Sasha, a Jewish child from Ukraine, is suffering from meningitis and was hospitalized immediately at the Assaf Harofeh Hospital, close to Ben Gurion Airport.

Sasha arrived in Israel together with his mother Anna and his two brothers on an El Al flight from Dniepropetrovsk. He was accompanied by Arkady Shmust, a Jewish Agency doctor from Dniepropetrovsk, and Jewish Agency emissary Max Shenkerman. An ambulance was waiting for him at the airport in Israel which took him directly to the hospital for treatment.

Eli Itzhaki, head of the Jewish Agency delegation in Ukraine, said that the Agency had made a concerted effort to speed up the family's aliyah process so that Sasha could receive proper medical treatment as soon as possible. "I promised the children, who have become extremely attached to us, to keep in touch when I return to Israel after my tour of duty is completed," said Itzhaki this week. He has accompanied the family throughout, visiting them at their home in the Ukraine just a few days before their aliyah.

In order to make things easier for the family while Sasha is treated, the Jewish Agency will house them at the Lod Absorption Center in the center of the country. A foster family will assist them and look after Sasha's brothers while his mother stays with him in the hospital. The Israeli Ministry of Absorption has agreed to a special Jewish Agency request to provide the family with a full absorption basket, despite the fact that the family is living at an absorption center.

Jewish Agency Chairman, Sallai Meridor, called upon Brazilian Jewish youth to spearhead aliyah and Zionist fulfillment, as well as the development of local leadership in order to keep the Jewish flame burning for generations. Meridor was speaking at a meeting in Sao Paulo with 150 representatives of 12 Brazilian Zionist youth movements.

Meridor thanked the youth for the demonstration they had organized outside the Austrian consulate in Sao Paulo three weeks ago, in which hundreds of young people participated, and called upon them to strengthen their involvement in Jewish concerns.

Jewish Agency Education Department Emissary in Brazil, Moshe Cohen, reports that Keren Hayesod and the Women's Division of the local community, with whom Meridor met, promised to mobilize to promote aliyah among Brazilian Jewry and to encourage the aliyah of families and students, while making a redoubled effort to raise funds for this purpose.

During his visit Meridor also met with noted philanthropist Moise Safra and his wife, Chella. They discussed Jewish Agency activities as well as the situation of Latin American Jewry.

Meridor was in Sao Paolo as part of his tour of Jewish communities in Latin America. Next week, he will visit Argentina and Uruguay.

• Thirteen new immigrant families arrived in Israel this week from Ethiopia, and are now living in Jewish Agency Absorption Centers in Beersheva and Nahariya.

• Sixty-two new immigrant students studying at the Hebrew University School of Nursing receive Jewish Agency scholarships administered by the Student Authority. The students study at three hospital campuses.

• 1,197 new immigrants arrived this week from the former Soviet Union. Of these 614 are from Russia.

• $10,000 - Jewish Agency allocation to Woman to Woman in Haifa, an empowerment and support program for teenage girls, including Arabs and new immigrants. The program is designed to encourage them to go on to higher education. The program takes place in Haifa, Kiryat Tivon, Neve Carmel, the Hatzrat Yassaf caravan site and other communities in the north of Israel.

• $3,000 - the cost of sending a short-term Jewish Agency emissary to the Former Soviet Union to present educational and employment opportunities in Israel to young potential immigrants.

• $4,600 - the cost per year for social services for the elderly in each of the Jewish Agency's 11 facilities for sheltered housing.

The Jewish Agency is preparing to present new plans of action designed to respond to the global needs of the Jewish people in order to convince North American Federations to continue to take part in the global Jewish partnership to ensure Jewish continuity in future generations.

The presentation of elective programs will take place within the framework of the UJC Overseas Needs Assessment and Distribution Committee (ONAD) that will take place on May 21 in Chicago.

This will be the committee's final meeting for the year. It will conclude the process of overseas needs and allocations, prior to presentation of conclusions to the UJC executive in mid-June. At that time, the scope of funds to be transferred to the Jewish Agency and the JDC will be determined.

According to decisions taken by the ONAD committee early this week in New York, the elective programs of the Jewish Agency and JDC are to total 15% of the gross 1998 budget. Ninety percent of that budget is guaranteed as part of the core projects of both organizations, whose continued funding at the same level was agreed upon. The committee's decision would seem to indicate an expectation that the transfer of funds raised through contributions will increase this year by at least 5%.

At the meeting in New York at the beginning of the week, both the Jewish Agency and JDC presented programs in their major areas of activity. This was the third stage of the process that began this past November in Atlanta, when the Jewish Agency presented its concept of the global needs of the Jewish people entering the 21st century in three major areas based on its Strategic Plan:

1. Immigration, rescue, and initial absorption
2. Education and Jewish identity
3. One people with Israel at its center

JDC focused on the needs of the Jewish people, primarily in the areas of community development and aid to the needy throughout the world and in Israel.

During the second stage, which took place in Miami, the Jewish Agency and JDC, presented their annual budgets.

At the beginning of the week, the senior professional staff of the Jewish Agency, headed by Director-General Aaron Abramovich; Director of the Immigration and Absorption Department, Mike Rosenberg; Director of the Jewish Zionist Education Department, Alan Hoffman; and Director of the Israel Department, Meir Nitzan, presented the responses to the global needs developed during November. Before the discussions, Chairman of the Board of Governors, Alex Grass, presented the Jewish Agency concept. Jewish Agency Chairman, Sallai Meridor, summarized the presentation by referring to the responsibility of the Jewish leadership regarding Jewish continuity and unity of the people in coming generations.

One of the first contacts made by Russia's new president, Vladimir Putin, with the Jewish world was in the spring of 1991 when he was deputy mayor of Leningrad (later St. Petersburg), and he authorized the opening of the first Jewish Agency mission office and activities in that city.

Amos Lahat, Director of the Jewish Agency's Department of the former Soviet Union (FSU), was surprised to find that the man whose signature appears on the documents which authorized opening the Jewish Agency offices in St. Petersburg is today the President of Russia. "During a routine check of the documents authorizing Jewish Agency activity in the FSU, we came across a paper which caught our eye - it would appear that the document was signed by a man named Putin," said Lahat.

Putin issued the official permit at a special ceremony in Leningrad in August 1991. From the Jewish Agency's perspective, this was the most important stage in establishing its network of activities all over the FSU.

Last weekend - two days before the presidential elections - Putin ordered that the Russian national medal for bravery should be awarded to Leopold Haimovsky, Director of the Center for Jewish Culture in Moscow. The decision was made following a request from Russia's Chief Rabbi Adolph Shayevitz, who made this recommendation to the President in January.

"In view of the courage and bravery displayed by Leopold Haimovsky, in fulfilling his civic duty he is to be awarded this medal," Putin wrote in a special presidential order issued from the Kremlin last Friday.

Haimovsky, age 52, was attacked last summer at the Great Choral Synagogue in Moscow by a neo-Nazi youngster who had planned to attack Jews and torch the building. Despite the fact that he was stabbed 11 times all over his body, Haimovsky managed to prevent the fire as well as an attack on his secretary. After he received initial medical treatment in Moscow, the Jewish Agency brought Haimovsky and his wife to Israel for a visit and recuperation.

Vladimir Putin was elected Russia's new President last week by a majority of 52.5%. On several occasions he has stated that anti-Semitism can have no place in Russia. He has twice met with Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak and he has close ties with other Jewish leaders.

Four hundred Jewish children and youngsters from all over the former Soviet Union (FSU) participated in a Jewish arts festival held at the beginning of the week at the Moscow State Theater. The festival was organized by the Center for Jewish Culture together with the Jewish Agency, under the auspices of the Moscow municipality and with the assistance of the Russian Jewish Congress, the JDC and the local community.

At the opening ceremony, the audience was informed that Leopold Haimovsky, Director of the Center for Jewish Culture, had been awarded a national medal by Russia's new President, Vladimir Putin, for the courage he had shown while fulfilling his civil duty when he was attacked by neo-Nazis last year.

The theater was packed with some 1900 people, who enthusiastically received the news of the award. Guests at the festival included Alla Levy, head of the Jewish Agency delegation in Russia, Ralph Goldman, honorary president of the JDC, Moscow City Hall representatives and ambassadors from all over the former Soviet Union.

Talented artists, musicians and dancers performed, showing great understanding for Jewish and Israeli artistic motifs. "I was amazed not only by the impressive performances but particularly by the high level of commitment shown by the children with respect to the revival of Jewish culture in the various communities around the FSU," said Levy.

The Center for Jewish Culture is housed in Moscow's Great Choral Synagogue. This year the Center is celebrating a decade of activity and this is the fourth festival it has organized. The Jewish Agency supports a large number of the Center's activities and funds the ensembles which participate in the biennial festivals. For the first time, representatives of communities from all over the FSU participated in the festival this year.

The Center's primary goal is to revive Jewish arts among the younger generation after decades of oppression by the Soviet regime. "Most of our efforts are directed to developing Jewish art among children," said the Center's Director. "We also set up the only cantorial school in Europe. Recently, cantors who completed their training here in Russia, have been invited to perform in North America," said Haimovsky proudly.

After eight years of extensive renovation, the Brodsky Choral Synagogue in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, has reopened. The special opening ceremony was attended by Ukrainian deputy prime minister Nikolai Zholinski, Chief Rabbi of the Ukraine Rabbi Bleich, Israel's ambassador in Kiev Anna Azari, leader of the Ukrainian Jewish Congress, Vadim Rabinowitz, members of the diplomatic corps from many countries and hundreds of Kiev Jews.

Eli Itzhaki, head of the Jewish Agency delegation in the Ukraine, said that the synagogue rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Reuven Osman had received telegrams from Jewish and non-Jewish leaders all over the world on the occasion of the opening ceremony. Among those who sent their congratulations were Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor, President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, members of the American Congress and members of Knesset from Israel.

On the first Shabbat following the opening of the synagogue, Eli Itzhaki was honored with the first blessing over the Torah, normally reserved for priests (cohanim). It should be mentioned that Itzhaki is the only cohen in Kiev and is therefore in great demand in synagogues all over Ukraine. After the reading of the weekly portion, Itzhaki thanked the Jewish Agency workers who are active in the Ukraine and donated $400 in the Agency's name.

The synagogue was originally built in 1898 from donations provided by Russia's then "sugar industry king," Lazar Brodsky. The building was one of the most magnificent in Eastern Europe and included enormous halls in which Jewish functions were held.

After the Bolshevik Revolution, the authorities confiscated the site in 1926 and adapted it for use a Soviet cultural center. The building underwent numerous changes in keeping with the organizations which used it - from professional unions to a puppet theater.

In 1992, following a decision by the Ukrainian authorities to restore religious institutions to the public, the synagogue was returned to the Kiev Jewish community. The Habad community began renovating the original building immediately. The restoration process was based on photographs and personal memories of survivors of the old Kiev Jewish community. The Brodsky synagogue is now considered to be one of the most magnificent in the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the second most beautiful in Europe after Budapest.

The Jewish Agency estimates that there are currently some 100,000 Jews in Kiev. Five Jewish schools and kindergartens operate in the city, as well as three community clubs, two main synagogues, a cultural center run by the "Aish Hatorah" movement, an Israeli cultural center and many other Jewish institutions. The Jewish Agency runs a new educational center in Kiev called "Shaar La'Aliyah" (Gateway to Aliyah) which provides a meeting place for 3,000 youngsters who are involved in a variety of educational activities during the year. The center is equipped with computer rooms and advanced technological facilities. Since the gates of the FSU opened in 1989, 39,000 olim from Kiev have arrived in Israel.

Patricia Gordon, principal of the Jewish school in Dublin, returned last week from her first visit to Israel. Gordon, a Christian who is principal of Ireland's only Jewish school, came to Israel to participate in a special training program organized by the Jewish Agency's Education Department.

Dubi Bergman, head of the Jewish Agency delegation in England, said that the visit was initiated jointly by the Jewish Agency, the Israeli Embassy in Dublin and the Jewish community in Ireland, as a way of furthering Gordon's knowledge of Jewish education and identity, the Hebrew language and the State of Israel.

Stafford College is the only Jewish school in Ireland. Some 350 pupils, Jews and non-Jews, attend the school, which combines elementary and high-school education. The teaching staff also comprises Jewish and non-Jewish teachers. The curriculum for the Jewish pupils includes Hebrew and Jewish studies as well as general studies in which all pupils participate.

Gordon's training program, which lasted for 10 days, was adapted to the unique needs of the school and its teaching staff. It included enrichment on a variety of subjects such as Israel-Diaspora relations, teaching methods in the area of Jewish education and Jewish identity, familiarity with the education system in Israel and with Israeli society. Gordon also visited Yad Vashem, the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem and the Diaspora Museum. She met with Israeli teachers and school principals, representatives of all three streams in Judaism, members of Knesset and others.

There are 1,000 Jews in Ireland, mostly in the capital city, Dublin. The Dublin community runs the community committee and the Jewish Education Board. There are also seven active synagogues throughout Ireland, one in Belfast, one in Cork and the others in Dublin. There is a Hebrew-speaking group and the Bnei Brith Zionist youth movement organizes activities.

In 1985, Israel's late President Chaim Herzog, who was born in Ireland, inaugurated the Irish Jewish Museum during a state visit to Dublin. The Israeli embassy in Dublin was opened in 1994.

A delegation of Israeli business leaders arrived in Mexico City earlier this week as the first step in a pilot project to strengthen ties between business communities in Israel and Latin America. The mission also includes visits to Caracas, Venezuela and Sao Paolo, Brazil. It is sponsored by the Jewish Agency's Israel Department, in conjunction with Keren Hayesod and Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade as well as Israel's Foreign Ministry.

The mission members include representatives of Koor Industries, Motorola International, Bank Leumi, the Bank of Israel, venture capital funds, and other leading commercial enterprises. Accompanying the mission is Kalman Grossman, the head of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Mission in North America. According to Dr. Yigal Donyetz, Director of the Agency's Israel Department Planning and Development Division, the mission is designed to facilitate meetings between business communities.

"Keren Hayesod is associated with the Jewish economic-financial elite," notes Donyetz, "and the Ministry of Trade has contacts with the general communities of Latin America. The Jewish Agency, as part of its new People-to-People focus, can find the necessary links between the various sectors of the community."

Donyetz emphasizes that business people will be encouraged to explore commercial possibilities in Israel, while younger people, particularly those with technical degrees, will be advised of high-tech opportunities.

The first gathering of 190 participants on long-term Israeli programs was held last week in Israel. The participants in the two-day meeting hailed from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and represented all the youth movements: Ha'Shomer Ha'tsair, Betar, Ha'bonim Dror, Bnei Akiva, Hineni and Netzer, as well as AVIV, a program of the Australian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS).

"The theme of the program was 'The Power of 1, the Power of 190,' emphasizing not only the individual's role and commitment as an activist in his or her movement and/or organization, but also the power emanating from working as a group," explained Linda Futterman, Director of the World Zionist Organization's Hagshama Department. The program, now in its second year, is a joint venture of World Zionist Organization's Hagshama Department, the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Jewish Agency's Youth Leadership Training Institute of the Jewish Agency's Education Department.

Each delegation worked separately on preparing a presentation of its beliefs and ideologies, which they then shared with the rest of the group. This was followed by a panel consisting of two representatives from each movement who grappled with very interesting questions from the audience. The ensuing discussions centered on issues of pluralism, sensitivity to each other's needs and the merits and drawbacks of working together.

On the second day of the meeting the group was divided into 10 discussion groups relating to issues surrounding their reasons for coming to Israel, their views on Israel, Judaism and Zionism and the question of "The Power of 1, the Power of 190." Each group included participants representing a mixture of countries and movements/organizations and excellent discussions ensued.

The organizers offered the participants an opportunity to apply to join additional seminars during the year, so that the debates can continue.

Members of Toronto's Temple Sinai Congregation recently donated a Torah scroll to Moscow's Reform Jewish community. The presentation of the Torah, once belonging to Temple Sinai, was made during a recent UJA Temple Sinai mission, to Rabbi Chaim Ben Yaakov at the Reform Jewish Community Center in Moscow.

"It was an incredibly moving and powerful experience," explains Temple Sinai's Rabbi Michael Dolgin. "I believe we created a very strong bond with our sister community that will bring our people closer and will strengthen the Reform movement in the former Soviet Union."

The mission's twenty participants visited several Reform community projects in Russia in addition to the Chesed (welfare) center run by the American Joint Distribution Committee and Hebrew ulpan classes conducted by the Jewish Agency to prepare Jews from the former Soviet Union for Aliyah.

"It was wonderful to share my deep commitment to UJA work with my rabbi and members of my congregation," says Carole Sterling, who co-chaired the mission with Vicki Campbell - both former leaders of the Women's Campaign. The Torah, donated in honor of Nani and Austin Beutel's work in support of Reform Judaism in the FSU, will be used by several peripheral Reform congregations in and around Moscow.

Sixty-six young men and women who participated in the World Union Jewish Students (WUJS) international graduate institute in Arad in the past ten years, married a Jewish spouse whom they met on the program, said Ifat Shoham, General Director of the WUJS program in Arad. She was in Boston last week to meet with alumni and potential candidates for the program. "The couples that met at WUJS come from the United States, Canada and Europe," she said, "and some married Israelis who were connected with the program."

According to Shoham, the WUJS program includes many field trips and social activities that give the participants - ranging in age from 21 to 35 - the opportunity to share "a life changing experience." The institute, which offers a seven-month program of Hebrew language, Jewish and Israeli studies, also offers practical assistance in finding a job in Israel, connecting participants with potential employers.

While at a WUJS meeting last week, that took place at Za'atar's Oven in Brookline, Massachusetts, with Margalit Toledano, New England Director of the Israel Aliyah Center, as well as with former and future WUJS participants, Shoham recognized Sharon and Avi Rembaum in the restaurant. "They are one of the WUJS matchmaking success stories. They met in Arad in 1994 on the institute. Sharon is originally from London where she used to work for the BBC, and Avi is a computer expert from Los Angeles," said Toledano. They fell in love while studying Hebrew and Jewish history. Sharon was employed at the Israel Broadcasting Authority, and became a news broadcaster for the English daily news edition. Avi worked in a high-tech company. They lived in Israel for six years, and came to Boston two months ago when his company transferred Avi. "We will return to Israel" promises Sharon.

Tomorrow night over 75,000 unaffiliated Jews will congregate at some 750 locations across the United States and Canada -- from major centers of Jewish life such as New York, Chicago, and Toronto, to places most people never heard of -- like Klamath Falls, Oregon; Kenosha, Wisconsin; or Sioux Falls, South Dakota - for traditional Shabbat celebrations.

Synagogues across the continent will open their doors to practicing and non-practicing Jews alike, enabling them to enjoy a wide variety of special programs, including Shabbat dinners, dancing, singing, and creative services with guest speakers.

The idea of renewing interest in Sabbath observance as a way of combating the growing assimilation plaguing North American Jewry was conceived and organized by the New York based National Jewish Outreach Program as a united effort by all of Judaism's movements. The independent program, headed by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, conducts a variety of activities including crash courses in Hebrew and basic courses in Judaism,

Citing staggering assimilation figures for 5.6 million North American Jews (according to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey) -- 2 million people no longer identify themselves as Jews, 2 million are unaffiliated with any Jewish organization, and 1.2 million are marginally affiliated. Andrea Snyder, program manager of the NJOP says that the organization hopes that a memorable Shabbat experience will infuse non-practicing Jews with a sense of a greater commitment to Judaism.

While the Shabbat Across America/Canada program is designed for Jews of all ages, the campaign particularly targets college-aged Jews; fifty-nine Hillel houses are participating.

In some locations, a unified effort is being made by the entire community. In Atlanta, for instance, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is coordinating the local campaign, in which nineteen synagogues ranging from Chabad to Reform temples are taking part.

Dark eyed Iranian women ululated and high cheekboned women from Russia threw candies when Ebby (not his real name) was called to the Torah last month to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah at the Jewish Agency's Beit Canada Absorption Center in Ashdod- at twice the age when most boys formally become adults according to Jewish law.

Ebby, 26 years old and a professional singer, made aliyah from Iran about five months ago. At his basic ulpan class in the absorption center, he was befriended by Sivak Baruch, a middle-aged new immigrant from Paris. When Ebby confided in his new friend that he longed to have a Bar Mitzvah, Baruch broached the subject to Beit Canada Director, Wendy Keter, and Cultural Coordinator, Dina Shalvi: "How can we help Ebby realize his dream?" he asked.

Keter and Shalvi approached Marcelo Cholodenko, an immigrant from Buenos Aires who has been in Israel for three years. Cholodenko heads the Kehillat Shaarei Tikvah Conservative congregation which meets for regular Friday night services at the absorption center. He quickly arranged a special Monday morning service for Ebby's Bar Mitzvah. Baruch, who has become something of a big brother to Ebby, taught him the blessings and basic prayers, and showed him how to lay tefillin. He also bought him his first talit and tefillin. Dozens of ulpan classmates from all over the world, including fellow immigrants from Iran, and staff members joined in the morning service and the accompanying festivities.

"This was an extremely moving experience for all of us," says Keter. "Many of us could barely hold back the tears. This was the first Bar Mitzvah many of our residents had attended. It really represented everything that JAFI stands for - olim helping other olim reconnect with their Jewish roots."

Beit Canada in Ashdod houses 240 new immigrants. Sixty percent are from the former Soviet Union, 20 percent are from countries of distress, 10 percent are from Argentina, and 10 percent are from other places.

The Israeli Police has recommended that former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu be indicted on charges of bribe-taking and fraud. Netanyahu's comment: "I am being hunted by the police. I was interrogated for 7 hours about a package of crumbs for coating fried bananas which my wife received from China!" The police responded that they had firm evidence for the charges.

The Clinton-Assad summit in Geneva failed. Clinton: "The ball is now in Assad's court." Another round of talks between Israel and the Palestinians ended in Washington last night.

An F-16 Israel Air Force fighter plane crashed into the sea this week, killing its two-man crew. The funerals of pilot, Major Yonatan Begin, son of former MK Binyamin Zeev Begin and grandson of Menachem Begin, the late Israeli Prime Minister, and navigator, Lieutenant Lior Harari, took place today.

An Israeli medical team, comprising 3 doctors and 3 nurses, is working in Mozambique as part of the rescue efforts aimed at assisting the thousands of people left homeless after recent severe floods. The delegation was organized by the Israeli humanitarian organization "Latet" (to give). Two Palestinian doctors recently joined the Israeli team and their expenses were covered by Yakar, an Orthodox synagogue and religious study center.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel's leading basketball team, beat Paf Bologna tonight by a score of 79-64.
The game, which took place in Tel Aviv's Yad Eliyahu Stadium, was broadcast and screened before wildly enthusiastic fans at Tel Aviv's Rabin square. Prime Minister Ehud Barak phoned coach Pini Gershon immediately after the game to congratulate him on Maccabi's success.

The victory brings the Israeli team to the Final Four of the European Club Basketball Championship - for the first time in nine years! After the game, 40,000 fans gathered in Rabin Square to celebrate Maccabi's win. On April 18, they will face Barcelona in the semi-finals in Salonika, Greece. The winner will proceed to the final on April 20, also in Salonika.

Hundreds of percussionists from music conservatories throughout Israel converged on the Arad Music Conservatory last Monday for a special music clinic conducted by Professor Harvey Price, head of the percussion program at the University of Delaware. The clinic was followed by a concert featuring the university's 17-piece percussion ensemble together with performances by Israeli bands from conservatories in Ramat Hasharon, Sha'ar Hanegev, Arad, Herzlia, Kibbutz Kfar Blum and Petach Tikvah.

Three professional musicians and fourteen students - four of them Jewish - arrived in Israel on Thursday night as part of a mandate by the Delaware Arts Council to develop cultural ties with Israel. The Arad - Tamar region is partnered with New Jersey - Delaware within the Jewish Agency - UJC Partnership 2000 framework.

The visit included performances in Tel Aviv, Kibbutz Kfar Blum, and Kibbutz Baram as well as in Arad. The visiting musicians brought equipment weighing thousands of pounds with them, including marimbas (large xylophones), vibraphones (metallic xylophones), marching snare drums, marching base drums, tenor drums (5 drums), and steel drums. "Concert halls in Israel are far superior to anything in the States," noted Prof. Price, "better acoustics, more appreciative audiences, better access for equipment."

"This is my first time in Israel and I'm overwhelmed," said Brent Thorpe, a sophomore from Newark, Delaware, one of the musicians. "It's the most beautiful country I've ever been to. People have been very warm and welcoming and that makes us play a little better. We don't want to leave."

A new artform is emerging from an unlikely source: a group of mostly middle-age, primarily new immigrant women meets twice a week to develop their art skills as well as business savvy.

Thirty-six artists from Kiryat Gat - including 15 from Ethiopia, 15 from Russia, Ukraine, Bukhara, the Caucasus and other locations in the former Soviet Union, and six native Israeli women - that have been meeting, under the aegis of the Jewish Agency's Israel Department, are now going commercial.

The close ties that developed among the women over the past 11 months, during which they enhanced their techniques while expanding their artistic horizons, produced professional collaboration.

They work in ceramics, wood, stone, oil paints, and other media. This has resulted in unique, multi-cultural artwork that integrates themes from different cultures. e.g. a vase made of Ethiopian techniques depicting small Russian sheds in the snow or Bukharan themes. Following an exhibit several weeks ago, where virtually everything was grabbed up, the women are now beginning to produce their art with an eye toward commercial success.

After taking part in a course sponsored by the Jewish Agency supported Unit for Economic Development, the group has developed five integrated models. They will continue to receive consultation from the Unit regarding marketing techniques. The success of the workshop has bred similar programs in Kiryat Malachi and in Afula

No festive Bukharan meal is complete without shplo. This marvelous rice dish, which generally contains onion, pieces of lamb and/or chicken, carrot slices, and raisins, is one of the most popular Bukharan dishes

Ingredients
3 cups good rice, well rinsed, and soaked in cold water
3 large chopped onions
5 peeled carrots cut into thin slices
2 pounds lamb meat, cut into cubes of about 1 inch
2 spoons cumin granules
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/3 cup black raisins
salt and fresh ground back pepper
1/2 cup oil (or melted lamb fat)

Preparation

1. In a large pot, try the meat until well-browned on all sides. Add onion and continue to fry another 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and cook on small flame about half an hour. Remove from pot.
2. Place half the carrot slices in pot. Add meat mixture (with liquid), salt, and pepper. Add remaining carrot, chickpeas, and raisins in that order. Sprinkle on the cumin, and place the strained rice on top.
3. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover well and cook on a low flame for 45 minutes.
4. Place on large tray in the reverse order as the pot: first the rice, etc.
5. When available scatter pomegranate seeds on rice.

Bon appetit - B'teavon!