The Scene after the Terrorist Bombung

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"A little boy with a nap-sack was lying on the ground badly wounded", said a doctor from Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba a short time after the terrorist bombing, describing the most horrible image that ever passed before his eyes.

The explosion that shook the center of the town of Kfar Saba at about 9:00 this morning killed Dr. Mario Goldin z"l, a 53 year old resident of the who worked at Levinstein Hospital, and the suicide bomber. Eyewitnesses said that the terrorist, carrying the explosive on his person, stood with a group of people in the bus stop and he blew himself up when the bus reached the stop. Most of the wounded were waiting for a bus at the stop, including children on their way to school, and some were passengers on the back of the bus.

The body of Stanislav Sandomirsky z"l was found last night in the trunk of his car, with signs of violence on his body. Investigators believe that he was murdered for nationalist motives after being captured and taken to the Ramallah area.

Sandomirsky, 38, resident of Beit Shemesh, made aliyah from Russia 7 years ago. He was last seen alive on Friday afternoon, leaving a friend's home in the Neve Ya'akov neighborhood of Jerusalem, on his way to Beit Shemesh to pick up his daughters from school.

Stanislav Sandomirsky zl

Both incidents were made public this morning against the backdrop of the renewal of talks for security coordination, following a long break in cooperation.

Nevertheless, Israeli and PA teams met at the Erez Cross to the Gaza Strip under CIA auspices, in an attempt to renew security cooperation to reduce violence.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of significant escalation in violence that began in the last two weeks - Escalation that took the lives of more victims and reached a climax with the IDF entering PA-controlled territory following the increased launchings of mortars and plantings of explosives.

A heightened level of violence was observed this week, with the increase of mortar shootings on residential areas within the Green Line, including Kibbutz Nir Oz and the town of Sderot, within the jurisdiction of which is the private home of PM Ariel Sharon.

Despite the renewal of talks, the IDF expects further escalations and Palestinian activities directed by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

PM Sharon has emphasized that negotiations will not be renewed until a complete end to Palestinian violence. Nevertheless, contacts with Arafat, conducted by his son Omri Sharon continue, and other channels of communication are being explored by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. Many in Israel, including Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, have sharply criticized Sharon for the use of his son Omri as the personal emissary of the Prime Minister. However, Sharon has insisted that such methods are legitimate in the Middle East.

More than 500 Jews gathered in Moscow last week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day organized by the Jewish Agency, together with the JDC and the Israeli Embassy, at the city's Young Observers' Theater. The ceremony was attended by Israel's Ambassador to Russia Natan Meron, , Head of the JAFI Delegation to Russia Karol Ungar, Russia's two Chief Rabbis Berel Lazar and Adolph Shayevitz, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matveyeva, Jewish Agency shlichim and local community leaders.

Yair Levy, who directs JAFI's programs for the younger generation, reported that the programs for the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day included films on the Holocaust and performances by local Jewish choirs and choral groups. Rabbi Berel Lazar read the prayer "El Maleh Rahamim". Particularly emotional was a speech delivered by a Moscow priest, Father Georgi Chasytiakov, who spoke with great appreciation and respect for the Jews of Eastern Europe who were decimated by the Nazis, and called upon the world not to forget what the Nazis did to the Jews: "This was not only a Holocaust of the Jewish people, but of mankind as a whole".

Forty Jewish Agency employees in Moscow marked Holocaust Day with a moment of silence in memory of the victims, together with the rest of the Jewish people. Shlichim and local employees stood silently at ten o'clock in the morning, precisely when the siren was sounded in Israel. At the instruction of delegation head Karol Ungar a siren was sounded at the Jewish Agency's offices in Moscow through the building's public address system.

The flow of aliyah from Ethiopia continues at the rate of about 100 per week. In April, 374 are expected to make aliyah. A total of 1,141 olim arrived in Israel from Ethiopia during the first three months of the year, according to Mike Rosenberg, Director of the Aliyah Department, in preparation for May celebrations marking 10 years since Operation Solomon.

Some 6,000 Ethiopian olim are now living at 17 Jewish Agency absorption centers around the country. Another absorption facility will open this month in Arad and others will open in coming months.

About 350 families (numbering approximately 1,700 olim) are currently making arrangements for the transition from absorption centers to permanent housing throughout Israel, allowing the absorption of newer olim at the centers. Within the framework of celebrations marking 10 years since Operation Solomon, the Jewish Agency's Education Fund awarded grants this week to 60 Ethiopian students. The grants are intended to help promote higher education among the Ethiopian Israeli community. The ceremony will take place at the National Institutions (Jewish Agency) building in Jerusalem, in the presence of Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor, Treasurer Chaim Chesler and Director General Aaron Abramovich.

Grants were awarded to students who arrived in Israel from Ethiopia over the last three decades, studying for a BA at institutions of higher education throughout the country now in their first or second year of studies. Ages 20 - 50, the students work to finance their studies. Some are married with families. They are studying a variety of disciplines, such as Law, Accounting, Education, Cinema, etc.

The Jewish Agency will award $12 million worth of student grants in 2001, including grants to student olim to the tune of $10 million, aimed at encouraging higher education in Israel's periphery through the Partnership 2000 program, promote higher education among students from moshavim and kibbutzim, and more.

The Jewish Agency has allocated $5,000 for a research project on the subject of women immigrants, announced Director of the Jewish Agency's Israel Office Ofra Friedman last week. The allocation follows the publication of the findings of a survey conducted by Dr. Mina Zemach's "Dahaf" organization, commissioned by the Jewish Agency. The survey examined the way the self-perception women immigrants, their status in Israeli society in general and in the media in particular.

The results of the survey showed that more than 49% of women immigrants believe that the Israeli media portrays them in a negative light compared with veteran immigrants, with respect to their morals, their parental skills and their attitudes toward sex. 43% reported that they had been discriminated against due to being recent women immigrants.

In view of the survey results, the Jewish Agency has taken upon itself the task of defending immigrants from gender-related discrimination as reflected in Israeli media. Ofra Friedman said that the Jewish Agency is working on ways of changing public opinion on all aspects concerning to women immigrants, and will try to expunge erroneous images of women immigrants such as the assumption of a connection between them and the illegal trade of women.

"We have established a response task force which will track and respond to any articles in the press which cast aspersions on women immigrants by virtue of their being women, and we will also act as an address for such women who encounter hostile or discriminatory press", said Friedman.

The image of the woman in media, particularly Israeli media, is complex and problematic. Women are frequently characterized by one of two extremes: as prostitutes or as holy mothers - madonnas. Consequently, the image of recent women immigrants in media is extremely complex, as they are made to suffer on two counts: as women, and as immigrants, who are often perceived as alien to Israeli society. According to Dr. Dafna Lamish of the Faculty of Media Studies at Tel Aviv University, studies show that the press frequently presents women immigrants in a negative light in two main categories. The most common image relates to the women as belonging to the world of prostitution and sex services, presenting them as being inferior, readily available for sex and immoral. Media also presents them as being alien to Israeli society - outsiders. Both images are widely prevalent in the daily press and are particularly discernible in the way in which editors phrase headlines. Media thus misleads the public by propagating the erroneous perception of their connection with the illegal trade of women and sexual needs. There are women from the FSU who are sold for sex, but most are neither Jewish nor immigrants.

Since media largely determines Israeli public opinion regarding women immigrants from the FSU, the Israeli public inadvertently absorbs negative images of women immigrants, particularly those from the FSU. Due to the Jewish Agency's commitment to the subject of aliyah, last month the Agency organized a special daylong seminar that focused on confronting the problem of the image of women immigrants in the media.

The road to the "Al Aqsa Intifada" was planned by Arafat and Bargutti at the beginning of 2000. Covering a meeting between Arafat and young PLO members (Shabiba) in Nablus, the Palestinian journal Alrai reported the following: "Arafat described the Shabiba as the new generals, holding stones for use against the Israeli army in an intifada that was not a passing episode but 7 years long. He reiterated the fact that the Palestinian people was ready to begin a new intifada."

In a speech to a PLO convention in Nablus on June 2, 2000, Arafat threatened even more clearly to launch a violent confrontation against Israel. The following are excerpts of his sharp speech: "From here in Nablus, we say to the martyrs, the heroic prisoners, and the refugees wherever they are - our commitment remains unchanged. Our oath is the same oath and with Allah's help, Palestinian children will unfurl the Palestinian flag on the walls of Jerusalem, on its towers, mosques and churches. They see it from afar and we see it near. We will sacrifice our bodies and souls for Palestine.... 103 years have passed since the Zionist Congress in Basel. In Basel, the Jews claimed that the land was uninhabited and destined for a people without a homeland… Now we are here. No one can threaten us.... We shall fight for our land… Anyone who has forgotten should recall the Battle of Qarama [an IDF operation on Jordanian territory against PLO terrorists, which Palestinian historians claim was the first Arab victory over the IDF], the Battle for Beirut and the seven-year intifada… We are willing to wipe the slate clean and begin again… The coming weeks will be the most important and critical as we shall then declare the Palestinian State… This people, from Asia to Africa, Europe, South America and throughout Palestine says: Palestine is ours, ours, ours."

• $11,000 - The Jewish Agency's allocation to the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement for the "Shiluvim" project, in the framework of JAFI allocations to projects promoting unity, tolerance and mutual respect for the year 2000.

• $10,000 - The Jewish Agency's allocation to "Beit Ori" for awareness of surroundings, in the framework of JAFI allocations to projects supporting special populations.

• $14,000 - The Jewish Agency's allocation to the "Beyachad" Institute for the "Them and Us" project, in the framework of JAFI allocations promoting Jewish identity among Israelis for the year 2000.

• 12,402 olim arrived in Israel since the beginning of 2001, 9,171 of them came from the former Soviet Union.

About 1,000 Israeli youngsters who have completed their army service will attend a seminar over the next few days, at which the Jewish Agency will prepare them to be shlichim at Jewish summer camps in North America. The Israeli shlichim will be leaders at 185 summer camps all over the United States and Canada, catering to 120,000 Jewish teenagers. They will teach Israeli culture, Hebrew, art, camping, sports, etc.

The Jewish Agency's Education Department received more than 5,500 applications from youngsters throughout Israel asking to participate in the project, from which 1,000 were chosen. The screening process includes personal interviews, workshops and meetings with overseas camp directors.

The seminars will last 5 days and will take place in May at Moshav Shoresh just outside Jerusalem, focusing on learning about Jewish communities in the Diaspora, acquiring educational tools for leadership at summer camps, and training in all aspects of the shaliach's role in advocating Israel's position among communities abroad.

The German Claims Commission marked 50 years since its establishment at a special meeting in the presence of Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor, Treasurer Chaim Chesler, JAFI management and the management of "Amigur". During the meeting, Rabbi Dr. Israel Miller, President of the Commission, announced that the Commission would invest an additional $10 million in homes for elderly Holocaust survivors in Israel, to be built by Amigur and the Jewish Agency.

Director General of Amigur Aryeh Avir said that the Claims Commission has so far invested $25 million in public housing projects in Israel, and that in view of the cooperation and success of the projects run jointly with the Claims Commission, the Jewish Agency and Amigur (which builds the projects), the Commission has decided to expand its investments in homes for elderly Holocaust survivors.

The German Claims Commission was established 50 years ago to handle property owned by missing Jews in Eastern Europe and to invest the funds from those properties in homes for Holocaust survivors in Israel and elsewhere. The Commission has so far financed projects valued at $300 million worldwide, through the Claims Fund. Working with the Jewish Agency, the fund has so far invested $25 million in the construction and renovation of some 1,300 housing units in Israel, built by Amigur.

This month an education center, most significant in terms of Judaism and Zionism, opened in Buenos Aires.

The six-story building houses pedagogic centers, libraries, an Israel programs center, teachers' colleges, the management of Zohar (the Latin American "Naaleh 16" program), a school for youth leaders and video film center. Overall, the new building forms a center for formal and informal education for the Latin American Jewish communities.

The Jewish Agency's Education Department manages the center. Zvi (Kito) Hasson, Head of the Jewish Agency's Latin American delegation of shlichim, adds that the center makes an extremely important contribution, particularly now, when the Argentine community is in the throes of a severe crisis and many centers, including Jewish schools are closing their doors. The head of the center, Dr. Drori Ganiel, is the shaliach of the Jewish Agency's Education Department to Central America.

The Jewish Agency is today the only Jewish organization active in the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan. The local authorities prohibit the Joint Distribution Committee, Nativ and Chabad from operating in the country and the Israel Consul pays only rare visits.

The Jewish Agency has a local aliyah coordinator (a former Hebrew teacher) in the capital of Ashhabad, who offers advice on aliyah and Jewish education. Despite the small number of Jews in the city, several people come to her daily for advice on aliyah and absorption in Israel. This activity has born fruit - 260 Jews made aliyah from Turkmenistan in 1999, and 200 in 2000.

Meir Tal, Head of the JAFI delegation to the Central Asian Republics and the Caucasus, estimates that 1,500 Turkmeni Jews live in Ashhabad. An additional 200 live in Krasnovodsk and another 200 are scattered among other towns, with 5 - 7 families in each town. According to Tal's reports, there is currently no organized Jewish community in Turkmenistan, apparently for two reasons: a prohibition by the authorities against community organization based on ethnic origin and the small number of Jews. Consequently, Turkmenistan has no Jewish communal facilities such as a synagogue, ritual bath, cemetery etc.

Evidence pointing to Jewish activity existing in Turkmenistan in the past was recently discovered in a mountainous region 30 kilometers outside of Ashhabad. On the main road to Iran, there is an ancient Jewish cemetery with 35 headstones and the remnants of 100 graves. Most inscriptions date to the end of the 19th Century and several graves to the 20th Century.

In general, reports Meir Tal who recently visited the area, conversations with locals and visual impressions show that there has been a substantial improvement economically and in the living standards of the citizens of Turkmenistan. Unlike other Central Asian republics and the Caucasus, Turkmenistan manages to market its natural resources, gas in particular, to other countries, including Iran, the Ukraine and Russia. Citizens benefit from the millions it earns. Gas, electricity, water, public transport and other services are provided free of charge. A liter of gasoline costs merely 4 (United States) cents. Salaries have also increased and the minimum pension now stands at $40 per month, which is considered high compared with standards in the FSU in general and in the Caucasus in particular. Nevertheless, the country is an extremely centralized autocracy and any form of organization, religious, national or sectoral in particular is strictly prohibited.

The JNF recommended that the State Comptroller officially conduct a review of real estate assets under its administration that are owned by holocaust victims, despite the fact that the JNF it is not normally subject to such review.

The JNF is of the opinion that since the State Comptroller is in any event supposed to review the thousands of acres of real estate property in the care of the Administrator General, it would be natural for its review to cover land held by the JNF as well, which in any event administers these lands according to instructions and supervision of the Administrator General.

The JNF informed the Knesset investigative committee that is discussing the subject of the properties of Jews who perished in the Holocaust that it is willing to undergo a review of property owned by missing persons which is being conducted as part of an overall review of all the relevant bodies, particularly the Administrator General's Office, which by law administers land owned by missing persons, as well as other bodies such as the Israel Land Development Company, the Jewish Agency, Keren Hayesod - UIA, banks and others.

As Yehiel Leket, Chairman of the Board of JNF, made it clear to MK Collette Avital, who chairs the Knesset committee, "the JNF will agree to review on the basis of a singular document of principles that applies to all bodies, with the review being undertaken simultaneously under agreed conditions."

A special course for teachers of media and communication in the education system is underway at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Press at the School of Education at Tel Aviv University.

Among course topics:

• The Connection between Media & Jewish Nationalism, Past & Present (Prof. Michael Bareket, Director of Bronfman Center)
• The Jewish Press In Arab Countries (Dr. Hagar Hillel)
• The Jewish Press In the United States (Hirsch Goodman)
• How the Jewish World is Portrayed On Television (David Witztum)
• The Jewish Press In Europe (Dr. Shlomo Netzer)
• The Press In Israel (Dr. Mordecai Naor)
• Jewish Humor & Cartoons (Danny Kerman)
• The Press & Photography, and Other Issues (Micha Baram)

A report commissioned by the Jewish Agency reveals that 89 organizations currently operate in Israel on the subject of fostering Jewish identity of a pluralistic nature, namely one that legitimizes varied perceptions of Judaism. Such perceptions are reflected in organizations ranging from "El Ami", identified with the Mercaz Harav yeshiva, to organizations that identify with secular Judaism and non-Orthodox movements. A study of 1,000 different programs run by the organizations shows that 43% are directed at the community, namely the adult population, 28% at the education system and merely 8% at new olim. 58% of the programs deal with Jewish and Israeli identity, and other subjects (such as social justice, art, the religious-secular divide and more) receive a much lower percentage. As to the organizations' income: the income of some 51% of the organizations is derived from overseas donations, 18% from independent sources and the sale of services, and 13% from government grants. The Jewish Agency commissioned the report from the "Pnim" organization, which seeks to serve as an umbrella organization for all the organizations. The report mentions that the Jewish Agency allocates $8 million of its budget to supporting the various organizations.

Poverty among olim increased from 16.8% in 1998 to 18% in 1999. This is just one item of information contained in the National Insurance Institution's (NII) 1999 Report on Poverty. Other figures show that Israel's new poor are mainly olim from the FSU.

Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor and Chairman of the Jewish Agency's Education Department Amos Hermon have instructed the JAFI subsidiary company "Israel Experience" to prepare to conduct the company's summer programs, designed for Jewish youth from abroad, this year in Israel only. The directive was issued following publications in the press that the company's Board of Directors had decided to hold seminars in the Czech Republic and Poland, due to concern that many Jews would not come to Israel because of the security situation.

Revolution in the kibbutz movement: Kibbutz Mishmar David near Ramle will be the first kibbutz to change its status to that of community settlement. Its plan to switch from kibbutz to community settlement status was already approved by the Regional Committee of the Ministry of the Interior. Kibbutz Mishmar David bears a heavy financial debt, and it is having difficulty supporting itself economically and socially.

Gesture to the residents of Gilo: for the first time, Mimouna celebrations were held in Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood, rather than in the traditional Sacher Park location. The Prime Minister attended the celebrations, after participating in a celebration in Bat Yam the previous evening along with the two Chief Rabbis.

Israel's Number One: Figures published this week place Israel in first place as the world's leading exporter of flowers to Europe. Israel exported 1.5 billion flowers to Europe, worth $200 million, in 2000, namely 30% of all flowers imported to Europe. Kenya with 20% of imports took second place.

60 Jewish teenagers from 30 countries arrived in Israel this week to take part in the International Bible Quiz for Jewish Youth, taking place in Jerusalem on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day). An additional four Israeli participants will participate, bringing the total number of competitors to 64 compared with 60 last year, despite the security situation.

Competitors go to "Bible Camp" before the quiz, at the Jewish Agency's Kiryat Moriyah educational campus in Jerusalem, studying the chapters included in the quiz and touring biblical sites throughout Israel.
Amos Hermon, Chairman of the Jewish Agency's Education Committee, said that thousands of Jewish youngsters worldwide participated in the preliminary regional and national stages of the quiz during the current academic year, held in Jewish communities abroad. The semifinalists are now in Israel to participate in the finale, which will take place on Independence Day in the presence of the Prime Minister of Israel. The Diaspora Bible Quiz will take place on Sunday in Kiryat Malachi to choose the winner.

The International Bible Quiz for Jewish Youth has been organized by the IDF for the last 38 years, under the command of the Chief Education Officer and Chief Youth Officer, with the participation of the JNF and other bodies.

The Ornah Porath Theater for Children and Youth has held a youth workshop, together with the Jewish Agency, for the past seven months.

Director Rimona Lapin runs the workshop, attended by 8-11 grade pupils from schools in the center of the country. Within the context of their joint work, the group prepared a production called "Who Here is the King?", dealing with violence in schools. The play attempts to track the reason and driving force behind the spread of violence, portraying the experiences of youth worldwide and seeking to present an authentic and unmediated picture of the pressures that surround and fuel their lives.

The play is performed for school pupils, with a panel discussion on violence in schools after each performance.

Ingredients:

1 large onion
3 teaspoons oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced
3 small zucchinis, washed and cut into medium sized slices
100 grams green beans, fresh or frozen
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
Salt and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
7 eggs
11/2 teaspoons butter or oil

Preparation:

• Heat oil and add onion. Stir until soft and transparent. Add garlic and vegetables. Stir until soft, adding a little water if mixture becomes too dry.

• Season to taste. Stir in parsley.

• In large bowl, beat eggs with fork. Stir in cooked vegetables.

• Place butter/oil in 25-centimeter diameter omelet pan and spread over base and sides of pan. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook on low heat until bottom of omelet is crispy and inside still soft.

• Place pan beneath hot grill for 1 - 2 minutes, until surface of omelet is dry. Turn onto large serving plate and leave to cool.

B'Te'avon!     Bon Appetit!