Ariel Sharon, George Tenet and Yasser Arafat

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Following discussions of CIA Director - George Tenet, with Prime Minister - Ariel Sharon, and Chairman of the Palestinian Authority - Yasser Arafat, it appears that a top level meeting is scheduled between representatives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority tomorrow. The meeting will take place in Ramallah, even though it was initially reported that Cairo would host the meeting. Participants on the Palestinian side will be : Muhammed Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, and Amin El Hindi. On the Israeli side head of General Security Service - Avi Dichter and senior officials from the Defense establishement will attend. At first it was announced that the Egyptian head of Intelligence Services Omar Suleiman, would also attend as the preparation for the meeting was brokered by the US and Egypt.

US Officials in Washington believe that President Bush's new initiative focuses on security issues and true return to the peace negotiating table could be stalled up to four years if mutual trust is breached as a result of terrorist activity and violence. In the meantime, Washington confirmed that American envoy William Barnes will arrive to the Middle East tomorrow and will meet with Sharon and Arafat, in order to further topics that will also be discussed with George Tenet.

Prime Minister Sharon told Tenet that putting a freeze on settlements and implementing the Mitchell report is conditional upon complete halt of violence and provocation as well as apprehension of tens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters previously released from prisons. In response Nabil Sha'ath said that "the Palestinian Authority will not serve as Israel's police and will only arrest people who will violate Palestinian law" while the Hamas and the Jihad said that they will forcefully oppose the arrest of their colleagues in the movement.

In another announcement, the Israeli government said that Arafat's test will be whether he can maintain cease fire in Bet Jalla, Netzarim and Rafiah. Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said that : "Arafat has completed his role. Perhaps his successor will be more pragmatic."

In spite of announcements of a cease-fire and contacts for security coordination, Palestinian attacks continued this week although, compared to recent weeks, at a reduced intensity. Three Israeli civilians were injured in a shooting attack near Ramallah, two of them in a serious condition. Shots were also fired at IDF soldiers near Neveh Dekalim and at the Gush Katif area. Palestinians threw a hand grenade and stones at IDF soldiers on the Israel-Egypt border, three IDF soldiers were wounded in an exchange of fire near Rafiah. The climax was a Palestinian ambush north of Ramallah : stone throwing at passing cars from an ambush, critically wounded an Israeli baby, Yehuda Haim Shoham, in the head and doctors are doing everything in their power to save his life.

Steve Solender, President and CEO of the United Jewish Communities -The Federations of North America, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, are launching a joint program this week to encourage Jewish families from the US to spend their summer vacation in Israel. In the US yesterday, during a video-conference with directors and representatives of Jewish communities and organizations convening at the Conference of Presidents, Solender called on all Jewish organizations to transfer their planned conventions for this year to Israel. Thus, it will be possible to show solidarity with the Israeli people, filling the hotels and contributing to the depleted tourism industry.

Malcolm Hoenlein, of the Conference of Presidents, and a driving force behind the initiative, expressed shock at the cancellation of trips to Israel and emphasized that now is the time to strengthen ties with Israel and show unity. According to Hoenlein's proposal, the Jewish organizations will raise significant contributions enabling any family deciding to visit Israel in the summer to receive subsidies to cover part of its expenses. During the videoconference, Alon Pinkas, Israel's Consul General in New York, warned that canceling visits to Israel would distance Israel from the Jewish world leading to alienation.

The Jewish Agency will make every effort to assist in the organization of the visits and programs, so as to enable the visitors to have a pleasant and challenging stay.

The initiative came in response to cancellation of visits to Israel out of fear resulting from the security situation. The Reform movement in the US decided to cancel its youth movement trips to Israel this summer; 1,500 teenagers, comprising the largest group of American youth to visit Israel each summer. The decision raised sharp criticism in the Israeli and US-Jewish establishment, as well as in the Reform movement itself, and it is possible that the decision will be reversed.

On Thursday, June 7^th, the Jewish Agency flew in two more relatives of those injured in the attack: Tatiana Polosochina from Moscow, aunt of Liana Sakian z"l, and Vladimir Ziponov from Kharkov in the Ukraine, father of Maria Ziponov, who is hospitalized in serious condition at Tel Hashomer hospital.

Early tomorrow morning (Friday June 8^th) the Jewish Agency will be flying in Ludmilla Litvinova from eastern Russia, aunt of Ania Kachkova z"l.

The Jewish Agency is bringing from the FSU 20 relatives of 14 of the youngsters injured in the attack. Relatives of the injured continue to call the Jewish Agency's emergency numbers in the FSU and Israel asking for assistance to come to Israel in order to comfort their dear ones who are in mourning.

The Jewish Agency purchases the airline tickets and with the help of the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of the Interior and the National Insurance Institute, arranges all necessary documents enabling the families to come to Israel. At the same time, the calling center at the Jewish Agency's central region office receives calls from the families of those injured and seeks ways to assist them.

Yelena Nelimov, 18 and her sister Julia Nelimov 16, who were killed by a terrorist suicide bomber last Friday night while waiting in line to enter the "Water World" discotheque in Tel Aviv were laid to rest next to one another at the Yarkon cemetery. Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor laid a wreath on their graves (Photo: Israel Sun)

Some 800 lone olim, including young people from the FSU, Latin America, Ethiopia, western Europe and other countries, and Jewish tourists from all over the world attending Jewish Agency programs in the north of Israel and some who arrived in Israel just a few days earlier, held a show of solidarity with the State of Israel today, under the slogan : "When you enter the Land of Israel." The event began with a moment's silence in memory of those killed in the terrorist attack at the "Dolfinarium" last week.

The event which was organized by the Jewish Agency - northern region, in conjunction with the Upper Nazareth municipality, was followed by an artistic program combining performances by new and veteran olim. Later on, Gilboa Street was closed to traffic and a solidarity march began at City Hall ending at the Jewish Agency's Tabor absorption center, marking solidarity with Upper Nazareth which absorbed large numbers of olim.

The day closed with an education fair, featuring academic courses for young olim and Jewish tourists, and "My Israel" exhibition.

Kadora Mussa, secretary of the Fatah movement in Jenin, said in a speech delivered at a Hamas-sponsored rally marking 13 years since its establishment : "The Al Aqsa Intifada will continue, using all means of warfare, including an escalation of the armed struggle until the Palestinian people attain their national and lawful rights".

Head of the Shabiba (the youth Fatah organization), Abdel Hakim Awad, added: "There is no place for occupation and for settlers on our land. The armed struggle must be directed against every settler living on our pure land".

A poster circulated by the Fatah youth, Shabiba, in the Ramallah region said: "We will make hell the land under their feet and we will turn your settlements and camps into cemeteries for your wretched soldiers".

Ahmed Halas, secretary of the Supreme Fatah committee in the Gaza Strip, said: "The option of struggle and battle and violent, revolutionary activity, remains the Fatah's preferred method of action for restoring balance and the stolen rights of our people. The Fatah movement is still able to cause losses in Israel's ranks, in Tel Aviv and in Ramallah ..."

Diab Alsharbatti, Fatah secretary in Hebron: "shooting and the use of weapons in a particular manner, has served and escalated the Intifada".

Hussam Hadar, Fatah activist in Nablus and member of the legislative council : "We must escalate all aspects of the Intifada so that we can prove that peace is based on Israeli recognition of the political rights of the Palestinian people and is capable of providing security and stability in the area. It is my right to ask where is the Hamas and the branches of the Palestinian armed struggle, why the Fatah is alone in the arena? The Fatah movement brings glory to the people but where are the Hamas and the others ? The battle against the occupation has not yet begun. The real battle is not the battle for Jerusalem and Al Aqsa, it is the battle for the refugees".

Almatocal Ta, a poet and senior official in the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Culture: "Anyone carrying weapons must be expert and trained for using them .... and should be expert in guerilla warfare and fighting in a built area ..... so that the weapon ..... will be effective and each bullet will reach its destination ...... one bullet shot by a trained, skilled Palestinian who fires it with the help of modern, advanced technology, is better than firing a million bullets in vain".

• $ 19,000 - Jewish Agency allocation for the year 2000 to the Haberman Institute of Literacy Research for "Encounters with Different Cultures" Project within the framework of projects that foster "Unity, Tolerance and Mutual Respect."

• $ 23,000 - Jewish Agency allocation for the year 2000 to youth making a "Change" for "Follow me" project within the framework of support of "Special Needs Populations."

• $ 19,000 - Jewish Agency allocation for the year 2000 to Cymbalista Jewish Heritage Center at Tel Aviv University for "Israeli Judaism" program within the framework of allocations "Enhancing Jewish Identity for Israelis."

• 17,392 Olim arrived in Israel since the beginning of 2001. 13,234 are from the FSU.

• 722 New Immigrants arrived in Israel this week; 595 from the FSU and eastern Europe, 80 from Ethiopia and the rest from France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Columbia, Venezuela, the U.S.A. and Canada.

More than 12,000 Jewish youth aged 7-17 will spend their holidays at Jewish Agency summer camps throughout the Former Soviet Union. In addition to fun and relaxation, the educational program includes various activities focusing on Judaism, Israeli culture and learning Hebrew. At every camp there is a team of counselors comprising both young Israelis and local youth who have undergone special training organized by the Jewish Agency. In the picture: Young Jewish girls at a Jewish Agency Summer Camp on the outskirts of St. Petersburg in a typical Russian pastoral setting

In response to the severe crisis which is plaguing Argentina's Jewish community, the JAFI Jewish Zionist Education Department decided to open a (BMH) Bet HaMechanech Hayehudi (Jewish Educational Center) in Buenos Aires.

Since 1995, 12 Jewish schools have closed in the city and 4,000 children were taken out of the education framework: the number of hours of Hebrew and Judaism studied has been reduced by half - from 20 hours a week to just 10. Bar Ilan University, the only Jewish academic institution to operate in Argentina likewise closed its doors a year ago and the only non-orthodox institution which trains Jewish teachers in Latin America is also facing closure.

The Jewish Agency's Jewish Zionist Education Department has begun operating alternative programs to replace the educational frameworks that closed. Therefore, the department runs a workshop for training teachers and school principals, and helps bring over teachers and principals from Israel to serve as shlichim in the schools. The department has also increased the number of special education projects, such as "Chayil" which provides basic assistance for high schools, the "Excellence" project for initiating changes in elementary schools, and "PELE" for enriching the Jewish content of elementary schools.

The department has also intensified its informal education activities in the city. The department provides counseling and pedagogic guidance, and adopts a model of cooperating with sports clubs, which today constitute the only alternative to the educational centers which were closed. The department also runs a tutoring program.

The new initiative, BMH, was made possible thanks to a joint effort by the Jewish Agency's Education Department, Jewish Federation leaders in the US and community leaders in Buenos Aires. In general, the center will serve both formal and informal educational needs. As an education center, BMH will be used by teachers, school principals and professional coordinators, as well as community and religious leaders. However, community leaders hope that the range of services provided will assist the general public as well.

"The goals of BMH are extremely varied" said Eliyahu Shaul, who heads the Education Department's Latin American desk, which supports the project. "The center will provide educational services, training and qualifications for Jewish educators in Argentina; it will act as a bridge between the Buenos Aires community and Israel, and as a bridge between formal and informal activities. The center will also train a young educational leadership for the community, and will naturally serve as an educational and cultural center for all those who pass through its gates".

Since the building was opened at the end of April, four special missions have already visited the center. They include Jewish Federation leaders, young leadership members from the US, leaders of the New York Federation and senior JAFI officials. A special delegation comprising MK Zevulun Orlev - who chairs the Knesset Education Committee, Zvi Handel - chairman of the Knesset Absorption Committee and former MK Eli Goldschmidt, have also paid the center a visit.

The Hillel House that was opened by Hillel - the Foundation for Jewish Life on Campus - and the Jewish Agency's Jewish Zionist Education Department was initiated by representatives of the Montevideo Jewish community in an attempt to find a solution for the crisis affecting youngsters within the community and their Jewish identity.

Eliyahu Shaul, who coordinates the JAFI regional offices and activity in Latin America, explained the origins of the crisis: "The community invests considerable resources to promote Jewish identity programs for youth. Many of these youngsters participate in the Israel Experience program and some even enjoy a year of training at the youth leadership center. However, after they complete their high-school education and move on to university, the community provides no follow-up tools to help them preserve their Jewish identity in an organized manner, and their daily contacts with the non-Jewish way of life makes it difficult for the community to protect its children".

The Jewish community in Montevideo is the largest Jewish community in Uruguay, with 25,000 Jews and is renowned for its high level of activity. The community is well known for its cohesion and rich community life. Consequently, the fear of "losing" the young students as they enter university has pushed young leaders and other bodies in the community to initiate the establishment of a Jewish education center, which will act to preserve their Jewish identity.

In order to set up the Montevideo Hillel, the organization joined forces with the Jewish Agency's Jewish Zionist Education Department. Since the universities in Uruguay are not build around a campus, it was decided to set up the student house in the center of the Jewish community.

Between 400 and 500 Jewish students are expected to attend on-going activities at the house, which will focus on cultural and educational content relating to Israel and Judaism. A variety of activities will take place at the house aimed at enhancing Jewish identity, and there will also be workshops and a "get to know Israel" section. The content of the activities will be determined by the local Hillel House management with the involvement of the students themselves, under the supervision of a management committee comprising community representatives, a representative of the Jewish Agency and Hillel representatives.

As has been mentioned, Uruguay's Hillel House is the first of its kind to open in Latin America. "In future, we hope to set up similar houses in other Latin America countries, such as Brazil and Argentina", said Shaul "assuming that the pilot program in Uruguay in fact meets expectations".

Present at the dedication ceremony, which took place on April 18th, were Amos Hermon - chairman of the Jewish Agency's Education Committee, Richard Joel - Hillel's International Director, Edgar Bronfman - president of the World Jewish Congress; one of the major Jewish philanthropists in the world whose contribution helped set up the house, and 400 other guests.

A total of 45 participants from seven Consortium member communities from the UJC Central Region, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are confirmed to attend a Jewish Educators Conference in Israel this June 18-26.

The Conference will be based in the Western Galilee. American Educators involved in teaching, from kindergarten through University, in both formal and informal settings, will be attending. The Conference is being sponsored by Partnership 2000 of the Central Region of the U.S. and the Western Galilee settlements along with the Joint Program for Jewish Education of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Participants will lodge at the Nes Harim Guest House in the Galilee and at the Kings Hotel in Jerusalem.

The Conference will kick off on Tuesday, June 19, with an opening session, visits to Western Galilee schools, lunch at the Western Galilee College, a lecture and cross cultural simulation by Ken Kushner, a visit to an exhibit of materials created by Israeli educators on Israel/Diaspora relations at the Akko Municipality, a tour of the Old City of Akko, and dinner and entertainment in the Old City of Akko. The dinner program will be the "formal" joint dinner of the Conference.

On June 20 attendees will visit regional schools and the Western Galilee College. Israeli participants will then host their U.S. colleagues for dinner in their homes.

Thursday, June 21 will include a lecture on schooling in the Arab sector (tentatively) and a visit to a special school in the Misgav Bloc where Israeli Jews and Arabs study together. Following lunch the U.S. group will travel to Jerusalem where touring has been scheduled.

On Friday June 22, the group will tour Jerusalem and will celebrate Shabbat together. A guest speaker, a walking tour, Havdallah, dinner and touring have been scheduled. Israeli participants are invited to accompany U.S. participants to Jerusalem.

On Sunday June 24, they will attend a lecture at the Hartman Institute and will tour the Knesset and the Supreme Court. The group will then return to the Galilee for a tour of Yad Layled Museum, followed by a session with Rabbi David Rosen, Director of ADL in Israel.

From Monday June 25 through Wednesday June 25, the U.S. group will break into two tracks, one at the Ghetto Fighters' House and one at Western Galilee College.

Thursday June 26 will focus on a group workshop to summarize the conference and develop a teaching unit that will be used in their respective communities at home.

80 Ethiopian children of bar and bat-mitzvah ages, who arrived in Israel in the last year, participated in a special bar-mitzvah ceremony today. The olim are living at Jewish Agency absorption centers in the southern region.

During the morning, the bar-mitzvah boys were involved in a number of activities: they visited the Air Force Museum hosted by Yaakov Turner, Mayor of Be'er Sheva and Director of the Museum, they laid teffilin and were called up to the Torah at the Ohel Shlomo Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Beersheva. Later they had a seudat mitzvah (celebratory meal) at Netivot's "Ganei Eden" banqueting hall, including a candle-lighting ceremony and a sermon.

The event was sponsored by the Kiryat Gat municipality, the Dimona Nuclear Reactor workers' committee, and three companies - Moshe Abisour & Sons, Yanai Office Supplies, and the Dead Sea Industries.

This week a key event marking a decade since Operation Solomon was held at the Jewish Agency's Lod absorption center in the Jerusalem and Central Region. The event included an exhibition of photographs of Ethiopian olim beginning their new life in Israel.

Hannah Dobkin, absorption center director, photographed the olim who recently completed Ulpan Level 1 at the absorption center and have taken up their first job in Israel. The photographs were taken at the workplace on the first day of work in Israel. The absorption center contacted dozens of employers in the area and held an employment fair through the services of employers and manpower companies to find employment for the olim. A large number of olim found work, most notably a couple named Mulu and Tunuk Lakach, who have three children. They are recent olim who have just completed their ulpan study and begun working. The husband is employed by Maman customs brokers and the wife is working at the Kfar Daniel poultry breeding farm on the night shift.

During the day, school students from Lod visited the absorption center, met with the olim who told them about their journey to Israel. Workshops were also held at which the olim gave the pupils an insight into Ethiopian traditions: traditional foods and Ethiopian art. The olim prepared Ethiopian food that was sampled by the students. They demonstrated traditional Ethiopian dress and exhibited sculpture and embroidery work that they made.

The day concluded with a central event which took place at the absorption center with the olim. It was attended by Lod mayor Aryeh Bibi, Director of the Jewish Agency's Jerusalem and Central region office - Eli Cohen, Ministry of Absorption officials and other guests from the region who have helped in absorbing the olim and integrating them in Israeli society.

The Jewish Agency for Israel along with the Mate Asher Regional Council, the UIA/ Keren Hayesod and the United Jewish Israel Appeal of Great Britain have announced the opening of a medical clinic in the Western Galilee.

The Solomon Family of London attended the dedication ceremony at Moshav Amka in the Westen Galilee on Sunday, on May 27, 2001.

Sir Harry Solomon, accompanied by Lady Judy Solomon, spoke at the cornerstone laying ceremony one year ago, last May.

Moshav Amka, within the Regional Council of Mate Asher, is a partner in Partnership 2000 between0 the Central Region Consortium of the U.S. and the Western Galilee.

Following recent terrorist attacks in Israel, several overseas delegations, including the American group, have asked that the 16th Maccabiah Games scheduled to open on July 16th, be postponed for a year. Recently the number of those registered for the games has dropped. At first 5,000 athletes were expected to participate, but the current figure is 3,000, some of them have yet to pay their registration fee. An emergency meeting on the subject will be held on Sunday with the heads of the Maccabiah and delegation leaders around the world. The Ministry of Culture & Sport rejected the request to postpone the Maccabiah. The Ministry's Director General, Aryeh Shumer said: "If the Spanish national soccer team could make it to Israel this week, there is no reason to postpone the games.

The Central Bureau of Statistics published its figures this week about Ethiopian olim: the Ethiopian community in Israel now numbers more than 80,000 persons. 30% of them, i.e. 23,000 persons, were born in Israel. During the 1990's the Ethiopian olim formed the second largest group of olim in Israel, preceded by those from the FSU. The average age of the community is very young: 41% are children under the age of 15, and only 5% of community members are over 65 years of age. Ethiopian women bear an average of 4.5 children each compared with 2.6 children in the general Jewish population. The annual rate of growth of the Ethiopian community is more than 5% - twice the rate of growth in the overall Jewish population.

Senior members of the kibbutz movements, including Minister of Agriculture Shaul Simchon, have recently prepared a far-reaching program for organizational restructuring for kibbutzim, turning them into moshavim or some other form of rural community. One of the most reasonable alternatives is to turn the kibbutzim into cooperative farms. Simchon plans to establish a committee to examine the requirements and implications regarding this revolutionary change. In its present form, the kibbutz has effectively ceased to exist.

The American Space Missile Defense Command (SMDC) has signed an agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defense for the development of a new model of anti-missile weapon. This decision was taken after the US army expressed considerable satisfaction from the laser weapons system (Nautilus project) for intercepting katyusha rockets, developed by Israeli and American companies for use in Israel. The Americans want to convert the weapons system which was developed as part of the Nautilus venture, into a laser weapon system which will protect American forces stationed all over the world. This is the first agreement of its kind between Israel and the US for the development of a new weapons system since the joint venture on the Arrow missile project in 1988.

Another Israeli-American military project: Two Israeli companies, "Baran" and "A. Aharonson", which are in partnership with the American company "I.B. Salsa", won an American army tender this week, to establish a giant military project in Israel worth half a billion shekels. Implementation of the project, which will require an American army base in Israel, will begin within a few weeks and will last 3 years.

In an unusual decision, the Tel Aviv District Court acceded to a request by a terminally ill patient that her life not be artificially prolonged by a life-support machine, ordering that her request to be disconnected from the machine be granted. The Attorney General said that he views this as a declaratory ruling rather than a precedent for other cases. The patient concerned is a 58-year old woman suffering from terminal muscular dystrophy, who is bed ridden and unable to move her limbs or speak.

Desert dance, Cuban dance, Moroccan dance, and Indian dance and song were just part of the artistic program which was staged this week at the Jewish Agency's Ye'elim Absorption Center in Beersheva as part of an ethnic folklore evening.

The event also included samples of ethnic food and clothing. An exhibition of paintings and works of art crafted by olim was also displayed.

The audience saw performances by a choir of children from the absorption center and single olim from the FSU, students participating in the Selah (students before parents) program who performed an oriental-style Russian dance. A troupe of Beersheva youngsters and an IDF troupe performed as well.

The event was attended by Moshe Almoznino, director of the Jewish Agency's southern office, and Moshe Borochov - deputy and acting mayor of Beersheva and chairman of the Friends of the Yeelim Absorption Center, as well as residents of Beersheva's Neighborhood E.

Ingredients:

2 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
5 Tsp. olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
5 crushed cloves of garlic
600 gr. tomatoes, halved - seeds removed
1 (or more) hot chili pepper, seeds removed, chopped
1 Tsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup of fresh, chopped basil
Salt and pepper
4 eggs

Preparation:

• Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut into small cubes.

• Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and fry until transparent. Add the garlic and continue to fry for a moment. Add the peppers and fry for another 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chili peppers and tomato paste and cook in a covered frying pan for 15 minutes.

• Add the basil, salt and pepper and mix well. Break the eggs carefully over the sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.

B'Te'avon!     Bon Appetit!