One of the desecrated tombstones in the cemetery
Photo: JAFI Office - Nizhniy Novgorod

Early last week a group of vandals entered the Jewish cemetery in the Russian city of Nizhniy Novgorod and desecrated 40 graves. Yosef Yuval, head of the Jewish Agency delegation in Nizhniy Novgorod said that the vandals entered the cemetery, which is situated next to the Kanvino Jewish neighborhood in the center of the town, in the middle of the night, and smashed the headstones lining the main path. No one has claimed responsibility to date.

At the demand of the head of the Jewish community, Eduard Chuprak, the authorities began an investigation. He noted that the inquiry is focusing on three points: anti-Semitism, religious fanaticism and hooliganism. Chuprak, who met with senior local officials, reports that the authorities condemned this act of vandalism and made a commitment to cover the cost of repairs.

A short time after the event was discovered, Rabbi Berel Lazar, chief rabbi of the Habad communities in Russia, visited the city and expressed his shock at the desecration of the tomb. After paying a visit to the cemetery, the rabbi recited a prayer and called on the authorities to apprehend the attackers.

The Russian Jewish Congress last week sent a letter of protest to the Nizhniy Novgorod authorities, demanding the arrest of those responsible for the desecration of the graves: "The vandals are undoubtedly convinced that they will not be punished. The desecration of graves has almost become a tradition in this town, and such incidents recur each year," the letter stated.

It should be mentioned that this is not the first time that this cemetery has been desecrated. Six months ago 20 graves were destroyed and two years ago 120 headstones were smashed. In both instances, suspicion focused on acts of anti-Semitism, as the incidents took place on dates close to Hitler's birthday. The head of the Jewish Agency delegation noted that this time, it was possible that Moslem extremists who live in the town may be involved, as the attack took place close to the 33rd anniversary of the Six Day War and reunification of Jerusalem two weeks ago.

Nizhniy Novgorod (formerly Gorky) is situated on the banks of the Volga River in Eastern European Russia and is considered the third largest city in Russia. According to Jewish Agency estimates, some 15,000 people currently live in the city, out of an overall population of 2,500,000.

A delegation of Jewish Congressmen from the United States will meet at the beginning of next week with the Russian Ambassador to Washington to strongly protest the arrest of Jewish media mogul Vladimir Goussinsky, and the attempts by the Russian authorities to intervene in the internal affairs of the Jewish community there. The Jewish Congressmen met this week in Washington with Howard Kohr, Executive Director of AIPAC, to discuss this matter. They chose Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos to coordinate the group's activities with the Russian authorities.

The last few days have seen increasing criticism in the West of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following what has been seen as an attack on the freedom of the press in Moscow.

Goussinsky was arrested on Tuesday, on charges of illegally holding government property and financial irregularities. Analysts in the West feel that this is a political arrest intended to avenge the fact that the media controlled by Goussinsky was opposed to the government and had sided with Putin's rivals during the election.

The most noticeable criticism comes from the American press. In today's Washington Post, the editorial headline was "Mr. Putin Shows His KGB Face."

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations called for Goussinsky's immediate release. The Conference, as well as many other organizations, called on the American administration and other governments in the West to demand that Putin immediately put an end to this incident. Similarly, the Israel Government and the Knesset expressed severe criticism , and Minister of the Interior, Natan Sharansky, demanded that the Russian authorities release Goussinsky until he be proven guilty in a court of law.

The Jewish Agency expresses its deep concern over the recent developments in Russia regarding influential leaders in the Jewish community there, and is closely monitoring developments in coordination with other Jewish organizations.

The Jewish Agency expresses its confidence in the Russian Jewish community and its leadership. It calls upon Jewish organizations there to act in a responsible manner to ensure the future of the Jewish community in Russia and to carry out activities there in a spirit of unity and cooperation.

Research analysts in the former Soviet Union warn of attempts by the new Russian government to intervene in the affairs of the Jewish community and to support one group over another by manipulating internal disagreements and strife. These same sources warn that expectations for stability in Russia, follwowing Putin's election, could backfire. As a result of Putin's attempts to create order by use of force, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Soviet regime.

"Ukranian Jews are essential. They contribute to industry and science; However, we respect their right to decide whether to live here or in Israel." This statement was made by Mikula Sholinsky, the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, at a meeting with Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor in Kiev.

At a meeting between the two, Meridor expressed his satisfaction with the signing of an educational agreement between Israel and Ukraine and expressed the hope that its implementation would benefit both parties. Sholinsky said that the Ukraine government has no interest in the emigration of Jews, although they are entitled to leave if they want. He praised the study programs for Ukranian Jewish youth in Israel, although he stressed that the children should be free to decide whether to return to the Ukraine or remain in Israel after their studies.

Before his trip and at the request of Dimitri Markov, Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, Meridor decided to expand Jewish Agency support for bringing groups of orphans and children who are victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on convalescent trips to Israel. This would enable 100 Ukrainian orphans to visit Israel this year, compared with only 30 last year.

Next week another group of 30 orphans from the Ukraine will arrive for a week-long visit. The children will stay at the Hadassah Neurim Youth Village, run jointly by the Jewish Agency and the Hadassah Women's Organization.

During his visit, Meridor dedicated a new educational center in Kiev - "Shaar LeAliyah" (Gateway to Aliyah). The center will serve as an umbrella for all Jewish Agency educational activities for Jewish youth and students in the Ukrainian capital.

Meridor, who was accompanied on his visit by Amos Lahat, director of the JAFI's Department for the Former Soviet Union, was briefed by JAFI's delegation of emissaries headed by Eli Yitzhaki, and met with local Jewish leaders as well as candidates for aliyah. The Jewish Agency Chairman attended a memorial ceremony at Babi Yar and toured sites of Jewish interest in the Ukraine, including the Brodsky synagogue.

During their visit to Dnepropetrovsk, one of Ukraine's most industrial cities, the JAFI delegation was surprised to note the active Jewish life and vast range of Jewish activities which have developed there.

Jewish Agency Treasurer Chaim Chesler (right) explains debt forgiveness plan to Mayor of Maale Yosef Region Avi Karampa (left) and Mayor of Merom Hagalil Region Mayor Aharon Maatuk (next to Chesler).
(Photo: Joe Malcolm)

The Jewish Agency task force, together with Jewish communities world wide, met last night in Chicago, to consolidate the recommendations for further global Jewish involvement in the Israeli effort to assist the confrontation-line communities. The recommendations, which aim to improve the quality of life in the area and expand the population, were the outcome of a visit by the task force to the confrontation line at the end of last month. The Chicago meetings were chaired by Paula Edelstein and Richard Wexler, who head the Israel Committee. Shlomo Buhbout, mayor of Ma'alot and Chairman of the Forum of Confrontation Line Communities, also attended the meetings.

Meir Nizan, director of the Jewish Agency's Israel Department, reported from Chicago that the proposed aid package would be submitted to the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors and Assembly which are due to convene in Jerusalem at the end of the month, as well as to the communities along the northern border. Further discussions with the Jewish communities would be then held to consolidate the final aid program. According to the recommendations prepared in Chicago, the proposed aid package, amounting to $83 million, will be spread over a three-year period and it reflects areas of activity in which the Jewish Agency and world Jewry have a relative advantage.

The plan encompasses the following key areas of activity: strengthening the population living on the confrontation line by developing local leadership, dealing with populations which have special needs, and fostering local cultural centers. The program also addresses the development of the education system and human resources in the area by promoting small businesses, encouraging technology and science-based education programs at high schools, and the development of student accommodation (dorms) at the regional colleges. The Jewish Agency hopes that an increased sense of solidarity and partnership between Jewish communities worldwide and the confrontaion-line communities, together with fostering excellence and renewal in the area through hi-tech programs, will contribute to a greater sense of motivation and security among local residents.

Jewish Agency Treasurer, Chaim Chesler, said that implementation of the aid package will be fully coordinated with the Jewish communities worldwide, the Israeli government and local municipalities. He emphasized that the program is a continuation of the Jewish Agency's announcement last month to forgive debts owed by the confrontation-line settlements amounting to NIS 156 million.

According to Chesler, the Jewish Agency invested NIS 550 million between 1978 and 1991 in the development of infrastructure and the construction of public buildings in 38 communities on the Confrontation Line. Of this NIS 156 million was given to settlements and settlers as loans with easy repayment terms. The remaining NIS 394 million was given to the settlers as a standing loan which becomes a grant on condition that the land designation does not change. Now, in view of the new situation, it has been decided to wipe out the debts of these settlements.

Hillary Clinton and Rick Lazio put aside the boxing gloves which have served them since Giuliani announced his withdrawal from the New York senate seat campaign, so as to waive to the crowds and congratulate Israel on its 52nd birthday. Neither contestant, who until now had been unwilling to sit together on the same platform, was willing to concede the golden opportunity given to them to sing Israel's praises, each in their own way, in order to attract the decisive Jewish votes in New York State.

Just as it does every year, the annual salute to Israel took place down New York's Fifth Avenue. This time however, local politics stole the show despite the large number of participants and words of support voiced for Israel and its achievements.

Kalman Grossman, head of the Jewish Agency's aliyah delegation in North America, reports that the delegation participated in the parade under the slogan - "Aliyah - the start up for your future'.

Simultaneously, a similar parade was held in Toronto, attended by more than 8,000 community members who mobilized under the auspices of the Toronto Federation's UJA. The Appeal organized a large festival which included entertainment at Ontario Park, during which airline tickets donated by El Al were raffled. During the event, some $200,000 was raised. The Toronto parade has been an annual event for the last 30 years.

The rescue team which left for Ethiopia three weeks ago, returned to Israel this week after treating hundreds of victims of the disaster in north-east Ethiopia, and bringing with them the first pictures of the area. Another Jewish Agency team, including Jewish doctors and nurses, some of whom are themselves Ethiopian olim, set out this week to assist the victims of the famine in Ethiopia. At the end of June and the beginning of July, two more delegations will leave for Ethiopia and will include volunteers from Israel and Jewish communities around the world.

Photographer Joel Kantor, of the Bezalel Academy for Art, who accompanied the first team, will display his works from Ethiopia at an exhibition to be held at the Jewish Agency Assembly due to take place in Jerusalem at the end of the month.

Three patients waiting outside the medical clinic
Photo: Joel Kantor

The Jewish Agency this week set up a scholarship fund for single students who live in Israel without their families, named for the soldier Alexei Neikov who was killed two years ago in a terrorist attack in the south of Israel. Alexei made aliyah within the context of the Jewish Agency's Selah program and was drafted into the IDF when he decided to stay in Israel.

Next week the Jewish Agency will award the first 12 grants, each worth NIS 1,000, to single olim from the FSU who have shown outstanding involvement in social activity, help for others, and achievements in their studies. The grants will be awarded to olim who came to Israel within the context of the Jewish Agency's programs for young adults. This will perpetuate Alexei's memory and strengthen other young, single olim as they take their first steps in Israel.

The ceremony, which will take place at the Abba Houshi student hostel in Haifa, will be attended by Alexei's parents - Clara and Simion Neikov who followed Alexei to Israel, his close friends, and relatives of those receiving the awards. Mike Rosenberg, Director of the Aliyah and Klita Department, will represent the Jewish Agency.

The 12 outstanding youngsters were chosen from among the 1200 Selah and Chalom students who made aliyah last year and are now studying at Jewish Agency absorption centers. They have excelled in communal activity, in help for others, and serve as examples to others. Most of them are now preparing for university studies or hoping to enroll in colleges throughout Israel.

Alexei Neikov was born in 1979 in Kharkov in the Ukraine. He became interested in Judaism as a child, attended a Jewish school and then a yeshiva. His ambition was to study at the Technion in Israel and to become a pilot. In 1996 he made aliyah through the Selah program and began to prepare for his studies at the Technion. In 1998 he enlisted in an IDF combat unit, serving in the Gaza Strip. On October 29th 1998 he was killed while shielding a busload of children which was attacked by terrorists. Alexei, who's army jeep was escorting the bus to school, blocked the road in front of the terrorists and was killed when they opened fire his direction.

The Selah and Chalom programs are designed for 16-20 year olds who have completed high school or begun academic studies in their countries of origin. After a year of training for higher education, the students settle into colleges and universities in Israel. Over the last three years, since the programs began, the Jewish Agency has brought 4337 youngsters from all over the FSU to study in Israel. In most cases, following their successful absorption in Israel, their families follow suite.

The Spirit of Israel Campaign has mobilized to assist thousands of disadvantaged children and youngsters who live in youth villages in Israel, including the children of veteran Israelis and olim from disadvantaged families. The purpose of The Spirit of Israel Campaign, which was founded by the Jewish Agency and Keren Hayesod at the end of 1997, is to raise funds and resources in Israel for social causes in the countryl, and to instill new values of involvement, volunteerism and social responsibility in Israeli society.

Since the campaign was launched, 14,000 private donors, public bodies and financial companies have pledged their assistance. Some of the donors, including the Ministry of Defense's weapons research plant - RAFAEL, have expressed their willingness to assist the youngsters in ways other than monetary donations.

The funds which have been raised will help bring these youngsters out of the circle of neglect, in part by providing close professional support for those who live in the youth villages, providing enrichment programs and supplementary education.

Joe Dushansky, director of The Spirit of Israel Campaign, explains that unlike voluntary organizations which raise funds for a pre-defined purpose, the Campaign involves the Israeli public in determining its agenda, encouraging participation in all stages of its activities - from the choice of activities to annual programs. Nicky Capelouto, Chairman of the Spirit of Israel Campaign, works with a team of volunteers including representatives from all of Israel's social, business and cultural strata.

Last year, Spirit of Israel activity focused on assisting the elderly in need of long-term care awaiting hospitalization who are forced in the interim to live in neglected conditions, without proper treatment. There are 3,000 elderly patients of this kind in Israel. The funds raised by the Spirit went to help find appropriate accommodation for the elderly and in renovating and building retirement homes.

Alla Levy, Head of the Jewish Agency Delegation in Russia, has been chosen to head the Jewish Agency delegation in the United States. She will transfer to New York next month. The candidate to replace her, Karol Ungar, is the Director for Eastern Aliyah in the JAFI Aliyah Department. The position of Director for North America includes comprehensive responsibility for Jewish Agency activities in the region, supervision and organization of emissaries engaged in encouraging Aliyah, deepening Jewish education in the communities and promoting activities and projects which strengthen the connection between American Jewry and Jewish communities world-wide in general, and, specifically in Israel.

Levy, born in Moscow, discovered her Judaism the hard way in the mid-sixties, when the Jewish revival movement began under the hard-line Soviet regime. As a refusenik, Levy quickly became one of the first activists in the struggle for Jewish aliyah in the FSU. After she succeeded to immigrate to Israel in 1970, she graduated with a BA in English linguistics and Russian Studies from the Hebrew University and received a Masters Degree from Boston University's Israel branch.

In 1975 Levy began to work at the Jewish Agency, and held numerous senior positions in the field of Aliyah and absorption. In 1989 she joined the new unit which was set up to coordinate Jewish Agency activities in the FSU in the field of Aliyah to Israel, promoting Jewish-Zionist education and strengthening the Jewish communities in the new independent states. In 1995 she was appointed Director General of the FSU Department and in 1997 went to Russia to serve as the head of a delegation of 40 Israelis and 900 local employees engaged in the fields of aliyah and Jewish education all over Russia, Belarus and the Baltic States. Levy, who is married and mother of three, is one of the Jewish Agency's most senior employees to have risen from the ranks of the organization.

Romanian born Karol Ungar, 54, who is a Colonel in the Israel Army reserves, joined the Jewish Agency in 1989. Between 1989-1991, when a record number of 440,000 Russian olim arrived in Israel, Ungar served as director of the transit camp for olim in Budapest. In 1991 he was appointed to head the Jewish Agency Aliyah Delegation in the FSU. Between 1993-94, he headed the "Aliyah 2000" Project and since 1995 he has served as director of the Eastern Aliyah Division in the Aliyah Department.

Alla Levy

Karol Ungar

The Opening Session of the Zionist General Council will convene next week in Kiryat Shmona, and the delegates will tour the northern border in solidarity with the residents on the Confrontation Line.

Following the Zionist General Council, the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors will meet in Jerusalem, and the annual Jewish Agency Assembly 2000 will kick off with a gala opening at the south side of the Western Wall. Among the events taking place during the Assembly will be on-site interactive seminars to learn about the needs of the Jewish Agency's activities and programs. A number of global issues will be addressed at the Assembly, aliyah, rescue and absorption, Jewish identity, Jewish unity focusing on the centrality of Israel. Among the keynote speakers will be Prime Minister Ehud barak and Leader of the Opposition, Airel Sharon. In addition, there will be discussions on topics such as restitution of Jewish property, racism and anti-Semitism, Jewish identity and women in Jewish life.

The World ORT Union celebrated the 120^th anniversary of its founding, with a major international congress in Jerusalem, preceded by a trip to St. Petersburg, where the organization was founded in 1880. ORT, one of the world's largest and oldest international technical training organizations, was originally a Russian acronym for Obshestwo Propostranienia Truda, meaning the Society for Handicrafts and Agricultural Work. In step with modern technology, today the ORT acronym stands for the more catchy "Organization for Rehabilitation and Training.

ORT builds schools, develops curricula, sets up labs, develops high-tech educational systems, produces hardware, software and courseware and other teaching aids and publications. It conducts its own educational research and acts as a consultant to many other institutions, including government bodies. The ORT network extends to more than 50 countries and the number of students enrolled this year is in excess of 200,000.

ORT Israel is the largest of all world ORT organizations, with an educational framework that reaches out to over 100,000 Israeli school children - from junior high through academic colleges.

Following recent changes in the political/economic climate in the former Soviet Union, ORT was invited to return there where agreements for the provision of advanced training centers have been reached with the Academy of Science in Russia, and the first center in Moscow opened its doors in September 1990.

The President of the World ORT Organization, Justice Richard Goldstone, a judge on the South African Constitutional Court, has achieved world recognition as judge at the World Court on War Crimes in The Hague dealing with crimes perpetrated in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Judge Goldstone called upon Israel and the United States to agree to the establishment of a permanent United Nations committee on war crimes.

The Board of the Directors of the World Council of Synagogues, headed by its newly elected president Rabbi Alan Silberstein, spiritual leader of Congregation Agudath Israel in West Caldwell, NJ, has announced its decision to move its headquarters to Jerusalem. The international offices of the World Council, which is the umbrella body of all Conservative congregations in the world, are currently located in Manhattan. The move to Israel is scheduled for some time in the fall. The Board also voted to change the Hebrew name of the organization from Igud Batei Knesset Haolami to Masorti Olami.

Rabbi Joseph Wernik of Jerusalem has been appointed new Executive Director of the organization.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Masorti movement in Israel and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. He is a founder of the Tali school system. Rabbi Wernik is also is a member of the Executive of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization and is head of the WZO Zionist Activities Department.

"The decision to move the international offices to Jerusalem is a statement regarding the centrality of Israel in our lives," said Rabbi Wernik, adding that the change of name to Masorti Olami - as the movement is known in Israel, Europe and South America -- "gives a message of the importance of unity." He notes that priorities of the World Council include working closely with Marom, the college and young adult branch of the organization; enhancing the connection among members worldwide; and increasing Jewish literacy among lay leadership. A website enabling congregations to communicate with one another is scheduled for September and plans are underway for a seminar to be held next summer in Israel to enable lay leaders to develop their synagogue and leadership skills.

The Masorti movement has members in North America, South America, the Former Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe.

A network of apartments that are designed to ease the transformation that ensues when young people make aliyah has recently been set up by the World Zionist Organization's Hagshama Department. An initial pilot project of five apartments in the Jerusalem area are currently serving as home to graduates of youth movements from England, the United States and Canada. They also serve as miniature centers of information and support.

In addition to easing the absorption process, the apartments enable the Hagshama Department to remain in touch with and offer assistance to youth movement graduates who settle in Israel. The apartments also serve as vehicles for coordinating and continuing Jewish/Zionist educational activities as well as centers from which "madrichim" (counselors) can build nuclei of their youth movements in Israel.

The residents of each apartment are required to: coordinate one event per month (i.e. mentorship of new immigrants; discussion on Jewish/Zionist topics; host an Israeli poetry night; etc.); participate in one community development project per month; attend one Mercaz Hamagshimim event per month. In exchange they receive a rent subsidy of $150 per month.

Last week, 45 boys and 12 girls, students at the Ramat Hadassah Szold Youth Aliyah Village in Israel, celebrated their Bar/Bat Mitzvah with an unforgettable day in Jerusalem. Starting with Torah reading at the Western Wall, the Bar Mitzvah boys laid tefillin and ducked under the barrage of candy thrown at them by their families, teachers, counselors and guests. The boys and girls were then escorted by a klezmer band to a festive lunch at the Rabin Youth Hostel in Jerusalem. Special guests included Isaac Cohen from Spain, whose generosity funded the celebration together with Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. Also present were Sharon Schneider, Hadassah's Youth Aliyah Chairperson, who flew in especially from New York, Barbara Goldstein from Hadassah Network in Israel, Hadassah volunteers from Haifa, heads of the Jewish Agency's Youth Aliyah Institutions. After lunch, the group continued on to Massada, where the children had prepared stations. In costume, they explained the history and events of Massada. The program was the culmination of months of study and preparation that included a special program for girls - "Eshet Hayil" (Woman of Valor), conducted by the Conservative Movement's Family Education Center and funded by Hadassah.

There appears to be a solution to the government crisis in Israel. Shas maintains that "Barak blinked first, and agreed to transfer our education system from Minister Yossi Sarid to Minister Matan Vilnai". Barak: "The crisis is almost over. There will be a new order in the government." The crisis erupted after Members of Knesset from Shas, the National Religious Party, and Israel B'Aliyah headed by Sharansky joined the opposition in a preliminary vote last week to hold new elections.

Difficulties in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in the USA. Waiting for the results of the Clinton-Arafat talks.

Syrian President Assad was buried this week, and his son Bashar will succeed him. The participation at the funeral was limited, however seven Arab-Israeli Members of Knesset, headed by MK Azmi Bashara, attended the funeral and met with Syrian leaders.

Summer has arrived . Israel is in the midst of a heat wave. Today's temperature in Jerusalem reached 35 degrees C (95 degrees F) and in Tel Aviv it was 32^oC (90F).

The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Center for the Media of the Jewish People was inaugurated at the Tel Aviv University Board of Governors Meeting held this week. Hirsch Goodman, founding editor of the Jerusalem Report delivered the keynote address, on the role of Jewish journalism in today's world.

Charles Bronfman is the Chairman of the Board of the United Jewish Communities, the Federations of North America. He is co-founder of the Birthright Israel Experience program, together with Michael Steinhardt, who was elected to the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University and will spearhead the TAU's fund-raising campaign.

A new exhibit focusing on Jewish resistance to the Nazis in France during the Second World War opened last week at the Moreshet Gallery in Givat Haviva. More than 800 items, mainly photographs, that were brought from France by Historian David Sheinbaum, are on display.

Many photographs are displayed here for the first time. Notable among them is a large number highlighting the role of women in the Jewish resistance, according to Ze'ev Harari of the Moreshet Gallery. "Through today, the heroic roles of these women has not been recognized," he says. They were involved in communications, work with explosives and in saving Jewish children who were smuggled into France or who arrived from other places in Europe.

The Jewish resistance movement was founded in Leon in 1944 by Eastern European emigres who volunteered to fight the Nazis in the army or the underground. Out of 40,000 foreign residents in France that volunteered for the French army, 24,000 were Jewish (Jews constituted only 10% of the population; later, in Vichy France, Jews figured prominently in the underground as well as in de Gaulle's London-based Fighting Free French and units in North Africa.

The exhibit is open from 8am to 2 pm daily, and entrance is free.

Kiryat Gat's main square was transformed into a street fair extravanganza Chicago style this past Monday evening, as thousands of local residents mixed with Chicagoans and visiting dignitaries who joined in the fun celebrating the fifth anniversary of the partnership between the Windy City and the Kiryat Gat, Lachish and Shafir region. The date also marks the centennial of the founding of the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.

Against the backdrop of an artistic rendition of the Chicago skyline, local singers belted out songs about Chicago while musicians and dance troupes entertained the crowds. Movies about the city of Chicago and about the JUF, films of Chicago Bulls games, street theatre, jugglers, and a baseball demonstration by US Marines stationed at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv contributed to the festivities.

Chicago is coupled with Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir through the Jewish Agency-UJC Partnership 2000 program - an association that has significantly improved the life of the residents in the region. Local youth explored internet sites relating to Jewish Chicago, Partnership 2000 and Chicago in general with many learning how to "chat" on-line for the first time while various Partnership 2000 projects (such as "challenges for youth", ta'asiyeda, the ecological bubble, "Afoukh al Hafoukh" - the teen advice center, and "Gesher L'kesher/People-to-People" were displayed.

Greetings were delivered by Rabbi Michael Melchior, Minister for World Jewish Communities; Kiryat Gat Mayor, Albert Erez; Lachish Regional Council Head, Eli Ouzan; and Amos Megidish, Mayor of the Regional Council of Shafir. Mr. Richard Goodman, Co-Chairman, Partnership 2000 Steering Committee, Chicago, who came to Israel with members of his family stated that "Chicago is very proud of our relationship with the residents of Kiryat Gat, Lachish and Shafir. Through partnership 2000, we have come to know each other as individuals while keeping an eye on our mutual destiny. We may live thousands of miles apart, but we are part of one Jewish people."

In 1999 the Jewish United Fund/ Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago raised a record $64.5 million -- the second largest campaign in the United States. Existing primarily on private contributions, the Federation has become a model for not-for-profit groups throughout the nation. It is supported by more than half of the area's 261,000 Jews who are financially able to give - the highest per capita rate for large Jewish communities in the US, and more than twice the national average! The federation supports scores of local activities ranging from care for orphans to providing meals for the homeless. Fifty percent of its income is allocated for overseas needs, primarily for programs in Israel conducted by the Jewish Agency and the JDC. The Partnership 2000 allocation for the year 2000 is $1.2 million.

The European Council of Jewish Communities is sponsoring a "Jewish Love Boat" for young adults in their 20s and 30s -- absolutely free! The cruise, which will take place June 30 to July 4, and is organized in cooperation with the "Tradition" group from Athens, will set sail from the Athenian Port of Piraus. It will include a Shabbat celebration aboard the ship, a visit to Istanbul and its synagogue, a reception organized by young adults from the Istanbul Jewish community, parties, etc.

Participants will be accepted on a "first come, first served" basis, says Gady Gronich, Regional Director of the ECJC in Munich. The cruise was made possible, he says, thanks to a large donation "from a Greek Jew with a warm Jewish heart who wants to give the opportunity to young Jews to build Jewish families. We are very grateful to him." Gronich notes that 250 people are expected, 150 from Greece and 100 from other places in Europe. p align=justify>

There are many variations on the theme of moussaka, which is a typical Greek and Bulgarian recipe. Some people add large quantities of meat while other add layers of tomato and peppers to the basic recipe.

Ingredients: (4-6 portions)

3 medium eggplants
3 eggs
oil for frying
¾ cup of flour for frying (300 grams)
10 oz (about 300 gm. meat
1 tspn. Salt
½ tspn. Hot paprika
½ tspn. black pepper
3 Tbspns. flour
3-4 Tbspns. Water

• Grill one eggplant well, peel and cut the peel into small cubes.
• Slice the rest of the eggplants, sprinkle with salt and leave for 15 minutes.
• Wash the eggplants and dry with a towel.
• Beat 2 eggs in a small bowl, heat the oil in a pan, dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg and flour and fry in the hot oil.
• Cook the meat in water until soft. Drain the meat and mince. Add the salt, paprika, roasted peel and black pepper and mix well.
• Grease a baking tin; divide the eggplant slices into two batches: place one batch in the pan and arrange the meat filling on top. Cover with the rest of the slices.
• Beat the remaining egg with the flour and water, and pour the mixture over the layers of eggplant and meat. Bake in a pre-heated oven (180⁰C) for 25-30 minutes until the coating is brown. Serve hot.
• For variety:
  Sliced tomatoes and onions also dipped in egg and fried in hot oil may be added to the moussaka. Arrange the layers as follows: fried eggplant, fried onion, meat filling and fried tomatoes. Spice with garlic.

B'Te'avon! Bon Appetit!