Israeli political circles are anxiously awaiting the results of the meetings between President Clinton and Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat, respectively in order to put an end to the violence. Political circles in Israel feel that this is the last effort by President Clinton to resume the peace process after the elections and until the inauguration of the new President in the White House on January 20th.

The talks in Washington are taking place in the shadow of continuing violence and a deepening of mistrust between the parties. Palestinian sources indicate that Arafat is considering postponing the declaration of an independent Palestinian state from November until the 1st of January, the day on which the Palestinians mark the establishment of the PLO.

Following his meeting with Clinton at the White House, the Prime Minister will come directly to the GA, where the organized Jewish community is currently celebrating its centennial.

The opposition in Israel warns that it will begin a process to have the elections brought forward in spite of the crisis. Likud Chairman Ariel Sharon will bring the opposition's point of view to the delegates at the GA.

The General Assembly of the UJC, headed by Charles Bronfman, this year takes place during difficult times in Israel, and marathon discussions will take place over three days on issues such as continuity of the Jewish people and challenges facing the Jewish world at the beginning of the 21st century.

For the second week since the beginning of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the number of attacks against Jewish targets around the world has decreased. Israeli security circles that monitor anti-Semitic activities throughout the world report that since the outbreak of hostilities, more than 200 anti-Jewish attacks have been registered, primarily in France, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany and North America.

These same circles warn about the danger of collaboration by Islamic and Arab groups, right-wing organizations and neo-Nazi extremists. This could develop into a new pattern of activity, which unites organizations with different ideologies against Jews.

In light of these warnings, the Jewish Agency in cooperation with the relevant bodies in Israel, has taken the necessary steps to increase security at Jewish institutions worldwide.

It is apparent from the security reports that the wave of attacks on Jews and synagogues is characterized by the fact that most of the hostile activities have been organized by local elements. In spite of many violent incidents the number of fatalities recorded among Jews has been low, due to the fact that most of the arson attacks and acts of violence were carried out during the night or at times when the institutions, mainly synagogues, were closed.

From all the material gathered to date, it is apparent that the security at the sites prevented many casualties and was a major factor in deterring attackers.

The Jewish Agency sends its greetings to the participants in this year's General Assembly in Chicago. A special greeting goes to the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, which is celebrating a centennial of organized Jewish community life.

This year's GA is taking place in the shadow of the difficult events taking place in Israel since the outbreak of the El Aksa Intifada six weeks ago. This violence has been characterized by the use of live ammunition by the Palestinians. The deliberations at the GA, which are devoted to the challenges facing the Jewish people at the beginning of the 21st century, will deal with this issue.

The recent events have once again proven that Jews have a common destiny that unites them wherever they are, as violence directed against Israelis has been accompanied by a wave of anti-Jewish attacks throughout the world. We, at the Jewish Agency, are working towards increased immigration and the rescue of Jews, strengthening education for Jewish identity and emphasizing peoplehood. The solidarity missions to Israel which arrived over the past two weeks have proved that "Kol Yisrael areivim zeh lazeh - All of Israel is responsible one for the other," is not just a saying but an expression of the deep connection between us.

As GA participants we have not only the privilege, but also the responsibility to make our mark on Jewish continuity.

Fruitful Meetings!

Six of the 17 Israelis -- three soldiers and three civilians -- killed since the outbreak of violence over the past month were immigrants. The first to be killed, Ethiopian immigrant Border Police Supt. Yosef Asrasa Tabajia, 27, was shot at point-blank range by his Palestinian counterpart while on a joint patrol in Kalkilya on September 29. First Sgt. (Res.) Vadim Norzhich, 33, who made aliyah from Russia seven years ago, was killed on October 12 - barely a week after his marriage -- in a lynch by a Palestinian mob in Ramallah. Sergeant Shlomo Adishana 19, an immigrant from Nigeria, who converted to Judaism, was killed on November 1 by the Tanzim near El Hader.

Rabbi Hillel Lieberman, an American immigrant was murdered on October 7 by Palestinians, while making his way from the settlement of Elon Moreh to Joseph's Tomb. Vyacheslav Zaslafsky, who made aliyah six years ago from Russia, was killed on October 2 when he stopped his car to fix a flat tire near the Arab village of Mascha. The body of Marik Gabrielov, who immigrated from Uzbekistan ten years ago, was found with signs of severe violence on October 28, near the Arab village of Bitunia.

IDF soldier David Biri, was murdered on September 27, when a convoy of settlers on the way to Netzarim in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by a IDF escort vehicle, was attacked. Druze Border Police Corporal Yusef Madhat, bled to death on October 4, because Palestinians refused to allow his evacuation from Joseph's Tomb in Nablus. First Corporal Yosef Avrahami from Petah Tikva, was also killed on the lynching in Ramallah on October 12. On October 30, security guard Aishkodesh Gil Mor, 25 -- the son of American immigrants - was killed when a Palestinian opened fire in the east Jerusalem office of the National Insurance Institute, where he served as a guard. Amos Makhlouf, was found murdered in a ravine near Beit Jala. Others killed included: Rabbi Binyamin Herling, Max Hazan, Jean Bechor Ben-Yehuda, David Chen Cohen, and Amir Zohar.

The most recent victims are 28 year old Ayelet Hashahar Levy, the daughter of National Religious Party leader Yitzhak Levy, and 33-year old Hanan Levy, a Jerusalem attorney. Both were killed when a powerful car bomb, claimed by Islamic Jihad, went off next to the Mahaneh Yehuda market.

"I waited for Shlomo's call on Wednesday evening. We managed to speak on Tuesday - we tried to speak to one another every evening. Shlomo had prepared himself for being in the field together with his friends from the company. He sounded happy, he asked how I was and promised to call again the following evening. But that conversation never took place," said Adriana Adicha, a Romanian immigrant, and close friend of Sergeant Shlomo Adishana, an immigrant from Nigeria who was killed in a battle with the Palestinians at the El Hader roadblock.

Hundreds of soldiers, friends and family members accompanied Sergeant Shlomo Adishana as he was laid to rest. His army colleagues had nicknamed him the Little Prince.

Adriana describes the terrible moment when she received the message of her friend's death as follows:

"On Wednesday, close to midnight, I received a call from the duty officer on duty. Shlomo had apparently left my number on his mobile phone. They asked me how Shlomo's parents could be contacted. I was afraid that something terrible had happened, but they calmed me down and refused to give any further details. I called his number, but all I got was his voice mail. When I saw the news on TV, that injured soldiers were being evacuated from El Hader, including one whose name had not been released for publication, my fears increased. I knew that Shlomo was serving in the area. The following morning I called the duty officer and he gave me the terrible news. Shlomo had been killed yesterday during a battle with Palestinians."

19-year old Sergeant Shlomo Adishana was killed on Wednesday at the El Hader junction, close to the Tunnel Road, by Palestinian fire. Three years ago he made aliyah with his father and two sisters. In Nigeria the family was Christian, but the father was attracted to Judaism. Under his leadership the family converted, then made aliyah. They lived at the Ye'elim absorption center. "He really loved Israel, particularly the people here. He found new friends at the absorption center, in the army and on the kibbutz. Even after he left the absorption center, he continued to visit us on every leave he had from the army."

The last meeting between Shlomo and Adriana was two weeks ago: he came to the absorption center to celebrate the recruitment of one of our friends to the IDF. We went out to a restaurant and then parted. I never imagined that this would be the last time. He was a wonderful person, Ill never find another friend like him," she said, her voice choked with tears.

Last Friday Shlomo was laid to rest at Kibbutz Tze'elim. Hundreds accompanied him on his final journey, including Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor, and the staff of the Ye'elim absorption center. Shlomo's father Shimshon, who flew in from London for the funeral, said prayers in Nigerian over the grave, and cried as he said, "Merciful God, please protect the rest of my family." Gilad, Shlomo's closest friend in the army, eulogized him in a heart rending voice: "I will cry for you my brother, please be strong up there I heaven. Little Prince of Company B, I salute you for the last time."

"Despite the deteriorating crisis in the Middle East, aliyah from the FSU will continue," Amos Lahat, head of the Jewish Agency's FSU Department, said this week.

During the early days of the crisis, the violence had no particular impact, because it was generally believed that it would be short lived and end within a few days. The number of such cancellations is marginal: of more than 4,000 olim this month, just 15 decided to cancel or postpone their flights. It is very difficult for a person who has completed all the steps involved in making aliyah, sold his house and his belongings and left his job, to cancel his aliyah at this point. Lahat believes that the few families who cancelled their flights have simply postponed their arrival until the situation calms down, and in the near future will make aliyah.

Nevertheless, there has been a drop in the numbers of participants in pilot trips to Israel. Lahat believes that this trend is temporary and participation will return to former levels, in part thanks to youngsters who have returned from such visits to Israel and passed on their positive experiences.

According to Lahat, the effect of events in Israel on aliyah from the FSU will be reflected at the beginning of next year: "It is still too early to project the precise drop in aliyah, but we can say that this decline depends on the stabilization of the situation in the Middle East. In the eyes of the aliyah candidate, this does not necessarily mean a peace agreement but could also be a military solution which would restore quiet in the region," Lahat says.

Nevertheless, Lahat notes that should the present crisis continue long term - that is without escalation - it would be fair to assume that it will stop being a deterring factor in the eyes of potential olim. This can be concluded based on an analysis of aliyah data during the extended period of the Intifada at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s, when aliyah rates grew from one year to the next despite the security situation.

Just a few days after the outbreak of violence in Israel, a large number of Jewish community leaders, individual Jews in the FSU and parents who had sent their children to study in Israel, began contacting the Jewish Agency's offices all over the country in an effort to receive details of the incidents. The number and content of these requests illustrates the concern among Jews in the FSU and show enormous interest in the situation in the Middle East. Conversations with representatives of the Jewish communities show that the measures they are suggesting to resolve the crisis are more militant than those taken by the Israeli government. This is reflected in a series of surveys which have recently been published in various sources in the FSU.

In Russia for example, the atmosphere concerning the recent Middle East crisis is different than in previous years. This year the Russians are showing some sympathy for the Israeli position, in part due to the Islamic terror which affected Russia during the Chechenyan war. In one poll, published on the internet site of the Echo Moscow radio station, 77% of those polled supported Israel's position compared with 12% support for the Palestinians. Amos Lahat notes that the survey is not representative of overall Russian public opinion (since most of those who visit this site, which is associated with Vladimir Gusinsky's media empire, are Jewish). However, this open support is surprising compared with the past. Lahat further emphasizes that at his meeting with senior Russian officials at the Russian embassy in Israel, he received messages of support for the Israeli side.

Despite the threats by Moslem extremists to attack Israeli delegations and sites around the world, no Jewish Agency delegate in the FSU has asked to return to Israel. All the emissaries are convinced that particularly at this time, their place is within the Jewish communities which they are serving. Recently, Jewish Agency emissaries have joined Israel's information efforts and have begun to hold organized meetings among the Jewish communities all over the FSU. The information aspects of Israel's foreign policy will be one of the key subjects to be discussed at a convention of Jewish Agency emissaries in the FSU, to be held next month in Minsk, capital of Belarus.

Placing Children on the Front Line

The Palestinian Authority makes cynical use of children in its fight against Israel, through the PLO (Fatah, whose Commander in Chief is Arafat) and Tanzim fighters. Armed members of the PLO use the children (and other innocent residents) as shields while they fire at Israeli citizens in Judea and Samaria and at IDF soldiers.

The Method

The Department of Political Direction, which is directly accountable to Arafat, takes the children out of school in an organized fashion an directs them to the front line at the points of friction with Israeli soldiers. Immediately behind the children are the armed Tanzim, shooting at the soldiers. Palestinian security forces in the area do nothing.

Remuneration

The Palestinian Authority, in a special announcement published in the Palestinian press (Alhia AL-Jadida, October 2), promises financial assistance to those injured and to the families of those killed in the violent disturbances against Israel organized by the PA. Each injured person will be given $300 and the family of a person killed will receive $2000. The money has been defined as "a special grant by President Arafat."

PA Censors Moderate Voices

"The participation of "armed" Palestinian elements in popular demonstrations and shootings at soldiers and settlers must end.

The use of arms in popular confrontations is political and military suicide. Therefore it must be separated from the popular dimension of the struggle and action should be taken towards stripping the enemy as was the case in the Intifada."

The above quote appeared in an article by former Palestinian minister Dr. Abed Al-Juad Salah which was denied publication in the Palestinian press by the PA censors. The article was published on the Internet on October 25^th.

How to Hate Israelis and Make Molotov Cocktails

During the months of July and August, the Palestinian Authority organized dozens of summer camps in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip for schoolchildren, which focused on two key messages: inculcating the principle of the right of return for Palestinian refugees to "Palestine," and promoting the value of the struggle for the realization of Palestinian sovereignty in the areas conquered in 1967. At these camps, the students were given basic military training by Palestinian security forces that included the use of light weapons (pistols and the like), study of the principles of popular struggle - throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, and physical training. At the Rafiah camp, a drill in attacking an Israeli position with Molotov cocktails was practiced and youngsters were seen marching and chanting "Long-live Palestine, Death to Israel."

Inculcating the Educational Values of "Zionism = Racism"

The official textbooks used by the Palestinian Ministry of Education for high school students define Zionism as a racist organization. Israel is called "the Zionist entity" and is described as being "controlled by an aggressive, expansionist approach." Pupils receive an introduction from a book by Samri Hiri which asserts that "the Zionist danger is exemplified in the challenge it places before Arab national security." The chapter which gives guidelines for teachers, states that the objectives when teaching the chapter on Zionism are: imparting the concept that "Zionism is an aggressive, racist movement and that the sense of racist superiority is the heart of Zionism, Fascism and Nazism." Moreover, the teachers are instructed to ensure that their pupils become experts in "the connection between Zionism and racist bias, the connection between Zionism and terror organizations in the modern world, and the link between the principles of Fascism and those of Zionism."

And in the Kindergartens - "Palestine is all ours"

The official children's press ("Al-Ashbal - Lion Cubs) emphasizes the nationalist education and the message that Palestine is a country that includes the entire Land of Israel.

• 940 new immigrants arrived in Israel this week. 814 of them are from former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and the rest came from France, Australia, Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Ethiopia, the US and Canada.

• 144 people made aliyah from Hungary during the first eight months of this year, compared with 89 during the same period last year. Eight Hungarian families were absorbed in Hod Hasharon, as part of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah 2000 program and additional families are scheduled to arrive shortly.

• 181 individuals from Romania arrived in Israel during the first eight months of the year, 75% of them 45 and under. A club operated by the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Movement meets four times a week, teaches Hebrew, helps develop young leadership and conducts lectures on Israel.

• $10,000 is the amount of Jewish Agency support in the year 2000 for the "Noar Boneh" program in Beer Sheva operated by the Community Advocacy Association. The program provides at-risk youth with information about their rights in the area of education, social services and health.

• $158,000 is the Jewish Agency budget in 2000 for the Otzma program. Dozens of 19-25 year-old Jews from North America come to Israel annually as part of the educational program of several months that combines life on kibbutz with study of Hebrew in ulpan, seminars, trips throughout Israel, and community volunteership.

The President of Israel, the Government of Israel, the Knesset, the National Zionist Institutions and the Israeli public, mourn the fifth anniversary of the assassination of the late Yitzhak Rabin this week.

Rabin, a much esteemed Prime Minister and Chief of Staff, was the victim of a terrible murder by a Jew who sought to change the course of history.

On the fifth anniversary of his death, thousands of Israelis gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, lit candles in his memory and stood for a moment of silence.

Rabin, the Chief of Staff of the Six Day War and the Liberator of Jerusalem, was respected by all in Israel, despite political differences that arose following the Oslo Peace Process, because of his honesty, integrity and forthrightness.

The night of his murder will go down forever in the history of the Jewish People and Israel as a dark day when one Jew raised his hand against another Jew because of his beliefs.

The Attorney General and the State Prosecutor instructed the police to investigate 'Hadash" Party leader MK Mohammed Barakeh on suspicion of inciting to violence. The allegation relates to comments Barakeh made at a conference at Birzeit University which was attended by senior members of the Palestinian Authority.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak hopes for a strategic upgrade as a 'parting gift' before Clinton leaves office.

College student leaders are negotiating with Knesset members to reduce university tuition fees which today stand at US$ 2,500.

Maccabi Tel Aviv's black basketball star, Derrick Sharp became eligible to play for the Israeli National basketball team. Sharp, an American, earned his eligibility after he became a naturalized Israeli citizen and has never played before for any US national team.

Back to Chicago, you'll find the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies (618 South Michigan Avenue, tel: 312 922 9012) well worth a visit! If you have some spare time you'll enjoy the Midwest's most comprehensive collection of Judaic art, artifacts and exhibits with more than 6,000 works spanning 5,000 years of Jewish history and culture.

During the past 100 years, the Chicago Jewish community has made its mark on the world, producing such luminaries as economist Milton Friedman, US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, and US Supreme Court Justice and UN Ambassador Arthur Goldberg.

Documented Jewish history in Chicago started in 1841, with the arrival of Benedict Shubart, Philip Newburgh, Isaac Ziegler, and Henry Horner -- whose grandson, Henry Horner, was twice elected as governor of Illinois (in 1932 and 1936). In 1847, the first synagogue -- Kehilath Anshe Maariv - was founded by a group of Orthodox Jews from Germany. By mid-century, organized communal life was in full swing.

The number of Chicago's Jews continued to grow, reaching 1,500 by 1860. When the Civil War broke out, a volunteer company of Jewish troops, the Concordia Guard, was quickly formed. They participated in a number of major battles.

By 1900, the Jewish population, bolstered by new arrivals from Germany and later Eastern Europe reached 75,000. The proliferation of often competitive charitable organizations to meet growing social needs prompted efforts to form a central body to raise and allocate philanthropic funds, and the Associated Jewish Charities was born. In 1911, the Federated Orthodox Jewish Charities of Chicago was organized. These institutions were supported mainly by Eastern European immigrants while the Associated beneficiaries were dominated primarily by German Jews. In 1922, the two groups merged into the Jewish Charities of Chicago. In 1949, the name was changed to the Jewish Federation.

Concern for the quality of Jewish education prompted the establishment, in the 1920s, of the Board of Jewish Education, the College of Jewish Studies (now Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies) and the Hebrew Theological College. Several years later, the Associated Talmud Torahs was established.

During World War II, some 45,000 Chicago-area Jews served in the US armed forces; nearly a thousand were killed in service. Following the war, the Jewish Welfare Fund conducted a major campaign to help rehabilitate survivors of the death camps and to provide aid for what was then Palestine.

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.

If you miss Middle Eastern food from Israel, you can make your own kebab meatballs.

Ingredients

1 lb. beef or lamb
10 sprigs of parsley
10 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. ground cumin

Method

• Grind the meat several times in a food processor together with the parsley and garlic. Add the salt, baking soda, water and cumin and mix well.

• Take a tablespoon of the mixture and form long kebabs. Arrange on a wide tray and refrigerate for an hour. Roast on an open flame and serve hot.

B'Te'avon! Bon Appetit!