A mega-mission comprising 820 members of the Chicago Jewish community, which is celebrating its centennial in Israel, arrived yesterday on two jumbo jets to visit the Federation's Partnership 2000 projects. The delegation is led by Donna and Julie Fox, standing in for their father Eddie, who was unable to come to Israel due to illness, and their mother, Sherie.

The mission will visit the Kiryat Gat-Lachish-Shafir region, Chicago's partners within Partnership 2000. The relationship has yielded dozens of joint projects in the region, particularly in the field of education, for youngsters of all ages. These encompass tutorial assistance, special activities for youth, assistance for children with learning disabilities, and help for chronically ill youngsters.

At a "mega extravaganza" luncheon, the visitors were joined by Kiryat Gat Mayor, Albert Erez; Lachish Regional Council head, Eli Uzan; and Amos Megidish, head of the Shafir Regional Council; and over 200 local activists. Gil Fleisher, director of the partnership region, reported that a similar encounter two years ago resulted in true bonding between the two communities -- a "mixed" marriage between a man from the region and a woman from Chicago!

A total of twenty-one buses will convey participants to various sites, in accordance with their personal interests. They will have the choice of six tracks: "First-timers," "Rediscovery," "A Slower Pace," "Arts and Culture," "The Great Outdoors," and "Biblical History." Highlights include visits to the Golan Heights; the extensive archeological excavations at the Roman city of Beit Shean; Atlit, a reconstructed British detention camp; and Ben Gurion's grave at Sde Boker.

Next week they are scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Barak and will then visit various absorption and educational projects funded by the Jewish Agency and JDC.

This week, a Chicago Federation staff person was interviewed on Israel Radio's weekly call-in program focusing on Israel-Diaspora relations, and discussed the Federation and its celebrations.

A conference with participants thousands of miles apart, brainstorming in real time between Florida and the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem, is one of the symbols of Partnership 2000. The events took place on January 31st.. "The Intercoastal Health System" in the US hosted lay leaders and professionals from all over North America. The Jewish Agency in Jerusalem hosted regional and district managers from its Israel operations in the same week that the annual convention took place as part of UJC activities.

All subjects currently on the agenda were discussed at this exciting videoconference, ideas were raised, and brains challenged.

The main goal of the videoconference was to enable participants to share thoughts and raise new ideas for the project's next budget, according to Paula Edelstein, Co-chair of the Jewish Agency's Israel Committee. It also provided an opportunity to showcase new concepts for partnership communities, including projects to promote social justice, equality and democracy, environmental awareness, and tolerance in schools.

Opportunity for Direct Involvement

Partnership 2000, launched in 1995 by the Jewish Agency for Israel, offers Jewish communities the world over an opportunity for direct involvement in developing Israel's periphery. The Negev and the Galilee comprise over two-thirds of Israel's land reserves, yet are home to only 17 percent of the population. These areas suffer from high unemployment coupled by a weak educational infrastructures. P2K will soon become involved in projects in the center of the country as well.

The extent to which the Partnership program reinforces the connection between the Diaspora and Jews in Israel is evident from the scope of the project's development: 28 locales in Israel have been matched with 550 Jewish communities all over the world.

"We like programs we can see, feel, and touch," said Jeff Klein, Palm Beach Executive Director. "We believe in the historic mission we have as one people, and we treat this as a real partnership. It is much more than just fund-raising. We are interested in pluralism issues and in involving our youth in Israel."

Priscilla Kostiner, President of the Portland, Oregon Federation, spoke about community involvement. "We want to be part of the decision-making process with regard to budgets and programming."

The joint discussion included not only suggestions on ways of strengthening Israel's weaker communities, but also reinforcing the connection between North American communities and Israel. Topics discussed included finding ways to keep people connected after their visits and new ways to build ongoing relationships.

Another issue discussed at the conference was the need to reorganize the program of visits to Israel in a manner which would enable the visitors and their Israeli partners to get to know each other better.

The recent opening of a collection of Russian books is a testament to the difference one 12-year old girl can make in the lives of hundreds of people thousands of miles away.

Thanks to Naomi Kruger, a seventh grade student at the Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington, a Beit Shemesh public library now boasts a collection of some 500 Russian-language children's books - - helping young immigrants from the former Soviet Union communicate better with their parents and grandparents.

At her bat mitzvah celebration in November, Naomi asked that each guest contribute $5 to purchase books for the Benjamin Kruger Library in Beit Shemesh. The library, named for her cousin who died of leukemia ten years ago at age four, was started by his parents, Eliyahu and Tami. From a few shelves, the collection grew to over 12,000 volumes, about half of them in English.

Youngsters from the FSU – the city's Russian-speaking population numbers over 5,000 – lacked access to books in their native tongue. While children learn Hebrew in school, adults are often unable to master the language. They are thus unable to read storybooks to their children and grandchildren – losing out on an important bonding opportunity that is particularly essential for immigrant families.

All this stands to change now, thanks to Naomi. Her guests opened their purses as well as their hearts and donated $1600 for the library. "This was seen as a touching gesture by fellow Jews to help absorb their Russian brothers and sisters," says Tami Kruger, the library's director.

Israeli birthday songs were sung in Hebrew by a group of children from the Jewish community in Lvov, Ukraine, who celebrated their birthdays at the beginning of the week - for the first time Israeli style.

The Jewish Agency's new center in Lvov offers 2-7 year old Jewish children the opportunity to celebrate their birthdays Israeli style. All the boys and girls with birthdays in a particular month celebrate them as a group. The Jewish Agency emissaries attempt to create a homey atmosphere at the center.

The Agency's representative in Lvov, Marina Mahtiyuk, said that the party includes Israeli customs, such as a magic show, decorating the birthday child's hair with flowers, and even lifting him or her on a chair. Children can bring their parents and friends to the party. Mahtiyuk said that she believes that such customs, which do not exist in the FSU, bring the community closer to Israel and Jewish traditions. This week Yula, Ramil, Tanya, Darya, Diana, Marina and Nestia celebrated their birthdays.

With snow blanketing much of the country this past week, hundreds of Jewish youth from Latin America were finishing up summer programs in Israel. From December to February -- summer vacation in the Southern Hemisphere -- the Jewish Agency's Department of Jewish Zionist Education sponsors a variety of "Israel Experiences" for high school students from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, and Peru.

The programs, designed to strengthen Jewish identity through unmediated personal experiences, included encounters with Israeli peers, tours throughout Israel, and special Shabbat celebrations in Jerusalem. This year's participants include 450 10th and 11th graders from Argentina, Chile, and Brazil taking part in the "Tapuz" program; 25 youngsters from the Leon Pinello School in Peru; 100 boys and girls from the Jaim Weizmann School in Chile; and 30 youngsters from the Jewish youth movement, "Chazit," from Brazil.

Seventy young scholars from Argentina and Brazil took part in a Bible Camp, whose program is based on extensive travel to Biblical sites combined with intensive study of the Bible. The winner of the contest held at the end of the session will participate in the International Bible Quiz to be held in Jerusalem in 2001. A similar program for 25 teenagers from Brazil is based on a Jewish history syllabus.

200 college youth from Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay also spent two weeks in Israel on a Birthright program.

The Jewish festivals have been eliminated from the Canadian parliament's calendar, following a complaint by the Arab lobby in Canada that Moslem festivals were ignored. The new calendar lists only official Canadian holidays.

The President of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Moshe Ronen, said that schools and universities in Canada are open during Jewish holidays. However most of these institutions allow Jewish students to be absent on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

The Canadian Jewish Congress has to occasionally intervene to have Jewish holy days recognized as holidays both at educational institutions and at places of employment.

Ronen added that the one exception is York University in Toronto which is closed on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur because of its predominantly Jewish student body and teaching staff.

Palestinian Paper Calls for Olympic Boycott

The Palestinian daily Al-Hiat A-Jadidah this week called upon Arab states to boycott the Sydney Olympics if they open with a moment's silence for the victims of the massacre at the Munich 1972 Olympics.

According to the newspaper, "the decision taken by the organizing committee to open the event with a minute's silence in memory of the ten murdered Israeli athletes is an offense to the freedom fighters who carried out the Munich attack."

Jews are Like Nazis

The official Syrian newspaper, Tishreen, this week joined the Holocaust deniers. An op-ed piece published in the paper claimed that Israel had "invented the tale of the Holocaust as a way of robbing the world and imposing terror on intellectuals and politicians worldwide."

The article claimed that "Israel itself has adopted Holocaust-style behavior in its treatment of the Arabs, and uses such methods in the occupied Golan Heights, in Palestine, and in South Lebanon." According to the newspaper Israel is likely to miss the opportunity of reaching a just and comprehensive peace.

A truck laden with bread, on its way to the large Jewish home for the aged, "Sandringham Gardens," in Johannesburg, was hijacked last Thursday by a group of thieves. The more than 500 residents of the home who were forced to make do with . . . cake. As luck would have it, another truck managed to provide challot in time for Shabbat.

Increasing crime and violence are currently among South Africa's most pressing problems. Cars and trucks are frequently hijacked in Johannesburg.

Ten years ago, the South African Jewish community numbered 120,000. As a result of emigration to Australia, Canada, the US and Israel over the past decade, the Jewish community now numbers barely 70,000 .

A large percentage of the Jewish community is elderly, and their offspring are scattered all over the globe. Whereas 40 years ago the challenge facing the community was educating the younger generation, today it is caring for the elderly.

Smells of spices and delicacies wafted through the air in the Chagall Hall in the Knesset. A festival of traditional Jewish cooking from various countries allowed the MKs to take a break from the boring food of the Knesset's cafeteria. Some of the MKs could recall their own mom's cooking pot.

This special event was part of a signing ceremony marking the 'Tourism Covenant' whose purpose is to enhance the bonds between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.

A sampling of goodies included Moroccan couscous, Turkish celery and carrot salad, Yemenite malawach (a fried dough) and hilbeh (a spicy sauce), Persian stuffed apples, Russian piroshki and cold borscht. At the "Heimisch" booth you could taste morsels of gefilte fish, noodle kugel, stuffed cabbage, and roast duck with red cabbage.

Persian Style Stuffed Apples

Ingredients

7 tart apples

Filling:

1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil
2 finely chopped frankfurters
8 ounces chopped meat
dash of salt
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sauce: 3/4 cup water
5 tablespoons wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons sugar

Core 6 apples down to 1/2 inch from bottom; remove most of the pulp and chop. Slice a seventh apple.

Fry the onion until golden. Lower the flame, add the chopped frankfurters, and fry until brown. Add the chopped meat and spices and continue to fry until the meat begins to turn brown. Add the chopped apple pulp. Mix and season to taste.

Place the apple slices in a large baking pan. Fill the 6 apples and place them on the apple slices. Pour 1 1/2 cups of warm water into the tray, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees (F) for 30 minutes.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a small pot and boil. Remove the foil from the baking pan, pour the sauce on the apples, and continue to bake another 30 minutes until apples are baked but firm.

Bon Appetit!