Rehovot Teens, Expelled From School, Find Work In Applied Materials

"Each morning, some 50 youths arrive at Applied Materials Israel to work in the company's ground floor cafeteria.

The Rehovot-based company - along with the Ashalim organization for children at risk, the Havayot community center network of Rehovot, and the Aroma cafe chain - is working to find a solution for youths who have been expelled from school. Antiya Kessel, the community relations director for Applied Materials, says it all began when her company was seeking a supplier to operate its cafe. Ashalim - a partnership of JDC-Israel, various government ministries, the National Insurance Institute and the UJA-Federation of New York - offered to set up an enterprise to encourage youth entrepreneurship. Ashalim got the parties involved; Aroma donated the franchise, and provides discounts on products and training; Applied Materials funds the $600,000 project annually; while Havayot manages the project.

Sarit, 18, of Rehovot, has worked in the cafe for two years. She has managed to complete some of her matriculation exams with the help of a Havayot social worker, and dreams of being a psychologist. She notes that she has started to save money for further studies. Some 106 youths have passed through the cafe. Program participants, who receive hourly wages, are proud that in its first year 80 percent have either kept their jobs, were accepted to new jobs, or were drafted into the army while still on the job. Half of those who started the project still work at the cafe. The program has only had to terminate three students so far, according to Havayot social worker Zahava Shamashian-Golumb, who works with the project. Applied Materials is already thinking in conjunction with Ashalim about the next enterprise. Kessel says the company is considering establishing retail space.

Applied Materials develops and manufactures inspection tools and solutions for microchip manufacturers."

Source: Sivan Klingbail. Chief Rabbi Amar warns calls to resist evacuation may lead to bloodshed. Haaretz.com (27 April 2005) [FullText]

Reforming The School System: Rehovot Netivot Moshe School Third Grader Testifies

"Representatives of the Teachers? Union, the Education Ministry and the Treasury were meeting Monday (4 April 2005) ahead of negotiations on implementing the recommendations of the Dovrat Commission on reforming the school system. The teachers are opposed to key elements of the report, according to Israel Radio, including moving to a five-day school week and firing teachers.

Nitza Bar-El from the Teachers? Association of Secondary School Teachers told Israel Radio that they want a genuine reform of the school system that will benefit the students and teachers alike, and not the changes the Dovrat Commission has called for:

?What we really want is a real reform. The Dovrat reform is not a real reform, it is just a name for an organizational change in the system,? said Bar-El. ?A real reform really means having fewer pupils in the classrooms, more time for real dialogue with students, better teaching and learning conditions. What Dovrat has done is just having a longer day where pupils and teachers stay in the school doing nothing??

That Israeli schools are among the most problematic in the world is not new news. In fact, the reason for the Dovrat Commission was to evaluate how Israel can improve its educational offerings. Anshel Pfeffer reported in the Hebrew daily Ha?aretz on 28 January 2004 on a multinational study showing Israeli teachers with among the lowest morale and highest rates of absenteeism in the industrialized world. Israeli classrooms were found to be among the most unruly. Half of the boys and one third of the girls between 11 and 16 reported being injured in a violent incident in the course of the school year.

In the last eight years there has been a move by the organization Lev L?Achim to offer an alternative to the rowdy public school system via its ?PROJECT RISHUM: The Campaign to Enroll Children in Torah Schools in Eretz Yisrael.? Throughout the country public schools are getting smaller while parents opt to send their kids to a Torah school to be taught not only secular studies on a level much higher than what is received in your average public institution, but also derech eretz (manners), respect for one?s parents, the elderly and more.

This reporter visited the Keren Netivot Moshe Torah School in Chadera where the children jump to greet their principal, Gila Nahari, as well as their teachers and any other adult who enters the classroom.

Nahari said the school has a very good reputation and is rapidly growing each year. There were 40 students when it started in 2000; today there are over 200. When the children arrive they are dressed like typical secular children and have standard secular educations. Nahari said many of the children have never even seen a siddur (prayer book), let alone prayed from one. However, you would never know it from the way they appear in school. On this reporter?s visit, nearly all the little boys were wearing kippot (skull caps) and tzitzit (ritual fringes) ? decisions they made on their own. The little girls dress in skirts to their ankles and high-buttoned blouses. But most importantly, the children are respectful to their teachers and also to one another.

?There is a big difference between this school and my previous one,? Gadi, a slight third grader learning at the Netivot Moshe school in Rechovot, disclosed. ?In my other school there was always screaming and hitting. There we learned a little and here we learn a lot. Here I enjoy being at school because I have good friends and a good teacher.?

There are many schools that follow the Netivot Moshe model, reaching non-religious families who are unsatisfied with their children?s education at the secular schools. Most of the students are contacted via Lev L?Achim?s enrollment workers. These schools include, but are not limited to, the Shas Ma?ayan HaChinuch and SHUVU networks.

A team of researchers led by Ben-Gurion University professor Tamar Horowitz last year published the results of surveys of students in five SHUVU schools. They found extremely high self?image among the students, that parents believe their children?s studies are preparing them well for life, and that the children are proud to be Jews.

On an educational level, the Education Ministry recently released a study of fifth-grade boys learning in the Ma?ayan HaChinuch network. It found that boys scored slightly higher in Hebrew than their peers in public school.

As the Passover holiday rolls around, Lev L?Achim will launch another enrollment campaign, trying to contact parents and convince them to enroll their children in Torah schools before they are lost to the violence of secular establishments."

Source: Mayaan Jaffe. Does Dovrat Commission Mean Change? Teachers' Association Says No. InfoIsrael.Net (last viewed 28 April 2005) [FullText]

Tnuva Subsidiary Olivia Gourmet is Moving to Rehovot

Tnuva subsidiary Olivia Gourmet is moving from rented facilities in Even Yehuda to a new plant in Rehovot, at a cost of NIS 12 million. Olivia Gourmet outgoing CEO Iris Fein said that the new production lines would be added in the move, which would enable the company to enter new fields. Olivia exports a private brand of long-life salads with no preservatives and salad dressings. Fein is leaving her position after being appointed CEO of Tnuva Chef, which is responsible for Tnuva's NIS 700 million annual sales to the institutional market. Olivia has NIS 40 million in sales. The institutional market totals NIS 7 billion a year, and Fein says that Tnuva Chef is the leader in it.

Source: Hadas Manor. Olivia Gourmet moving to Rehovot. Tnuva subsidiary Olivia is moving from Even Yehuda at a cost of NIS 12 million. Globes.Co.il (28 April 2005) [FullText]

A Woman And Her Son Were Killed Tuesday In A Car Accident Near Kibbutz Hulda

"A woman and her son were killed Tuesday in a car accident near kibbutz Hulda in the Beit Shemesh area. Naomi Kaplinski, 66, of Jerusalem and her son Boaz, 36, of Yavne died instantly as their car crashed with a vehicle in the opposite lane. Boaz Kaplinski's baby boy and the driver of the other car sustained serious injuries but their lives are out of danger. One of the cars veered into the opposite lane for an unknown reason, and crashed into the car that was coming towards it. The baby who was sitting in the back seat next to his grandmother was seriously injured. Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated the injured passengers to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot.

Head of the police Traffic Department in the Shfela region, Chief Inspector Ya'akov Cohen, admitted "it's possible that if a separation railing between the two lanes had been installed on the road the accident would have been avoided. The injured passenger gave testimony to the police traffic inspectors in-spite of his serious injuries and said he was driving in the designated lane and he does not "understand where the second car that crashed into me come from.

Accidents in Kfar Chabad and Bara. In a similar accident a man of 25 was killed Tuesday evening in the village of Barra near Rosh Ha?aiyn. Four more people were lightly injured in the incident. An initial police investigation revealed that the man, who was driving a private car collided head-on into a van driving straight at him in a narrow road. One of the vehicles veered off its lane for an unknown reason. The man was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva but died shortly after arriving. He was meant to marry his sweetheart this weekend.

In another accident on Tuesday evening a motorcyclist was killed in Kfar Chabad. His six-year-old son who was riding with him sustained moderate injuries. No other vehicles +were involved in the accident..."

Source: Yuval Azoulay, Roni Singer and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents. Five killed in car accidents across the country. Haartez.com (26 April 2005) [FullText]

Jerusalem Biblical Zoo Is Kosher For Passover

"With Passover fast approaching, I'm sure a great deal of thought is being centered on our kitchens and food! Whether it means cleaning and koshering or planning the Seder meal, at this time of year especially, our kitchens are one of the most important parts of our homes.

The zoo's kitchen is also a main center of activity in the zoo, and not just during Passover. A very vital part of giving optimum care to the animals in our zoo is providing them with the best possible diet.Each kind of animal has a diet designed by our zoo nutrition expert, Dr. Elizabeth Kaufman. She spends hours researching each animal's dietary requirements and speaking with the keepers to determine their likes and dislikes. All this information is entered into her computer, and using a fantastic program called "Zootrition", Dr. Liz can determine if each animal is getting exactly what they need. And that is where the kitchen comes in. Each morning, deliveries of fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, rats and mice, bread, seeds and nuts are made.

The kitchen is ably managed by Mr. Fuad Mashni and he is assisted by Daniel Ykutael. Together, they portions out fruit and vegetables to each section, making sure that specialty items are shared out equally. They chop fish and meat, cook eggs and chicken and in addition, make sure things are kept scrupulously clean and neat! Not an easy job with the keeper staff running in and out all the time looking for yummy treats for their animals.Now, take all that and add Passover, and making the whole zoo hametz free, into the equation! As you can imagine, Fuad and Daniel are busy guys! If you are online, check out the Pesach 2003 Propil article for an idea of what exactly goes on in the zoo just before Passover.

On a different note, I am very excited to announce the happy news that Ellen the miniature horse is in the family way! We expect the new arrival in about 6 months. Can you imagine a little horse only 18 inches tall? I promise to keep you all informed of her progress. A lot of new building is planned for the zoo. I'm sure you will all be surprised and pleased when the announcements are made public, but for now it's all hush hush... Liat Hensen, our Herbivore section head and Noam Werner, our zoologists are currently out to sea. Literally. They had the good luck to accompany the shipment of 2 male giraffes to the Singapore Zoo. Giraffes and keepers sailed from Haifa Port and should arrive around the 15th of April.

Last, but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a safe, happy and kosher Passover from all of us here at the zoo.Oh, don't forget on the 23rd of April - Erev Pesach, the zoo will close at 16:30 and from the 25th, we will be open until 19:00!

Pesach Sameach!"

Source: Beverly Burge, Hospital/Quarantine Unit. Passover 2005 Propil's English Article. Zoo Tails 33. Tisch Family Zoological Gardens. (last viewed 26 April 2005) [FullText]

Rehovot History: A bullet-manufacturing kibbutz Near Rehovot

"KIBBUTZIM HILL - Modern-day Israelis are not known for being overly discrete, as supposedly confidential information finds its way to the media regularly. But things were much different during the country's inception, when people were strict about taking military secrets with them to the grave.

Laundry machines' noise concealed bullet manufacturing (Photo: Ronit Saversky)Whenever a hidden storage compound for weapons from the British Mandate period is discovered, secrets that for years have been kept from the public are unveiled. One such hush-hush compound, the Ayalon Institute, had been hidden under the guise of a kibbutz for many years, but had eventually been transformed into the Ayalon Institute Museum, located in the city of Rehovot's Kibbutzim Hill.

When arriving at the museum, one immediately absorbs the kibbutz atmosphere of yesteryear, complete with the modest wooden shacks, the thicket of eucalyptus trees, the joint kibbutz cafeteria, and the smell of recently irrigated green fields.

Everything has remained as it has always been, except for the kibbutz members themselves, who have left the kibbutz and the previously classified occurrences, which took place there three years prior to the Independence War's outbreak

In 1945, David Ben-Gurion had decided that the Jews must arm themselves and prepare for war, and therefore ordered the production of ammunition. Kibbutzim Hill (Givat Hakibbutzim) was chosen as the place due to its deserted locale and proximity to Tel Aviv and to the "Hagana" (formed in 1920 as a clandestine Jewish defense force) headquarters.

The area was surrounded by British outposts, but the assumption that the British would not be suspicious of something that was right under their noses proved to be true.

A pit the size of a tennis court was formed in the heart of Kibbutzim Hill, on top of which a laundry and a bakery were set up. The of the 30 bullet manufacturing machines that lay beneath it..."

Source: Ronit Saversky. The secret Ayalon Institute cave: Museum offers sneak-peak at bullet-manufacturing compound that had been hidden from the British prior to Independence War. YnetNews.com (23 April 2005) [FullText]

Soldier Killed Monday Night Was Tsiki Eyal Maskeret Batya In The Rehovot Area

"The soldier killed late Monday night was Staff Sergeant (Res.) Psiki Eyal, 23, of Masgeret Batya in the Rehovot area. Eyal was killed after he was hit by a Palestinian taxi while manning an impromptu checkpoint. The IDF is continuing to investigate the incident but were cautious in calling it terror attack, because they said they could not rule out possibility that it was an accident. Eyal's family were informed of his death on Tuesday. In the past Eyal served the Armored Corps."

Source: Margot Dudkevitch. Soldier killed Monday night was Tsiki Eyal, 23. JPost.Co.il (26 April 2005) [FullText]

Protecting The Privacy of Every Rehovot Computer User: Install and Run Lavasoft Ad-Aware Home Now!

"While the Internet is a powerful resource and provides users with many useful and often entertaining things to see and do, it also has its dark side. Most people are familiar with freeware, shareware, cookies, media players, interactive content, and file sharing. What they may not realize is that some of the aforementioned may contain code or components that allow the developers of these applications and tools to actually collect and disseminate information about those using them. They can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files, and can do this without your knowledge or permission. The security and privacy implications of these exploits should be quite obvious and undesirable on any system or network!

Lavasoft is the industry leader and most respected provider of anti Trackware solutions." They have developed several essential applications that will provide you with the means to keep your computer or network free of these compromising and intrusive threats to your privacy. Some of them (like Lavasoft Ad-Aware Home Edition) are free for personal use.

Source: Lavasoft home page (Last viewe3d 23 April 2005) [FullText]
More info on Lavasoft Ad-Aware Home Edition is available at Lavasoft Free Download Page.

Important: When your copy of Lavasoft Ad-Aware Home Edition is installed, please make sure you updated the software Definition File with the latest version. It can be done by following an update prompt while running Ad-Aware Home on your computer (automatic update) or manually by downloading the latest definition file at the Lavasoft Download Page.

Testimony by Download.com, The Major Gateway Site for millions of Ad-Aware Downloads

"One of the first applications built to find and remove adware and spyware, Ad-aware SE Personal Edition's excellent reputation is well justified. The sky-blue, skinnable interface features five buttons. The first two, Status and Scan, lead to the core function of the application. These buttons initiate a scan of your files for adware components. After scanning is complete, the program presents a summary of results, followed by a list from which you select exactly which components to remove. Right-clicking an individual entry gives some information about the piece of suspected adware, though we would like more details. Ad-aware SE can alert you to more malignant forms of malware by separating items into critical and negligible categories. The third button, Ad-watch, is nonfunctional in the Standard version. The fourth button, Plug-ins, shows you which Ad-aware plug-ins are installed. The fifth leads to the help files.

Ad-aware SE does an excellent job of quickly finding and removing most adware and spyware components, although you will have to restart and rescan for a seriously infected machine. We were pleased to see an auto-update feature included with the program, keeping Ad-aware up-to-date with the latest adware components. Ad-aware SE should be part of your arsenal for keeping your machine free of adware and spyware components." [FullText]

Additional Technical Notes for Advanced users. By Software Publisher.

"With the ability to scan your RAM, registry, hard drives, and external storage devices for known data-mining, advertising, and tracking components, Ad-Aware Home Edition (SE) easily can clean your system, allowing you to maintain a higher degree of privacy while you surf the Web.Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition boasts a number of improvements that leading Anti-Virus software usually are unable to fix. Extended memory scanning now scans all modules loaded by a process. Scanning uses the all- new CSI (Code Sequence Identification) technology to identify new and unknown variants of known targets. Extended registry scanning now scans registry branches of multiple-user accounts and performs additional smart checks to detect dynamically created references. Scanning speed is noticeably faster, and this version offers an Extended Scanning mode for known and unknown/possible browser hijackers." [FullText]

Rehovot Celebrates Pesach With Science Festival at The Weizmann Institute

The sixth annual Science Festival at the based in Rehovot Weizmann Institute of Science will take place from April 26-28, 2005, Tuesday- Thursday on Chol HaMoed Pesach. Details about the festival are available in Hebrew at The Festival Web Site.

Anti-Disengagement Radicalism from Rehovot?

"Police on Monday... arrested two young men in Tel Aviv on suspicion of handing out pamphlets containing incitement against [Prime Minister] Sharon and his disengagement plan. Yiftah region police arrested the two during a conference at the Yad Eliyahu arena in south Tel Aviv as they handed out pamphlets to passers-by. The two suspects refused to cooperate with detectives during questioning. One of the suspects is an 18-year-old resident of Rehovot, while the other is a minor who refused to identify himself. They will be brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court later on Tuesday for a remand hearing."

Source: Haaretz Service and Itim. Chief Rabbi Amar warns calls to resist evacuation may lead to bloodshed. Haaretz.com (19 April 2005) [FullText]

Aliyah tales: Time to Go Home

"When my wife and I woke up on the day we made aliyah, we talked and decided that we felt good. Natural. Normal. A little excited. A bit eager. Somewhat tired from some late-night, last-minute packing. Above all, we were ready. It was time to go.

The family dressed in T-shirts that we had made for the day. The white shirts were emblazoned in blue with our Hebrew slogan for the trip: "Bashana Hazot," which in English means "this year."

Our shirts were inspired from the central motto of the Jewish people: "Next Year in Jerusalem." Thanks to some terrific support from friends and family, "Next Year" was now.

We had been staying with my parents, who could not have been more encouraging and supportive, for a last precious drop of a week with them. We will next see them in three months, at our new home, in Israel.

At LAX [Los Angeles International Airport], our porter saw the boxes we were sending, asked a polite question or two and soon knew that we were moving. Before he left us, he said something very formally in Gaelic, which he translated as: "Have a safe trip home."

Once at the gate, my 4-year-old saw the El Al plane with the giant Jewish star on the tail. He yelled: "Abba, that?s a Israel plane." Exactly.

As the plane thundered down the runway, my wife looked a question: "Can you believe this is happening?"

I smiled and shook my head from side to side.

Like all flights to Israel, this one lasted a long time, but it did not end until I filled out the Israeli visa entry forms. Under reason for visit, I wrote, "Aliyah." Under planned departure date, I wrote, "None."

As we approached Israel, we dropped through a storm. Our 4-year-old saw a rainbow. I held my wife's hand.

When we crossed over the Tel Aviv coastline, I experienced a flurry of emotions, which were magnified by a sense that this return was final.

I felt a great, humbling appreciation that I was now doing what so many of my ancestors had wished to do for thousands of years. I thought of the millions of Jews who had prayed to God for the existence of a Jewish state in Israel. I was grateful for the sacrifices of the early Zionists, who took sand and mosquitoes and made milk and honey. I considered the multitudes of people, both in America and around the world, who have prayed and worked for Israel?s safety. I recalled all of our friends and family who wished us the absolute best. And, I understood that the thoughts, prayers, dreams and hopes of all those people, going back all those years, were with us, right at that moment, right at that single point in our lives. It was overwhelming.

When our plane landed, my wife and I said the "Shecheyanu" blessing, and thanked God for allowing us to reach this day.

As we entered the terminal, we were met by a smiling official from the Ministry of Interior, who was holding a big blue and white welcome sign, and a volunteer who had previously made aliyah from the United States

At the airport office of the Ministry of Interior, the kids got candy, flags and pins, and the parents got a new-immigrant identity card called a Teudat Oleh. My cousins brought us not one, but two cakes welcoming us to Israel and drove us to our new home.

As we left the airport, some 26 hours after our day had begun, our boys tried to imitate Hebrew. They laughed as they babbled together: "Cha-cha-cha, cha-moosh, cha-cha-cha."

They sounded just great.

Nathan D. Wirtschafter lives in Rehovot, Israel."

Source: Wirtschafter ND. Time to go home. The Rehovot Reporter. April 2005 (Passover 2005 issue) pp.17-18

Rehovot's Bilu Junction As The Crossroad of Political Fight

Knesset member "Aryeh Eldad (National Union) continues his 12-day march from the Shomron to Gush Katif, marching today from Beit Dagan in the Tel Aviv area to Bilu Junction near Rehovot. He advances some 18-20 kilometers a day, and the public is invited to join. Some 30 marchers - including musician Ariel Zilber playing an organ on an accompanying wagon - joined him today. The goal is to reach Gush Katif by next Wednesday, in time for the event described immediately below. Two large pro-Land of Israel events are scheduled for next week's Intermediate Days of Passover (Chol HaMoed): On Wednesday, 100,000 people are expected to take part in a coastal road march in Gush Katif, which will pass by several of the communities. Musicians, MKs and rabbis will take part. O.C. Southern Commander Maj.-Gen. Dan Har'el has recommended to Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz that the event not be held, as he fears that it will be a target for terrorist attacks. Mofaz will issue his decision in the coming days, but the Gush Katif organizers are confident that the event will be held..."

Source: In and Around the Struggle Against the Disengagement. Arutz Sheva: IsraelNationalNews.com (21 April 20'05 / 12 Nisan 5765) [FullText]

Rehovot Teen Arrested For Assaulting DJ At Bat Mitzvah Party

"Rehovot police's juvenile division arrested a 14-year-old boy over the weekend who allegedly attacked a 36-year-old DJ during a bat mitzvah party at a local community center. The teen allegedly asked the DJ to turn down the music during the party on Thursday, and when the man refused, the suspect vowed to "settle accounts" with him. When the DJ went to his car after the party, he found that the metal work of his vehicle had been dented and his windshield smashed. Some 10 teens armed with bats then allegedly jumped on him and assaulted him. He was also stabbed in the back and taken to hospital in moderate condition. The 14-year-old is the principle suspect in the police's inquiry and he was indicted in the Rehovot Magistrate's Court."

Source: Yuval Azoulay. Teen arrested for assaulting DJ at bat mitzvah party. Haaretz Daily (18 April 2005 / Nisan 9, 5765) [FullText]

Panel To Seek Ways To Ease Visa Process For Russian Tourists

"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday decided to establish a joint committee of the tourism, interior and foreign ministries to explore ways to ease the visa process for Russian tourists wishing to visit Israel. Tourism Minister Abraham Hirchson asked the prime minister to look into the matter, and Sharon ordered the committee to present its findings within 30 days. Hirchson told the cabinet of the "enormous losses" Israeli tourism is suffering due to bureaucratic foot-dragging over visas. His ministry estimates that some 20,000 Russian tourists cannot visit Israel due to the current visa guidelines, at a cost of NIS 170 million to GDP over two months, and NIS 850 million over a year."

Source: Zohar Blumenkrantz. Panel to seek ways to ease visa process for Russian tourists. Haaretz Daily (18 April 2005 / Nisan 9, 5765) [FullText]

Emunah Rehovot Announcement: Holocaust Memorial meeting, 2 May 2005

Emunah National Religious Women's Organization
Hadara-Yehudit Chapter Rehovot

Holocaust Memorial meeting

The Emunah Hadara-Yehudit English-speaking Chapter in Rehovot invites All English Speakers tp our own Holocaust Memorial Meeting. It will be conducted entirely in English, and will be held at the

Joseph Meyerhoff Library
Habanim St., Rehovot (opposite Beit Hatarbut)

On Monday 2nd May 2005, at 9:30 a.m. prompt.

Guest Speaker: Sheila Mor, who will relate her husband's experiences during the period of the holocaust. She has called her talk:

"One Small Victory over a Great Evil"
(In memory of the Jewish Community of Veria, Greece)

Chairman of The Meeting: Henry Sussman

Donation 5 shekel to cover expenses

Israel Students: Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture, Rehovot

"The cast: Nurit Hivsher (22.5), Tali Zviran (21). A wintry morning, a gray gate. We get an entry pass and a soft swoosh of tires is heard. We drive in. The rain that has washed over the campus has deepened the colors. Rising from the lawn are orange and white buildings, and students from Africa walk along a wet path led by a man carrying a large umbrella. We are in Rehovot.

The room: The student dormitory building, 15 square meters, beige walls, two narrow tables (for writing on), two plastic chairs (for sitting on), two youth beds (for sleeping on), two greenish bookshelves (for placing books on), a carpet. This is where first-year students reside. Potted plants adorn the window sills. On the wall on Nurit's side is a map of the world, on the wall on Tali's side is a movie poster and a black-and-white photograph of her grandmother ("Yocheved"). Next to the door is a kitchenette (without gas burners and a faucet) with a table, mini-refrigerator, toaster oven and electric kettle.

Rent: NIS 500 a month. In return the tenants get electricity, water (hot and cold) and gas (in the shared kitchen).

The shared kitchen: At the end of the hall, long stainless steel sink, industrial gas burners and a gray honeycomb of cupboards (for pots and frying pans).

Cleaning and maintenance: A cleaning and maintenance company.

Tuition: NIS 9,600 a year ("in six installments").Fields of study: Nurit - protection of flora ("in the direction of biological extermination"); Tali - plant sciences and biotechnology ("in the direction of academic research"). Both are undergraduates (three years to graduate).Other fields of study in the faculty: Biochemistry, ground and water sciences, agricultural chemistry, animals, veterinary studies (master's degree only), food engineering, nutrition sciences, hotel studies, food resources and tourism ("Something new"). The veterinary hospital at Beit Dagan also belongs to the faculty, which is part of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Nurit's bio: Nurit is from Kfar Sava. Her father is a bank official (Bank Leumi), her mother a librarian (at Tel Aviv University). She grew up in the Yad Eliahu neighborhood in south Tel Aviv and is a graduate of Ironi Heh High School in the north of the city. During high school, she took part in a special project run by the Rehovot-based Weizmann Institute of Science, doing 5-unit matriculation certificates in mathematics, English and art, and 9 units in physics, served as a soldier-teacher in the southern development town of Netivot (after a year of service as part of a Nahal paramilitary brigade "core group"). After completing her army service in 2003, she worked half a year in the Arava, on Moshav Ein Yahav ("like a Thai"), growing tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, and took a trip (with a girlfriend) to Thailand, Laos and Nepal...

Tali's bio: Born in Nahariya in 1983. Her father, an engineer in Rafael (Israel Armament Development Authority), is from a veteran Nahariya family; her mother, who was born in Beit She'an ("There were Ashkenazim there, too"), is a high-school teacher and learning disabilities diagnostician. After completing the regional high school in Kibbutz Kabri, Tali did her military service in the air force (as a computer systems operator), getting her discharge last year (February 2004). She took the psychometric university entrance test without any preparation ("I used Yoel Geva books") and achieved a score of 716 points ("That was enough for me"). During the period between the test and the start of the academic year, she went to Thailand ("with two guys I didn't know"), had her photograph taken with the Iraqi national soccer team ("They were having a hafla" - a celebration party - "after beating Thailand"), returned to Israel and started her studies ("what I always wanted")..."

Source: Avner Avrahami.Family affair / Tali and Nurit - Faculty of Agriculture, Rehovot. Haaretz.com (5 April 2005 / Adar2 25, 5765) [

Not So Pleasant Journey of Uzbeki Puppies to Their New Israel Homes

"A decision yesterday by the Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court could perhaps spell joy for 32 puppies who landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport last week from Uzbekistan. Following a week of distress, the puppies are now at the Beit Dagan veterinary hospital, where they are finally receiving the treatment and care they require.

Animal welfare organizations are currently breathing a sigh of relief. The threat of the puppies' deportation back to Uzbekistan has passed, for now, following a dramatic campaign waged by the Let the Animals Live association. On Tuesday night, the puppies were on board a plane that was about to leave for Uzbekistan after the Agriculture Ministry's Veterinary Services refused to allow them into the country. However, an injunction issued by the Rehovot Magistrate's Court prevented the dogs' deportation, with the court upholding Let the Animals Live's argument that most would not survive the flight.

Yesterday, Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court judge Eitan Orenstein decided to extend the injunction until the beginning of next week, in keeping with an agreement reached between the parties involved in the puppy affair.Since the beginning of the year, Hod Hasharon businessman Yaakov Zeidenberg has imported thoroughbred puppies from Uzbekistan five times. The puppies are cheap in Uzbekistan, but fetch a high price in Israel. Zeidenberg's latest batch included 38 puppies of various breeds, six of whom perished over the past few days at Ben-Gurion's Maman cargo bay, where they were being held."

These puppies were at the Maman cargo bay for five days, and we don't have suitable conditions to keep them here," said Nehama Ronen, former director general of the Environment Ministry and current chair of the Maman board of directors. "When I hear the Agriculture Ministry veterinarians say they were given the appropriate care, it angers me. A veterinarian on behalf of the Agriculture Ministry came by only once, had a quick look at the dogs, and then left. They started to receive proper care only after I called in veterinarian Dr. Yuval Samuel from SOS Animals"...

...Veterinary Services officials, however, were not happy with Ronen's actions, charging that she had put the public's health at risk and threatening to open an inquiry against her. On Tuesday afternoon, Veterinary Services officials raided the clinic of Dr. Samuel in Kfar Sava and confiscated the puppies, taking them directly to Ben-Gurion Airport and putting them on a plane bound for Uzbekistan.

At the same time, Let the Animals Live urgently sought an injunction that would allow the puppies to remain in Israel. Close to midnight, Rehovot Magistrate's Court judge Gideon Barak upheld the animal-rights group's request and ordered that the puppies be transferred to an animal quarantine center in Ramle. Yesterday morning, they were moved to the Beit Dagan animal hospital."

They are now in the most suitable place for them; they are being cared for and there is no need to move them anywhere else," Let the Animals Live founder and spokesperson Eti Altman said yesterday.""

Source: Yuval Azoulay. Uzbeki puppies get extended reprieve. Haaretz.com (7 April 2005) [FullText]

Forty Four Years of Man in Space: Remembering Ilan Ramon, First Israeli Astronaut

44 years ago on April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union launched the first man into space, just four years after the Cosmic Era began with the launching of the first man-made satellite. Since then, all satellites have been universally called "Sputnik" the Russian word for satellite. The name of the first man in space, Yury Gagarin, who was at that time a Major and a fighter pilot in the Soviet Army, and designer of the Vostok rocket, Sergei P. Korolev, will always be remembered in association with the triumph of science and technology that made human space flight possible.

Since then, more then 400 people of different nations have visited the Earths' outer space, including many women and several cosmic tourists, who paid millions of dollars for a 1 week's tour aboard Russia's Mir Space station, a parental model of the International Space Station presently in orbit.

Among the space explorers, heroes of mankind, is the name of the first Israeli Cosmonaut, Ilan Ramon, whose life abruptly ended when his spaceship, the US Shuttle Columbia, exploded two years ago - just minutes before landing - on February 1, 2003. Ilan Ramon and the six other American astronauts aboard were killed.

Ilan Ramon (1954-2003)

Ilan Ramon was born June 20,1954, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ramon graduated from High School in 1972, and received a bachelor of science degree in electronics and computer engineering from Tel Aviv University in 1987. In 1974, Ramon graduated as a fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force (IAF) Flight School. From 1974-1976, he participated in A-4 Basic Training and Operations. The years 1976-1980 were spent in Mirage III-C training and operations. In 1980, as one of the IAF's establishment team of the first F-16 Squadron in Israel, he attended the F-16 Training Course at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. From 1981-1983, he served as the Deputy Squadron Commander B, F-16 Squadron. From 1983-1987, he attended Tel Aviv University. From 1988-1990, he served as Deputy Squadron Commander A, F-4 Phantom Squadron. During 1990, he attended the Squadron Commanders Course. From 1990-1992, he served as Squadron Commander, F-16 Squadron. From 1992-1994, he was Head of the Aircraft Branch in the Operations Requirement Department. In 1994, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and assigned as Head of the Department of Operational Requirement for Weapon Development and Acquisition. He stayed at this post until 1998. Colonel Ramon has accumulated over 3,000 flight hours on the A-4, Mirage III-C, and F-4, and over 1,000 flight hours on the F-16. Ramon also served in the Yom Kippur War and Operation Peace for Galilee. He was reported also to be one of the pilots involved in the raid on the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981 (Jerusalem Post, January 17, 2003).

In 1997, Colonel Ramon was selected by NASA to serve as a Payload Specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia. In July 1998, he reported for training at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. The seven member crew of STS 107, including Col. Ramon, successfully launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia at 10:39 a.m. EST from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003, for a 16-day mission. During the mission, Ramon conducted a number of experiments and the flight was considered a great success.

"Being the first Israeli astronaut -- I feel I am representing all Jews and all Israelis," Ramon said. Referring to his mother and grandmother, who both survived imprisonment in Auschwitz, he added, "I'm the son of a Holocaust survivor -- I carry on the suffering of the Holocaust generation, and I'm kind of proof that despite all the horror they went through, we're going forward."

Although Ramon described himself as a secular Jew, special kosher meals were made for his journey and he consulted with rabbis before leaving about the proper way to observe Shabbat from space. Ramon carried several personal souvenirs with him into space. His wife gave him four poems and his father gave him photographs of the family. His 15-year-old son, Assaf, and Ramon's brother, Gadi, both gave him letters to be unsealed and read only after he was in orbit. Israel's president, Moshe Katsav, gave him a credit card-size microfiche copy of the Bible. He also took a pencil drawing titled "Moon Landscape" by a 14-year-old Jewish boy, Peter Ginz, who was killed at Auschwitz.

Ramon's journey into space occurred as Israelis continued to suffer through a horrendous period of violence and helped lift the nation's spirits. Ramon was a national hero and a symbol of hope.

Tragically, just minutes before landing on February 1, the Columbia exploded; Ramon and the six American astronauts aboard with him were killed.

Ramon leaves behind a wife, Rona, and four children."

Source: Ilan Ramon, 1954-2003 Jewishvirtuallibrary.org [FullText]

Serial Peeping Tom Caught: Police Arrest Young Man Outside a Neighborhood Mikve

"While the man told policemen he came to the Mikve to guard the women, he was arrested for allegedly peeking through the ceiling?s windows and checking out the nude ladies for weeks. This municipal Mikve serves a large religious population in Israel's central Rehovot town. Recently, many regular female Mikve visitors filed complaints with local police, claiming that someone had been staring at them. After Rehovot policemen patrolled the area and came up with nothing, they decided to ambush the peeping tom. 'I was actually guarding the ladies' Finally, while sitting in their patrol car on Wednesday night, officers noticed a man in his 20's approaching the facility, holding a ladder. They arrested him after he proceeded to climb up the ladder. Although he tried to explain his actions by saying he actually wanted to protect the women after hearing rumors about a peeping tom, he could not explain how and where he learned of the latter's existence. And so, the young man was arrested and his instead of staring at women in their nude, he spent the night staring at the walls of his cell. At last, Rehovot women could breathe in ease."

Source: Serial peeping tom caught at MikvePolice arrest young man outside a neighborhood Mikve; says he was guarding the roof so no one would peek at the women (7 April 2005) [FullText]

Disengagement-Protest Tent Torched in Rehovot

"Activists opposed to the Gaza Disengagement Plan report an information tent established in Rehovot a number of weeks ago was set ablaze on the Sabbath eve. According to the report, the tent was manned by opponents to the government plan, distributing information leaflets opposing the planned forced removal of Jews from their communities in northern Shomron and Gaza."

Source: Disengagement-Protest Tent Torched in Rehovot. IsraelNN.com (3 April 2005 / 23 Adar 5765) [FullText]

Excited Bull on Herzl Street Generated Major News in Rehovot's History

There has not been much news about Rehovot in the Israeli National and International media since MyRehovot started its publication six months ago until the week of Purim 2005. Although not related to Rehovot's 115 anniversary, the originator of the news was a curious bull that got loose from a nearby agricultural farm and came to Rehovot, puzzling the drivers, local residents and visitors. It is hard to say what was the main feeling of the people on the street: was this a threat, a holiday prank or perhaps the bull is another Purim decoration, or someone in a costume made by a true Costume master?

The few examples of media coverage of this "major" event are "Ox runs wild in Rehovot city center" ( The Jerusalem Post, 25 March 2005), "Bull joins Purim party: Police officers deployed in city of Rehovot face unusual intruder; bull captured after 40 minutes" by YnetNews (26 March 2005), and "No BS: Escaped bull runs wild in Rehovot" by Ha'aretz.

The bull apparently came from the Ness Ziona area, expressed no interest in Rehovot?s Bio- and Hi-Tech and Academic settings - ignoring Park Ha?mada in Rehovot, The Weizmann Institute of Science and The Faculty of Agriculture of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The bull could well have been rushing to a Rehovot 115 anniversary celebration that took place that Friday morning, March 25, just a hundred meters down on Herzl Street at Ya'acov Street, 32. This is where one of the oldest Rehovot Memorial houses, Dondikov House, is situated, and where the reinstallation of the old Rehovot Bell took place in the presence of Municipal Officials and many of the city's residents.

The bull was, however, "arrested" near The City Police Station where the Rehovot Purim show abruptly ended. If the bull had reached Ya'acov Street, where the celebration of the town's 115 anniversary was taking place, (see MyRehovot material of 31 March 2005) it would have had a better chance to get recognition all over Israel.

Important: this publication is an original material by MyRehovot.Info. Citation and/or re-printing in any media is permitted in case it is properly cited and the hyperlink to http://www.myrehovot.info is provided.