 |
 |
|
|
||
Newsletter : 8fax0914.txt
Directory | Previous file | Next file
>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN Sept. 14, 1998, Vol. 6, No. 164
Israel World Champs for Bounced Checks
By IsraelWire
Israel holds the world record for bounced checks daily in relation
to its gross national product. So claims Eyal Yanai, president of
"Business Data" company that carries out economic surveys. Yanai
spoke at a convention of factory directors of the Kibbutz
Industries Association, whose topic was debt collection. He stated
that in Israel each day 20,000 checks are returned. The number of
bounced checks in relation to the GNP in Israel is double that of
other western countries.
Israel: More Immigration Due to Russian Economic Crisis
By IsraelWire
Israel expects a sharp increase in immigration of Jews from Russia if the current economic crisis there continues, and is making plans to absorb the immigrants, cabinet ministers said.
The ministerial committee on immigration and absorption adopted a
plan to provide housing for the immigrants and help them find jobs
and adjust to their new home.
Israel believes that if the economic continues the flow of
immigrants from Russia and the other former Soviet republics could
swell from about 50,000 a year to 80,000 or even 120,000,
Immigration and Absorption Minister Yuli Edelshtein said.
Trade and Industry Minister Natan Sharansky, who recently visited
Russia, said: "I got the feeling that the self-confidence of the
Jews in Russia in their ability to make a living has been shaken."
Sharansky and Edelshtein are both immigrants from the former Soviet
Union. Sharansky is chairman of the ministerial committee.
The plan consists of locating cities, towns and villages in Israel
where housing is available and there are job opportunities.
Construction of public housing for immigrants is to be increased.
Places are to be made available at Hebrew language schools for the
immigrants.
Russian-speaking immigrants who have already settled in Israel are
to be enlisted to help the newcomers adjust. The Russian-language
media in Israel is to be used to provide information on jobs and
housing.
Israeli representatives of the Jewish Agency in Russia and the
surrounding republics are to encourage young, highly qualified Jews
to choose Israel as their new home.
El Al Introduces a New First Class Menu
By IsraelWire
Passengers who choose to fly El Al Israel Airlines, first class,
will now be pleased to learn they will have a choice of beef, lamb,
or duck livers.
El Al officials and Head Chef Eli Pinto are excited over the new culinary delights and believe the first class cuisine may be an added encouragement for some passengers to upgrade. The new menu will also be served to fist class passengers on Rosenthal China.
Workers Rush to Complete PA Casino
By IsraelWire
Dozens of laborers are working to complete the first PLO Authority (PA) casino, scheduled to open Tuesday in the PA autonomous city of Jericho.
The $150 million project is to be made available to the many anxiously awaiting the grand opening. When complete, the glass-clad Oasis casino - which stands incongruously opposite the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp a few kilometers outside the town of Jericho - will comprise swimming pools, restaurants, a plush hotel, a golf course and a gaming hall.
The scheme, which will be managed by Casinos Austria, is
controversial because gambling is forbidden under Islamic law and,
to avoid offending local sensibilities, Arabs will not be allowed
to play the casino's tables. The gambling ban is despite the fact
that Yasir Arafat's PA is one of the scheme's financial backers.
The state-owned Palestinian Commercial Services Company is putting
up 30 percent of the capital for the project and in 15 years will
be given complete ownership over the hotel complex, a senior
official told AFP in April.
The casino is being marketed at Israelis who are forbidden from gambling in Israel and who used to flock to Jericho to escape the cold of winters in Jerusalem. But since Jericho became the first town to fall under PA rule in 1995, the flood of Israeli tourists visiting the oasis near the Jordanian border has dried up to a trickle.
And gambling is popular among Israelis. Until Turkish casinos were
closed earlier this year, Israeli tourists were estimated to spend
$440 million a year gambling in Turkey. Israel's gamblers continue
to flock to the Egyptian region of Taba on the Red Sea and floating
casinos in the Gulf of Aqaba.
Jericho, the site of what is said to be the oldest city in the
world, is located in an oasis in the desert, some 300 meters below
sea level near the Dead Sea and the border with Jordan.
| Home My Account Search Contact Us |
by Electronic World Communications, Inc.)
