By: Alex Weinreb A Rose By Any Other Name… Tel: Fax: 08-976-64-65 08-976-64-63 25 Alonim Lapid Email: [email protected] Servicing the English speaking community of Modiin and the surrounding neighborhoods Ecological Farm 1350 donors in total! Two weeks ago, Dalik (from the popular Hop's children's show), adopted Modiin's ecological farm. He was so impressed with the farm that he Th is pu bli cat ion pri nte d by Ko nu s Iyar 5764 May 2004 Volume 1, Issue 5 M o d i I n f o
ModiInfo Servicing the English speaking community of Modiin and the surrounding neighborhoods cont. on page 8 cont. on page 4 May 2004 Iyar 5764 Volume 1 Issue 5 ModiInfo Iyar 5764 May 2004 Volume 1, Issue 5 "Noam's Day" - Bone Marrow Drive By: Polly Hyams Sherman March 23, 2004 - It was a Tuesday morning and my adrenaline was flowing. For the kids at the Yachad Primary School, Ezer Mitzion and the local coordinators of this current bone marrow drive, I am sure their adrenaline had been flowing for weeks. Noam Otilengi, 8 and a bit years old, and a pupil in the Yachad School, first became ill with leukemia four and a half years ago. After intensive chemotherapy, Noam had returned to gan by September 2000, and according to his mother, Ricki, the only thing that reminded the family of Noam's illness was the daily drug regime he took to preserve his health. Around Chanukah 2003, Noam fell ill again and it was apparent that the leukemia had returned. This time the only cure was an urgently needed bone marrow transplant. Noam, who appeared on the popular Dudu Topaz television show and also on radio advertising, succeeded in catching the city's attention and their conscience and all the donor stations were flooded from 10:00 in the morning until every last test tube ran out! So why was my adrenaline flowing? I had had a phone call from Ezer Mitzion about two weeks before the blood drive asking if I could help take blood. “Of course,” I said without a second thought. So Tuesday arrived and so did I. It was 9:15 and I was 'stationed' at Modiin Center and it was very, 1350 donors in total! K NUS Tel: Fax: 08-976-64-65 08-976-64-63 25 Alonim Lapid Email: [email protected]This publication printed by Konus Modiin Highlights By: Alex Weinreb A Rose By Any Other Name… Ecological Farm As head of the Committee for Names, I called a meeting where it was decided that names must be given to intercity roads, bridges, large parks, traffic circles and residential roads of new areas (five of which have yet to be built). In addition, neighborhoods, which are presently referred to by the name of the architect who designed them, will be given proper names. In the past, Modiin streets have been named after flowers, trees, rivers and biblical figures. Future names will include only deceased heads of state (no current politicians) and references to Jewish history from the time of the Maccabim and modern Zionism. By using names associated with Jewish heritage and Israeli history our youth will become familiar with important facts and figures. It was also decided that children, parents and teachers would name new schools. Examples include the third high school (now called ironi gimmel) and new schools being built in the Kaizer and Zippor areas. The meeting also provided possible solutions to the problem of different streets with the same name. As a result of the recent unification, two streets in Reut and Modiin bear the same name. The Mayor has received recommendations and will make a decision regarding which one to implement. Two weeks ago, Dalik (from the popular Hop's children's show), adopted Modiin's ecological farm. He was so impressed with the farm that he
Transcript
M o d i I n f oServicing the English speaking community of Modiin and the surrounding neighborhoods
cont. on page 8 cont. on page 4
May 2004
Iyar 5764
Volume 1
Issue 5
M o d i I n f o Iyar 5764May 2004 Volume 1, Issue 5
"Noam's Day" -Bone Marrow Drive
By: Polly Hyams ShermanMarch 23, 2004 - It was a Tuesday morning and
my adrenaline was flowing.For the kids at the Yachad Primary School, Ezer
Mitzion and the local coordinators of this currentbone marrow drive, I am sure their adrenaline hadbeen flowing for weeks.
Noam Otilengi, 8 and a bit years old, and a pupilin the Yachad School, first became ill withleukemia four and a half years ago. After intensivechemotherapy, Noam had returned to gan bySeptember 2000, and according to his mother,Ricki, the only thing that reminded the family ofNoam's illness was the daily drug regime he took topreserve his health.
Around Chanukah 2003, Noam fell ill againand it was apparent that the leukemia had returned.This time the only cure was an urgently neededbone marrow transplant.
Noam, who appeared on the popular DuduTopaz television show and also on radioadvertising, succeeded in catching the city'sattention and their conscience and all the donorstations were flooded from 10:00 in the morninguntil every last test tube ran out!
So why was my adrenaline flowing? I had had aphone call from Ezer Mitzion about two weeksbefore the blood drive asking if I could help takeblood. “Of course,” I said without a second thought.So Tuesday arrived and so did I. It was 9:15 and Iwas 'stationed' at Modiin Center and it was very,
As head of the Committee for Names, I called ameeting where it was decided that names must begiven to intercity roads, bridges, large parks, trafficcircles and residential roads of new areas (five ofwhich have yet to be built). In addition,neighborhoods, which are presently referred to bythe name of the architect who designed them, willbe given proper names.
In the past, Modiin streets have been namedafter flowers, trees, rivers and biblical figures.Future names will include only deceased heads ofstate (no current politicians) and references toJewish history from the time of the Maccabim andmodern Zionism. By using names associated withJewish heritage and Israeli history our youth willbecome familiar with important facts and figures.
It was also decided that children, parents andteachers would name new schools. Examplesinclude the third high school (now called ironigimmel) and new schools being built in the Kaizerand Zippor areas.
The meeting also provided possible solutions tothe problem of different streets with the same name.As a result of the recent unification, two streets inReut and Modiin bear the same name. The Mayorhas received recommendations and will make adecision regarding which one to implement.
Two weeks ago, Dalik (from the popular Hop'schildren's show), adopted Modiin's ecologicalfarm. He was so impressed with the farm that he
To advertise Please call 052-4665-881 052-3868-768 e-mail: modiinfo 013.net.il@
Dear Readers,Due to popular demand, we are pleased to bring back
the Kids' Page. This month we feature a cartoon
submission by Dov Rosen, fifth grader at Mesuat
Neriah. Any art or writing submissions are welcome
and may be featured in upcoming issues. Children are
encouraged to share their talent with ModiInfo.
This time of year we are blessed with many holidays to
celebrate. We wish all our readers a chag sameach.
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M o d i I n f o Iyar 5764May 2004 Volume 1, Issue 5
cont. from page 1
very windy. Tables were being set up and I washanded boxes of medical equipment to organize. Iasked where the other nurses were and was repliedthat I was the only one at present… OK, I thought,until I looked up again, only to see a line of peopleabout 30 long, waiting patiently to donate.
The queue of donors never wavered and spiritswere very high throughout the day. One donor evenbrought a carload from her place of work in Lod,others came eagerly to donate three weeks beforetheir 18 birthday.
Those that weren't able to give blood donatedmonetarily, a much appreciated effort as currently itcosts $40 to tissue-type each blood sample. Thistest only produces partial information on thepotential donor's genetic makeup. A more detailedtest that will provide more information on the tissuetype costs $65 allowing a much speedier access toall genetic information regarding a specific sample.About 10% of cancer patients eventually requirebone marrow transplants, and no person hasimmunity to cancer, so it could be said thatregistering on the bone marrow database is ratherlike a personal insurance policy as well.
Registrants for the blood drive must be betweenthe ages of 18 and 55 and in good health and blooddrives are organized on a frequent basis.
th
Chances for a match increase significantly if thepatient and potential donor share the same ethnicbackground. Because Jews in the past lived in isolatedcommunities, they are today more genetically relatedto each other than to non-Jews. Therefore, EzerMizion established its registry in 1998 to increase thepool of Jewish potential donors. Israel, home to anentire spectrum of Jewish communities and ethnicbackgrounds, is the natural location for a Jewish bonemarrow registry.
Ezer Mizion's registry is the largest Jewish registryin the world with over 150,000 potential donors, andso far they have facilitated over 85 successfultransplants all over the world. In Israel alone therewere over 600 new cases of leukemia in the year 2000.
Bone marrow transplants are used as therapy formany different illnesses, such as leukemia andHodgkin's disease, as well as other diseases of theblood and enzyme deficiencies.
Transplant recipients must be nearly identicalmatches with their donors for tissue-type markersknown as HLA proteins. Although close familymembers offer the best chance of an HLA match, only
of patients find matches within their families.
In the past, the bone marrow was surgicallyremoved from the donor's hip either under local orgeneral anesthetic. Today, however, the procedure isvery different and most definitely almost painless.Hopefully this will encourage more people to registerand donate.
The donor is given injections to stimulate therelease of stem cells into the bloodstream. Stem cellsare then filtered from the donor's bloodstream by anautomated process via an intravenous needle in aprocedure similar to blood donation. The cells are thentransfused into the patient's blood and travel to thebone marrow, where they begin manufacturinghealthy blood. For the donor there are no side effects.
The atmosphere was amazing. The communityspirit was outstanding. By the end of the day I was soproud to be a Modiin resident, I truly believe that"Noam's Day" will be remembered by many.
054-506-370.
30%If I am found to be a match for someone, what
happens next?
For more information and updates you can logon the following site in English:www.ezer-mizion.org.il
Polly Hyams Sherman is a practicing holisticmidwife who lives in Modiin. She runs her privateclinic - 'Maternal Instinct' - here in Modiinspecializing in pregnancy follow-up care, home births,support and advocacy for women birthing in hospitaland postpartum support. She covers a widegeographical area, assisting women from as far as TelMond and Tel Aviv to closer regions such as BetShemesh, Jerusalem and, of course, Modiin.08-970-2120,
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The Consumer CornerMortgage headachesBy: Sammy Fejbusch
Size:
Currency:
Fixed/variable interest rate:
Refinancing at lower rates:
Early repayment:
Sammy Fejbusch is an independent financial consultant. He isa Certified Public Accountant and has an MBA in Finance fromHebrew University.
Mortgages are a major element in most people's financialplanning and probably the biggest financial decision of their lives.It is therefore surprising that so many homebuyers decide on theirmortgages without the adequate financial knowledge, informationand advice. Instead, their decisions are mainly based on therecommendations of the mortgage clerk at the bank and oninformation he or she is willing to provide.
Considering that there are many marketing gimmicks in thisindustry it is often difficult to see the wood from the trees. Listedbelow are some issues to consider when taking out a new mortgageor having an outstanding one. Clearly, the optimal decisions andactions will depend on each person's individual financial situation.
The size of the mortgage will directly affect the monthlyrepayment. One should be careful not to stretch beyond reasonablerepayment capacity and keep a safety margin in order not todefault on the loan.
It is more important to match the currency of themortgage to the currency of current and future (expected) incomethan to choose the currency with the lowest interest rate. Amismatch between the currencies would create an unnecessarycurrency risk/speculation.
The best choice is rarely clear-cut. Fixed rates are often higher than variable rates, but are lessrisky since one is not exposed to future fluctuations in interestrates which would affect the monthly repayment.
This issue has become popular dueto the gradual lowering of interest rates by the Bank of Israel. Yourmortgage bank might not be the best source of information on thisissue for obvious reasons! One way to check out refinancingopportunities is to inquire at competing mortgage banks.
Sometimes it makes sense to pay themortgage balance back using accumulated income (despite theearly repayment penalty).
The Banking Supervision Department at the Bank of Israel iswell aware of the conflict of interest between mortgage banks andhomebuyers and is trying to force mortgage banks to disclosemore information to homebuyers on issues like periodical interestrate adjustment methods on variable rate mortgages. Also, thepractice of 'first period only' discounts on variable interest ratesaimed at luring new clients has been banned. From now on onlydiscounts spread out evenly over the life of the mortgage areallowed.
If all of the above seems confusing, it is largely due not only tothe inherent financial complexities of mortgages but also to thelack of "interest" of mortgage banks to dissipate the confusion.
This article is for informational purposes only and should notbe considered investment advice. If you would like this column toaddress a specific topic or answer your questions, feel free toe-mail Sammy at: [email protected].
Rabbi Morey Schwartz
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Shavuot Learning for WomenPlease join us for our 7th annual
Shavuot Learning for Women herein Modiin. The shiur will be given
by (in English)on
at the home of Gayle Priwler,37 Nahal Snir.
Hope to see all of you there.
Dalia ZackShavuot Day, Wednesday,
May 26 at 5:00 p.m.
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