December 1, 2003

Visiting Jerusalem Mayor, Meeting Orthodox Union Leaders, Lauds ‘Outstanding’ Programs of OU’s Jerusalem Center

Jerusalem’s visiting Mayor, Uri Lupoliansky, told a group of Orthodox Union leaders Sunday that he is extremely familiar with the activities of the OU’s Seymour J. Abrams OU Jerusalem World Center, that he has visited the Center, and that the programs there are “outstanding.”

The Mayor expressed his satisfaction that the Israel Center’s programs, once heavily directed at those who had recently made aliyah and were adjusting to Israel, have now been broadened considerably to serve the population of Jerusalem as a whole.

OU President Harvey Blitz discussed one of these programs, “Zula,” for teenagers at risk as a result of the stress caused by three years of unceasing Palestinian violence. The Zula drop-in center is open Saturday night from 11:00 p.m. until dawn, drawing some 150 young people each week, and providing them with music, food, counseling and the opportunity to heal.

Mayor Lupoliansky’s hosts were OU Treasurer Heshe Seif and his wife, Harriet, who own an apartment in Jerusalem. “We are your proud constituents,” Mr. Seif told the pleased Mayor.

In his address, Mayor Lupoliansky -- Jerusalem’s first religious mayor in 2,000 years -- announced the city’s upcoming L’Ha’eer et Ha’ir (to Illuminate the City), program for Chanukah, in which the city will be brightly lit and many social events will be held to encourage residents of Jerusalem and Israel to come out from behind closed doors and to celebrate the holiday in an atmosphere of joy and security.

From left: OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb; President Harvey Blitz; Mayor Lupoliansky; OU Treasurer Heshe Seif, who was the host of the event; and OU Chairman of the Board Stephen J. Savitsky.

Mayor Lupoliansky apprised OU leadership of challenges facing Jerusalem and his administration – a including the drop-off in tourism – and described how his Administration is working to meet these challenges. In a lighter moment, he described his family, 11 children and 12 grandchildren, all of whom live in Jerusalem.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.

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