September 7th, 2005

JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL - PRESS RELEASE
JEWISH AGENCY TO BRING STUDENTS FROM NEW ORLEANS TO STUDY IN ISRAEL

Tulane University in New Orleans with an enrollment of thousands of students
has been flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

All Israeli Universities have responded positively to this Jewish Agency
initiative and will accept students by an accelerated procedure for the new
academic year.

Thousands of students including 2,000 Jewish students from the disaster
stricken New Orleans area will be able to continue their studies in Israel
as part of an initiative of the Jewish Agency for them to study in English
in programs for overseas students offered by Israeli universities.

In co-operation with Hillel - The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and the
United Jewish Communities (UJC) - The Federations of North America, the
Jewish Agency has approached all the Jewish Communities in America with the
goal of locating students at Tulane University to offer them the alternative
opportunity of studying in Israel. Tulane University has been flooded and
courses are cancelled. The offer to come study in Israel has been extended
to all denominations.

This week all Israeli Universities (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel
Aviv University, Haifa University. Bar Ilan University, Ben Gurion
University) responded positively to the request of the Jewish Agency to
expedite the registration of students from New Orleans wishing to study in
Israel.
Courses are taught in English and Hebrew Language Learning courses (Ulpan)
will also be made available.

The existing programs will be expanded so as to accommodate as many
applicants as possible.
As of today contact has been made with many students from the New Orleans
area and 20 students have already shown interest in coming to study in
Israel.

The Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Zeev Bielski said: "This is first and
foremost an initiative which stems from the comradeship and shared destiny
between the citizens of Israel and the citizens of the USA. In addition to
the academic gain, we are sure that the time spent in Israel will afford
these students a meaningful experience for the rest of their lives and they
will quickly become the best ambassadors for the State of Israel in the
world".

For further information contact:
Michael Jankelowitz
Liaison to Foreign Press
Jewish Agency for Israel
website: www.jafi.org.il/press