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Page 14. THE.SOUTHERN I&RAEUXE .October.31. W Comparing notesi Israeli teens tell likes, dislikes about America ■ , in -iH'iin: '.tnH havi' by Richard Bono TSI staff writer American’s preoccupation with drugs, the large numbers of sin gle family houses, the vast shop ping malls and the low level of instruction in poorly disciplined classrooms. These are among the likes and dislikes a group of 16 Israeli teenagers described in Atlanta during their first visit to America. The group is part of a larger contingent of 90 foreign students in America this month as part of an international student exchange coordinated by the Council of Great City Schools. Attending classes through the Center for International Studies at North Fulton High School, Zvika Moretsky, a 16-year-old from Tel Aviv, said, “The level of subjects is really higher in Israel. In math lessons, the seniors here learn things that we learned in ninth grade.” Zvika said she was also sur prised when she saw someone eating during class. “In Israel,” she said, “no one would dare do it.” Another student was critical that the schedule of classes fol lowed in Atlanta schools does not change from day to day. “It’s very boring,” the girl said. “In Israel we learn every day on a different schedule.” The young students, mostly from Tel Aviv, had to compete for the opportunity to visit America. Ann Goellner, instruc tional coordinator of the Inter national Studies Program at North Fulton High School, des cribed the criteria by which they were selected. “They look for youngsters who have a great deal of interest in international affairs and who have the ability to relate pretty quickly with people,” Goellner said, add ing that any student selected for the exchange program must pos sess a natural and demonstrated level of curiosity, intelligence and energy. North Fulton High School’s 750-member student body re ceived the Israeli youngsters warmly, as did the 16 host fami lies with whom the students are stayingduringtheir visit, accord ing to Goellner. “We don’t want to leave,” said one of the Israeli girls, drawing a chorus of agreement from the group gathered in the library of the school. “The host families are so warm and all the people in school are friendly. We were afraid that they were anti-Semitic people,” she said, “but they are not—absolutely not.” While attending the high school during their ten-day stay in At lanta, the students led the discus sion in several classes, talking about life in Israel and about their perspectives on global events. During their discussions with Atlanta students, the Israelis felt obliged, they said, to counter the persistent media impression of Israel as a land of bombs, terror ism and violence. “We do have security prob lems,” said Zvi. “But not every thing is Filled with tension. We don’t feel it everyday. We don’t wake up and say ‘Oh gosh, these Arabs, they drive me nuts.’” Goellner said the Atlanta stu dents enjoyed the discussions thoroughly. “Somehow world history and current events is more enjoyable when you have a stu dent lecturer,” she said. The Israeli students stayed in Israeli visitors gather in classroom at North Fulton High School. homes situated all over Atlanta, from the northwest to the south west. And only about a third of the host families were Jewish, which Goellner speculated was even more interesting for the young Israelis. In Atlanta the Israelis visited a variety of places, including a high school football game, the Carter Presidential Library, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and Six Flags amusement park. But, according to their chap eron, Yael Lapushin, it was At lanta’s major shopping malls that sparked the awe of the youngs ters. “They really enjoyed going to the shopping centers,” she said. “They are very different from what we have in Israel.” The students were also awed by the many houses in Atlanta, noting particularly that in each one there is but a single family. “Everyone has houses here,” said Zvi Moretzky. “In Israel we live in apartments.” She also remarked about the size of Atlanta. “Everything is so big,” she said. “I live in the southern part of Tel Aviv. My school is in North Tel Aviv. It takes me 20 minutes in the morn ing. But, here when you talk about going from north to south, it takes an hour. Everything is so far away.” Zvi noted that Israel is but a fifth the size of the state of Georgia. 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There was agreement among the Israeli teenagers that drug use in America was cause for concern. “We hear about the problems of drugs here in Israel, too,” said one of the girls. “It’s really fright ening. If you want drugs in Israel, you can find them, but here, you can see them. People come up to you and talk to you about it.” The Israeli youngsters are now in Denver, and from there they head to Washington, D.C., to round out their month’s stay in America. A similar group of American youngsters will join them in Israel next month as part of the student exchange program. New Samples have Arrived Dressy Beaded Dresses Dresses Sportswear The Sampler Open Mon.-Sat. 10-6 2105 N. DECATUR RD. (at Clairmont) 325-4147