News in Brief

Kibbutz Yizrael and Kibbutz Sha'ar Hagolan voted last week by a large majority to take in two refugee families from Darfur. The Sudanese families reached Israel via Egypt, and were placed in detention. The kibbutzim will give the families work, a place to live and schooling for their children, and a kibbutz member will act as a liaison for them during their stay. The Kibbutz Movement says 14 kibbutzim have taken in about 90 Sudanese refugees. Moked - the hotline for migrant workers and the Committee for Darfur Refugees connected the families with the kibbutzim. (Eli Ashkenazi)

The Knesset approved a preliminary reading yesterday of two bills introducing major changes to the Wisconsin welfare-to-work program, barring which the program would be discontinued. The bills, sponsored by Lia Shemtov (Yisrael Beiteinu) and Shelly Yachimovich (Labor), respectively, seek to exempt large segments of the populace from participation, including single parents and part-time workers. Another preliminary reading approved a bill by Haim Oron (Meretz) to pay minimum wage to participants who perform community service to refresh their work habits. (Ruth Sinai)

The Hebrew University board of governors approved Tuesday the appointment of former Shin Bet chief Carmi Gillon as vice president of external relations. Twenty-seven faculty members tried to block the appointment, claiming in a letter to the university's president that it runs counter to the humanistic values the university should promote, and would cause "certain damage." Several professors expressed disappointment at the choice. University administration stated that Gillon is "a worthy appointment to the academic community in terms of his character, personality and policies." (Tamara Traubmann)