Bahrain. The government of Bahrain has appointed six women and a representative of Jewish community Ibrahim Daud Nono deputies of the Upper Chamber. Although it is the first time women and non-Muslims become members of Shura Council, this "seven" is among first 40 appointed members of a new two-chamber legislative body. Previously, the Council of Shura was able only to recommend on the state policy and had no legislative power.

A tiny Jewish community of Bahrain numbers around 150 members.

New appointments were adopted by the decree of Sheikh Khamada bin Isa al-Khalifa. Last elections to Legislative Assembly of Bahrain were held in 1973.

USA. A new National museum of American Jews' history is being created in Philadelphia. A 5-storeyed building of glass and stone will be constructed in Philadelphia Independence Park. The cost of the project is approximately 100 million dollars.

A museum inauguration is scheduled for 2004 to time the 350th anniversary of first Jews' arrival in America. Different events are to be held around the whole country in the period from September 2004 till August 2005. An exhibition dedicated to the history of American Jews will be opened in the Washington Congress library.

USA. Last year a scientist from the State of Georgia succeeded in changing the name of a Florida sea perch "jewfish" into a giant sea perch. Nowadays, Arnold Konheim from Washington, following the previous example, considers the channel Key Largo, known as "Jew- fish bay", should be renamed. Konheim has already addressed the American society of geographical names, however, to all appearance, his petition would not be redressed.

Germany. A European Bureau of the World Congress of Russian-speaking Jewry was established in Berlin on November 14. Representatives of European Russian-speaking Jewish communities, in particular, Berlin, Augsburg, Prague were present at the ceremony.

The statute was approved, a board of 7 persons with a board member of the Berlin Jewish community, "Russian Germany" newspaper's publisher Dmitry Feldman as a head was elected.

The Congress representations already function in Jerusalem, Moscow and New York.

France. According to the latest data, nearly half a million Jews reside in France. Quite recently the community numbered from 600 to 700 thousand persons.

The number of Jews reduced due to emigration (caused by the growth of anti-Semitism) and assimilation as well (30% of French Jews live in mixed marriages, whereas in 1980's there were only 22% of them).