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Dear friends, 01.01.2001 These days we are celebrating four years of our Website existence, thus wishing on this occasion to congratulate our members all over the world. When setting up the site I guess I was able to appreciate the wonder involved in the Internet; nevertheless I never expected such great accomplishments and popularity. Today we have got an extended well-known Website, including almost a hundred members coming from twenty nations. Nevertheless, I believe we still have a lot to do in the future. Naturally, all I ever dreamed of was to be united and work cooperatively with the existing organization of Irgun Jocey Gyor community. Furthermore, I have empathized time and again on many occasions that the site was not established as the Irgun substitution but rather as a healthy supplement to it. I strongly believe such a cooperation may be both helpful and fruitful. I have approached the organization management several times, but in most cases I was not even granted with any response. Unfortunately, a long period of time has passed by ever since, a lot of precious time has been wasted without the matter being handled or promoted, which certainly has not in been in anyone?s favor. Today I?m turning to you wherever you may be, either on the Website or at the Irgun, offering you to take the initiative and attempt to convince the organization principals of reconsidering and changing their opinion and attitude in this matter on behalf of everyone concerned. The Budgetary aspect involved is a further cause for considering unity and cooperation between the Website and Irgun. When setting up the Website, with more members gradually joining it, the expenses involved in running it were relatively small and insignificant, which I managed to finance privately with no effort. Actually, even today I am still participating in this activity as a volunteer. Over the years, while the Website was in a process of expansion, expenses have grown, thus it seems natural for me to raise the issue occasionally. In order to cut off expenses I have tried to run the Website as closely attached to my private one. Unfortunately, this process can no longer continue this way since the Website server has been sold to YAHOO, consequently I have been notified about new high rates and some restrictions. YAHOO considers our Website as no longer a home amateur Site, like many million existing others, thus the demands involved have become much higher compared to the past. I would like to point out that I have received some generous offers from members to share the costs involved in keeping the site and running it. It was extremely difficult for me to accept such an idea, since all my life I?m used to participating in public activities as a volunteer and without expecting anything in return. Thus, I was unable to accept such an offer. Since a Website-Irgun cooperation doesn?t seem very likely to take place in the near future, and I have no wish of accepting money and support, but still have a strong desire to go on keeping the site, I have been considering for a long time to issue a CD containing the website items, which will be distributed freely once a year among former members of the GYOR community. The CD is designed to serve as supportive for the internet user when not being connected, and certainly to serve those who either do not use the internet or have a slow connection. This time, in order to overcome the budgetary problem involved, I intend to determine a symbolic price of 50$ per CD, or I suggest that each member will donate a sum he can afford to pay for a single CD. Similarly, I would like to empathize my intention of sending the CD to all members, including those who cannot afford to pay for it. Please deposite or transfer your donation to: Gyor Jewish Website - Bank Leumi Leisrael, Branch 800 , Account 409940-89 Nevertheless, beyond financial demands involved, there is a further request, which I find equally significant, namely, requesting a more active participation on your part in promoting the site ahead. This may be possible to realize by sending some further documentary material, articles and translations. Even though the project of taking photos of all GYOR cemetery graves has started already, nevertheless it has been going on rather slowly, and photos seem to arrive little by little. Thus, we need some volunteers from those visiting GYOR and are willing to devote their time to taking pictures of the place. Currently some local people that are being paid for it are do this job. Hopefully, money gathered for this purpose will suffice, which will make it a perfect success. As mentioned before, the road is long, and many plans are still ahead of us. I wish us all to start the New Year eagerly and with great energy. I believe that with common effort and support we are going to achieve new accomplishments this year as well. I wish all our members wherever they are a healthy good 2001-year, and particularly a peaceful year. Yours faithfully Shlomo Shamir |
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