By Rinat Sagi
 
(left to right) Jeff Kaye, Jewish Agency Director of FRD, presents Certificate of Appreciation to Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey Leadership - Executive Director Stanley Stone, President Elinore Rubin, and David Mulgrum, Co-Chair of the Partnership 2000 Arad-Tamar - New Jersey Arad Steering Committee and Co-Chair of the Ness Loan Fund
  
The Ness "Negev" Business Loan Fund, an initiative of the Jewish Agency for Israel, was officially inaugurated in Arad yesterday. The loan fund was set up thanks to a $1 million gift from the estate of the late Mack Ness, in memory of Ness' mother Anna Ness and brother Sanford Ness, with the assistance of the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey.

The loan fund, operated by the Jewish Agency in cooperation with commercial banks, will provide loans with preferential terms to new immigrants, women, young entrepreneurs, businesses based on new technologies developed in the Negev, and other entrepreneurs utilizing the Negev's relative advantages in creating or expanding their business.

The Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey is actively involved in developing the Arad-Tamar area through Jewish Agency Partnership 2000.