A "Silly Sports" Day in Beer Sheva brought toether students at Ben Gurion University with two hundred children, residents of the city's Absorption Centers. The campus provided the grounds for dozens of booths staffed by students, and fields for races of every kind - from wheelbarrow to potato sack to three-legged. The silly complemented the staid, as some of the students and children moved to the more traditional endeavors of soccer, basketball and swimming. Whether tugging on a rope or throwing a pie, both the students and the children had a rip-roaring day of fun.

Rapidly recapitulating the details of the new Babait Beyachad campaign, Ariela Volé-Laniado, Director of Babait Beyahad / At Home-Together, is practically out of breath. She catalogs in detail prominent steering committee members, participating municipalities, the corporations and organizations taking part, the administrative apparatus, the plans, the goals and the hopes."

"Babait Beyahad's new campaign will expand our name-recognition and scope twentyfold. It is no coincidence that we have such big names and corporations climbing on board. The message of immigrant absorption touches all Israelis and we can give them the opportunity to be part of making this national priority successful both on an individual and national level. Through mentoring or regularly volunteering, we can nurture one-to-one relationships, foster understanding and empower both the new immigrants and the veteran Israelis." Ariela Volé-Laniado Director of Babait Beyahad.

From mid-June, Israelis were greeted by a mass media onslaught urging each of them to join in the national challenge of ensuring successful immigrant absorption. Many have answered the call already. Babait Beyahad, soon to enter its third year, has brought together close to five thousand veteran Israelis and new immigrants. The options for volunteering are based on two tracks; the goal-based volunteers meet with immigrants a number of hours weekly for specific activities, while others choose to act as mentors or mentoring families for an all encompassing social interaction.

Patricia and Ernesto Schvartzer, veteran immigrants from Argentina, are part of an informal Jewish study group called Chochmat HaLev (Wisdom of the Heart), similar to the American Chavura model. Patricia explains, "Our group wanted, both as individuals and as a community unit, to contribute in some way to Israeli society. After deliberations, we decided to focus on immigrant absorption." I can recall the tribulations of coming as a new immigrant myself and I knew how much a helping hand meant, so I was looking forward to pitching in." Last summer, Patricia and the twenty other families of their group knocked on the doors of the Kfar Saba Absorption Center, where they were soon introduced to recent arrivals from the former Soviet Union."

Soldiers from Israel's Northern Command enjoy a Purim bash with the children of the Tzahal Absorption Center in Tsfat. The children prepared holiday gift packages (mishlochei manot) for the soldiers who have become so much a part of the life of the Absorption Center. Groups of soldiers regularly spend holidays with the new immigrants and join them for hikes around the country. While the soldiers learn about the Ethiopian community, the new immigrants improve their Hebrew and feel more connected to Israeli society.

"You know, I had never really gotten to know immigrants from the FSU. So many came during the last decade, but our circles just never seemed to coincide." Patricia, a group facilitator by profession, is well aware of the pit-falls liable to ambush any cross-cultural encounter, so she appreciated the preparatory work done before the meeting. "We were counseled by a professional, as were the new immigrants." Patricia, and Ernesto, an engineer, were paired with the Baranov-Barenboims; Irina, an economist and Michael, an engineer, from Yeketirenburg.

right: (l-r) Michael and Ernesto. Michael and Irina (left), new immigrants from the Former Soviet Union, are in the Hod HaSharon home of Patricia and Ernesto Schvartzer, veteran Israelis. The two couples, in the framework of Babait Beyahad, have developed a relationship of mutual respect, friendship and trust. right: Irina (l) and Patricia (r) on a group trip to the Galilee.

This is where the story begins. They joined our extended family for Rosh Hashana last year, and since then, we have gotten together at least once a week. We, and the other Israelis in our group, regularly host the families or individuals with whom we were paired. In addition, we take trips together as a group. This way everybody gets to know each other, and the new immigrants get an opportunity to see a little bit of the country."

Some of the immigrants have already left the Absorption Center. Having found a rental apartment in Kfar Saba, Michael is looking for work nearby and Irina will begin her Masters Degree at Tel Aviv University next year. The friends look forward to many shared experiences and mutual learning.

In the wake of the campaign, Ariela is poised to accommodate a large influx of new volunteers."We have five "nerve centers" and one hundred volunteers trained just to answer telephone inquiries and refer applicants accordingly."