AMBASSADORS OF UNITY: A CLEVELAND PERSPECTIVE
by Simone Geller

On April 12th, tears and hugs marked the end of two-and-a-half weeks filled with insightful arguments, deep conversations, and interesting meetings. They were also filled with social events and movie nights. Twenty-four teens from the Cleveland community and the Beit She'an region in Israel joined together in the Partnership 2000 trip as part of a project of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland called Ambassadors for Unity (AFU).

Members of AFU explored each other's home community. In Cleveland, Israeli ambassadors visited places of Jewish and general interest. The trip to Israel included lots of touring. The ambassadors showed true unity by visiting Havat HaShomer, an army base for young men and women who have drifted from the normal way of life and are unable to function in normal Israeli society. These people are given special attention and training to serve in the army. Cleveland has been supportive of this program, donating computers to the base to further the soldiers' learning.

AFU is part of Partnership 2000, whose mission is to strengthen the already strong connection between the cities of Cleveland and Beit She'an. The teens in the program come from the entire spectrum of Jewish identity. Discussions - even disputes - over religion were common, but everyone's beliefs were respected.

April 12th, the day the Cleveland delegation returned home, did not mark the end of a growing relationship. As one of the Israeli ambassadors, Bat-El Aharoni, remarked, "Every end marks a new beginning." This is only the beginning of even more Cleveland-Beit She'an relationships.

Iyar 5761 - April 2001