CHUCK RATNER AND JOEL FOX COME TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH BEIT SHEAN

Chuck Ratner, Chairman of the Cleveland Federation and Joel Fox, Executive Vice President of the Cleveland Federation visited Beit Shean region on April 10, to express the support of the Cleveland Jewish Community to their partners in the Beit Shean region. In their visit, they met the 3 Pardes students from Cleveland, who are in Beit Shean as part of the Partnership 2000 people to people connection. They also visited the Beit Shean Community Foundation, and were briefed about the impact of the current events on the region's economy.

On the Gilboa mountain, Chuck and Joel visited the recently dedicated Meirav Youth Center at Kibbutz Meirav, and the students dormitory that is being built at Yeshivat Maale Gilboa. These two capital projects were assisted by the Cleveland Israel Now campaign.

A painful part of the visite was the shiva visit to Kibbutz Tirat Zvi, to the Robinson family, who lost their son Metania just 2 days ago in the fighting in Jenin. Mark Robinson, the father of Matania, worked in Partnership 2000 and was one of the pioneers of the special connection between Cleveland and the Beit Shean region.

All people who met the 2 leaders from Cleveland mentioned again and again how meaningful and important is the support and the love they receive from their friends in Cleveland.

Nisan 5762 - April 2002