...And Welcomes the Next Decade of Partnership

Active members, volunteers, Community Builders, immigrants and youth filled the Seraya last Thursday in honor of the Partnership's 10th celebration.

The Steering Committee arrived from Cleveland to celebrate this special event together with the large crowd from the region, representatives from the Jewish Agency and the Mayors, Mr. Jackie Levy and Ms. Yael Shaltieli.

Ms. Shaltieli told a story she heard from Bobby Goldberg ten years ago "Partnership isn't easy, it's like entering the Kinneret - in the beginning the rocks are very painful but if you continue further and don't give up, you reach the soft sand."

Even with the many achievements - tens of families immigrated to the region, developments in the economic area, community building, education and especially people-to-people relationships with the Jewish community in Cleveland, the work never ends and there are many challenges ahead.

New people will lead the next decade of Partnership. Fran Immerman from Cleveland completed her job as the Partnership co-chair and parted from her friends in Beit Shean with tears. When she stood on stage with Sadot Sheba'Emek choir, she noted that for her it's a closure (her first activity here was to bring the choir to Cleveland).

Bill Heller, the new Partnership co-chair from Cleveland invited his Israeli parallel, Yisrael Nedivi who will be serving as the Israeli volunteering co-chair for the Partnership.