Three Partnership community delegations visited the Western Galilee during the month of October, as part of the communities' campaign to identify with the residents of the North, two months after the second Lebanon War.

The Omaha and Akron-Canton delegations inaugurated their visit to the region with a gala dinner at Moshav Liman, where they met with Israelis representing the broad array of Partnership volunteer activities, including task force co-chairs, teachers and pupils who had visited the communities during the summer, and Partnership staff.  The event featured singing by two soldiers from Acco who were recently accepted to the Northern Command entertainment group.

Omaha

The next day the Omaha delegation participants, who found dedicated escorts in the persons of former Omaha Jewish Federation President Zoe Riekes, Federation Executive Director Jan Goldstein, and Omaha Partnership Chairwoman Stacey Rockman, visited the Ghetto Fighters Museum, where they met with soldiers who fought in the war and discussed the relationship between the Holocaust and resistance in today's reality.

The participants also heard a presentation on the Museum's vision, particularly with regard to the new building that is currently under construction at the site.From the Museum the delegation went on to a hospital in Nahariya that functioned nonstop during the war and was actually damaged by Katyusha rockets.

The participants toured the damaged area as well as the hospital's underground facility which was constructed especially for emergency situations.  After this tour the delegation continued on to the village of Sheikh Danun, where they paid a first-ever visit to the playground that was renovated with funds from the community, as well as the shelter used by the residents during the war.  This visit featured a performance by the village's darbuka group. 

Art Project

After a tour of Old Acco's Knights' Halls, the delegation traveled to the Achziv Vacation Village for a special artistic activity that was organized by the Omaha community.  After the war, Omaha's art task force, under the guidance of Kim Goldberg, created a wonderful project with the community's children.

The children decorated small boats, onto which they glued poems expressing their wishes and dreams of peace and love.  The delegation also brought in a huge sail which, together with the boats, formed an artistic display that was presented to the region as a gift.

To read more about the project, click here.

The activity participants, who included, in addition to the delegation, members of the Mateh Asher Women's Forum and teens who took part in last summer's Maccabi games in Omaha, opened the evening with social activity intended to enable them to get to know each other better.  After this small-group activity, everyone was invited to take part in painting the sail and completing the boat-decoration project.  The evening concluded with an "Israeli" dinner.

Akron-Canto

The 25-member Akron-Canton delegation started its day with a visit to the ORT Second Aliya School.  The pupils welcomed their guests with flowers, and together they embarked on a gift-basket project for soldiers serving on the northern border.
The ORT Second Aliya School is partnered with Glen-Oak school in Canton in a joint reading project focused on the book The Island on Bird Street.

From the school the delegation went on to visit Rosh Hanikra, ending in a tour along the border.  The participants heard a brief review of what is being done in the region, and visited Kibbutz Hanita where they were made aware of the tragic story of the Livne family, victims of a 2003 Hezbullah terrorist attack.  This helped contribute to their understanding of the circumstances under which the soldiers were kidnapped and the war broke out.

After a visit to Katyusha-damaged Nahariya Hospital and a tour of its underground facility, the delegation went on to be hosted by families on Kibbutz Ein Hamifratz, where they met with residents who are active in the Partnership and who have visited Akron-Canton. 

Youngstown

15 participants from the Youngstown delegation, accompanied by Andy Lipkin, Deputy Director of Youngstown Federation, started its day with a visit to Nahariya Hospital, continuing afterward to a tour along the border.  After viewing the open areas that were burned by Katyusha fire, the delegation members went on to Old Acco and ended their day by lunching with pupils and teachers at Acco's ORT Rose School.  The pupils shared with the delegation participants their personal experiences during the war, explaining to them how their first few days back at school had gone.  The ORT Rose School is partnered with a school in Youngstown in a joint reading project focused on the book The Island on Bird Street.