Partnership 2000 can be proud of the fact that we affected over 100 children’s lives and their basic reading and comprehension skills. Without our assistance these children would have lagged further and further behind each year and eventually just dropped out- we have provided them with skills that will assist them for their entire life.
We have breathed new life into the young retirees of the Moshavim in our region. Up until 2001 there were no organized frameworks for this population group. Many of them isolated on the moshavim and without the regular routine of work, yet too young to join the activities of the Mateh Yehuda elderly club. They were lonely and bored, yet had the energy to be productive and contribute. Over the past year and a half they have been invited to participate in lectures, workshops and field trips, and the response has been tremendous. They are now participating in a training course which will provide them with the skills to run the local community TV channel-they will write the items, edit and broadcast to the entire region. This program is innovative and dynamic and would never have taken off the ground without the assistance of P2K.
The Washington Community has expressed it’s tremendous support for Israel and our region, by generously providing vehicles, an armored bus, an ambulance and other assistance. The vehicles have been purchased, and very soon the children of Adulam will be traveling safely to School in Gush Etzion. Solidarity missions have visited our region, and during the last visit a connection was established between the Charles E. Smith School and the Alon School. We look forward to following this initiative. Several designated donations have helped to fund guard duty in pre-schools as well as set up a joint citizen project for religious and secular kids, as well as Arab and Jewish youth.
Our Ambassadors for Tolerance program, was yet again a great success, 15 youth spent 12 days in DC in March, and the Israeli peers are anxiously awaiting to reciprocate and host their peers from DC. The Israeli children went to South Africa in May, and they hosted 18 South African youth in July.
The Shoah program is taking place while writing this report. This unique program has proved to be very popular in South Africa, and there were over 50 candidates for 25 places.
The South Africans arrived in Israel on the 4th of August, and spent time with their Israeli hosts. On the 7th they traveled to Poland, and are due to arrive back this evening (14th). From stories and sparse reports all went well and the experience has been very emotional and difficult. The groups connected well, and I believe many friendships created.
On July 1 we moved to a new apartment in Bet Shemesh. This is a newer apartment, and therefore I believe we will pay less on maintenance. Cheryl Unterslak, a volunteer from South Africa, occupied the apartment for two weeks in July. Cheryl is a very talented artist and she spent hours painting beautiful murals in public areas in the city.
The teachers that accompanied the Holocaust tour are presently staying in the apartment. We look forward to hosting volunteers in the near future.
In June the joint Steering Committee Meetings were held. South Africa boasted a delegation of 9 people and Washington 2. One day of the meetings was devoted to creating a joint lead project. The theme for this lead project will be youth and the next few months will be spent choosing the organization to facilitate the project, and begin recruiting the youth. We aim to reach June 2003 with a group of youth leaders who would have run programs for their peers in the region, and ready to meet their counterparts from Washington and South Africa.
Looking ahead for the next few months we will be sending a group of teachers to South Africa, and we will be hosting a group of educators from Washington DC.
A group of winegrowers from the wine route of Adulam will be going to South Africa to learn about different aspects in the wine business, including related issues such as tourism, BB, wine boutiques etc. We look forward to hosting a mission from Washington DC in November, and our joint Steering Committee meetings around the same time. The Israeli Ambassadors for Tolerance would love to see their peers from DC visit them in Bet Shemesh
The Partnership 2000 Staff in Israel continues to monitor all the projects. We constantly look for innovative and exciting ways to bring our two communities together, and we would like to thank all for the cooperation and joint efforts to strengthen the link between us
We would like to wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year
We all pray that this year will bring Peace to our Region
Shana Tova
Reeva Ninio
Regional Director