The Afula-Gilboa region hosted two teen groups from the SNEC region in the beginning of July, 2000.

The first group was fourteen Hartford Connecticut teenagers who were part of a larger group of 29 touring with the Israel Experience program. For four days, July 5-8, 2000, eight teenagers from Afula-Gilboa region were together with the Hartford kids. Two days were spent with the larger group which included kids from Pittsburgh, PA and Carmiel, Israel.

Together they participated in lively touring activities in the Galilee and in social dynamic Mifgashim in which they discussed what being Jewish means to them and the different aspects of life as a Jewish teen in the US and Israel. The Hartford teens were hosted in the homes of the teens from Afula-Gilboa. On Friday, July 7, the group visited the Miskan L'Omanut (an exceptional art museum on Kibbutz Ein Harod) and learned about the Judaica Collection of the museum. Then they all swam and played at the Mayan Harod National Park, a park developed around a natural cold water spring flowing from the Gilboa mountain. To end the day the group drove up to Katef Shaul Observation Point for an interactive Mifgash in which they shared with each other what Shabbat means to them and how they would teach beings from another planet about the essence of Shabbat. The teens then celebrated a Kabbalat Shabbat on the Gilboa mountain with a panaramic view of the Harod Valley. On Shabbat the teens spent time with their host families and had a farewell gathering in the evening. All of the people involved in these four days commented on the wonderful positive chemistry between the Hartford and Afula-Gilboa teens.

From July 9-12, nineteen teenagers from Stamford, Connecticut, visiting as part of Ramah Programs in Israel met and traveled with eleven teens from Afula. They began their adventure with a Mifgash at Bet Poznak Community Center in Givat Hamore, Afula for ice breakers and a pizza dinner. The Israeli teens extended home hospitality for the teens from Stamford. The next day the whole group went by bus to Tzipori where they participated in educational activities. Then they hiked down Mt. Arbel, were then bused to Lake Kinneret where they swam and enjoyed a barbacue dinner hosted by the Afula teens.

In the evening they all danced on a disco boat on Lake Kinneret and returned to their Afula homes to sleep.

The next morning the group departed very early for a day of hiking and survival skills, camping out in the Western Galilee. In the morning they had a outdoor breakfast with a farewell session. The Israeli kids returned to Afula and the Stamford kids continued on their trip. The Afula teens were very excited about hosting their SNEC peers and in spite of the scorching Israeli heat everyone had an awesome time.

  Tamuz 5760 - July 2000