Marc Rosen and Debbie Swartz meet with Arab Women's Forum

The Afula-Gilboa region has had a busy month. During the last week in June, we hosted volunteer leaders and staff professionals from our Southern New England Consortium Partners (SNEC). We shared three packed days of meetings, ceremonies and tours connected with the partnership 2000 programs. We had our steering committee meeting hosted by Danny Atar, Mayor of the Gilboa Regionial Council and Co-Chairman of the Steering Committee and Yitchak Meron, Mayor of Afula in the new Senior Citizens Community Center in Gan Nir. Participants from SNEC included Mark Rosen, SNEC Chair and Steering Committee Co-Chair; Debbie Swartz, SNEC P2K Coordinator; Sue Polansky, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Springfield Massachusetts; Rob Zwang, Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Western Connecticut; Alan and Marsha Stein, Representatives from Waterbury, Connecticut.

SNEC presents English books - (left to right) Debbie Swartz, Springfield Federation Executive Director Sue Polansky, Mohammad Daraushe, Mark Rosen, Jewish Agency Regional Manager Eshel Fram, Beit Sturman Director Yochana Kremer

One of the unique programs in the region being funded by SNEC is the one for Arab-Jewish Co-existence. We were guests in Kfar Mukeble, at the home of Id Salim, Deputy Mayor of the Gilboa Regional Council, where we met the members of The Arab Women's Forum. We joined them for a gathering to learn more about the Forum and how it has enriched these women's lives. We engaged in a lively and enthusiastic discussion with translations back and forth between Arabic, Hebrew and English so that all present could be involved. Sue Polansky, and Debbie Swartz were very active in this discussion in which the Arab women expressed how the group had helped them to relate differently to their husbands and children. The women also expressed their desire for more opportunities to get together and to continue to learn. We all glowed from the customarily warm hospitality and homemade delicacies. Earlier that day, Mark Rosen, SNEC Chair, and Steering Committee Co-Chair and Debbie Swartz, SNEC P2K Coordinator, presented a collection of English Children's Books to Mohammad Daraushe, Prinicple of the Public Elementary School in Kfar Tamra of the Harod Valley. The books had been collected by the Hartford, Connecticut Jewish Community, for the school library, following the visit of a 75 person family mission to the region in February 2000, which included a visit to this school.

  Tamuz 5760 - July 2000