The students' environmental sculpture on Partnership Hill

This year the region was happy to host more Australian students than ever before, as well as the traditional Key Worker's delegation, with all of the visitors invited to stay, as always, in the homes of the people of the Arava. The BJE delegation from Sydney was the first to arrive, with 15 tenth grade students spending Nov. 25-30 in the region. The visit was extremely successful, combining a happy mix of educational and social activities, as well as the opportunity to tour the Arava and to enjoy Shabbat in the region with the host families.

Next to arrive was the mega-delegation from Melbourne, with 66 tenth grade students from Bialik College and ten students from King David School coming to spend six days in the Arava, from Dec. 14-19. This was something of a milestone, not only in the size of the delegation, but in that it was the first time that the number of tenth grade visitors was greater than the number of tenth graders in the Arava!
The schedule for the delegations was packed with activities, beginning with workshops and programs on Jewish peoplehood, values and identity; desert photography; creation of an environmental sculpture; hikes and folk dancing, as well as spending Shabbat with the host families and participation in a Hanukkah party at Shittim School. The mifgash also included a Kabbalat Shabbat and Hevruta learning (small study groups) led by the Arava Leadership Academy, outside in the beautiful Sheizaf Nature Reserve near Hazeva. This mifgash was as successful as that of BJE, and plans are already being made for next year.

Those of you on Facebook are invited to visit the Arava Australia Partnership page to view more photos of the delegations - and don't forget to click "Like" to continue to receive updates on the Partnership.

Bialik and King David students at the Chai sculpture created by Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers

The twenty members of the Key Workers' delegation were welcomed by their Israeli hosts December 24th to spend Shabbat with them in their homes, to experience the traditional warm Arava hospitality and see a little bit of the region. After getting to know each other on Friday and Saturday, Australians and Israelis met for a festive meal and sing-a-long on Motsei Shabbat. Before touring the Arava Research and Development Station the next morning, to see some of the latest developments in agriculture, the families said goodbye to each other with great warmth, and with the feeling that true connections had already been made over the weekend that they had spent together.

Photos from the entire visit of the delegation to Israel can be viewed at the UIA Victoria website at: http://www.uiavic.org/photo-gallery/