Nancy Slotnik, of Kibbutz Ma'aleh Gilboa, decided to interpret the phrase Sister Cities literally, with the emphasis, of course, on the "sister" . After organizing a delightful Israeli-style cooking extravaganza at the Park Synagogue in May, Nancy realized that the newfound camaraderie between women from the Beit Shean Valley and members of the Women's Rosh Chodesh Club in Cleveland held promise and hope for strengthening ties between the two communities.

This inspiring experience served as "food for thought". Nancy joined forces with Rabbi Sharon Marcus of Cleveland to create a new inter-community women's study group for English-speaking women from the Beit Shean Valley and women from the Park Synagogue, in Cleveland. Under the auspices of P2K, a pioneering program was developed and the women met for the first time, via video conference on Rosh Chodesh Av (the first day of the Hebrew month of Av), on Monday, the 19th of July.

Spirits were high as over forty women of all ages gathered in the conference rooms on both sides of the ocean, at Siegel College in Beachwood, and at the Cleveland House in Beit Shean. With Rabbi Sharon Marcus and Nancy as moderators for the evening, participants had a chance to get acquainted "on-line" with a short round of introductions, and then the group settled down for the study session, based upon written texts that had been suggested by the Cleveland group. Despite the miles between them and their different cultures, each woman felt right at home with her "partner-sisters".

The group did not hesitate to discuss controversial themes woven into Biblical texts, and found a responsive platform, emphasizing the influence of the woman's voice within the framework of Jewish life. Current events from both Cleveland and Israel were shared. The surge of positive energy that filled the rooms on both sides left all participants with feelings of closeness, of new ties, and anticipation to meet one another again soon.

In the words of Merle Field's poem, "We All Stood Together", which was studied that day, members of the Beit-Shean / Park Synagogue Women's Study Group agree: "If we [remember] it together, we [can] re-create holy time, sparks flying."

  Av 5764 - August 2004