A group of 55 young people from the Pittsburgh area arrived during the past two weeks for a visit to the Karmiel-Misgav region as part of the Jewish Agency sponsored “Partnership 2000” program.
The first delegation that arrived in the region on July 7 was composed of 45 9th grade students. While still in Pittsburgh, the group participated in a Jr. Counselor training course where they prepared themselves to work in local JCC summer camps. The highlight of the course is a three-week visit to Israel during which they spent a week visiting and staying with 25 young people from the Karmiel-Misgav region.

The second group was a smaller, 10-member delegation that also came for a three-week stay. They arrived in the region on July 12 where they were met by a group of 19 10th grade Israeli counterparts from the region that were selected following a stringent screening process to participate in the “Teen Leadership” project.
Throughout the week, the young people enjoyed a number of shared experiences such as a take-off on the popular reality show “The Great Race” where they learned to become acquainted with the city of Karmiel and the Misgav Regional Council communities. The young people also participated in an ecological construction workshop on the new constructed “Partnership 2000 Trail”, hikes through the region, overnight camping on the shores of the Kinneret and many other fun activities. The group also spent time volunteering at the Jewish Agency Absorption Center in Karmiel where they conducted arts and craft sessions for the children residing at the center and participated in a joint Israeli folk dance workshop. In spite of the lack of a shared language, many of the new immigrants arrived in the country only in the past few days and do not speak either English or Hebrew, everyone had a great time.

There was also a serious side to the young people’s visit. This took the form of two workshops, the first dealt with questions pertaining to leadership; the second discussed the issue of co-existence and included a meeting with Israeli Arab young people.
Accompanying the delegations were Hila Nachum and Adam Goren of the Karmiel and Misgav Community Centers, respectively. At the end of the month, the 19 Israeli young people will conduct a 10-day reciprocal visit to Pittsburgh.