Irwin Elson, an active member of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, managed to assemble a group of seven Detroit couples for a private visit to Central Galilee.  What made this group special was that it was the first time visiting Israel for each of its members.

The visitors first arrived at the Tavor absorption center, where they met with various olim including participants in the SELA program (students who make aliya prior to their parents) and the Kidma program (for Ethiopian students).  They heard about the absorption center's various programs, explained by Fanny Grubman, the center's director, as well as project Otzma, in which U.S. university graduates stay at the center for three months to study Hebrew in an ulpan and volunteer in the community.

The mission's members visited an ulpan classroom and witnessed student olim learning Hebrew.  The Americans were greatly impressed to see how the teachers, who were unable to speak the Amharic language, were nevertheless able to impart Ethiopian students with the knowledge necessary for speaking Hebrew.  This was a visit filled with warmth and good humor; when it was over, members of the mission received a small gift from the absorption center as well as pictures of their visit.  The visitors had a good laugh over an interesting coincidence-the CNC learning method taught at the center is marketed by Irwin Elson's company.