On Sunday, May 24, 2009, a mission consisting of twenty-five 12th graders from Jewish Academy in Detroit arrived for a visit to the Central Galilee region.  The focus of the visit was an encounter with 15 youths from Hoshaya, the goal: allowing the youths to get to know each other and generating a dialogue representative of the lifestyle of Israeli youth.

The visitors were given some background information on Partnership 2000 from Living Bridge coordinator Eti Oren; in addition, they heard about the uniqueness of moshav Hoshaya from Partnership 2000 volunteer Sharona Stenhill.  Later, the visiting Americans participated in a workshop that included ice-breaker games and enjoyable group activities that stimulated conversations on the nature of Judaism, Zionism, and Israel.

The highlight of the discussion was the 'carousel' game, which raised the issue of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.  The youths were asked to describe what they would do if they were prime minister given the day-to-day pressures exerted by bereaved parents, public opinion, etc.

One of the Detroit participants expressed satisfaction with the group encounter: "Sure, I expected to meet some kids of our age here, but I didn't think there would be an actual program for the visit.  I really enjoyed it and it was a nice experience for me.  True, I've already been in Israel, but I never got to meet other kids here; and I was glad to find out that kids of our age in Israel are exactly like us," said Yakov Schechter.

The group's guide, Shlomo Borla, reported on excellent group dynamics: "It's really unusual for kids of this age to talk to one another with such a high level of interest and without getting bored.  There was definitely superb cooperation between the groups."

It's worth mentioning that even though the students from Hoshaya were scheduled to take matriculation exams on the day following the visit, they nevertheless agreed to attend and participate in the workshop.  "I decided that it was worth 'sacrificing' a few study hours in order to be able to meet different people, from a different culture and speaking a different language.  And besides, they are all part of our one nation," commented Nitzan Buzi, a student from Hoshaya.

Hila Israel Shaham