Purim was chosen as the occasion for the first parent/pupil delegation from the Clore Tikva Primary School in London to the Kerner Ma'ale Hagalil Primary School in Meona. These schools are in their second year of twinning through the Schools to Schools Project of Partnership 2000: Confrontation Line - Great Britain and the UJIA.

Eight Israeli pupils from Meona with Head Teacher Gila Mickel and in-school coordinator Gila Hadad awaited their British partners - Assistant Head Teacher Sue Hesse with four mothers and four daughters - at Ben Gurion Airport on March 17 with flags and welcome banners. The group then traveled to Jerusalem for a day and a half of activities in the city that had been the theme of their joint studies the previous school year, providing ample opportunity for the delegates to become well-acquainted with their hosts.

After touring the old city, visiting the Western Wall and excavations, and traveling in the Time Elevator the group traveled north to the Confrontation Line region to a welcome dinner with Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council Mayor Avi Krampe, Director of Education Izik Bar Sheshet, P2K staff and the host families.

The following two days were spent at the Kerner School participating in the Purim assembly and celebrations. The parents enjoyed a tour of the school and a meeting with Sefton Bergson of the UJIA, who inspired them with his message on the significance and mutual benefits of the connection between the two schools and communities within the larger framework of British Jewry - Israel relations.

Pupils from the host classes joined the British group for tours to Rosh Hanikra and Akko. The visitors also experienced moshav life in Meona where they visited a chicken house for egg production, bakery, and learned about honey production in the moshav, while making beeswax candles and enjoying tasty honey cake.

On a more serious note, the British parents and pupils toured the Children's Museum "Yad L'Yeled" at the Ghetto Fighters' Museum for a unique educational experience. The British youngsters had been well-prepared for the visit and demonstrated much interest and understanding through their many questions and comments during the activities there.

A highlight of their visit was spending two days over Shabbat with host families in villages of the Ma'ale Yosef region. This provided an opportunity for a close acquaintance with regional residents and the warm hospitality special to the Galilee. On Motzei Shabbat the guests and their host families met for a farewell get-together with craft activities enjoyed by the children and adults alike.

This parent/pupil delegation marked a significant move of the Clore Tikva - Kerner School twinning beyond the connections established between pupils, classes and teachers, to begin involving the parents and community. The relationships formed during this week create a basis for expanding parent involvement and enthusiasm for the project, and increase awareness of the underlying aims of the Schools to Schools project as a vital Living Bridge which strengthens our Jewish values and heritage as "Am Ehad" - one people - in both the British and Israeli communities.