A second round of Caf? English, a series of conversational sessions in the English language, has been completed last month in Kiryat Bialik.

The program was facilitated by Larry Rosenman of Boca Raton, Kiryat Bialik's sister city within the Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000 (P2K) project. Larry, a member of the P2K steering committee in Boca, was staying in Israel for six weeks, and as always was happy to contribute in KB - and have an opportunity to meet  in person Israelis of his partnered community. 

Two nights weekly he arrived at Yad LaBanim center in KB, where a group of residents was waiting for him. Participants were of various ages and occupations, sharing in common the desire to improve their conversational English and to meet a warm-hearted, Zionist American Jew.

The sessions took place in a pleasant, informal atmosphere accompanied by light refreshments. Conversations covered a wide variety of topics; economics and Israel's public image, health insurance and school violence, education and driving habits were discussed, comparing Israel and the US. With the help of You Tube, Larry was able to bring what he calls "guest speakers", such as Abba Eben in a fascinating interview with Mike Wallace in 1958, and Brigitte Gabriel in a more recent, remarkable pro-Israeli speech.

"I get from these encounters much more than I give," Larry stated, as he promised to renew the program the next time he comes to Israel. He expressed a sincere hope that others from Boca Raton will be able to join in - whether in person or through some sort of communication technology.

Participants were all very grateful to Larry for this opportunity which was both enriching and pleasant; they all said they would definitely come back whenever the program is renewed and recommend it to all their friends.

Partnership 2000 between South Palm Beach County and Kiryat Bialik was established by the Jewish Agency over 7 years ago. Through various Living Bridge projects and numerous visits of missions and delegations, many in SPBC maintain direct contact with KB residents and see it as their home in Israel.