Six women from South Palm Beach County visited Israel and Kiryat Bialik as part of the Women to Women program, in the framework of the Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000. Here they were thrilled to reunite with their KB friends, whom they first met in Boca last March and now refer to as sisters.

The partnership between Kiryat Bialik and the Jewish Federation of SPBC was established eight years ago and operates various projects in the fields of Jewish education, culture and welfare. The main goal of Women to Women, now in its second round, is to create a Living Bridge between women of both communities, followed by joint projects of their own choice in the fields of women's wellness and other needs of the community.

For some of the Americans, this was their first visit to Israel - or first as adults. Together with their Israeli friends they spent time in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as in Tzfat, Akko and P'kiin, going from one exciting, emotional experience to the next. But the highlight of the week, said participants from both sides, was the time spent together in Kiryat Bialik. Beit Yad LaBanim (local memorial hall); an elementary school in which autistic children study side by side with normative ones; Ethiopian-style lunch, cooked and eaten together with Ethiopian Israeli women and children, and other experiences exposed the visitors to the life in their friends' home city.

When they finally arrived at the actual homes, there was barely enough time to meet the spouses and kids and have a quick home-made supper before rushing back to an evening event organized by the local municipality, dedicated to FSU immigrants. KB Mayor, Mr. Eli Dukorski, welcomed the guests from Boca and extended his gratitude to their entire community for all of their contributions along eight years of partnership; computerized bomb shelters, women empowerment courses, and a major business development project, just to name a few. "Your ongoing friendship means a lot to us and you are always welcome here: Kiryat Bialik is your home," said the Mayor.

Prior to a very emotional farewell, the group started looking into ideas for their joint project, which include supporting breast cancer survivors and their families and purchasing equipment for children with special needs. The P2K steering committee, chaired by Ann Kelman and Yossi Ende in SPBC and Gidi Shilo in KB, is now in the process of evaluating the Partnership and examining ways to expand its circles and touch the lives of more people.