By Michal Osteen, Partnership 2000 Co-Chair, Orlando

We have been so lucky to have a group young Israeli teens serving as ambassadors from Israel from our Sister city of Kiryat Motzkin.  Their perfomance troup is called Kova Temble, and they range from 15 years old to 19, some of the participants are soldiers serving in the IDF.

They started the day interacting and visiting the JCC Pre-Schoolers, who loved to watch them sing and dance and even joined in the dancing with them. The next stop was Hebrew Day School, “my kids first words when they came home were about how wonderful it was to have the Israeli kids sing and dance with them…” noted a mother of a HDS student.

Kova temble spent the rest of the day with the 39’s, after school program kids, Beit Hamidrash, and then performed at the Yom Hazikaron (Memorial day for the IDF soldiers) event in the evening. This was the first year that Yom Hazikaron was attended by so many; the room was filled with Israelis and Americans alike, and was an amazing evening that touched everyone.

“I felt like a proud mother”, said one of the host families mom, “this experience is so wonderful… I did not think I would feel this way… but I do!”  “This is the best experience I have had in a long time” said a host dad; “I am learning so much…”

The teens are being hosted by families of our local teens of GOSIE 08 who spent their summer in Israel, and also by other local families who are sharing this wonderful experience in our community.

On the weekend Kova Temble added to services at Ohev Shalom and CRJ. This coming Friday the teens will visit “Savannah Court” and visit our Orlando elderly community. On Sunday they will perform at Yom Haatzmaot celebration…where they will be joined by the Mayor of Kiryat Motzkin, Haim Zuri and his wife Dafna. 
It is a show of a lifetime for us here in Orlando!