Shalom to All,

We wanted to let you know what's been happening in the partnership in the past few weeks:

·         Encounters:

1.       Sam and Audrey Meline and Bob and Loraine Goldberg: we were very lucky to have the opportunity to host Sam and Audrey Meline for three days in Nesher. Bob and Loraine Goldberg, members of the Israel and Overseas Committee joined them on their visit. They were the first to stay at the Partnership Volunteer Apartment (more about this below). Their visit included meetings with Rubi, tour of the Senior Center, ribbon cutting ceremony at the apartment and mezuzah hanging ceremony with Mayor David Amar, meeting with Dalya Hecht from the welfare department, visit to Beit Hayeled, visit to the playground which was donated by the foundation, and more. Leah Shahaf and her husband Avi joined us for dinner on the first evening of their visit. This was Bob and Loraine's first visit in Nesher and they were very impressed with the city, the partnership and the apartment. We invite all of you to see the apartment.

2.       Carolyn and Jonathan Shapir:

Carolyn and Jonathan are members of the Federation Board and spent a week in Israel. Since they have not had the chance to visit Nesher in the past, they took this opportunity to visit. They had only a few hours for the visit and we visited the apartment and the Yitzhak Rabin Bet School. As always, Leah's devotion to the partnership and to the educational system in Nesher was amazing and is a huge asset to all of us. After lunch we met with Avner, who spoke to the couple about the many partnership activities that are done together with the Matnas. We later toured the Matnas, including the auditorium. Avner did a wonderful job and this is an important and vital part of the project. Thank you!

·         Partnership Volunteer Apartment:

This unique project is a source of pride for the Nesher Broward partnership. We are the only partnership that has such a project. For those of you who remember what the apartment looked like a year ago, it is hard to imagine that the results could have been so positive.

The past few weeks have been busy ones setting up the apartment. Yochai and Rinat went with me to Home Center to purchase the furniture, appliances and more. We were met by the local manager, Yigor, who went out of his way to help us, both with his staff and by reducing many items by half price and donating others. We are presently working on a plaque with pictures to thank him. Please see attached pictures.

·         Ribbon Cutting and Mezuza Ceremony:

We were honored to have Mayor David Amar ,as well as Rabbi Kurant from Nesher, present at the ceremony. Sam and Bob both hung mezuzahs and were moved to tears. Levana and baby Uriel made a special appearance (adorable baby!). The donation plaque was also revealed. Tali, Avner and Rubi were all able to be present. Thank you for making the effort.

·         Teens:

The teens have begun their preparation process and we have met with them a few times. The group was lucky to have the opportunity to meet with Uri Barner, Head of Strategic Planning for the Israel Dept of JAFI. We learned about the Jewish community in the Diaspora. It was a fascinating conversation and the teens later said that they are beginning to understand that the trip is not only about volunteering in the community, but that there is a much larger responsibility. Ruth Omer (chaperone for the group) is a wonderful asset to the group. The next few sessions will deal with personal journeys, group activities, cultural differences, manners, etc. The teens will leave on July 12th and return to Nesher on July 23rd.

·         Education:

The first projects have been completed and conference calls between the principals were held to sum up the experience and to plan for the coming year. We hope to add two new schools to the project next year.

·         Joint Steering Committee and Video Conference:

As you know the Joint Steering Committee has been postponed until mid October. The decision was made to hold a video conference for the steering committee members on June 8th at 19 at the Technion. The budget for the next fiscal year will be decided. A full agenda will be sent out before the conference. The video conference was organized by Tali, who did not take no for an answer and we are very grateful. The other options that we had for video conferencing were very far away. Tali's effort has made this much easier for all of us.

·         Enlarging the Circles:

I have received a few names and we hope to start working on this in the next few weeks. Please let me know if you have names of any people that you recommend.

·         Condolences: We would like to take this opportunity to send our condolences to Motti Chen. Our hearts to out to you in your time of sorrow.