Since our partnership was formalized in June 1997, Philadelphia has made great strides to design with Netivot and Azzata innovative programs in the areas of education and welfare, economic development, religious pluralism, and Ethiopian issues.

At our first Joint Steering Committee visit to Israel October 6-9, our committee's eight representatives experienced outstanding synergy with our colleagues in Netivot and Azzata. We spent two days doing intensive needs assessments before voting on our 1997 and 1998 project cards. We met with Russian and Ethiopian teens and seniors, regional industrialists, pre-kindergarten, elementary and high school students, moshav developers, and educators at Azzata's regional college--Hemdat HaDarom. Our visit crescendoed in a multi-cultural food and dance festival, where everyone from the region came to the matnas (community center) dressed in the traditional garb of his/her country of origin. We enjoyed a diverse feast and entertainment fit for the United Nations.

For 1998, innovative projects include $50,000 for educational mini-grants for which synagogue/agency coalitions and individuals in Philadelphia and Netivot/Azzata may apply to fund ongoing educational programs; $27,000 will fund a cultural documentation project for the Ethiopian and Russian olim; $35,000 will go towards the interactive gala celebration (with entertainment and a hands-on community project) to be coordinated with the visit by 400 Philadelphians to Netivot/Azzata during April's Israel 50 Independence Mission.

Philadelphia benefited from the Partnership 2000 experience of other communities in adopting the Ambassadors for Tolerance project card from Washington D.C. and the UJA project card for the Young Leadership Washington Conference.

Beyond the project cards, Philadelphia has ongoing economic development opportunities being fostered through networking between Philadelphia consultants and business people and the industrialists and entrepreneurs of Netivot/Azzata.

CAPTION: Members of Philadelphia's P2K Steering Committee are greeted by Netivot and Azzata leaders during an October visit.
From left to right:
Back row: Meir Charash; Judy Ron; Elliot Rosen;Yechiel Zohar (Netivot Mayor); Shimon Kalfa (Chair, Azzata Regional Council); David Contorer; Howard Charish; Ken Kaiserman (Philadelphia P2K Chair)
Front row: Danny Wolf; Ed Newman, Ph.D.; Adam Herzig (Philadelphia P2K Vice Chair)