By Omer Swissa

This year I was given the opportunity to represent the city of Netivot with pride and great excitement. As a player in the Representative Band of talented members who enjoy one of the most special and professional music centers, we would like to express our esteem and deep gratitude to Partnership 2000 and the Municipality of Netivot for the worthy investment in the young local musicians.

The encounter with our friends from Philadelphia emphasized and highlighted the feeling of solidarity and the Jewish identity within us; such feelings which only personal encounters as these are able to bring to surface.

Through the experiences of these types of encounters with the community I have come to known and have been exposed to our connections with the Jewish Community in Philadelphia and the familial feeling which we felt during our visit with them. When we were on stage performing for the community, and while we actually did not know almost anyone personally, we felt the closeness and the excitement as though the people in the audience were waiting to hear their own children perform on stage. I felt confident and serene with the support and backing we have in the Diaspora.

I would like to thank those responsible for the complex logistics involved in generating the professional and successful events.

I am certain that these encounters greatly contribute to the ongoing activities at the William Center for the local residents and to strengthening the ties with our friends in Philadelphia.