Rosh Ha'ayin singers with Huffman High School's choir this week. The performance at Huffman, a Birmingham city high school, was coordinated by the Birmingham International Center as part of its salute to Israel and Jordan. There has been a gentle beauty in the air in Birmingham this week, as the Meitav singers from Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel, have come to our community bringing the warmth, energy and optimism that so symbolizes Israel.

They have come during Holocaust Remembrance week and played a pivotal role in motivating many Birminghamians, Jewish and non-Jewish, to take time out to reflect on the Nazi horrors. They also have come in connection with Israel's 60th birthday, dramatizing the connection between the destruction of our people in Europe and the rebirth of a Jewish state in our ancient Biblical homeland.

They have touched lives and made friends throughout Birmingham, from Huffman High School to UAB to Samford University and lots of places in the Jewish community in between.

We have loved having them here, they have loved being here -- further reflection of the mutual love that undergirds our 30-year relationship with Rosh Ha'ayin, Birmingham's sister city in Israel.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation -- your Birmingham Jewish Federation -- is proud to have been the coordinator of their visit to our community and a major funder.