By Simon Griver

The traditional annual visit to Yokneam-Megiddo by students from the Weber High School in Atlanta, Georgia has been so successful that this year the stay was extended from two to four days. The visit in December was one of the highlights of the month long program in Israel for the 36 students from the Georgia high school.  

Jared Kopelman, 17, from Atlanta had already spent time in Yokneam during a family visit two years ago. "But this experience was very different," he explained. "This was a chance to be with guys my own age and find out about their daily lives. It's certainly more meaningful for me than looking at museums and ruins. Israelis are very similar to us and there was an immediate click."

Yokneam-Megiddo is partnered with St. Louis and Atlanta through Jewish Federation of St. Louis and Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta within the framework of the Jewish Agency's Partner2Gether (P2G) program (formerly partnership 2000), which brings together Diaspora and Israeli Jews.

Arkady Hasidovich, Regional Coordinator for P2G Yokneam-Megiddo said, "The Weber visit is one of dozens of people-to-people opportunities that P2G has created. We just bring them together and from then on it is plain sailing. I think we must have created thousands of Israel US Jewish friendships over the past 17 years."

The Atlanta students spent the first day of the visit at the Kfar Hassidim youth village, which has 600 students including 250 residential students, mainly new immigrants, mostly Ethiopian newcomers. The Atlanta visitors took part in Tikkun Olam activities and got to know the students.

Kfar Hassidim Development Director Elana Frank, who herself immigrated to Israel from Atlanta in 2009, said, "We wanted to give the American youngsters the feel of what it must be like to step into the shoes of Ethiopians. So as well as volunteering activities they spent time in our traditional Ethiopian hut."

The teenagers enjoyed the performance of "Desta" Ethiopian Dance Troupe, which is supported by the Federation, and celebrated Hanukah together with the village's students at a bonfire.

Hanukah was also at the heart of the subsequent activities in Yokneam-Megiddo, which included a Latkes Hunt quiz around the town and a doughnut workshop.

Hosting is an essential part of such visits. For Yokneam's Andrea Dray, an immigrant from Florida, hosting the Weber delegation has resulted in more than she bargained for. She recalls, "In 2006, we hosted a student called Philip Kleinman and we talked about how similar we were and felt comfortable together. Then it turned out that his mother's maiden name was the same name as our family, and they had come from the same part of Poland as our family."

She added, "We've since got friendly with the entire family and this year we hosted Rachel, Philip's younger sister with the Weber delegation. Although we are related we find we have so much in common with all the Atlanta and St. Louis visitors."

Stav Shoshan, 16, was one of the Yokneam high school students who hosted Weber visitors. He said, "We found we liked the same music and movies and because the visit took place during Hanukah that stressed our shared Jewish heritage."

Dalia Peretz whose daughter Shoval, 17,  hosted two Atlanta visitors said, "We spoke in English but it was great to see that the Atlanta students had some basic Hebrew. I think these meetings are very important if the next generation is to keep the connection with the Diaspora."

Samantha Westheimer, 18, one of the Weber students who visited Yokneam-Megiddo in December said, "This is the third time I've visited Israel and I felt very relaxed in Yokneam. It was like sitting with my own family, the atmosphere was very warm and similar." 
 
Judy Yuda, the Jewish Agency’s Yokneam-Megiddo Director said, "In the past Jews in Israel and the Diaspora were tied not only by religion but also by a close cultural connection reaching back only a generation or two to Europe,” explains Judy. “But we cannot take this cultural connection for granted with the younger generation. We have to create channels by which they can meet and get to know each other.”