Many of the 13 female representatives of the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado found their way to Nitzana during November. One of the women recollected a cycle tour on a previous visit and insisted that such a tour again be included in the itinerary.
Thus the Colorado visitors enjoyed the late fall Negev sunshine on two wheels as they saw the region's saline lake, peace sculpture, and sites where past battles have taken place, which have shaped Israel's Negev borders. The US fundraisers met with women living in the region's agricultural settlements and also sat with students in Nitzana's SELAH Science program (for new immigrants from the Former Soviet Union) and KEDMA program (for new immigrants from Ethiopia). Other highlights were a meeting with a Shin-Shin volunteer, who immigrated to Israel from Belgium, and is spending a year working at Nitzana before enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces.
The visitors from Denver also met with Nitzana founder Lova Eliav, the former Knesset Member who was recently awarded the Ben Gurion Prize for his contribution to the development of the Negev. A delightful and unexpected bonus for the Colorado women was the opportunity to be serenaded by 19 year-old Alexei Kuchtekov from Smolensk in Russia, one of the students on the SELAH Science program, whose repertoire ranges from classical music to jazz and klezmer.
Nitzana News Bulletin: December 2003
The Nitzana Educational Community is Partnered with the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado.
Kislev 5764 - December 2003