Along with the waves of tourists sweeping through Israel this summer, our region has also been blessed with a steady stream of welcome visitors. This past June alone, some 120 Pittsburghers visited the Karmiel-Misgav region.
The month began with its traditional group of 8th graders from the city's Community Day School (CDS). The delegation was hosted by 8th and 9th grade students from the "Golden Educational template" Middle School at Ma'ale Zvia for an interesting two-day visit (June 1-2). During their first day in the region, the delegation toured this unique school in the hills of the Misgav region and after a set of introductory games and activities the two groups of young people enjoyed a day of fun and sun at the swimming pool at Kibbutz Hanaton using the time to all become better acquainted with one another.
The next day they set out for a daylong trip to the Golan Heights that included a hike in the "Jalabon" mountain creek, a visit to the observation point at Mount Bental where they could see all of the Galilee and much of southern Syria and a whitewater rafting trip down the Jordan River. After two days of fun and shared experiences, the two groups parted, the Israelis returned home to continue school until the end of the school year while the Americans continued to tour the breath and width of Israel.
That same week Professor Joseph Iannelli & Dr. Phillip Harold PhD, both professors at Robert Morris University near Pittsburgh and Dr. Michele DiPietro, from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University also visited the region. They came to Karmiel as guest lecturers at the 3rd Annual Symposium on Initiatives for Promoting Learning in Higher Education that was held at the ORT Braude College of Engineering on June 5, 2008.
The third week of June was highlighted by the visit of some 80 Pittsburghers to the region. The first mission was a 33-member strong Pittsburgh UJF Family Mission. The mission conducted visits to Kishorit, a life-long resident village for people with special needs and the Children's Village in Karmiel. For dinner, the group split up and the families enjoyed home hospitality at the homes of families from Karmiel and Misgav.
The second mission to visit that week was a 52-member mission from "Temple David" in Pittsburgh's Monroeville suburb. The mission gathered at the "Megadim" Community Center where they were met by Shula Menachem and Limor Sela of Karmiel's Social Service Administration and Partnership 2000 representatives. After a brief overview about the city of Karmiel and P2K activities, the visitors spread out over the city for two hours of volunteer service. Some of the mission's members volunteered at the "Pitchon Lev" Food Distribution Center where they packed food packages for needy families.
Others helped serve hot lunches at the "Tzalachat Hama" (Hot Meal) Food Service Center. Another group joined in activities conducted at "Gil's House", a day center for adults with special needs. Other members of this mission also visited ORT Horvitz and ORT Megadim where they met with the schools' students and faculties. Both schools provided them with an impressive welcome. As she was leaving ORT Megadim Roz Schwartz, an 80-year-old resident of Pittsburgh told us, "This was an unforgettable experience! I won't forget these students for as long as I live".