We are about to begin the third consecutive year of close relations between teams dealing with pre-school education in Boston and in Haifa, relations that become stronger and stronger, and which have professional, as well as personal meaning to all project participants. The importance of this project lays in establishment of a platform for development of the Jewish community in Boston, especially among young families, through connection with kindergartens in Israel and with their teachers, who lead the activity and who participant in annual meetings dealing with working with pre-school children in Boston and in Haifa.

The Haifa forum conducts professional training course, in which the topic of relations between Israel and the Diaspora, and the feelings of belonging of the Diaspora Jews, constitutes an important part of the cognitive, as well as of the practical curriculum.

Libby Rubin: Boston-Haifa and the Conservative Connection

In the framework of the Boston-Haifa Connection, we had a very warm connection between the kindergarten at the Moriah Conservative synagogue in Haifa (the kindergarten closest to Libby) and the kindergarten at the Conservative synagogue in Boston, in which Shelly Rossman is in charge. The connection is working to exchange learning programs, mutual enrichment and creating a new contact between the children and the teachers.

During the last visit of Shelly Rossman and Amy, kindergarten teachers from Boston, we took the opportunity to make a sharing program for the new month. We exchanged information and teaching programs. We prepared for them some puzzles, visual stories and a board with moon drawings that explains changes during the month and signs. As usual, the delegation from Boston gave more than enough gifts to the kindergarten, some that the parents made and some that the children made and part that were bought.

The visit was very pleasant and warm - the special thing was that some children recognized Shelly from her last visit in Israel. Shelly even remembered some of the names of the children. The children gave the visitors cookies shaped like the moon that they had made.

It was very sad to say good-bye at the end of the day. And it was very exciting to see the connection between the parents who came at the end of the day to pick up their children who spoke with the visitors.

In summary, like other projects within the Boston-Haifa sector, the kindergartens enjoyed the mutual enrichment, the professional connection and the personal ties and the stronger feelings of togetherness between us and Boston. These are the special things.

Tali Zehavi: A Personal Account

The connection between the early childhood teams through the Boston-Haifa Connection began three years ago.

The last of the visits was in November and was organized through the Boston solidarity mission. There were about 400 people.

With each meeting, there has been a more personal feeling. We meet new people and deepen the connection between the old and new people in the group.

During this year, a strong trans-Atlantic friendship grew and included all of the family. This time, Shelly, our friend from Boston, arrived with her husband, Stuart, who is the chairman of the Boston-Haifa Connection on the Boston side. Their daughter, Jesse, is living in Haifa this year and was welcomed by a number of the girls from the Boston-Haifa Connection (including me). The contact was more than professional. The last Friday after the dinner, we invited Shelly and her family to our home. This meeting became like a tradition from the last visits. It was a very special and friendly visit. We drank Lemonchello that Ronit prepared. We told stories of times that we shared. And we filled the blanks from the last time that we met. Jesse spoke in the living room with my son, Liore, about the Israeli army and other things that interest 20-year-olds.

After midnight, when we were still telling stories, Jesse said that it was time to go back to the hotel. So, we left the rest for the next time, for our visit in Boston, and then we will feel again like we stopped just yesterday...

Shvat 5764 - January 2004