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Community
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Book Buddy program pairs Ann Arbor children
with new Israeli friends.

T

he Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor received six
hefty boxes with Israeli postmarks last month.
Inside were more than 100 brand-new Hebrew
children's books, gifts from children of the Jezreel
Valley in central Galilee. The gifts mark the beginning of a book
exchange and pen pal program called Book Buddies.
It's been arranged by Partnership 2000, the United
Jewish Communities project in which Jewish communi-
ties in the diaspora exchange economic, cultural and edu-
cational resources with regions in Israel.
"We always hear about the American community con-
tributing to Israel," said Sheva Locke, principal of the
Ann Arbor school. "This is a chance for the exchange to
work the other way."
A pen pal program now is under way between the Ann
Arbor students and the Israeli children who picked out
the books.
Doug Bloom, co-chair of Michigan's Partnership 2000
steering committee, helped inaugurate the Book Buddies
project on his last visit to Israel.
He was among the honored guests on Oct. 7, when the
Ann Arbor students got to open their surprise packages from
the other side of the world.
"The kids in Israel were so excited about picking the
books," Bloom said.
And the Ann Arbor children?
"They were jumping out of their skins to see the books with
the names and addresses inside the front covers." P1

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••• ::

Left: Doug
Bloom,
Michigans
Partnership
2000 co-chair,
shares a Hebrew
children's book
with fourth-
grader Leor
Shtull-Leber

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Above: Third-
grader Roee
Astor holds one
o the new
ooks.

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Jezreel Valley students donate books to Ann

Arbor day school as part of partnership

exchange.

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t:N

11/12
1999

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