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Special Report

Trans-Atlantic Partners

Michigan, Israeli Jews fete 10 years of nurturing people-to-people bonds and strengthening the Israeli heartland.

Hillary Murt of Ann Arbor and Sharon Lipton of Waterford, both P2K steering committee members, with Nancy Porath, a Detroiter now living in the Jezreel Valley, look
at traditional Ethiopian crafts on Artisans Avenue at the 10-year celebration held at Kibbutz Mizra.

ROBERT A. SKLAR
Editor

Jezreel Valley
en years ago, Michigan Jewry formed an
ambitious partnership with the Central Galilee
to build a vital people-to-people connection
between Israel and the diaspora.
Partnership 2000 (P2K), a Jewish Agency for Israel
(JAF') initiative, had high hopes for highlighting a
common heritage that has thrived despite differences of
distance and culture. The intent was to deepen Jewish
unity, enrich Jewish identity and invigorate Israeli soci-
ety.
The uncharted path culminated last week with 25
Michigan Jews joining 1,200 Jews from Nazareth Illit,
Migdal HaEmek and the Jezreel Valley at an unpreten-
tious but upbeat celebration of the partnership's 10-

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11/19
2004

22

year anniversary. The Michigan visitors represented the
Jewish Federations in Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids
and Ann Arbor.
Nora Barron of Bloomfield Hills has been a P2K
player from the start and spoke at the Nov. 9 celebra-
tion held at Kibbutz Mizra in the Jezreel Valley. The
fun featured music, dancing, Israeli-Arab coexistence
exhibits and Israeli art and food booths Barron mar-
veled at how far the partnership has come after spring-
ing from an untested idea of JAFI, North American
federations and the United Israel Appeal.
In brief but heartfelt comments, she distilled the
essence of P2K and why it has succeeded despite
imposing challenges that lay ahead, including getting
back to trans-Atlantic people-to-people connections
and business relationships as well as encouraging more
Michigan benefits.
"Initially, we were a small group of people with no

experience in such an endeavor," she said. "But with
vision and hope — and as a result of amazing pro-
grams, exchanges and hard work by countless people
— look what we have become: a huge family with very
involved members who have created a place here in
Israel where we as Michiganders can feel loved and so
much at home. We trust that our Israeli partners can
think of our home as theirs.
"This is what P2K is all about."

Like Family

Sari Cicurel of West Bloomfield is Michigan co-chair
of the P2K steering committee, along with David
Techner of Birmingham. Keying on the theme of fami-
ly, she said that though "many things in the world have
changed in 10 years, our P2K family has adapted to
them and will continue to adapt so that we strengthen
each other's communities."