Our Shinshinim, Natan and Hadar , are home for a 2 week visit . Shlomo Cohen , our chair and Ashkelon's Deputy Mayor , met with them to hear first hand their expiriences . Most of all they miss their moms' home cooking and their friends of course.

They had a chance to meet next year new Shinshinim that were just elected - Ronit Pinsky and Dor Treinin. They told me it's not fair that we are already the next generation while they still have 6 more month to go ...

Hadar and Natan, you are doing a great job in Baltimore!

Liron is a soldier!

Our own Liron Menashe is now an IDF soldier and has just completed her basic training. We wish her all the luck in the world. Waiting for more photos!

Just before Liron was drafted, she and Tal Bouhnik gave a presentation at the Teen Center, about their year in Baltimore as shinshinim, and as a result we have many interested matric students applying to become shinshinim in 2010 when Natan Mish and Hadar Madnick finish their year in Baltimore.

The candidates who passed the initial interview with Sigal, Itai (the JAFI representative) and Avner Maimon (Youth and Education dept, Ashkelon municipality) will participate in the second stage of the selection process: a full day workshop run by the Jewish Agency in Kiryat Moriah. It's a long process and we have many hopeful, highly motivated candidates to fill the two available positions.

Hadar and Natan meet with the Mayor

Our young emissaries or "Shinshinim" (Shnat sherut - year of service) Natan Mish and Hadar Madnick were at the Municipality yesterday to say goodbye before they leave to spend a year in Baltimore.

Hadar and Natan will be spending the year working in schools and in the community, strengthening the connection between Ashkelon and Baltimore. They will be replacing Tal Bouhnik and Liron Menashe, our first ever shinshinim, who will be returning home to be drafted into the army. Mayor Benny Vaknin praised the work of Tal and Liron and told the new shinshinim how proud he was to be sending such fine young people to represent Ashkelon and wished Hadar and Natan good luck for their year ahead in Baltimore.

Avner Maimon, Natan Mish, Mayor Benny Vaknin, Hadar Madnick, Sigal Ariely, Dafna Biton

nicole

Home again

Shalom to all my friends. I'm back home after 8 days visit to Baltimore with our new Mayor's delagation. I landed the morning of Yom Hazikaron , and asked the taxi driver to wait till I drop my lugguage at home and take me directly to my daughter's school - the Art school.

Every year I go there for the Yom Hazikaron ceremony. This year it was even more important for me to be there. It's the ceremony that the senior class of that year are doing. This year it was my daughter's class.

In a couple of months they will all be soldiers! I know these kids since 1st grade. Looking at them reading Izkor for fallen IDF soldiers made us all cry. These young men and women, now 18 years old, and my daughter among them, are our future army. Hard to get it....

Yom HaZikaron Ceremony at the Art School

My daughter Shir and and the Senior Class during the Ceremony

Hadar Madnick, future Shinshin, taking part in the Yom HaZikaron Ceremony