Lessans Lead Lacrosse in Ashkelon

We have a new sport in Ashkelon. Lacrosse!

On Sunday 14th August the Lessan family from Baltimore visited Ashkelon.

After touring the city  and visiting the second hand store, we headed to Marcelo's Sports center.

Marcelo invited the judo kids and suprised everyone by introducing two professional lacrosse stars, Max and Jeff, of the American-Israeli team from Jerusalem who just won the Israeli national league - Tel Aviv vs Jerusalem. (link) Max and  Jeff were accompanied by David Lasday who runs worldwide lacrosse clinics.

The Lessans brought lacrosse sticks and balls, and together with Jeff and Max, they taught the game to the local Ashkelon kids who were very excited to learn this strange new American sport!

Sara Lessans a pro and a local fan

Scott in practice

Larry and Sara

David Lasday, of "Global Game Changers" explains lacrosse
 to the kids from the Ashkelon Sport Center

Jeff and Max - local lacrosse stars, sign autographs for the excited kids



The Lessans family - Scott , Gabby , Sara , Larry and Margot



,The Lessans Family with Jeff and Max -lacrosse stars
and David Lasday, who runs lacrosse clinics in Israel and the USA

Teachers Delegation in Ashkelon

A delegation of educators from Baltimore visited us this week. 

They had never been to Israel before and made up for it by travelling all over Israel.

Mayor Benny Vaknin, Sigal Ariely & Marcelo Burdman welcomed the educators.

Dr Alan Marcus gave the delegation an overview of Ashkelon and explained the security situation in the region.

Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vaknin addresses the Baltimore educators

 Educators from Ashkelon at the Ashkelon Municipality

A visit to the Michael Lapidus Baltimore Park and Lyn Stacie Getz Playground

Gesher Hai Teachers Delegation to Baltimore

Our Gesher Hai ("Living Bridge") program is very active in both Baltimore and Ashkelon. Each of our Ashkelon schools participating in the program is matched with a school in Baltimore. Gesher Hai aims at understanding cultural differences and working to form a close connection by means of a shared project.

In January 2011 a delegation of seven Ashkelon teachers representing the Arts School (Omauyot), the Science School ( Madaim), Ort Afridar, Harel, Mekif Daled, and Cochav HaZafon, travelled to Baltimore to strengthen the connection with their partners: Beit Tefiloh, Shoshana Cardin, Beit Israel, Yeshivat Rambam, Kreiger Shechter, and Baltimore Hebrew, schools. The delegation was led by Ashkelon Gesher Hai Coordinator Marcelo Burdman.

The Ashkelon teachers were hosted in Baltimore homes for the weekend and then stayed in a local hotel. They received a warm welcome and visited schools, synagogues, community centers and the Jewish museum. They participated in discussions, lectures, hands-on projects, lessons about Israel and Ashkelon, took part in many social gatherings and made close and personal connections with their Baltimore partners and friends. Thanks to everyone! We are looking forward to hosting the Baltimore teachers here in the future.

Photos by courtesy of Ariela Lerman and Tova Shafran

Our first MELITZ Magic Moments Project

Last night we held a meeting with the teens and their parents of our first Magic Moments Project in Ashkelon. The meeting was hosted by Marcelo Burdman, our energetic Gesher Hai (Living Bridge) coordinator.

Magic Moments is a Gesher Hai project run by Melitz, where Ashkelon teens will travel to Baltimore to meet and connect with their peers, learn about the community and participate in Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom HaZikaron ceremonies.

Sigal welcomed the participants to the partnership family. Alexandra Benjamin of Melitz explained the background to the project, and Magic Moments Ashkelon coordinator Anat Peled gave detailed information about the project and answered questions from the parents.

The evening ended with a video-conference with our Baltimore partners, only the beginning of a soon-to-be close connection! The video conference was made possible by the donation of internet cams from Baltimore to our Gesher Hai project. Marcelo hooked up the cam to a projector and so we were able to speak to Ariela Lerman and the heads of the communities participating in this project.

Magic Moments Ashkelon 2011 participants with Marcelo, Anat & Sigal

Sigal listens as Magic Moments Ashkelon coordinator Anat Peled addresses the parents and teens

Marcelo, overseeing the video conference with Ariela Lerman and our partners in Baltimore

Partnership Event 29th November

On 29th November 2010, everyone involved in the Partnership gathered together at the Gvanim hall at the Barnea community center for a social evening. This occasion was the kickoff to the start of a new era for the partnership now operating under the new Vision, formulated after many months of discussions with our partners in Baltimore. New members were introduced and activities of the partnership were highlighted: past activities, present, and future ... There was a full turnout, good food and good company! Maccabi arts participant Gal Bental opens the event with a virtuoso flute playing performance. Behind her, "Highlights of the Partnership" slideshow.

Social Services staff shared a table

Alan and Ilana Marcus

Meir contemplates the spread....

A Gift for everyone...

Einat, Vered and Ilana with their gift mugs

And a "soofganiya" from Sigal & Einat

Lizzy (Maccabi Arts Coordinator), Marcelo Burdman & Shlomo Cohen

Maia tells everyone about the upcoming Family Mission

Dafna and her A-Team!

Morei Derech Delegation Visits Ashkelon

A delegation of teachers representing the Gesher Chai (Living Bridge) Project between our two communities spent a day in Ashkelon during the "Morei Derech" seminar trip to Israel in June.

The day was organized by our Gesher Chai coordinator, the one and only Marcelo Burdman.

The Baltimore teachers were matched with teachers from their partner schools in Ashkelon. They went to visit the schools and discussed joint projects for the future.

They took part in a seminar about Jewish identity and connections to Israel and then expressed their artistic skills at a mosaic workshop led by Tova Shafran - an artist who also teaches at the Ashkelon School of the Arts.

Before Dinner we all went to visit the Michael Lapidus Baltimore Park and the Lynn Stacie Getz Playground where the delegation saw other mosaic art pieces done by Ashkelon artists and other groups from Baltimore.


Joel and his young "assistants" from the Art School with their mosaic creation.


Claudette and Rita with their masterpiece


Salit from Ashkelon with Flo and Hasia


Tova Shafran (in emerald green shirt, behind) ran the mosaic workshop
More photos of the mosaic workshop HERE

Josh Schwartz's Barmitzvah Project

Soccer Jerseys for Or Chaim kids soccer team in Ashkelon

Josh Schwartz and his family visited Ashkelon in June. They were eager to meet the Or Chaim Soccer team kids and hand-deliver the jerseys that they designed, as Josh's bar mitzvah project.

The Or Chaim soccer team kids were thrilled to receive the soccer shirts and immediately tried them on. Gavriel, their coach grabbed a soccer ball and the Schwartz kids - Josh, Andrew, Joseph and Allison joined them, trying to score goals!

Or Chaim soccer team with the Schwartz family

MARCELO BURDMAN, our Gesher Hai coordinator organized this program.

Josh Schwartz read a speech he wrote in Hebrew, and shared how excited he was to share his love of soccer with new friends from Ashkelon.

After their visit to the school, the Schwartz family visited the Michael Lapidus Baltimore Park and Lynn Stacie Getz Playground that they helped to build two years ago. They were excited to see how green and colorful the park is now, and they inspected each and every mosaic piece of art in the park.