May 5, 2010 / 21 Iyar 5770 

An eighteen-member delegation of young leaders from Holland came to Israel to see firsthand the work being done by the Jewish Agency through the support of the Keren Hayesod fund. The delegation began their tour at the Jewish Agency Tzahal 9 Absorption Center in Safed, where they met with immigrant children and participated in a Lag Ba’omer bonfire, a custom that the new immigrants had never experienced back in Ethiopia.

The delegation traveled towards Haifa to visit the Ramat Hadassah Szold Youth Village where they heard a professional presentation in their mother tongue from Yoram, a Dutch-speaking counselor at the Village. Afterward, they toured the village’s Entrepreneurship Center and then watched a soccer match featuring the Ramat Hadasah boys’ soccer team.  During the game the team was presented with a soccer ball from the Ajax Amsterdam soccer team. The visit concluded with lunch and the presentation of certificates to the guests in recognition of their support.

The delegation continued their trip southward to the Nitzana Educational Village in the Negev, where they learned about the ongoing efforts to develop the desert and realize the vision of David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister. They met with participants of the Youth Futures program in Dimona, who were given the opportunity to foster a close personal relationship with the donors. The delegation culminated their trip with a meeting with idealistic students participating in the Ayalim program.