Do you think it's a small world?  This week, as you know, the Dallas
Federation is hosting a Leadership Develop Group of young adults from
the western Galilee, as part of Partnership 2000.   Home hospitality, of
course, is an important and wonderful element of the program.  

I've attached a story about our kids' (Matthew and Amy) birthright trip in
2005.  It contains an incredible coincidence about going to Acco and
somehow finding Shalev, a young man who stayed in our home a few years
before when the Partnership sent camp counselors to our JCC.

So last night Yonah and Eliron stayed overnight in our home as Dallas is
the last leg of their leadership development trip to the United Sates.
Son Matthew joined us for dinner.  They are absolutely engaging,
interested and interesting.  We asked them about their work in Israel.

Yonah does wonderful work with children with learning differences and
Eliron runs the youth program at the community center in Acco.  I
chuckled at his use of the term "community center".  I told the story
that I was talking to our last P2K guests years ago and referred to
their community center as the Jewish Community Center.  They laughed at
me.  When I asked why, one of the guests, Shalev, said, "In Israel, we
don't call it the Jewish Community Center.  Of course, it's Jewish!"  I
have to admit it actually did sound pretty silly after he said that.

In relating this story at dinner last night, I mentioned that I
remembered Shalev laughing at me.  "Did you say Shalev?", Eliron asked.
"He's my best friend!"  Of course, I used to think there had to be
thousands of Shalevs in Israel.  But I'm beginning to think that maybe
there's only one. 

Eliron disappeared to his room to get his laptop and
returned with pictures of Matthew and Amy Prescott and the entire Texas
birthright contingent with.Shalev.  That's right, THE SHALEV!  Matthew
and Eliron exchanged the "I knew you looked familiar" thing because, in
fact, Shalev had introduced them to one another in Acco four years ago.

We spent the rest of the night laughing and shocked and just shaking our
heads in amazement.  I mean, what were the odds?  Of the 19 young
Israeli visitors, how did we end up with Eliron and Yonah?  A
coincidence.I don't think so!  Of course, new photos and text messages
were sent back and forth with Shalev last night and I'm sure today,
reconnecting everyone.

So, here we are again at the end of 2008, demonstrating first what a
small Jewish world we live in and how we interconnect in so many ways.
This reminds us of the incredible value of sending our young people to
Israel and of hosting young Israelis here.  Leadership development and
programs like birthright are just phenomenal.  And in case the last
story didn't make the case for Partnership 2000, this one oughta do it!

Stuart Prescott