Israeli athletes arrived last week from the Western Galilee, Omaha’s Partnership in Israel, as a part of the Maccabi Games Partnership 2000 program; its purpose is to connect American and Israeli teens and host families. Israelis Reuel Ben Moshe, 16, and Sapir Baum, 16, will participate in basketball and dance.

 The athletes will return to Omaha for the weekend following the Games. Above: Preparing for a challenging ropes course at a Maccabi Team Event just days before Team Omaha flew to San Francisco for the 2009 JCC Maccabi Games, are David Glazer, left, Max Saferstein Hansen, Reuel Ben Moshe and Grant Glazer. Shirley and Samuel Cemaj, Rhonda Saferstein and Jeff Hansen, Ophir and Roni Palmon, Stacey and Jonathan Rockman and Steve Danon were host families to the Israeli athletes.

The Sister City program is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Partnership with Israel. In San Francisco this past week, the torch was passed to Team Omaha, hosts of the 2010 JCC Maccabi Games next August.