Shalom All,

It's strange to write the last Shabbat note from Palm Beach. Writing this regular note has become natural, and although I promise to continue writing from Israel, I know it will be very strange at first...

So what have we learned from our experience?

2 ½ years ago, when we packed our entire life and moved it half a globe away, we knew we were embarking on an adventure that would be life changing. We expected it to be interesting, we expected it to be a growing experience and a mind-boggling eye-opener. We knew there would be a language learning curve - to this very day, I am still checking whether falling between chairs is more comfortable than falling between cracks; I still don't understand why it has to be two thousand and not 20 hundred; and I am still trying to remember how to pronounce "innovative"...

We expected a difference in dress code - I still insist that my earrings actually do match, they're just not identical...

And we expected to learn what it means to function in a different culture - I will never forget the expression on faces around me the first time we started planning Yom Ha'Atzmaut, when I was asked what the budget was and I said that there was no budget, declaring that we are going ahead with the planning process anyway because I am used to working with overdrafts...

We also expected some surprises and excitements along the way. The IPC proved that meaningful Jewish education can occur even in the promiscuous setting of Club Med; that an event built for 400 can "stretch" and accommodate 2,000; and that, as Jewish history teaches us, we unfortunately know how to be flexible enough to change, at the spur of a moment, what was supposed to be a celebration of solidarity to a solemn memorial.

We expected to find a community that is sensitive and committed to our shared homeland, but I must admit that I am still amazed and grateful to the extent of that commitment. It is sending me back home knowing that there is a solid partnership between us, a bond that no one but ourselves will be able to break. It also served in reaffirming my own sense of responsibility and commitment to the work of the Jewish people.

What we didn't expect is the overwhelming warmth, love and friendship that we found. I think I really understood where that feeling came from the day I heard the following story from my wonderful, creative and loving friend, Susan Levine:

Two women meet at a conference. During recess they start talking and discover that they are both Jewish. There conversation goes on and on, and when the conference is over one says to the other:

"I can't believe we have just met, it feels like we have known each other forever."

The other answers: "We haven't just met, we have been talking to each other for 3,500 years."

As we say at the Jewish Agency for Israel, we are 13 million people with one common ground: thank you for making us feel that we have been talking for 3,500 years, thank you for showing us that we have a home away from home. We will miss you all.

Next note from Jerusalem,

Shabbat Shalom,

Liat