AFUWOFI COHORT 1
ISRAEL BLOG 01 
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22 Area Teens Leaving For Israel
 Twenty-two participants of AFUWOFI (Ambassadors for Unity - Write On For Israel) will leave for a 10-day trip to Israel on June 16. Following seven months' immersion in Israeli history, culture and current events, these juniors and seniors from Cleveland area high schools will be able to experience Israel directly. Their itinerary will take them to Israel's southern and northern borders and cities as well as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The teens will celebrate Shabbat and enjoy home hospitality in Cleveland's partnership community of Beit She'an/Hemek Hamayanot. Their hosts will be Israeli teens whom they hosted in Cleveland last March. Other highlights of this Jewish Federation of Cleveland-funded program will include meeting with Israeli artists, journalists, security and army personnel, notes Amnon Ophir, director of the program, who will lead the trip.
Throughout their time in Israel, the AFUWOFI-ites will document their experiences and impressions with photographs and daily blogs, many of which will appear on daily emails and online.
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Saba and Froggy Visit Eretz Yisrael
There is a tradition on our Israel missions to spin an integrative thread of narrative and pictures around something light and fun as the trip goes on. It balances the more serious demands of the program. This year the light and fun takes the form of "Saba and Froggy Visit Eretz Yisrael. "
The Saba part: that's Jeffrey. He is likely the oldest madrich to go on this trip. Old enough to be a Saba/grandpa. Below is a picture of his three grandchildren Ilan (5), Tali (3), and Aryeh (2 months).
They are curious about "where in the world is Saba" and Ilan who is about to enter Jewish day school is particularly curious.
The froggy part: A frog has become both a serious symbol and a mascot of our group. The frog represents the "amphibious Jews" who can both immerse themselves like a fish entirely in the water of Judaism in Israel and can also consciously move like a bear to find his Jewish water and food sources at synagogues and sites of Jewish culture. Froggy is also an awfully cute puppet of the group. Also, his grandchildren think its very funny when he imitate the frog from the old Buster Brown Television show who would begin the show by saying "Plunk your magic twanger Froggy...hiya kids, hiya, hiya."
The eretz yisrael part: well, that's where we will be the next ten days.
Look for Froggy to appear in the most interesting and unusual places as he and one of our teens relate something interesting and different (even outrageous) about our trip each day.
We invite the AFUWOFI parents to vote for the best Saba and Froggy picture of the trip!!!!
Jeffery and Amnon
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