The fifth annual B'nai B'rith Latin America Leadership Mission to Israel came to a close on May 9 when the 40-member group traveled to Sderot and Nahal Oz – two Gaza border communities repeatedly targeted by Palestinian terrorist attacks. The six-day trip, organized to honor the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state, was led by B'nai B'rith leaders from Chile, Colombia, Argentina, and Uruguay, and was also attended by B'nai B'rith International President Moishe Smith.

While visiting Sderot and Nahal Oz, the group met with Shaar Hanegev Regional Council leader Alon Shuster to learn how these communities cope with the constant threat of rocket attacks. They participated in private, high-level briefings by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tzipi Livni; Minister for Diaspora Affairs Isaac Herzog; Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee member Yuval Steinitz; National Security Council Chairman Daniel Arditi; and Yesha Council Chairman Dani Dayan.

At the invitation of the Israeli government, the group joined in the official Remembrance Day and Independence Day opening ceremonies. They also visited Ammunition Hill, Israel Military Industries, the Weizmann Institute of Science, Ariel Sharon Park, the settlement of Tzofim, the Beit Halochem Rehabilitation Center, which treats disabled Israeli soldiers, and Yeshivat Merkaz Harav, where eight students were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in March.

While in Israel, the mission hosted ambassadors and diplomats from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay for a program on the Iranian threat to Israel and the West.

B'nai B'rith leaders on the trip included B'nai B'rith Latin America Chairman Julio Froimovich of Chile, Leon Birbragher of Colombia, Deputy Pablo Grinstein of Argentina, and B'nai B'rith Latin America Affairs Director Dr. Eduardo Kohn of Uruguay.

Photo: The B'nai B'rith Latin America mission visits Ammunition Hill.