Both THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and the City of Baltimore maintain a "sister city" relationship with Ashkelon, a town of 100,000 people about a one hour drive south of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea. On behalf of THE ASSOCIATED, the Maryland/Israel Development Center runs the economic development programs under the partnership. These include:

• MicroEnterprise Loan Fund

• Tourism Promotion

• Small Business Development Training

The $140,000 MicroEnterprise Loan Fund provides loans of up to $10,000 for Ashkelon businesses targeting the domestic Israeli market. The Ashkelon-Baltimore Economic Development Committee oversees the program.

For more information, contact MIDC Executive Director Barry Bogage at 410-767-0681 or bbogage@MarylandIsrael.org .