At the Sea of Galilee: Thornton-Tomasetti's Dan Cuoco, Baker Concrete's Dan Baker, FMI's Hugh Rice, STV's Michael Saade, ENR's Jan Tuchman, KUD's Marvin Suomi, SHCA's Richard Hayden, Allied North America's Bill Marino, Treeco's Fred Fish, Peckar & Abramson's Bob Peckar, Turner International's Nick Billotti, and Tishman Speyer's Charles DeBenedittis. (Photo by Yehuda Ashkenazi)

All these things were part of an unusual journey I took recentlya one-week seminar in Israel with 10 leaders of the U.S. construction industry. The trip was sponsored by Project Interchange, a division of the American Jewish Committee. Its goal is to further understanding of complicated Middle East issues to help leaders make better-informed decisions. The group has taken about 4,000 peoplecongressmen, mayors, police chiefs, Rhodes scholars, university presidents and many others to meet with peers in Israel.

Its all about planting seeds, says Fred Fish, co-chairman of Project Interchange and a developer from The Real Estate Equity Co., Englewood, N.J. We want people to come back and project the understanding of what they saw to their colleagues, neighbors and friends. Fish and construction attorney Robert Peckar, managing partner of Peckar & Abramson, River Edge, N.J., had the idea of taking a construction industry-focused group. I have colleagues who work all over the world, but never consider working in Israel either because of the Arab boycott (perceived or real) or because of the perception that Israel is unsafe, Peckar says. People think Israel is a tense, dangerous place that is always on edge, and that is far from the truth, he adds.

This was taken at our tour of the Beit She'an Archeological site--dating back to Roman era. (Photo by Charles DeBenedittis)

The itinerary exposed the group to the regional kaleidoscopeits people, politics and religions. On the business side, we met Minister of Construction and Housing Isaac Hertzog, in charge of re-housing the 8,000 Israelis pulled out of Gaza. Tel Avivs Municipal Engineer Dani Keiser, showed us the city and told us about its plans for a $1.2-billion, 26-kilometer underground rail transit system. We met peers in Israeli design and constructionmajor contractor Gadish Group, developer U. Dori Ltd. and BSR Engineering and Development. We toured Ramat Negev, a new development being carved from the desert south of Beer-Sheva. And we heard about co-existence initiatives from the Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information.

On the cultural and political side, we had dinner with an Israeli family in Petach Tikva, visited an immigrant absorption center and viewed a section of the security fence at Kfar Saba with a member of the Israeli Defense Forces. We also visited Christian historical sites such as the Mount of the Beatitudes and the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth; drove through the Jordan Valley on the West Bank; and toured the Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem and the Old City of Jerusalem.

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U.S. Consul General Jacob Walles, and Ambassador Bill Taylor, of the Office of the Special Envoy for Disengagement, briefed the group on the U.S. governments position on Israeli disengagement from Gazathe search for balance between more economic freedom for Palestinians in Gaza and security for its neighbors. Unfortunately, making it easier to truck goods out of Gaza makes it easier to get terrorists out, too, Walles says. Both saw development coming to Gaza. Grants are promised by several countries. The Japanese plan to fund a north-south highway, the United Arab Emirates announced plans for a $100-million high-rise housing complex, and the European Union is funding work on the Port of Gaza. There are efforts to reopen the airport, which has been closed for years, and work is under way on a water-supply pipeline.

The World Bank has appointed a team headed by Louis Berger, East Orange, N.J., to conduct the feasibility and technical study for a transportation corridor between Gaza and the West Bank. The Palestinians want a highway to link the two areas while the Israelis support a rail link. The study is being financed by U.S. Agency for International Development and should be completed within a few months.

My companions on the trip were some of the sharpest people in the industry, and each had his own perspective on our journey. Here is some of what they told me:

Marvin Suomi, CEO of KUD International, Santa Monica, Calif.: I came to learn. This kind of immersion is as good as it gets. I focus on alternative delivery methods, particularly public-private partnerships for large scale infrastructure projects. I dont really see the mindset it takes for that in Israel yet.

William A. Marino, Chairman and CEO of Allied North America, Jericho, N.Y.: I met a highly energetic, open group of contractors in Israel, many of whom seemed to be genuinely excited about the opportunity to grow, looking for both expertise and capital, and expressing a desire to partner with American firms. I also found that rational people on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seem to think very similarly.

Charles A. DeBenedittis, senior managing director of Tishman Speyer, New York City: Im impressed with how well the Israelis have their act together. They are very well organized and have a tremendous outlook. Their construction seems excellent, efficiency is top-notch. Theres a lot less security than I expected to see.

Dan Cuoco, president, the Thornton-Tomasetti Group Inc., New York, N.Y.: The political issues are really interesting. I did not realize the pull-out from Gaza had to do with maintaining a Jewish majority of voters in Israel. I like the can-do attitude here. A fish farm in the Negevno water?no problem! And Im not a very religious person, but [after visiting Christian holy sites] I have an urge to read the Bible.

Richard Hayden, managing principal, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, New York City: Jerusalem is a city of magnificent vistas. Many countries have a capital city and a commercial city, where the capital is more formal. There are some very nice samples of new buildings here, but fewer representatives in Tel Aviv, a place of rapid change.

Hugh L. Rice, managing director, FMI Corp., Denver: I didnt know what to expect here. The military is not as pervasive as I thought they would be. And the construction industry is more sophisticated than I thought. There could be potential for joint ventures country to country. I had a good conversation at Technion University about teaching engineers the business side of construction. Its an area I want to pursue. The trip has been productive, interesting, educational.

Daniel L. Baker, president, Baker Concrete Construction, Monroe, Ohio: Israelis are so passionate about lifetheir work, their beliefs, their boundaries, their purpose, their opportunities. I saw some beautiful architectural concrete at the University of the Negev, and it was also impressive to see construction from thousands of years ago. It is amazing what they did and how the structures have held up.

By JANICE L. TUCHMAN
Editor-in-Chief