Dear colleagues and friends,

Let us be the first to welcome you to the Holy Land and to the Second Conference for Palliative Care in Different Cultures.

The location chosen by the Organizing Commitee this time is a resort town and bustling port in Israel, combining sea and desert - Eilat and the Red Sea.

In the atmosphere of the sound of the waves, the continuous dancing of the brightly coloured fish, and the image of the unique corals, we'll guide you through various countries and cultures, and will explore, share and learn from each other.

At this Conference, we propose to build a bridge across cultures, to find a common language for both learning and teaching, and to overcome the boundaries between professional disciplines, patients, and families in the ongoing quest to alleviate suffering and grief. We will try to show that suffering is an unequivocal situation with the same characteristics in all cultures, languages, and creeds, indifferent to social standing, ageand gender, and that we all need expert professional care to palliate and alleviate pain at all times, especially when curative medicine is no longer effective.

The Organizing Committee and the Scientific Committee warmly invites health professionals from all medical disciplines, and supportive associations - to contribute your expertise to assure the success of this Second International Conference in Israel.

Dr. Michaela Bercovitch		Prof. Avraham Steinberg
Chair		Chair, Scientific Committee