Our Federation has a unique and meaningful relationship with our Israel and overseas partner communities. Starting in 1977, these relationships have evolved and changed, but currently our community partners with five communities in Israel: Rishon LeZion (1977), Ofakim/Merchavim (1995), Kibbutz Erez (2001), Hurfeish (2006), Arad (2010), as well as Cherkassy, Ukraine (1996). Together, our seven communities make up what we call our Greater MetroWest Israel and Overseas Partnership Network (IOPN) and further our commitment to klal Yisrael, the unity of our worldwide Jewish family.
Each of these meaningful partnerships was formed (in collaboration with our worldwide partners the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) as a response to economic, security, or other pressing challenges. In Israel, they represent many faces of Israeli society and include a large city, a kibbutz, small development towns (moshavim), and a Druze village. They all deal with social, economic and/or geographic challenges, but at the same time, they all provide inspiring success stories, achievements, and a strong willingness to stay connected.
Our Federation has an office and staff in Israel that coordinates local volunteers from each of our Israel partnership communities. These local volunteers form steering committees representing their community. Pictured above are chairs of the steering committees during the Israelis’ recent trip to New Jersey to collaborate with colleagues here.
The collaborative work of our New Jersey and Israeli steering committees has identified three main priorities: forming living bridges (programs that build connections), promoting Jewish pluralism (the encouragement of the coexistence of more than one system of thought and values), and advancing English skills in all the partnership communities.
Over the years, these partnerships have afforded our community members here in New Jersey, in Israel, and in Cherkassy the ability to dream, envision, and then develop innovative models and programs. The cross-community interactions raise awareness and understanding of the different groups in Israeli society for us in New Jersey and give our Israeli friends access to the diversity of Jewish life in the diaspora.
And given the ongoing war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas, these relationships have proven critical in meeting specific needs of our partners, above and beyond what other organizations are providing.
Here’s some background information on each partner community.
Ofakim is a development city with a population of 34,000 in the northern Negev, midway between Beersheva and Gaza. The Merchavim Regional Council consists of 14 small communities (moshavim) in the surrounding area. Our relationship with these communities is part of Partnership 2000, a Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) program which began in 1996. The partnership has evolved from a focus on economic development to a wide range of initiatives designed to enhance their quality of life with an emphasis on youth activities, volunteer development, student leadership, an art center, music and sports activities, and enriched school day projects such as a nutrition program, youth-at-risk programs, and more.
Arad is located on the border of the Negev and the Judean Deserts, near the Dead Sea. The city is home to a diverse population that includes Ashkenazim and Sephardim, secular and religious, Russians, Ethiopians, and Bedouins, as well as native-born Israelis. The New Jersey-Arad partnership fosters enduring relationships among Jewish communities by funding an array of programs, including economic development, arts and culture, strengthening youth, and people-to-people programs that connect Arad and New Jersey.
Kibbutz Erez is located on the Gaza border in the northern Negev. Since the beginning of the Second Intifada, the region has become a target for terrorists and hundreds of kassam rocket attacks. Our special relationship with Kibbutz Erez began in response to the difficult security situation in Israel and Federation’s desire to assist communities on the front line. Projects funded in cooperation with the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council include refurbishment of bomb shelters, construction and renovation of a safe room attached to one of the children’s houses, renovation and reinforcement of the kibbutz’s medical clinics, donation of an emergency generator, and much more.
Rishon LeZion, located south of Tel Aviv, is the fourth largest city in Israel. Project Renewal, focusing on the disadvantaged neighborhood of Ramat Eliyahu was the beginning of our Federation’s partnership with the city back in 1978. We have maintained an active relationship with the neighborhood and have developed a close connection with the entire city. The Diller Teen Leadership Fellows is a longstanding centerpiece of our partnership with Rishon LeZion.
Hurfeish, a Druze village in the northern Galilee, became connected to Greater MetroWest as a result of the Second Lebanon War in 2006. We recognized the significant contribution that the Druze population makes to the State of Israel through its loyal participation in civil affairs and the Israel Defense Forces. We are the only U.S. Federation with a partner relationship that connects a Diaspora Jewish community to an Israeli Arab village.
Cherkassy, in central Ukraine, about midway between Kiev and Odessa, is both a city and a county. The city has an overall population of 350,000, and 1.5 million more live in the county. The total Jewish population in the area is between 8,000 and 9,000. Federation’s partnership began in 1996 through the JDC, and has focused on developing the Jewish community, providing Jewish education, fostering Jewish identity, and aiding the elderly, most of whom live in dire poverty.