The members of Gan Shalom, part of the Partnreship2Gether Hava Nagila Gan project,  share this video with our friends in celebration of Tu B’Shevat

Click here to view video

Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Yeshiva University, with Erez Laksman and Yossi Tzadok

Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), Yeshiva University, joined students from the university for joint study sessions with pupils from the Reali School, Haifa, a member of the Partnership2Gether International School Twinning Network.

The students assisted the Reali Young Ambassadors group headed by Iris Ringelstein in preparing activities for their meeting with peers from Moscow in Jerusalem.

They held chevruta sessions with Erez Laksman’s “Student Sanhedrin” group on the concept of “Onaat Dvarim” (insulting words).

Partnership2Gether Hadera-Eiron – Southeast Consortium held its annual Jewish Peoplehood Day this month, exposing the young generation in the Partnership communities to the importance of connections between Israel and the Jewish community in the US.

Download lesson plans.

A little over a month ago we had a “Mifgash” between 13 Americans from Palm Beach and 13 Israelis from our partnership region through the “Young ambassadors leadership program”.

Here is an interview that we did for the local TV (Mosaic – the Jewish “Talk Show” here in Palm Beach) about the Young Ambassadors program.

The interview includes Jeff Klein, Ofer Avigdori, 3 of the teens in the program and myself.

Chen Amir

Israeli Shlicha (emissary)

Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County

Office: 561-242-6693

Proceeds from the party will benefit the Arab and Israeli Youth Sports of the Israel Football League and Western Galilee Partnership Region.

Click here for further information.

The Beit Shemesh- Mateh Yehuda – Washington -South Africa Partnership will fund programs promoting religious tolerance in Beit Shemesh. Deadline for proposals is January 11, 2012.

• More information on Partnership Website

Tsameret is the Hebrew word for treetop. It is often use to express the elite of something or someone. Tsameret is also the name or an organization in Israel that have a special program for high school graduators, who postponed their army service in order to volunteer in the community.

• Read full article on Partnership Website

Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan leads Menorah Lighting Ceremony by Web Conference. Photo: Sasson Tiram

Jewish Agency P2G Launches International School Twinning Network

The Jewish Agency has established an international network that will connect hundreds of Jewish schools around the world with twin schools in Israel. The goal is to create real connections between students and teachers on both sides of the ocean and to bring alive the image of Israel amongst the students in the Diaspora. The network will allow them to experience Israel in a real and live way – not as it appears in the media. In parallel, Israeli youth will be better able to understand the Jewish life in the Diaspora.

As part of the initiative, students from Israel and around the world, who belong to one of the twin schools, will hold virtual meetings on video screens in their classrooms. They will have joint classes in areas that deal with Judaism and general subjects, such as ecology and art, and there will be face-to-face meetings between the students on joint educational visits.

According the Jewish Agency’s data, there are 850 Jewish schools (day schools and afternoon schools) in North America and 300 schools are operating in the former Soviet Union, which hundreds of thousands of Jewish students are attending. The Jewish Agency initiative will expand upon existing connections between the Diaspora schools and twin schools in Israel and will provide professional tools to educators participating in the project. The Agency has an ambitious set of goals for the network going forward including the establishment of  educational standards and criteria for programs. Already underway is a web-based knowledge center that includes: interactive communication, educational content,  and best practices as to how to  conduct school twinning. The educational content will include a menu of programs such as teacher training,  school programming and  increased opportunities for shared learning. The expectation is to expand the number of countries across the world involved in the network. 

In the first phase of the project, the participants will include 200 Israel schools and 200 schools from the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, South Africa, Switzerland, Mexico, Russia, Hungary, Argentina and Turkey.

The Director of the Partnership Unit at the Jewish Agency, Andrea Arbel, said, “The international network will advance the connections between hundreds of thousands of students and teachers from Israel and around the world, with the goal of allowing Diaspora Jews relate to Israel as a real and warm place and allow Israelis to better know the Jewish Diaspora.  The greatest value of school twinning,” continued Arbel, ” is that it brings Israel alive to tens of thousands of students and teachers around the world. Israel can be taught in the classroom and Hebrew can be taught in the classroom, but it is only when children and educators in overseas communities interact directly with Israelis does Israeli actually come alive for them.”

The kick-off event, attended by Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive, Natan Sharansky and Director General, Alan Hoffman as well Avraham Infeld a leading thinker in Jewish identity through pluralistic education, took place in Jerusalem this week. Educational leaders from around Israel, along with students from various countries participated in the ceremony, where a simultaneous lighting of the third candle of Hanukah was broadcast on a giant screen. Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, Educational Coordinator for the Western Galilee – Central Area Consortium Partnership, led the canle-lighting ceremony, which featured schools from Australia, Russia and Switzerlad.

• Conference Program
• Galei Tzahal Radio Interview with Andrea Arbel (Hebrew)

So, I will like to share with the path that I made in order to get to where I am today.

In 2007 I was a student in Sapir college which is located in Sderot, and leaving in kibbutz Zikim. As part of the scholarship opportunities I learned about a scholarship offered by TIPS P2G.

The lay leader of the program and my self created a youth teaching youth educational program. The program offered youth an opportunity to learn how to work PA (public audio) system. The educators where teens that where trained for this and had background in the filled of PA and being a counselor. My roll was to prepare the counselors and to do guidance for them regarding educational issues and walk them through the process.

After the project ended I was approached by Jewish Agency Partnership Director Itai Zaildenberg to join the TIPS steering comity as a young adult for the Hof Ashkelon region. During this time I had the opportunity to learn about the partnership, influent and help plan future programs.

During that time I was working as the director for the Shikma Informal education institute, which is located In Yad Mordachay.

As I was heading toward the end of my third and final year I was approached again by Itai, this time it was to learn about the position that I am doing currently.

I had the a very unique opportunity to see, learn and influent from both sides of the ocean. In the last six years I learned about what an amazing project is P2G and how important is the connection between the North American Jewish community and Israel. This gave me the chance to appreciate this wonderful thing.

I wonted to share this with you and thank the partnership.

Best regards

Shaked Angel

Clip in Hareali School created by: Nataly Almorian, Shoshi Kisner, Pninit Elgazi and Irit First.

Partnership2Gether International School Twinning Website