The People-to-People Connection to Israel

by Lori Klinghoffer, Chair, UJC’s Israel and Overseas Committee

In my role as Israel and Overseas chair here in MetroWest, I am continuously inspired by the number of incredible connections we have developed and nurtured with our partners in Israel. In addition, my position as a member of the JAFI (Jewish Agency for Israel) Board of Governors provides a broader perspective of the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora as well as a greater understanding of the depth of initiatives and programs fulfilled through the work of our overseas partner.

It was a privilege to take part in recent JAFI meetings held in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke at the opening plenary with an inspirational message promoting the concept that we CAN change the world. He highlighted the need to focus energies on reducing the “brain drain from Israel” and creating a “brain flow” into our homeland. There are already successful models such as Birthright and Masa, which bring young people to Israel as well as those which fulfill family dreams of aliyah such as Nefesh B’nefesh. Clearly, we need to attract and tap into creative minds. Netanyahu stressed that the Jewish people have the potential to harness the forces of science, business, and government, and develop solutions to a myriad of global challenges.

Noting that today, 43% of world Jewry resides in Israel, Natan Sharansky stressed that Diaspora Jewry is critical to ensuring the future of Israel. His agenda for the agency focuses on the need to enhance people-to-people connections. Here in MetroWest, we should all be very proud that such connections have been our priority for more than 30 years, beginning with our Project Renewal community of Ramat Eliyahu in Rishon LeZion.

Over the years, our connections in Rishon LeZion have grown and flourished. From improving living conditions in the most depressed area of the city to the creation of parks, to building a community center, to cultural exchanges, to support for direct absorption of olim, to Operation Atzmaut, which promotes the elevation of the Ethiopian population through a holistic family approach, to a variety of other meaningful initiatives there. While there in October, we met with the mayor to discuss opportunities for new ways to come together.

Although many Jewish communities throughout North America and in the broader global context have developed relationships with Israeli communities, none have extended their family tree to include the number of ties we continue to maintain.

During that intense October journey, I visited our newest partnership, Horfesh, a Druze village in the northern Galilee with whom we became involved as a result of the Second Lebanon War after the summer of 2006. Because of us, their community center is twinned with the center in Ramat Eliyahu, and there is a new security/emergency volunteer center, as well as school assistance programs and the introduction of the Youth Futures program for children at risk.

In addition, we are connected with Ofakim and Merchavim, our Partnership 2000 community in the northern Negev which began in 1996 and has continued to grow and develop ever since. At the same time, we grew our family ties to include Ukraine where we adopted our sisters and brothers in the city and region of Cherkassy.

In Israel, we also continue to enjoy connections that began in the late 1980s with Ra’anana, when together, we initiated the concept of direct absorption for immigrants from the Former Soviet Union. Since that time, we have remained engaged through a variety of programs.

In 2001, following the beginning of the second Intifada, we responded to critical needs in two areas. Residents of Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, benefited from our support with the purchase of armored vehicles to provide safe travel on roads under sniper attack, as well as other security-based provisions. In response to the security needs on the Gaza border resulting from those difficult times, we also connected with Kibbutz Erez in the Northern Negev. Over the years, we have refurbished bomb shelters there, provided areas where the children can play and can easily access their safe room, and have met other critical emergency and security needs.

Our partnerships in Israel and beyond are not about the geography and the buildings, they are about the people. Through these relationships, we have extended our family ties beyond our local borders and that, my friends, is a very beautiful thing!

BACK TO TOP