Dear Partnership2Gether Family,
The current edition of Partnership Up2Date takes us to the Beer Sheva-Bnei Shimon – Montreal Partnership which is now marking 16 years of activity. This past year, the Partnership completed a serious revisiting of its vision and agenda, and the members of the joint steering committee produced a thoughtful and pointed Vision Statement which designates “Jewish Identity” and “Connections between Communities” as the core themes which all programs must address, with the primary focus being on youth and young adults.
The Beer Sheva-Bnei Shimon – Montreal Partnership boasts two highly successful flagship programs both of which aim to strengthen the younger generation:
- Gesher Chai Between Schools: Now in its 15th year of operation, this educational engagement initiative links twelve pairs of schools from Beer Sheva-Bnei Shimon – Montreal, and involves over 6,000 pupils and scores of educators annually. In accord with the program Vision, each pair of schools drafts an annual joint curriculum, conducts a series of videoconferences, and sends pupils abroad for exchange programs during the school year. Beer Sheva-Bnei Shimon’s “Gesher Chai Trustees” host Montreal youth during the summer.
- Youth Leadership: The Partnership entered this area in full force eight years ago with superb results. To expand its impact, the Partnership joined the Diller Teen Fellows program four years ago, and the program today includes some 100 youth annually. This year’s highlight was an unprecedented joint Beer Sheva-Bnei Shimon – Montreal “Tikkun Olam” delegation to Ethiopia.
- Check out the following videos from the Capital of the Negev:
o Israel Channel 10 Coverage of the Tikkun Olam delegation.
o Tikkun Olam participants doing a “No to Racism” dance at the intermission of a Hapoel Beer-Sheva Soccer game.
o Partnership’s Shana Tova video highlighting the Tikkun Olam program.
o New Partnership video (Hebrew)
- The Partnership is also well known for its history of innovative activity – most recently a fundraising theatrical performance in Beer Sheva (see coverage in Israel’s leading Ynet News site) and a doll-making project linking Beer Sheva-Bnei Shimon and Montreal peers.
Some recent P2G Highlights from other Partnerships:
- P2G in the Press:
o Beit Shean-Emeq HaMaayanot – Cleveland: Home Cooking Goes Commercial (Haaretz)
o Western Galilee – Central Area Consortium: US and Hungarian Young Jewish Leaders Hang Stars of David on Israel’s Northern Border (Jerusalem Post); see item with photo on Partnership website. A new Partnership promotional video.
o Central Galilee – Michigan: Ann Arbor/Nahalal Partnership Flourishes in the Summer (Washtenaw Jewish News)
- Community Development and Living Bridges:
o Rosh HaAyin – New Orleans: Rosh Hashana Card from Rosh HaAyin Pupils to New Orleans Friends
o Modiin – Rochester: Shana Tova to Modiin friends and family from Larry Fine, Executive Director of Rochester Jewish Federation (Video)
o New York – Israel Connections: Video Conference Bridges Pisgat Ze’ev, London-Redbridge and Staten Island Sukkot Festivities
o Yokneam-Megiddo – Atlanta-St. Louis: P2G Sports Scholarship Recipient Graduates to Israel Soccer Champions
o Northern Galilee – Great Britain: Arsenal Football Programme Planned to promote Jewish-Arab coexistence; Summer Delegations and Israel Tours 2012
o Beit Shemesh-Mateh Yehuda – Washington-South Africa: Liberty, Justice, Cycling: Cyclelive in South Africa
Keep on sending us your up-dates, articles, videos and more so that we can continue to share the good word in our future Partnership Up2Dates.
Chodesh Tov,
Andrea
