Students from Meyer Academy and the Begin School from Zfat met after three months of joint work, during which they adopted a memory of a fallen soldier, learn his/her life story, and reached-out to their families by joint letters. They had a fantastic evening on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and today they met to conclude their Yom Hazikaron work at the partnering school; after that, they walked to the military cemetery, where they held a very emotional ceremony. Some sang, some read, and then they all wondered through the graves putting flowers all around. They stood in front of the Israel Flag and sang HaTikva. After four years of successful implementation of this program, we wanted it to have a name: “Mifgash Zikaron”, which means “Memory Encounter”.

From there, they drove to Rosh Pinna, where they went to see the Mega Flag they all contributed to by making their own personal small flag. This too, was quite an exciting experience, and they look forward to seeing the rest of the flags hang in PB during Israel @ 65. Here, facing road 90, a 12 meter X 3.5 meter flag is exposed to ten thousands of people driving this road in the next two weeks.

We ran into huge problem hanging this flag – we didn’t realize how complicated this would be. The Mayor of Rosh Pinna helped us by donating half of the cost.

Toda!

Purim has many special traditions — helping those in need, being kind, generous and happy — all of which our Partnership with Israel’s Tzahar Region preserves.

This year more than 150 families from the greater Palm Beaches collected costumes for children in need to wear on Purim.

Costume fairs in our sister cities of Hatzor Haglilit and Tzfat assured that children whose parents couldn’t afford to pay for a costume got a free one.

The children and mentors of the Federation-funded Youth Futures initiative send their thanks as well as photographs of their smiling faces to let you know that your donations will make for an especially happy Purim in the region for many.

Partnership 2Gether is the Federation’s platform for Israel engagement and bridging our local community with Tzfat, Hatzor Haglilit and Rosh Pina. Opportunities exist for everyone –from students to teachers, synagogue members, youth, teens and more!

Within the framework of the Partnership2Gether School Twining Program, strong relationships have developed between Israeli students and teachers from the ZHR region with their counterparts in the Palm Beach Jewish Community.

This month Nammie Ichilov, headmaster of the Meyer Academy visited the region with his daughter Adina. Meyer Academy is the sole Jewish day school in Palm Beach where students study from K-8 grade. Although on a family visit to Israel Nammie took the time to travel to the ZHR region and visit the Begin Interdisciplinary High School and Vilcomitch Elementary in Safed and Rosh Pina, respectively.

Vilcomitch Community School has three classes participating in the twinning program opposite three classes from the Meyer Jewish Academy in Palm Beach. Upon his arrival, the school’s principal and the teachers’ active in the twinning program greeted him warmly. Osnat Raski, the school’s principal welcomed Nammie and took him on a tour of the school. Nammie brought with him a donation of 145 English language books that were collected by the students at Meyer Academy during the recent months for their friends at Vilcomitch with the objective of enriching the school’s English library.

Nammie’s daughter Adina is a fifth grade student who studies in the class parallel to that of Perla Vilcomitch. Adina was very excited prior to her meeting with her partner pupils from Israel, and came bearing letters and gifts prepared by her classmates in Palm Beach. She toured the school and participated in some of the lessons of her ‘twin’ class.

This is the fourth year of ‘twinning’ between 8th grade classes at the Begin Interdisciplinary High School and their counterparts at the Meyer Academy surrounding the subject of Israel Memorial Day. A curriculum was selected that focused upon the subject of Memorial Day in Israel enabling the children to learn about the soldiers from the partnership region who throughout the years fell in defense of the nation, and the reality facing the region during wartime. The main activity centers around correspondence between the students until their face-to-face meeting on Memorial Day. Every year, a delegation of some 40 American students visit Safed to enjoy a spiritual Shabbat and quality time with their friends from Begin High School. At the end of this weeklong visit, the students from the two partner schools travel together, get to know one another and experience a unique “Shabbat in Safed”. For the students from Palm Beach the program has a tremendous impact on their connection to Judaism and Israel, connects them with newfound friends from among the children of Safed and gives them a better understanding of the fact that they are part of a larger people that resides not only in Israel but also throughout the Diaspora.

This year the program centers on an acquaintance and commemoration of the memories of the soldiers who fell in the wars of Israel, all of them former students of the Begin High School. The students from both communities study the biographies of the fallen soldiers, correspond with the soldiers’ families and document the emotional and historical processes that they experience. This past December a first meeting was held at Begin High School in which students enriched their knowledge surrounding the Meyer Academy and the Palm Beach Jewish Community. They all wrote brief letters of introduction and sent their first emails to their ‘pen-pals’ abroad. During their next session, the students will begin their joint studies surrounding the particular fallen soldier and compose a letter to his family.

Following his visit to Vilcomitch, Nammie arrived at the Begin High School. There he was met by Ofer Zaafrani, the school’s principal, Iris Dayan, the school’s social coordinator, and Natalie Samirnov and Etti Ben Abu, the partner classes’ homeroom teachers.

Upon entering the 8th grade class, Nammie received a heartwarming surprise. The classroom was decorated with “Welcome” signs and the logo of his school. A wonderful discussion developed between Nammie and the class. The atmosphere in the class was one of excited expectation towards the contact and the meaningful program being developed between the partners.

After five years of service as a Living Bridge Coordinator in our Partnership, Bat El Trabelsi, a borne Zfat, is leaving and moving on to work with Masa students in Tel Aviv as well as continue her academic studies there.

Bat El, a graduate of the Partnership Youth Leadership program of 2002 – TLI, has grown with us and helped establish and further develop our work. As the Madricha of the Israeli Ambassadors, she will visit Palm Beach in Hanukah while guiding the delegation in their overseas program. This will also be her way of saying goodbye to the many friends and partners she bonded with over the years…

Though we are sorry to say goodbye to Bat-El, we are delighted she will be replaced by another graduate of our Youth Leadership program of 2000; the very first year we started our youth programs! Maytal Benbenishti from Rosh Pinna is an eleventh generation in the region. Her family first settled in Zfat after the Spanish Expulsion from Spain, who in the 19th century they moved from Zfat to Rosh Pinna. With such strong roots in the region, Maytal is very committed to it… after serving as an officer who helped soldiers from disadvantaged homes, Maytal has invested herself in educational work and serving youth in Hazor and Rosh Pinna.

We welcome Maytal as we say farewell to Bat El. We are glad to have our graduates back as leaders in the Partnership!

Youth Futures children in Hazor had a session on expressions of gratitude through arts; many directed their Toda to Bente & Dan Lyons for enabling this program in our region.

By bringing together American and Israeli teens for a cross cultural mifgash experience, the program builds long-lasting personal relationships that strengthen the participants’ Jewish identity and fosters a sense of Jewish peoplehood on both sides.

The Bonim Fellows are mostly graduates of the Partnership youth leadership programs, which run in a cycle of 18-24 months, and include leadership development sessions, value-based Jewish education, and Mifgashim in Israel and in Palm Beach. The concluding Bonim Fellows project is focused on Tikun Olam and community service. Each year the Bonim select a project such as bomb shelter renovation and parks rehabilitation, as well as social volunteerism, but this year the youth decided to plan and implement their own summer camp for children at risk. With hesitation of first-timers – but serious dreamers – 22 youth, Israelis and American, acted as the counselors of 70 Youth Futures children in Zfat… the program enabled English learning and social activities, while all lesson plans were prepared meticulously ahead of time… the idea behind this project is on one hand to allow children who cannot afford “Keitana” to participate in a quality summer camp, and on the other hand – allow our youth to materialize their acquired leadership skills.

At the last day, “no eye was dry”… lives have been touched – young and older, teens and professionals; for all it has been an unforgettable experience.

The lesson and final conclusion: exceptional! Continue! Spread the word out, spread the action! And – make it longer next time…

Toda Raba to our wonderful youth! As the old song say – Shirat ha’Noar, Shir Atidanu – the song of youth is the song of our future…

Steering committee enjoys evening out at Kilat Nimrod: (right to left) Partnership2Gether Palm Beach Co-Chair Tami Baldinger, Palm Beach Jewish Federation Israel & Overseas Director Hope Levin and Palm Beach Jewish Federation CEO David Phillips

Dear Partners,

As the co-chair of the Palm Beach – Tzahar partnership, I recently returned from our joint steering committee meetings in Israel. We stayed in our beautiful region and spent time with our wonderful partners, visiting the people involved in the projects we fund and building the growing relationships we are developing over time.

I am constantly inspired by our work and the people involved. I am reminded of the important role our partnership plays in building connections between Jews in the diaspora and Jews in Israel, which in turn strengthens our people as a whole.

As I sat at the table at our joint steering committee meeting, I was inspired by the incredible people sitting there with me: the members from Palm Beach and Tzahar, who give of their time and resources because they are all passionate about strengthening Jewish Peoplehood and the devoted professionals who spend hours working to make our partnership so special.

I feel blessed to be involved in this special partnership. I look forward to continuing our important work engaging and connecting more and more people in both communities by strengthening Jewish identity and Peoplehood.

Toda raba!
Tami Baldinger
Partnership2Gether Palm Beach Co-Chair

• Letter to Steering Committee from Partnership2Gether Palm Beach Co-Chair Tami Baldinger
• Letter to Steering Committee from Jewish Agency Partnership2Gether Director Iris Meidan

Palm Beach Jewish Federation CEO David Phillips with produce from the ORT Hatzor School's therapeutic greenhouse, donated by Bente S. and the late Daniel M. Lyons.

Tzfat Mayor Ilan Shohat leads committee on tour of Tzfat's new medical school.

Celebrating the 4th of July at budget session.

For the first time, a clergy delegation arrived in the region, with the purpose of deepening their congregations’ connection with their partnering community, learning and generating possibilities for follow-up living bridge activity….

Operated by the International Centre for Zfat Kabala, founded by the Partnership

Program description:

The Zfat Kabala Center implements tourism programs based on Zfat’s historical Jewish gift – the birthplace and home of Rabbi Issac Luria Ashkenazi (also known as the Holy “Ari”), originator of the Kabala. The Centre attracts close to 30,000 visitors each year, who seek to learn and experience the Kabala, as well as celebrate special events such as Bar Mitzvah or Jewish holiday related events.

Program update July 2011 – summer 2012:

Kabala Centre is doing very well in providing special tourism experiences to approximately 30,000 visitors, contributing to the unique spirit of Zfat. Visitors are international, Birthright participants, youth, school students from Israel and abroad, soldiers, B’nei Mitzvah, and more… As always, the Centre is assisting the Partnership in producing relevant events and hospitality, such as Kabalistic Bar Mitzvah celebrations to participants of the Bar Mitzvah project, hosting youth groups from St. Petersburg, and almost every guest and group from Palm Beach.

The Centre is working hard to improve its location and facility; moving to a designated central place in the old city is one of its primary goals.

Adherence to the Partnership vision and strategy:

The centre responds in part to the Partnership’s vision and strategy by providing experiences in the region, dealing with Jewish culture, touching thousands of participants from all over the world through Jewish content relevant to our region, and helping us create and enrich the relationship between Palm Beach and the Tzahar region.

The Centre has a greater potential proving living bridge services.

In consideration of the quality versus quantity of participation in this program, the emphasis is mostly put on extent of service rather than its depth. More courses and learning services are needed to balance between the two.

This is the program’s 6th year of operation. Gradually, it can achieve financial independence, and a phase-out strategy of Partnership funding has been approved by the SC last year.