Partnership2Gether advocates innovation, creativity and renewal.
In recent years, the volume of Partnership activity on the environment has grown, but nevertheless, there is room for its continued development. There are clear advantages to dealing with this issue through the partnerships:
A. Protecting the environment as an important value in our world.
B. Connecting new communities to the partnerships’ activity through a ‘neutral’ subject.
C. Connecting with Jewish values through the ‘back door’ – through the subject of environmental protection.
D. Linking up with additional forces to create new cooperative efforts with the governmental and private sectors.
Green Conference at Partnership2Gether:
On the 1st of Kislev, November 18, 2009, a division-wide conference was held, designed for managers and reciprocal relations and education coordinators in the partnerships. The conference was planned and produced by Yahel Porat and Orit Lasser – employees at the division’s headquarters for the partnerships.
The day’s overriding goal was to place environmental issues on the partnerships’ agendas, as a leading field in creating educational-social and Jewish projects. The conference’s objective was to create awareness and to encourage the partnerships to develop the ‘green’ issue, as an infrastructure to build new models for the Partnership with the overseas communities, by creating ideological and infrastructure partnerships with green organizations in Israel and abroad.
Secondary goals of the conference:
1. Presenting the ‘green’ issue and positioning it as a leading sphere in creating cooperative efforts between Israeli communities and their partner communities.
2. Connecting the ‘green’ field to Judaism, and environmental protection.
3. Introducing new and ongoing projects in the partnerships in environmental fields.
4. Introducing the Environmental Education Center and the option of organizing tours for the delegations at the Hiriya site, on the subject of environmental development / recycling waste / environmental protection education.
50 Partnership Division employees and other Jewish Agency representatives attended the conference.
The Conference Program:
Meeting at the Environmental Education Center, Dan Region Cities Association for Sanitation. Reception and greetings by the Israel Department Director General, Leah Golan; and Eitan Shaul, Director of the southern partnerships and the green forum director.
Theoretical-professional panel, with specialists in various and diverse aspects of the environmental field. The panel’s subject was ‘Environmental Protection as a Central Axis in Building New Partnerships with the Jewish World.’ The panel was hosted by Avi Dabosh, community and environmental coordinator at Shatil.
1. The Panel’s spokespersons and the theoretical and practical subjects they presented:
a. Dr. Eilon Schwartz, Executive Director of the Heschel Center for Environmental Thinking and Leadership – “Judaism and the Environment.”
b. Carmi Weismon, Executive Director of Sviva Israel – “Environment in the Context of Diaspora Jewry and Community Building.”
c. Sagit Porat, Paths to Sustainability Coalition Coordinator at the Life and Environment Organization – “Environmental Protection – The Israeli Context.”
2. Panel Respondents:
a. Einat Kramer – Executive Director of Teva Ivri.
b. Motti Lieberman – Deputy Director of Education at the SPNI.
c. Gil Ya’acov - Director of Megama Yeruka.
d. Idit Elhasid – Director of the Environmental Education Center.
The feedback questionnaires indicate that 79% of the respondents felt that the panel was interesting to a great extent-very great extent.
Tour of Hiriya, with a guide from the Environmental Education Center.
A follow-up survey was conducted:
- 90% of the respondents said that the tour was very interesting
- 86% responded that it provided them with new knowledge on the field to a great-very great extent.
- 46% of the participants answered that they would like to use the Hiriya site for future activities with the partnerships, and a similar percentage answered that they were uncertain.
The participants were divided into two groups – a directors group and a coordinators group, where each group had a different agenda:
Partnership directors – Managers’ Symposium – led by Yahal Porat, director of special projects and initiatives at the partnerships’ division: Presenting Partnerships that are involved in the green field and different aspects for developing partnerships with regard to this issue.
Partnerships Presenting at the Workshop:
1. Kiryat Gat Lachish Shafir – Chicago
2. Eilat-Eilot-Toronto
3. Tel Aviv-Los Angeles
4. Beit Shemesh, Mateh Yehuda-Washington-South Africa
5. Jerusalem-New York
6. Bat Yam-Toronto
7. Nitzana-Denver
Reciprocal relations and education coordinators – Presenting the Partnerships’ existing projects, and proposals for new projects. See examples above.
Organizations that will present projects:
1. Sviva Israel/the Ecological Connection
2. The Green Network/Keren Karev – the ‘Green Network’ programs at schools.
3. Megama Yeruka – Activities in cooperation with the students’ organizations from Israel and from the Jewish world.
4. SPNI – educational activities for different target populations, in the fields of environmental protection, active citizenship on environmental issues, preserving and restoring historic sites, etc.
The feedback questionnaires indicate that 76% of the respondents considered the workshops interesting and 63% responded that they contributed new knowledge in the field to a great-very great extent. 85% answered that the workshops were relevant to them to a medium-very great extent and the same number answered that they will be able to apply what they learned at the workshops to a medium-very great extent.
Additionally, a project fair was held, which presented publicity and informational materials on the environmental activity, and personal connections were made with the division employees.
The feedback questionnaires indicated that most of the organizations that participated in the conference, between 50%-80%, were relevant to the partnerships’ work and to the creation of future cooperative efforts.
In summary:
86% of the participants responded that the conference met their expectation to a great-very great extent. In addition, 90% of the respondents answered that they intend to investigate the possibility of adopting the field and/or certain environmental projects, in their partnership region.
- For further information, or to get involved, please contact yahalp@jafi.org
