Young emissaries bring ‘living bridge' projects to Israel
By Tracy Sullivan
For seven months, young emissaries from Partnership 2000 (P2K) have been busy bringing their love of their native Israel to communities in Southern New England.
Most recently, they had the opportunity to bring a bit of America back home to Israel.
The young emissaries are Israelis from the Afula-Gilboa region who have graduated from high school and are spending a year volunteering in Southern New England before they head off to the Israeli army. The program is sponsored by Partnership 2000, which links communities in Israel like Afula-Gilboa with overseas communities such as the Southern New England Consortium (SNEC) — a network of Jewish Federations in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts — to strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora.
Beccy Adler of Kibbutz Yizreal, serving as a young emissary in Greater New Haven, said, "The Jewish community is somewhat like our kibbutz because everyone knows everyone. People are interested in you and what's going on."
Sharon Conway, director of the young emissary program, said, "The communities are loving them. It's such a win-win program. It's great for the young emissaries. It broadens their experience… It's also great for the communities" because it puts a face on Israel.
"Though the programs have been wonderful, some of the most substantial contributions that have been made are the connections one on one."
She gave the example of a family hosting a young emissary and having someone at their house who had never met an Israeli before but got excited about Israel after meeting the emissary.
Much of their work has been volunteering at Jewish organizations such as day schools, afternoon religious schools, JCCs and Jewish nursing homes.
For Chanukah, the emissaries worked together on a joint project in New Haven. During a fundraiser called Maccabiah Nights for MAKOM Hebrew High School, families went to Chanukah parties at various homes. In the homes, the young emissaries led a game called Maccabranium, a Chanukah take on the board game Cranium. Like in the game Cranium, players used their artistic, word, trivia and musical skills to answer questions about Chanukah.
More recently, they've been speaking at public schools, introducing Israel to many young Americans who only know about Israel from what they see on TV or read in the newspapers.
Or Lustig, a young emissary serving in Rhode Island, added, "I really think I'm changing the point of view of Israel."
In February, the young emissaries had the opportunity to bring a bit of America back home to Israel.
Prior to their trip, which took place Feb. 9-27, the young emissaries created tikkun olam/living bridge projects to connect the American communities in which they have been volunteering and their own Israeli communities.
Prior to their trip, Lustig and Gani Born, another emissary in Rhode Island, taught students in the religious schools at Temple Am David in Warwick and Temple Emanu-El in Providence about the Israeli army.
The students ended up adopting a unit in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF); a couple of the soldiers in the unit are Lustig's friends. Groups of students worked together to pen letters to the soldiers.
Lustig brought the letters with him to Israel, and gave them to a friend in the unit. He said the Israeli soldiers "were very surprised and happy" to receive the letters because, he says, it's rare for soldiers to receive letters from American students. And the soldiers have replied to the students; some responded in English, some in Hebrew.
In Hartford, a young emissary, Shavit Mundur, taught first graders at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford about Tu B'Shevat, and asked them if they would like to donate money to plant trees in Israel. They did. When she returned to Israel in February, Munder and a class from Ein Harod planted the trees purchased by the Schechter kids. They took pictures of the planting, and sent pictures back to their American partners.
Adler and her fellow New Haven young emissary, Eilam Oren of Afula, created Purim masks with students in grades 1-8 at Ezra Academy in Woodbridge for Israeli students. Ezra students used their artistic abilities to design the front of the mask. On the other side, they wrote a couple of lines about themselves, and what costumes they wanted to wear for Purim.
The masks were given to Israeli students at the school that Adler attended as a child and to seventh and eighth graders involved in the Israeli scouting program where Oren served as a leader.
The Israeli students read aloud what their American friend wrote inside each mask, and in turn created masks to give to their new friends in the States.
"The kids were really excited to get the masks from Israel. They were comparing what each one of them got," Adler said.
Now the Ezra students are writing notes and gathering snacks to send to their Israeli friends for Purim.
The emissaries are organizing a weekend retreat for high school students called Experience Israel in America, which will be held May 20-22 at Camp Laurelwood in Madison. The students who went to Afula-Gilboa through the Partnership 2000 Mifgashim program will serve as counselors in training.
From two to 14
The young emissary program began with 1999 with two Israelis in Westport. This year, seven SNEC communities are hosting young emissaries: Westport, Eastern Fairfield County, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Rhode Island and Central Massachusetts. The year began with 14 emissaries in Southern New England. One emissary, Shelley Bessor, who was working in Eastern Fairfield County, returned to Israel following a car accident.
Out of 120 applicants, 16 candidates are in the running for 14 young emissary positions in SNEC for the 2005-2006 year. The candidates meet once a week with Asaf Ron, former Hartford area shaliach, to learn about American Jewish life, and they will participate in a 10-day seminar during the summer with the Jewish Agency.
Comments? E-mail tracysullivan@jewishledger.com.