Israeli Young Emissaries on June 3 at the annual Celebrate Israel parade in New York

SNEC — the Southern New England Consortium of the nine Jewish Federations in Connecticut and in Central Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, and Greater New Bedford — celebrated the 13th anniversary of the Israeli Young Emissary program on June 3 at the annual Celebrate Israel parade in New York. The Israeli Young Emissaries, several host families, representatives from SNEC Jewish Federations, and more than 100 community members marched up Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue with the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), then gathered for a post-parade celebration at Congregation Or Zarua.
The Young Emissaries are completing their year of volunteering in Connecticut’s communities this month, and will return to Israel where they will begin their military service.
A new group of Emissaries is expected to arrive in late August. The emissaries are recent Israeli high-school graduates who postpone their military service for a year to bring Israel closer to SNEC communities. Hosted by local families, each pair of emissaries creates special Israel-themed programming for their community’s Jewish institutions and events. The Israeli Young Emissary program is co-sponsored by SNEC and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI)’s Partnership 2Gether, which bridges Jewish communities throughout the world with Israeli communities. SNEC is partnered with the Afula-Gilboa region.