Last week, a group of Israeli educators came to Milwaukee (see related story this page). Next week, a group of Israeli teens will spend a week in Milwaukee and a week at the Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken, the resident camp operated by the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
These are just two recent examples of many activities between people from Milwaukee and people from Sovev Kinneret (around Lake Kinneret), the Israeli region linked to Milwaukee via the Partnership 2000 program. Milwaukee has shared the region with Tulsa, Minneapolis and St. Paul for approximately the past five years.
While the American communities send financial support to the region via their federation community and special Israel campaigns, even more important is how the building of friendships and relationships between the communities is emerging as one of the major successes of the program.
As Jane Gellman, overall chair of the P2K cluster, said: “We’re getting to know the Israelis and they’re getting to know us, face-to-face. We are helping real people and not just sending money.
“I think this lets Milwaukee feel connected to Israel, which wouldn’t happen without Partnership 2000. It’s a way to bring Israel to America at a time when few Americans are going there. This is good news.”
Gellman and Roslyn Roucher, who was recently hired by the Milwaukee Jewish Federation as P2K cluster coordinator, recently attended the bi-annual steering committee meeting in the region.
Roucher noted that the region is suffering a serious depression with nearly 40 percent unemployment. “While we were there, we learned that a lunch program for children was in jeopardy. We were able to reshuffle some funds to ensure its continuation through the end of the year.”
Roucher was hired in March to work for and with the four American communities and Israel to help coordinate and develop all projects, in conjunction with the on-site project manager, Smadar Perach.
“As an American,” said Roucher, “I thought we needed the Israelis more than they needed us, but P2K shows me we all need each other. I think the far reaching impact of P2K is to build personal communications between the Americans and Israelis.”
“Overall, this is a hard time in Israel,” Roucher said. “Everything is prefaced by what they call ‘the situation.’ It changes things, but doesn’t stop our work. We just need to adapt.”
Roucher holds a master’s degree in Jewish education from Hebrew Union College and has lived in Israel. She also is the adult Jewish learning coordinator at Congregation Sinai.
MORE STORIES
Loading ...