Throughout history, in all races and religions, a common feeling is the sense of wanting to belong. With that goal of connection, empowerment, and community, the Jewish Agency for Israel created the Parternership2Gether program (P2G). Each partnership provides the opportunity for communities to connect, and for interpersonal relationships to flourish.
While making connections with members in a sister region, communities across the world can learn from one another, and experience the benefits of being part of the global Jewish family. Nashville shares the sister region of Hadera-Eiron with nine other Jewish communities in the South. With the help from programs like Parternership2Gether, Jews from different regions have the opportunity to meet and connect in ways that they never would have without this program.
One of the main goals of the program, is t getting to know people in other regions, as if they were in i the local community. For the past twenty years, P2G has successfully met that goal through hands on projects and personal interactions that engage thousands of Israelis and Jews each year.
The current delegation consists of two storytellers who this January, travelled from Israel to Nashville to share their stories with our community. The delegation consists of Lena Miriam Shalev and Eran Ben Ze’ev. Like most Israelis, they have experienced many hardships in their lives. Through their time in the program, they have been able to find a sense of belonging, and a community they feel fully accepted. Ze’evs hope for his time in the program, is that everyone in the community can take something from him, and his story.
The main purpose of the program is connection. To connect other Jews in different regions, and share their experiences, stories, and talents. This is one project out of many annual projects that are designed to reduce the geographical divide between Nashville and Hadera. "When I hear of the opportunity to come to Nashville, to tell my story, and to touch even just one person. It's like a dream come true, that two years after I am in a coma, I get to come here to America to connect with you,” Says Ze’ev, believing that this opportunity is once in a lifetime, for him to be able to connect with our community, and try to touch the hearts of the Jews here in Nashville.
Shalev says with all the negativity that is currently going on overseas in Israel, she wanted to join the program so she could connect with other Jews and show them that being Israeli is more than just experiencing war. “After 7th of October, and everything going on with the
hatred of everything, I felt like to come and to meet Jewish people in another country, and to hear their stories and to understand how they live here. To tell about how our lives is not only war, but we also create, we enjoy, we live, we do important things.” To Shalev, joining this delegation has given her the opportunity to share her stories, and to show Jews in other communities, that being Israeli, is more than just suffering and fear. Being Israeli is about love, connection, creativity, and so much more.
“We allow participants on both sides to have meetings and see each other repeatedly. This creates bonds and connections that would have never been made without this program. Our hope is that these meetings continue, and friends and relationships will grow. Our master plan through this program and these delegations is to build connections and give members of both communities that chance to build connections.” Says Jessica Cohen Banish, the Parternship2Gether coordinator of Southwest Region. P2G is bridging the gap for Jews everywhere. Being able to bond with other Jews overseas, is something that has not always been accessible. With Partenership2Gether, this is happening multiple times a year, across multiple cities and states.
This March, another delegation from P2G will travel from Israel to Nashville. This delegation will consist of six teenagers and their chaperones that will be hosted at the homes of local Jewish community members. This trip will give Israeli and Jewish American teenagers to connect, share their experiences, and discuss the similarities and differences of being teenagers in two different countries. Without a program like P2G, this opportunity would never have been possible for many delegation members.
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