34 | MAY 27 • 2021 

A

s part of its ongoing 
efforts to facilitate 
greater connections 
between Israel and world 
Jewry, the Jewish Agency for 
Israel’s Central Galilee and 
Michigan partnership hosted 
a virtual running tour of the 
Central Galilee region to cele-
brate Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s 
Independence Day).
Israeli participants in the 
Partnership2Gether network 
(P2G) hosted the virtual run-
ning tours of Central Galilee 
areas to provide Michigan 
residents with the opportunity 
to immerse themselves in that 
region and meet its people 
while they work out on a tread-

mill and “run” with the tour 
guides or relax on a sofa.
The Central Galilee tour 
represented the Jewish Agency’s 
latest initiative to maintain and 
grow the closeness between 
Israeli and diaspora Jews during 
a period when the COVID-19 
pandemic has limited, if not 
halted, travel between Israel and 
North America.
“Whether it be in extraor-
dinary or more normal times, 
Jews from Israel and around the 
world routinely find creative 
ways to bond over their shared 
connection to the Land of Israel 
and to each other,
” said Director 
of Partnership2Gether Pnina 
Agenyahu. “The Jewish Agency 

is committed to continuing its 
work to bridge the distance 
between Israeli and Jewish com-
munities, on Yom HaAtzmaut 
and year-round, as a crucial 
vehicle for uniting the global 
Jewish people.
” 
Michigan’s P2G participants 
toured the hub of immigration 
absorption in Migdal HaEmek, 
where Jews from many different 
backgrounds and origins from 
North Africa, the former Soviet 
Union, Ethiopia and more live 
together; Zippori, where they 
delved into thousands of years 
of history in the magnificent 
archeological site of the ancient 
town that played an essential 
role in the conservation and 

reviving of Jewish faith and 
traditions; and the diverse city 
of Nof HaGalil, including its 
archeology and its breathtaking 
views of the Galilee, all the way 
down to the ancient streets of 
Nazareth.
Participants in Michigan were 
also able to meet the new shin-
shinim (service year emissaries), 
who will be joining the commu-
nity next year. 
Since 1994, the Michigan 
communities of Metropolitan 
Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand 
Rapids have partnered with the 
Israeli municipalities of Migdal 
HaEmek, Nof HaGalil, and 
the Jezreel Valley, which are all 
located in the Central Galilee. 
This particular P2G part-
nership focuses on building a 
vibrant Jewish future, includ-
ing through the Michigan 
communities’ support for an 
English-language instruction 
program that reaches more than 
4,000 students in 35 schools 
throughout the Central Galilee, 
providing students with skills 
they need to succeed in Israeli 
society. 

ERETZ

A screenshot 
from the virtual 
tour

THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL

Virtual tour links 
Michigan and 
Central Galilee.
On the Road 
2Gether
JN STAFF

