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