Our Partnerships in Israel

Our Miami Jewish community works directly with three Israeli communities: Yerucham and Or Akiva. Each of these cities has its own strengths and challenges, and each represents a different aspect of Federation’s involvement in Israel and our commitment to the people of our spiritual homeland.

Yerucham

For the past 14 years, the Miami Jewish community and the city of Yerucham have had a special partnership under The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Partnership 2Gether platform. Located in the Negev desert, and boasting the second largest lake in Israel, Yerucham is a 13-square-mile city founded in 1951 as a transit camp for new immigrants. Today, it is home to a diverse population of over 11,000 residents representing a microcosm of Israel’s many cultural and ethnic communities.

The mission of the Miami-Yerucham Partnership is to leverage social, human and financial capital to inspire community engagement and development. By investing in relationships, education, culture and community-building initiatives, the partnership fosters a deeper commitment to Israel and the Jewish people, while enriching the quality of life in our community.

Read more about the Miami-Yerucham Partnership.

Ethiopian-Israeli Initiative

There are currently 160,000 Ethiopians now living in Israel. Many are facing unique challenges. Acculturation difficulties have resulted in a higher incidence of unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and family violence among Ethiopian-Israelis.

Federation has supported many wonderful programs that have helped the Ethiopian-Israeli people of Pardes Channa-Karkur and is now focusing on integration into general Israeli society. Some of the efforts supported include:

• A Scholastic Assistance Program (SPACE) in Pardes Channa-Karkur and Beersheba. SPACE provides afterschool tutoring, workshops and mentoring in small group settings. Nearly half of the students enrolled in SPACE pass their high school completion exams, compared with just 38 percent students who are not enrolled.
• An Educational Placement Center for Educators from the Ethiopian Israeli Community. This project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, assists with teacher placement for Ethiopian-Israeli educators.
• Free legal counsel to the Ethiopian-Israeli community that cannot afford representation and educates the community in Amharic on their legal rights. A major focus is the area of employment law.
• Technology Training Program that gives the community the opportunity to gain valuable skills in the field of high tech with a nine-month course, career development and job placement

For more information about Miami’s partnership cities, contact us at IsraelOverseas@JewishMiami.org or 786.866.8495.