Partnership 2000 (P2K)

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Partnership 2000 (P2K) is a program of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) funded by United Jewish Communities (UJC).  P2K has changed the focus of Israel-Diaspora relations by partnering regions in Israel and North America/Europe. Rather than the past type of relationship where Diaspora Jewish communities simply sent money to Israel, Partnership 2000 focuses on partnering regions in Israel and North America to fulfill needs on an equal and shared basis. To date, there are 40 partnership relationships between North American/European Jewish communities and communities in Israel. 

Rhode Island is part of the Southern New England Consortium (SNEC) for Partnership 2000, along with 12 other communities from Connecticut and southeastern/central Massachusetts.  On the Israeli side, we are partnered with Afula and the Gilboa region (located in Northeastern Israel).  Afula has about 40,000 residents, of which 33% (13,000) are new immigrants (one of the largest percentages of any city in Israel).  Afula has 22 schools with 10,000 students, a number of industries, and the HaEmek Medical Center - the hospital for the entire area.  The Gilboa Regional Council includes 32 settlements - 5 of which are Arab villages comprising 40% of the population.  This area is more rural than Afula and has a number of kibbutzim and moshavim.  To learn more about SNEC and our partnership region, visit http://www.partner.org.il/afula/

Our allocation to Partnership 2000, as well as those of the other 12 communities, help to support the following programs:

SOCIAL SERVICE

Hot Meals at Children's Day Centers
The current economic situation has hit families who were once middle class, as well as families who were already suffering financially.  In Afula/Gilboa, the number of families living in poverty is above the national average.  In Afula there are 400 children under the age of 6 who require a hot meal each day to make sure they are not undernourished (mostly from recent immigrant families) and in Gilboa there are 200 children, ages 6-12, who need this hot meal.  Some of these children were going to school without a lunch.  In some cases, teachers were giving part of their lunches to the children just to make sure that everyone had something to eat.  Without proper nourishment children did not have the energy to get through the school day and it impacted their ability to learn.  This initiative supplies 600 children with one hot meal/day.

Teen Information and Guidance Center
A program for youth-at-risk, ages 11-18, the Center provides a safe space for teens to meet, discuss their concerns and deal with issues that they face.  In the first three months that they have been in operation, 350 young people have participated.

Drug Prevention Workshop for Parents and Teens
The statistics in Israel show that 11% of young people use drugs - a number which grows to 26% in immigrant populations.  These workshops include weekly meetings (for 10 weeks) where parents and teens work together to discuss issues such as self-esteem, in order to give the teens the strength to not be tempted by drugs.  The program has been in place for 5 years and the feedback has been very positive.

COEXISTENCE

Afula/Gilboa is located just a few kilometers from Jenin and the Arab community makes up almost half the population of Gilboa.  Because of these demographics, Arab/Israeli coexistence programs are critical.  Currently, we are funding three programs:

Bible/Koran Quiz
Israeli and Arab teens study together for one year with each learning about the other's background (Israelis learning the Koran and Arab teens the Hebrew Bible).  The studying culminates in an event where they can show off what they learned and socialize with each other.  Last year, 100 teens participated and they got their parents involved as well.

Business Women's Forum
This program teaches women business skills and encourages them to enter the workforce.  The targeted groups are Arab Israelis and immigrant Israelis.

Unistream - Business Initiative Center for Arab and Jewish Teens
The goals of this project are to foster business and social leadership among the teens, train them to cope with the economic and social realities of the business and high-tech worlds and build and promote their own initiatives.

EDUCATION

Jumpstart
A recent test showed that 40% of Israeli 6th graders are not sufficiently literate in Hebrew, 39% do not have adequate math skills and 33% are not at their grade level in English.  Only about 52% are able to pass the high school matriculation exams.  These numbers are even higher in lower socio-economic groups and in immigrant populations making educational advancement a major concern in Afula/Gilboa.  This program will enhance the educational system in Afula to make sure that the children and teens are able to succeed in school and continue on to higher education.
 
Young Emissaries
The emissaries are young adults from Israel who come to our region to do a year of community service before entering the army.  They are from Afula/Gilboa and while here they teach in day schools, religious schools, and to adults in the community in order to educate people about life in Israel.  The goal of the Young Emissaries project is to create a better connection between the Jewish community of the United States and Israel.  Our community has participated for 4 years and the JFRI also gives the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) funding for the local expenses.