The Jewish Agency this week marked the thirtieth anniversary of the long-standing partnership between the Jewish community of Chicago and Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir. The partnership is part of The Jewish Agency’s Partnerships 2Gether program, which connects Jewish communities around the world with partner communities across Israel.
As soon as the war started, the Jewish Federation of Chicago (Jewish United Fund) launched an emergency campaign for Israel, which has raised over $66 million to date to support the needs in the Gaza envelope, in the north, and throughout the country. Within the partnership, the Federation and The Jewish Agency worked to provide emergency and long-term support to the local communities in Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir.
For the past three decades, the Chicago Federation has invested tens of millions of dollars in developing Kiryat Gat and the Regional Councils of Lachish and Shafir and in promoting strategic projects together with The Jewish Agency and local authorities in the fields of education, employment, and community. A central pillar of The Jewish Agency’s Partnerships2Gether and the Chicago Federation is dedicated to deepening the living bridge between residents of the region and the Jewish community overseas through a variety of programs bringing people together.
Chairman of The Jewish Agency, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog stated, “The thirty-year partnership between the Jewish community of Chicago and Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir is a story of hearts bound by a shared destiny. It is precisely in the difficult moments following the war that the strength of our bond shone through. The support, the mutual responsibility, and the steadfast support of the Chicago community for the region’s residents are a moving testimony to the strength of a people that chooses, time and time again, to build bridges of hope, resilience, and humanity. This partnership is a national asset which continues to inspire all of us.”
Chicago Jewish Federation’s Israel representative Ofer Bavly said, “Our Chicago community views the residents of Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir as our partners and friends with whom we have been working for thirty years to advance education, welfare, and culture. Thanks to these projects and to a variety of interchanges, we seek to build a living bridge between Chicago’s Jewish community and the region’s residents – this is true Jewish peoplehood in action.”
The event marking the 30th anniversary of the partnership was attended by JAFI’s Chairman of the Executive, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, the President of Chicago’s Jewish Federation, Lonnie Nasatir, the Director General of the Israel office of the Jewish Federations of North America, Becky Caspi, the Mayor of Kiryat Gat, Kfir Swissa, the Mayor of Shafir Regional Council, Adir Naaman, the Chairperson of the Board of the Chicago Federation, Wendy Abrams, and others.
Written in collaboration with The Jewish Agency