Israeli Chronicles — Connecting Israel & Cincinnati
Cincinnati Hosts Regional Conference for Midwest Shlichim
On Thursday, October 22, Jewish Cincinnati played host to two dozen shlichim, or community emissaries, from Israel, from all across the Midwest. Participants came from as far as Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, and Detroit to share best practices and to talk about how better to organize throughout the region, with a collective mission of strengthening ties between American communities and Israel.
Yonatan Sacker, Regional Representative to the Midwest for The Jewish Agency for Israel, said Cincinnati was chosen to host the Regional Convention for Midwest Shlichim because of the breadth of Israel programming in Cincinnati, and the organized fashion in which the community has tackled Israel engagement.
“In Cincinnati, it wasn’t ‘Let’s do a bunch of things and see what works.’ There was a real plan of action,” Sacker said. “One of the goals of the conference is to learn best practices, and there’s no better place to see it in action than in Cincinnati.”
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Israel Center hosts a wide array of free Israel programming throughout the year, featuring Israeli speakers who address topics ranging from pluralism to immigration in Israel, and everything in between. Cincinnati’s chaverim or young emissary program is in its 12th year, and its shlichim program dates back 50 years. Furthermore, Cincinnati is unique in the number and availability of discounted young adult trips to Israel, made possible by Israel travel grants provided by The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati. A congregational mission trip to Israel, funded by The Jewish Foundation, is also planned for next summer. The Federation’s Israel Center and the Jewish Community Relations Council will also host professional and lay leaders in January for an Israel Summit, where participants will strategize about strengthening Israel engagement and education in Cincinnati and beyond.
“There’s so much for shlichim to learn and take back to their own communities,” Sacker said. “Ideas, connections, success stories of what works best here.”
Mayana Branigan and her fiancé, Shay Goldenberg, are in their first year serving as shlichim in Akron and Canton.
“I like the dialogue that you have of pluralism and hearing different voices in Israel,” Branigan said.
The shlichim also toured the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and Hebrew Union College. They enjoyed dinner downtown and got a tour of the city.
“Everyone’s friendly,” Branigan said. “We really like it here.”