Partnership Cities
The Israel and Overseas Department strengthens the connection between the Federation and our overseas partners, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). These organizations save Jewish lives with initiatives that provide for new immigrants, assist children at risk, aid talented young people from underprivileged areas, deliver life-sustaining food package, s to provide programs that bring Jewish life back to communities where it did not exist for decades.
Whether it is programs in Israel, Hesed Welfare Centers assisting aging and vulnerable Jews in the former Soviet Union, or programs in Latin America, we are partaking in our collective responsibility to Jews anywhere in the world.
Learn about our Overseas Partner Agencies.Miami-Yerucham Partnership
“The future of Israel lies in the Negev.” David BenGurion
In January 2007, a long-term partnership was established between the Miami Jewish community and the city of Yerucham, Israel. 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 approximately 9,400 residents representing a microcosm of Israel’s many cultural and ethnic communities.
The purpose of the Miami-Yerucham Partnership is to build meaningful relationships in order to strengthen both communities, and to foster and develop a love of Judaism, Israel and the Jewish people. The Partnership encourages people-to-people relationships between residents of Miami and Yerucham. It also promotes mutually supportive initiatives, connecting resources and expertise to achieve sustained spiritual, social, cultural and economic growth for both communities.
Chairs of the Miami-Yerucham Partnership are Bobbie Higer (Miami) and Jeff Goodman (Yerucham). Raquel Scheck is Chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Israel and Overseas Committee. For more information about the Partnership, please contact Dahlia Bendavid, Federation Director of Israel and Overseas, at [email protected] or 786.866.8445.
Learn More
Download a Fact Sheet about Yerucham
Multimedia
Watch Yerucham’s Official Video
See a video of teen Otzma Volunteers in Yerucham
Get Involved
Join the Yerucham-Miami Partnership on Facebook
Recent News
Yerucham ‘Culinary Queens’ Publish Cookbook
Yeruham, the Boomtown of the South
US Jewish Leaders to Ponder Negev's Future
The Future of Israel Lies in the Negev
Negev Conference
Miami Hosts Negev Conference (See links on right.)
Photo Gallery
In January 2007, a long-term partnership was established between the Miami Jewish community and the city of Yerucham, Israel. 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 approximately 9,400 residents representing a microcosm of Israel's many cultural and ethnic communities.
The purpose of the Miami-Yerucham Partnership is to build meaningful relationships in order to strengthen both communities, and to foster and develop a love of Judaism, Israel and the Jewish people. The Partnership encourages people-to-people relationships between residents of Miami and Yerucham. It also promotes mutually supportive initiatives, connecting resources and expertise to achieve sustained spiritual, social, cultural and economic growth for both communities. Chairs of the Miami-Yerucham Partnership are Bobbie Higer (Miami) and Jeff Goodman (Yerucham). Raquel Scheck is Chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Israel and Overseas Committee.
Pardes Channa/Karkur Ethiopian Initiative
The Aliyah of a significant numbers of Ethiopian Jews began over 25 years ago. Despite the significant investments that have been made, the statistics regarding this community are still grim and many of the programs that been develop to combat this situation simply are not working. There are currently 130,000 Ethiopian Israelis in Israel facing unique challenges and experiencing many problems, such as a higher incidence of unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and family violence.
- School dropout rates in the Ethiopian community are the highest of any Jewish group in Israel.
- Matriculation rates are the lowest of any Jewish group in Israel.
- 75% of the Ethiopian families in Israel live on or below the poverty line.
- The percentage of Ethiopian youth with police files is twice that of their relative percentage in the general population.
The Greater Miami Jewish Federation works closely with JDC, the Ethiopian National Project, JAFI, and the municipality of Pardes Channa-Karkur on projects to assist the 350 Ethiopian families in this community, ensuring that they have the skills and opportunities to successfully integrate into Israeli society.
Or Akiva
Miami began its partnership with Or Akiva in 1979 through Project Renewal of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and became the cornerstone of the Jewish Agency project Partnership 2000. We continue to have a close connection with the city of Or Akiva. In 2006, the Futernick Family Child Development Center opened.
Under P2K Miami has focused on a number of areas of activity like education, immigrant absorption, Youth activities, economic development
