Israel Connect is a Melitz program dedicated to developing and facilitating a two-way, long-term and interpersonal connection between Jewish youth from around the world and their peers in Israel in order to enhance their Jewish identity and commitment to the Jewish people. The project twins young Jews from frameworks such as schools, university campuses and the IDF using the internet, video conferencing and face to face encounters.

Building connections between Israelis and Diaspora Jews is a wonderful way to develop and enhance commitment to the Jewish people and Jewish culture. Through exploring the world of our peers in distant places, we gain insight not only into their world but also into our own. The cross-cultural encounter is one of the best tools at our disposal to create long-lasting and substantive Jewish identity.

Due to the busy agenda of running a school, it is often difficult to dedicate staff resource to ensure that such an encounter takes place. Many schools have the best intentions but the “day to day” gets in the way. Israel Connect provides them with educational and technological resources that are ready to use, to ensure an educationally rich and high impact encounter between schools, university campuses and other frameworks.

For more information visit the Israel Connect website

Read a news report about the most recent video conference between 10th grade students in Ashdod, Israel and Lima, Peru. (Original Hebrew Article) (English Translation)