In these troubled times, when there are many serious concerns about the actions of the current Israeli government, questions also arise around the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor’s Israel/Overseas allocations from the Annual Community Campaign. Articles in the September and November issues of the WJN described the community’s investments in the Jewish Agency (JAFI), World ORT and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
In addition to participating with Jewish Federations across North America in collective funding of JAFI, JDC and ORT, the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor provides direct funding to Israeli NGOs doing work that aligns with the local community’s commitment to a strong shared civil society in Israel. Some of that support is for specific JAFI or JDC programs, as described in the previous articles. (Those articles can be found at WashtenawJewishNews.org or JewishAnnArbor.org/news.)
Israel/Overseas Allocations Priorities
The Israel/Overseas Allocations Committee, a subcommittee of the Jewish Federation’s Allocations Committee, was established in the early 2000s to make decisions around “elective” support for organizations that were not supported by the collective funding of the traditional partners of the Federation system. Some projects funded during this early period included a projector for Neve Shalom/Wahat As-Salaam, a cooperative village founded by Jewish and Arab Israelis; vocational training for the Druze community, a project of the JDC; and SELAH, an organization that supports grandparents raising their orphaned grandchildren and which provides other immigrant support services.
As elective funding became a more significant part of the overseas allocations from the Annual Community Campaign, the committee developed a set of funding priorities that have been reviewed over the years.
- Fostering Arab/Jewish understanding and cooperation
- Assisting Israel minority and disadvantaged populations
- Promoting religious pluralism and tolerance among Jewish groups in Israel
- Aiding Jews in need in Israel and throughout the world
- Supporting environmental efforts in Israel
As Ann Arbor’s Partnership2Gether relationship with Moshav Nahalal and the Central Galilee region continued to develop, the committee prioritized supporting initiatives in the partnership region when they also align with other funding priorities.
Projects supported by the 2025 Annual Community Campaign
In 2025, twenty percent of the Annual Community Campaign was allocated to Israel/Overseas partners. Half of that was sent to the collective efforts of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). (See the September and November WJN for more on collective funding.) The remainder was allocated to specific projects recommended by the Israel/Overseas Allocations Committee and approved by the Allocations Committee and the Jewish Federation Board. Those projects include the following:
A New Way
A New Way (ANW) operates long-term educational programs throughout Israel. Based on a holistic, multi-community model, it enables Arabs and Jews to undergo educational processes together, establishing a robust and prosperous shared society in Israel. Operating in general public schools, where Jewish and Arab students do not typically learn together, all ANW programs are recognized and approved by Israel’s Ministry of Education.
Brothers and Sisters for Israel
Brothers and Sisters for Israel is a national volunteer organization. Since October 7, the organization has actively and creatively supported evacuees, victims and soldiers. The office in the Northern district supports combat troops, including reservists, on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon; this support was especially crucial when the region was under constant Hezbollah missile attacks. One creative project in the summer of 2024 provided an ice cream truck for soldiers, evacuees, and families returning to their homes in the North. The truck was operated by volunteer drivers and organizers.
Ethiopian National Project
The Ethiopian National Project (ENP) works to reduce scholastic gaps and realize the full potential of Ethiopian-Israeli schoolchildren. The Federation allocation supports the program in Afula, which is adjacent to our partnership region.
Hand in Hand Schools
Hand in Hand Schools build inclusion and equality between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel through a growing network of bilingual, integrated schools and communities.
Hand in Hand builds inclusion and equality between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel through a growing network of bilingual, integrated schools and communities. The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor has funded Hand in Hand Schools since 2005. At that time, it was a small network of three private schools with no government funding nor support. Today, Hand in Hand schools are part of the public school system, and there are over 2000 students across campuses in six locations throughout Israel.
iREP – Israel Religious Expression Platform
The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor has long been committed to supporting projects that promote religious pluralism and equality for non-Haredi Jewish expression in Israel. In 2014, the Ann Arbor Federation joined the iREP task force, which was created by JFNA. iREP supports Israeli organizations promoting greater religious equality, in areas such as civil marriage, rights for Reform and Conservative Judaism, and a space for egalitarian prayer at the Kotel (Western Wall).
Krembo Wings Youth Movement
Krembo Wings is the only all-inclusive youth movement in Israel that provides a social network for children with and without disabilities. The movement operates 66 branches across Israel and welcomes over 6,000 young people with and without disabilities aged 7 to 22 from all cultural, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. Their overall goal is to instill in their members the values of diversity, equality, and tolerance, bridging the divides in Israeli society while also providing a crucial social service that helps children and families across the country. The Jewish Federation’s allocation supports the Krembo Wings branch in our Partnership2Gether region, specifically in Nof Hagalil. This branch serves and brings together Israelis from all backgrounds including Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Lone Soldier Center
For the first time in 2025, the Jewish Federation has allocated funds to the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin (LSC). Founded in 2009, the LSC is dedicated to ensuring that soldiers without existing support systems in Israel never feel alone before, during, and after their military service. The LSC serves both immigrant and Israeli-born lone soldiers, including those from at-risk backgrounds. Through subsidized housing, social programming, emotional and financial support, and advocacy, they empower lone soldiers to integrate into Israeli society with confidence, stability, and a sense of belonging.
Partnership2Gether/Community2Community Relationship with Moshav Nahalal
Ann Arbor and Nahalal teens painted the UM rock during the P2G Student Exchange in fall of 2023.
Partnership2Gether (P2G) is a global program of the Jewish Agency that pairs diaspora and Israeli communities to develop programs of mutual benefit. Ann Arbor partners with Moshav Nahalal as part of the Michigan-Central Galilee Partnership region anchored by the Detroit Jewish community, promoting meaningful personal connections between the two communities. Until the Covid pandemic, one of the most prominent programs of the partnership was the Student Exchange, where Ann Arbor teens spent 10 days with families in Nahalal, and then their Nahalal hosts would visit Ann Arbor. More than 100 teens participated in this program from its inception in 2009. Other partnership activities include integrating a Nahalal delegation with Ann Arbor’s to the JCC Maccabi games for the past two years, and a twinning program between Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor and the Nahalal elementary school. The Ann Arbor-based P2G volunteer committee is working with their Israeli counterparts to re-evaluate and reinvigorate the program to engage even more sectors of the community.
Ruca’s Farm
Ruca’s Farm is a rehabilitative organic farm for former soldiers and first responders battling PTSD.
Ruca’s Farm is a rehabilitative organic farm for former soldiers and first responders battling PTSD. Rooted in the values of personal agency, community, and the proven healing properties of agriculture, its mission is to provide a holistic response to PTSD by establishing and operating a safe and supportive rehabilitative agricultural farm where veterans suffering from PTSD can work, heal and rediscover their sense of self in a supportive, trigger-free environment.
Conclusion
The volunteer leadership and professional team of the Jewish Federation are proud of the impact of this community’s support of the organizations on the ground in Israel that aim to build a more positive, equitable shared civil society; address the needs of marginalized populations; promote pluralistic Jewish expression and equal rights; and foster mutually beneficial connections between Israelis and the Jewish community in Washtenaw County. While we cannot vote in Israeli elections, we can and do have a positive impact on Israeli society through these funds.
The Jewish Federation’s team is available to answer any questions or concerns you have about programs and initiatives it funds in Israel and around the world. You can contact Federation’s Israel and Overseas Programs Manager Amichay Findling (amichay@jewishannarbor.org) to continue the conversation.
Eileen Freed is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor.