Greater Hartford’s Young Israeli Emissaries, Tal and Naomi, donated costumes for Purim to children in a school and immigration center in Afula-Gilboa, the Hartford Jewish community’s sister region in Israel. “When we visited the school in Northern Israel where we gave some of the costumes we collected, the smiles on the kids’ faces were amazing,” said Tal, who, together with Naomi, delivered the costumes while on a recent trip home to visit family and friends. “We took pictures to share with the students who helped make so many kids happy,” said Tal. The tutus, superhero outfits, animal costumes, masks and beads that the Young Emissaries schlepped to Israel in three big duffle bags were collected by several participating organizations, including Congregation Beth Israel, Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford, Congregation Beth Israel, Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom and Beth El Temple.

“Programs like these are called Living Bridge Projects because they give families a meaningful way to learn about and feel connected to Israel,” Ronny Siegel, Young Emissary program coordinator for Greater Hartford, said of the program sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

Through Partnership2Gether, several Connecticut Jewish Federations have also launched a new project called Same Moon, which is also the title of a children’s book written and illustrated by Adi Shacham that children from both countries will be reading. The project will couple 15 Israeli Young families from the Gilboa region with 15 American young families from the Upper Fairfield County, Hartford and Eastern CT Federations.

CAP: Kids from Afula-Gilboa show off their costumes and hold up signs saying “thank you” to participants in the Hartford Federation’s Purim Costume Living Bridge Project.