How is the Karmiel-Misgav-Pittsburgh Partnership2Gether able to connect, on an ongoing basis, six Jewish schools in Pittsburgh, Karmiel and Misgav? The answer is through the Eco Connection. The Eco Connection, a project of Sviva Israel, is a joint Jewish, Israel based environmental curriculum that is implemented in the schools throughout the school year with exciting milestones that allow the students to celebrate Israeli holidays together through Video Conferences for Tu Bishvat, Israel's Independence Day and Jerusalem Day.

 Throughout the school year students in the Eco Connection program talk to one another on their joint blog and participate in monthly workshops run by Sviva Israel's local educators. During their monthly meetings the students in the six participating schools learn about their partnered communities and schools, of their joint Jewish environmental heritage, while measuring and comparing their Ecological Footprints and implementing school projects to lessen their impact on the environment. They also have exciting exchange programs such as Repurposed Friendship Bracelet Exchange and the Chocolate Exchange program. The communication between the students takes place also at home where students communicate with their peers in their partnered community via the Eco Campus blog.

This year there are six participating schools in our Eco Connection: The Community Day School, Beth El Religious School, Torah Lishma Religious School in Pittsburgh and the Nitzanim, Reut and Har Schenya Schools in Karmiel and Misgav.

During the week of Tu Bishvat all the schools in the program held joint Tu Bishvat video conferences with their partnered school. During the conferences the students introduced themselves in person and introduced their schools to one another. They held a joint Tu Bishvat Seder and had a joint quiz with exciting prizes on the topic of Tu Bishvat. We also announced during the conference the Eco Connection T-Shirt contest where each of the students can send in a design for this year's Eco Connection T-Shirt which all the students in the program will be receiving. The student with the winning design will win a digital camera. All of this year's Tu Bishvat video conferences ended with a moving rendition by  all of the students of Israel's national anthem Hatikva.

All the schools are looking forward to their next Video Conference which will take place in May when the students will find out the winner of the Eco Connection T-shirt contest and where the students will present to one another their Eco Connection project that they have implemented in their schools.

Pictures at Facebook