Four volunteers from Detroit arrived in Central Galilee at the beginning of the month as part of the Otzma program.  The volunteers will stay in the region for about three months and will integrate into local volunteer settings such as the English Language Improvement program at schools, the Youth Futures program, Nana House in Nazareth Illit, the Center for the Elderly in Migdal HaEmek, and other programs.

The group consists of four volunteers aged 20-25, graduates of universities from across the US.  They chose to join the Jewish Agency's Otzma program, which prepares Jewish volunteers from around the world to serve as tomorrow's young leaders in their communities while at the same time allowing Israelis to encounter the culture of overseas Jewish communities.  The volunteers first arrived in Israel in August and will stay in the country for approximately one year.

Up to now the Otzma volunteers have studied Hebrew in an ulpan, become familiar with Israeli social issues, and are currently volunteering for the benefit of the Central Galilee Partnership 2000 community.  Each volunteer is assigned an adoptive family from the region and participates in a variety of social activities with Partnership 2000 volunteers.

Partnership 2000 is the Jewish Agency's key program for strengthening the relationship between Jewish communities in Israel and abroad.  The Partnership in Central Galilee operates in the three municipalities of the region, Migdal HaEmek, Nazareth Illit, and Jezreel Valley, and works with the Jewish federations of Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor in Michigan.