United Jewish Federation of Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien (UJF) supports community service programs in Israel as a member of Partnership2Gether (P2G), part of the Jewish Agency for Israel’s partnership platform.

These programs impact the lives of the less fortunate in the Afula-Gilboa region of Israel. One example is a rape crisis center in Afula, which provides emotional and professional support to victims of sexual assault. In 2022, UJF made a significant gift to re-open the center as it had closed during the COVID epidemic. The rape crisis center supports victims and those surrounding them. It accomplishes this through assistance meetings and accompaniment to legal proceedings, as well as offering outreach activities, professional training and an expanding education department.

Last year the center received 750 new and recurring non-anonymous inquiries, including 51 inquiries on their WhatsApp Helpline. Support activities also included 30 escorts in criminal procedures, 10 escorts to hospitals in the valley and 38 assistance meetings including 10 meetings in the criminal procedure. Representatives were involved in meetings with the area’s crime victim officer and provided a resilience program for female police investigators of Afula, Migdal HaEmek, and Beit Shean. The center also offers a support group for victims of sexual assault through self-defense, and individual treatments for victims by interns, who receive training from the center throughout the year. The training involved training female volunteers from the region, rehabilitation and integration services employees, nurses, protective teams in local kibbutzim, municipal staff at Ma’ale Gilboa, and work with the welfare department. In addition, designated seminars for supervisors were held to address sexual harassment in the workplace.

Some 5,000 students and staff members in formal and informal education, among them at-risk youth, have so far taken part in the educational activities conducted by the center. This is done through the facilitators of the Education Department in Afula and the valleys, which conducts workshops for middle school and high school students. Training sessions were also held for parents. UJF is proud to have been an integral part of giving this valuable resource back to the Afula-Gilboa community, and it will continue to support this and other community programs in the region.

Partnership2Gether (P2G) is a global network for the promotion, empowerment, and development of deep connections, which strengthens Jewish communities in Israel and worldwide by creating revitalized, ongoing, and meaningful engagement based on a shared Jewish identity. P2G creates meaningful encounters between Israelis living in the Afula-Gilboa region in Israel and Jews living in 12 Jewish communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island: Central Mass., Eastern CT, Greenwich, Hartford, New Bedford, New Haven, Rhode Island, Stamford, The Berkshires, Upper Fairfield, Western CT, Western Mass (commonly known as SNEC: Southern New England Consortium).

To learn more about Partnership2Gether and how UJF donations support Israel’s social service needs, contact Diane Sloyer at dianesloyer@ujf.org.