Deepening Connections

To connect Jews globally to Israel, The Jewish Agency facilitates authentic and meaningful opportunities for world Jewry to build relationships with Israelis.

Shlichim

Our Shlichim (Israeli emissaries) serve around the world, with placements in schools, youth movements, summer camps, Jewish Federations and college campuses. They host events, initiate conversations about Israel, support students, spread Israel education and act as Israel ambassadors, building lasting relationships with members of their communities.

A living bridge to Israel: In 2025, ~3,000 Shlichim brought Israel to life in nearly 500 communities worldwide, including in 68 new communities that previously did not have an Israeli emissary.

ShinShinim (service year Israeli emissaries)

Campus Israel Fellows (Shlichim on college campuses)

Community Shlichim (serving in schools, JCCs, Federations, etc.)

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Summer Camp Shlichim (Shlichim who serve as staff at Jewish summer camps)

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"As an Israel Fellow, I support and engage the Jewish community on campus and also do outreach to build relationships with the general non-Jewish student body and educate them about Israel. After October 7th, our community was shaken and Jewish students needed someone to remind them they weren’t alone – and the support from non-Jewish students was incrediby moving and reminded us there is still light."

Malka

A third-year Israel Fellow at a university in Tennessee

"Throughout the year, I had the privilege of meeting Jews of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of connection to Israel. Yet in every conversation and every personal relationship formed, I felt we all shared one common ground: our belonging to the Jewish people. This year not only strengthened the connection between Diaspora Jews and Israel, it also deepened my own connection to my Jewish identity and the Jewish State."

Almog

A ShinShinit (female service year Israeli emissary) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Campers2Gether

Meanwhile, Campers2Gether, which was launched in 2024 as an urgent effort to offer Israeli teens impacted by the war a safe and resilience–building respite at Jewish summer camps, has grown into a transformative experience for kids across continents to meet each other and connect.

In summer 2025, Campers2Gether brought together participants from 107 Israeli communities to camps in 16 states or provinces across North America and 1 camp in Italy, supported by 88 counselors and 32 mental health professionals for a summer of resilience and connection.

Israeli teens brought to camp

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Jewish camps in 2025

Campers participated since 2024

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"Going to camp was a gift and I learned that there are so many different kinds of Jews; it was eye-opening. I made new friends, laughed nonstop, and I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be. Beyond the fun, it’s an amazing experience that connects Jews from Israel and the U.S., and at its core, it’s about love."

Guy

A participant who was evacuated with his family from their home in Eshkol Regional Council after the October 7 attacks

SparkIL

Another program strengthening ties between Jews globally and Israelis is SparkIL, a peer-to-peer crowdfunding platform founded by The Jewish Agency and Ogen, which gives global givers a way to support Israeli entrepreneurs via interest-free loans. For Shiri, who runs a tourism business in the Golan Heights with her husband, renting out cabins to visitors in need of a restful retreat, October 7 majorly affected their ability to make a living. And when her husband was called up for reserve duty as a combat soldier, fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon, Shiri was left alone with their five kids, exhausted and worried, and with a business to try to keep afloat.

To date, SparkIL has supported over 600 businesses via more than $10 million in funding.

"Every small business here is someone’s big dream that they are building in the State of Israel. And when the fighting reached the north, there was a drastic drop in business for us. Thank you to SparkIL for the loan for my business, for supporting my dream. The Jewish value of mutual responsibility is one I identify with strongly, and in times of crisis – and we’ve had quite a few – when it really counts, everyone shows up."

Shiri

Business Owner in Golan Heights

Supporting Israel Engagement

We also prioritize offering the next generation a range of programs to engage with Israel and strengthen their bonds to the Jewish State. For Jewish young adults who want to live like a local in Israel, Masa Israel Journey offers immersive programs from 2-10 months that include volunteering, interning, teaching, and other life-changing opportunities. And new program Campus Ready helps equip Jewish high school students with the knowledge and tools they need to tackle Israel and Jewish-related challenges at college.

In 2025, Masa Israel Journey programs welcomed 6,850 participants from around the world.

Meanwhile, “Campus Ready,” launched in 2025 by Makom: The Jewish Agency’s Israel Education Laboratory, sought to prepare North American Jewish high school students for college campuses increasingly shaped by polarization and bias. Through an innovative and interactive curriculum, Campus Ready creates a space where teens can have open, honest discussions about challenging topics related to Jewish identity and Israel, better preparing them for college life.

Given its success, the program will see significant expansion in 2026–27, reaching 2,000–5,000 participants annually across 20–30 communities in North America, Israel, the UK, Australia, and South Africa.

Campus Ready In 2025

Teen students in grades 10-12 participated in Campus Ready programming between January and June 2025

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Of participants described feeling better
prepared for campus conversations about Israel

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"After graduating from college in mid-2024, I immediately moved to Israel to teach English for 10 months through Masa. I felt so helpless being far away in America on October 7 as the people and place I loved so much were in crisis. I can’t imagine being anywhere else in the world right now and am grateful to be living in Israel during such a critical time in the nation’s history. In peace or war, there is no place I would rather be."

Jacob

23, a Masa Israel Teaching Fellow from Los Angeles, California

"Campus Ready provided me not only with helpful tools and resources, but with an understanding of what to expect in college. The opportunity to role-play uncomfortable confrontations involving Israel and one’s Jewish identity so I know how to cope and ways in which to respond made me feel better prepared for the future."

A Campus Ready Participant