What They Do
As Shinshinim
Israeli high school graduates defer their army service for one year in order to volunteer in English speaking communities.
How They Serve
For a Year in Pittsburgh
Strengthening the local Jewish community's connections with modern Israel and the concept of shared peoplehood.
Where to Find Them
In the Community
Frequently at the Jewish Community Center, Community Day School and Joint Jewish Education Program.
2019-20 Sneak Preview
Pittsburgh Will Welcome Four Shinshinim!
Sivan Avhar
"I love Israel because it is a melting pot. People all around the world come to Israel and bring their cultures. It’s such a cultural diverse place."
Guy Hoffman
"I have four years of experience at Hadracha in Karmiel's day camps in addition to five delegations to the USA and Europe including EKC and Diller in Pittsburgh."
Itamar Medina
"I believe that my will to go on Shlichut evolved from my curious nature. As a young man from Israel who was raised in a small community in Israel, my wish is to meet new people and learn new places."
Tamar Nawy
"I have a double major in Music and Bible Studies because I really love to sing and I think Bible is amazing! think it is possible to learn from it a lot about my life today, about leaders and people's behaviors."
Meet Hadar Maravent
Meet Raz Levin
Shinshinim מה חדש (What’s New?)
Our First “Peak Week” – Shinshinim
Read about the Shinshinim’s first “Peak Week” doing activities together with students from Pre-K to Eighth grade where everyone learns about a special subject.
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My Week
Monday So our week started with two visitors from Columbus! We will let you know that they are planning to do something a little similar to what we are doing here in Pittsburgh. 😉 We had a wonderful time showing them around CDS, which is our main line of work for this year. After that…
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First Two Weeks In Pittsburgh
Shinshinim enjoy their first two weeks in Pittsburgh.
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Yom Ha’atzamut with the Shinshinim!
What a Yom Ha’azmaut! Today we celebrated the Israeli independence day! We started our day at Community Day School (CDS) singing and dancing with Israeli songs outside. Following the dancing, all of the school went inside to see the amazing Carnival that we’ve made for this special day! There was Israeli dancing, Israeli trivia, Israeli games…
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Shinshinim Update
Oneg Shabbat, Tikkun Olam, Diller Teen Fellows and Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebrations Wow, what a couple of special weeks we’ve had! Starting with a trivia game for the Oneg Shabbat at the Jewish Federation (a meeting held about the Jewish programming around the community) on a Friday afternoon that sent us to Shabbat with a smile, and…
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Pre-Independence Day Celebration at Beth El Congregation with the Shinshinim
Shinshinim Raz and Hadar celebrated Israel’s Independence a little early at Bel El Congregation yesterday. They played games and taught the children facts about Israel.
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The Shinshinim visit D.C. for the Israeli Elections
This weekend, we traveled to Washington D.C., and voted in the Israeli elections for the first time (and what a special first time it is to vote from across the sea)! It was a great experience. If you have any questions about the elections, write to us! נשלחנו, הצבענו, השפענו! Raz – RLevin@jfedpgh.orgHadar – HMaravent@jfedpgh.org…
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The Shinshinim Celebrate Purim!
Purim in Pittsburgh! We had the best time dressing up with Pittsburgh community that definitely knows how to celebrate Purim! We took part with Community Day School’s and Beth Shalom Carnival. We played games, we did some art and craft and had a really good time. As always, it was fun to see you all!!…
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Jewish Federation’s Shinshinim Program to Double in Size
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will double the size of its “Shinshinim” program, bringing four 18-year-old Israelis to Pittsburgh for a year of service beginning August 2019.
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Tu B’Shvat and Exploring the Connection Between Hebrew, Judaism, and Israel with the Shinshinim
Wow, what a month! First of all, we celebrated Tu B׳shvat, the birthday of the trees. We did activities about the importance of trees in our lives, what can we learn from the tree and why do we need them so much. Moreover, we talked about “kakal” and JNF that have planted and still are…
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