This week, I’m handing the keyboard off to Kim Salzman, Director, Israel and Overseas. Kim writes:

Some of you may know that Pittsburgh’s relationship with Karmiel and Misgav, located in northern Israel, has been flourishing for more than 30 years through Partnership2Gether (formerly Partnership2000 or P2K). Others may know that in 2018, Warsaw joined this partnership, making it one of the first three-way Partnership2Gether relationships in the world. But many may still ask: What is Partnership2Gether, really?

At its core, Partnership2Gether is a living bridge between Jewish communities. It is Jewish peoplehood in action—a modern expression of arvut hadadit, our mutual responsibility for one another as one people, bound not only by shared history but by shared destiny. The relationship between Pittsburgh and Karmiel–Misgav, and more recently Warsaw, was built on the belief that Jews everywhere are responsible for one another, and that Israel and the Diaspora are not separate stories, but chapters of the same one.

Over more than three decades, this partnership has grown into something intimate and enduring. Through people-to-people programs, thousands of meaningful kesherim—real human connections—have been formed across generations and continents. Teenagers who met on exchanges and delegations remain connected as adults, raising families who continue those relationships. Alumni of the Diller Teen Fellows program in Pittsburgh and Karmiel-Misgav have grown into young leaders rooted in Jewish identity and committed to Israel, while maintaining lifelong bonds with one another. Teens from Karmiel, Misgav and Warsaw who participated in the 2025 Pittsburgh Maccabi Games formed connections with their Pittsburgh peers through sport, teamwork and Jewish pride. And this May, eighth-grade students from Community Day School will meet their Israeli peers in Karmiel and Misgav—an experience that helps them discover how much they share and how deeply connected they already are.

These relationships do not end when a program concludes. They endure with each participant becoming a living bridge between communities.  Through Partnership2Gether, Pittsburghers have come to see Karmiel and Misgav as their home in Israel. And residents of Karmiel and Misgav know that Pittsburgh is not simply a sister community, but a true home away from home.

Through Partnership2Gether, Pittsburgh has helped strengthen the social and communal fabric of Karmiel and Misgav in ways that advance the vision of a strong, just and resilient Israeli society. Regional development initiatives—such as equine therapy programs, creative economic development projects like a Karmiel-themed escape room and an archaeological garden connecting local children to their ancient roots—have improved quality of life and deepened a sense of belonging across the region.

Pittsburgh’s connection to Karmiel and Misgav extends through much of the Federation’s work in Israel, with funds invested annually in nonprofit organizations that strengthen Israeli society specifically in the partnership region . These efforts support Ethiopian-Israeli families, individuals with special needs, young people in vulnerable circumstances, shared society endeavors and more throughout the region. Together, these investments reflect a deep understanding that a connection to Israel also means nurturing the people who call it home.

This is kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh—the teaching that all of Israel is responsible for one another—made tangible: In recent years, moments of crisis have revealed the true depth of this principle.

After the October 27 attack in Pittsburgh, Karmiel and Misgav stood with the community—not as distant observers, but as family in mourning—establishing a beautiful memorial in Karmiel to the 11 victims murdered. And after the horrors of October 7, Pittsburgh stood without hesitation with Karmiel and Misgav, understanding that an attack on Israel is an attack on the Jewish people everywhere.

During the ensuing war, Federation support for Karmiel and Misgav was immediate and lifesaving. Funds were directed to build and renovate bomb shelters, purchase generators and invest in wildfire prevention—practical, urgent expressions of love and responsibility that saved lives and strengthened regional resilience.

During this painful period, many in Pittsburgh felt a deep personal connection to now-returned hostage Alon Ohel. Over more than two years of captivity, his parents became known not as distant figures, but as members of our extended family. Their pain was shared; their hope was carried collectively. When Alon returned home, that moment was felt not only in Israel, but in Pittsburgh

Jewish peoplehood is strongest when it is lived, and it is lived proudly through every single Partnership2Gether program. Through Partnership2Gether, the Pittsburgh Jewish community has chosen responsibility over distance, commitment over convenience and family over fragmentation.

That’s arvut hadadit (mutual responsibility).
That’s Partnership2Gether.
That’s Federation.