Young Emissary Program

The Israeli Young Emissary program is a ten-month volunteer service experience. Israeli high school graduates from the Afula Gilboa region who choose to defer their army service serve as young ambassadors for Israel to the communities in their partnership region in Southern New England. The emissaries are among the top 100 youth leaders in their region and attend extensive preparatory seminars prior to their arrival. They are placed in pairs in eight of the Southern New England Consortium’s (SNEC) communities, including Greater New Haven.

The mission of the Young Emissary program is to strengthen ties between the two regions through living bridges to Israel. In our community, the Emissaries work at a variety of day and religious schools that represent a spectrum of Jewish affiliation, as well as community programming at the JCC. They also volunteer at senior care facilities, lead programs at local public and private schools, aid in high school youth movement activities, and are involved in discussion groups at the various local universities.

Local families provide room and board for our emissaries and make them a part of their families.

For more information, contact Amalya Brownstein at (203) 640-4532 or amalyab@jccnh.org.