Celebrating our Diversity

Israel Elwyn is at ‎הכותל המערבי Western Wall‎.

4 weeks ago

They didn’t come only to pray.
And not just to see the Western Wall.
They came to touch the past, and to leave behind hope for the future.

A group of seniors from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Retiree Center in Jerusalem set out for a special visit in the city.
Even before boarding the bus – each one wrote a small note to themselves and to the nation.
A personal wish, intimate and heartfelt, born of decades of life, experience, and dreams.

And when they arrived at the Wall –
they didn’t just tuck a note into the stone.
They left there a small piece of their heart.

✨ Not just another trip.
But a ceremony of meaning.
A new beginning, in the very place where it all began.

🕊️ A new year is approaching.
And with them, all of us are privileged to begin it feeling just a little more connected. ... See MoreSee Less

Israel Elwyn

4 weeks ago

What happens when creativity, technology, and humanity meet? 🧠🎨

Picture a classroom.
But not just any classroom – a space where special education students sit shoulder to shoulder with people with disabilities, creating AI-powered digital art together, and laughing like old friends.

It really happened.

In the unique course “Learning Together: Digital Literacy”, led by Dr. Alon Zamir and Meital Pascal of Kibbutzim College of Education and supported by the Shalem Fund – something rare took place:
Not only did they learn digital tools, they built connection. They built meaning.
They didn’t come “to help.” They came to learn together.

The outcome? A joint exhibition presented at the conference “Aging with Disabilities in the Community” at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque – living proof that collaborative learning doesn’t just break down barriers, it builds bridges.

🌉 What does this teach us?
That when there is belief, space, and a stage – people flourish. And they create things no one could invent alone.

🙏 Special thanks to the Shalem Fund, Dr. Alon Zamir, Meital Pascal, and the Keshet Adult Day Center team in Holon, who didn’t just teach – they also learned.

👉 Want to see what true collaboration looks like? Look for the exhibition. See the faces in the photos. See the heart behind them. ... See MoreSee Less

Israel Elwyn is at Montreal, Canada.

1 month ago

What an inspiring week we had in Montreal! 🎉 🇮🇱🤝🇨🇦
As part of the professional exchange between Israel Elwyn, JEM Workshop, and Ometz, our representatives Dorit Abdu, Director of Job Placement Services in Be’er Sheva & the Southern Region, and Noa Mizrachi-Fried, Coordinator in the Community Job Placement Program, met with dedicated teams and local partners, visited a variety of community centers and employment initiatives, and explored innovative models for inclusion of people with disabilities.

These encounters brought fresh ideas, inspiration, and exciting opportunities for future collaboration 🇮🇱🤝🇨🇦
A huge thank you to Federation CJA Montreal and the Montreal–Beer Sheva–Bnei Shimon Partnership2Gether of the Jewish Agency for Israel for generously funding and supporting this exchange.

We are already looking forward to the next step – welcoming our Montreal colleagues to Israel this December! ✈️🇮🇱

@עוקבים Ometz Atelier JEM Workshop Partnership2Gether Global Network רשת השותפויות העולמית Partnership2gether Beer-Sheva Bnei-Shimon Montreal ... See MoreSee Less