by Amalya Brownstein
Young Emissary Coordinator

Please welcome our newest Young Emissaries from Israel, Noa Saitowitz and Ziv Peleg, who will arrive here on Aug. 29.

To those who are unfamiliar with the Young Emissary program, it is a 10-month volunteer service experience that is jointly sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and SNEC (Southern New England Consortium). The Young Emissaries are Israeli high school graduates who choose to defer their army service to serve as young ambassadors for Israel. The program’s mission is to strengthen ties, in both the Jewish and secular communities, between the two regions through people-to-people connections. In the community, the emissaries work as Israel specialists, leading a variety of activities with spirit and creativity. They work with a wide variety of organizations and a diverse array of community members of all ages.

Noa lives with her family in Matan, a small suburb in central Israel near Kfar Saba. She has an older sister who is currently serving as a combat soldier in the IDF. Her majors in high school are theater studies and Arabic. She loves playing basketball and many other sports. When she is not on the court, you’ll probably find her volunteering at the agricultural youth movement “Ha’Ichud Ha’Haklai” in Matan.

Ziv Peleg lives in small village called Ram–On near Afula with her parents, Michal and Yuval, and their dog, Charlie. Her sister, a former emissary in Worcester, Massachusetts, lives in Tel Aviv, and her brother, a former emissary in New London, is serving in the IDF. Ziv loves cooking, baking, and traveling around the world. She also enjoys volunteering in a young youth movement called Benai Hamoshvim.

Both Noa and Ziv strongly believe in giving back to the community and their country. They are looking forward to meeting new people, making new friendships, building great memories and keeping the relationship between Israel and our community strong and united. Noa and Ziv will be hosted by local families from the Greater New Haven area and will work closely with Amalya Brownstein at the New Haven Jewish Federation and the JCC.

Be sure to say hello if you see them. If you are interested in hosting, please contact Amalya at amalyab@jccnh.org.