As part of the Partnership2Gether, Education Bridge brings together schools, teachers, and students in Rochester’s Jewish institutions and public schools, and pairs them with partners in Modi’in, Israel. Educators work collaboratively to develop common goals, work plans, and joint activities for the purpose of creatively teaching about each other’s culture, history, and society.
The program uses the framework of the education systems within Israel and the United States for our communities to learn about—and from—each other in ways that reach far beyond the classroom.
In addition to virtual communication, the program includes bringing teachers from Modi’in into our schools and homes, and having teachers from Rochester visit Israel to do the same. The program helps each get a better understanding of each others' cultures and teaching methods. Education Bridge enables teachers to enhance their professional skills while increasing their knowledge of the world from a personal perspective.
Our Goals
Jewish Institutions
- Foster connections between synagogues, schools/institutions, rabbis, school principals, teachers, students, and families.
- Deepen relationships between the two communities, strengthen Jewish identity, and cultivate ambassadors in Rochester for the State of Israel.
- Create joint programs and activities around the meaning and significance of Jewish culture and heritage.
Public Schools
- Select principals, administrators, and teachers from the Brighton and Pittsford Central School Districts partner with their contemporaries in the Education Ministry in Modi’in to develop and maintain person-to-person connections through their professions.
- Raise awareness of—and teach about—the 21st century concepts of being part of a global community, as well as a citizen of the world.
- Question ingrained assumptions and develop increased understanding of one another, with the goal of providing a template for how to embrace differences in the future.
