Jewish leaders from across northern New England gathered in Portsmouth on May 6 for a regional roundtable aimed at fostering Jewish American identity and supporting Jewish education through the encouragement of voluntourism and experiential education in Israel.
Hosted by the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire at historic Temple Israel in Portsmouth, the gathering brought together the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, the Jewish Communities of Vermont, rabbis from across the region, Israeli officials and nonprofit leaders to discuss how the Jewish American community can help strengthen Jewish communal engagement while reinforcing Israel’s tourism and volunteer sectors.
This marks a convening of communal organizations serving the Jewish communities of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and northern Massachusetts.
Chad Martin, director of the Northeast Region of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism and Jordanna Cantin, business development manager from the ministry, traveled from New York City to address attendees.
Martin said that more than two million trips to Israel were canceled because of the war, dealing a major blow not only to Israel’s economy but also to Americans’ understanding of the realities on the ground.
“When people return from Israel, they become ambassadors,” Martin said. “They share what they saw with their communities, on social media and through deeper Jewish engagement.”
The conversation focused on practical strategies to strengthen community and volunteer missions to Israel, including reducing financial barriers, engaging travelers through niche trips of interest to multiple communities, post-trip follow-up engagement and expanding community partnerships across the region.
Gilad Skolnick, Leket’s New England director, highlighted the growing need for volunteers in Israel, noting that Leket Israel hosted more than 100,000 volunteers over the past year while Israel currently faces a shortage of approximately 30,000 agricultural workers.
Leket Israel, Israel’s national food bank, rescues surplus agricultural produce and prepared food that would otherwise be discarded and redistributes it to approximately 475,000 Israelis in need every week.
Jeremy Berger, chair of the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire, announced plans for a new subsidized Israel trip initiative, alongside other innovative efforts to strengthen Israel engagement in the region.
Among others participating were Rabbi Alex Matthews of Temple Ahavas Achim in Newburyport; Rabbi Daniel Aronson of Ahavas Achim in Keene; Rabbi Gary Berenson of Etz Hayim in Portland, Maine; Rabbi Jon Spira Savett and Sarit Tsor of Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua; and Mark Ettinger, president and chair of the board of the Food Rescue Institute, a board member of American Friends of Leket Israel (AFOLI), along with staff from Israel’s Consulate for New England.
The convening was sponsored by Returning the Sparks and spearheaded by AFOLI.
Organizers expressed hope that the Portsmouth gathering would mark the beginning of an ongoing northern New England partnership focused on increasing travel to Israel, expanding volunteer opportunities and deepening ties between local Jewish communities and Israel.
