Gesher means “bridge,” and through this project, Federation is building deep partnerships between some of San Diego’s largest Jewish agencies with their counterparts in Sha’ar HaNegev, Israel to foster people-to-people relationships and spearhead potential projects between organizations while strengthening the connection between the two sister communities.

The first cohort of this program began in early 2023, and included bringing over 70 professionals from Hillel San Diego, Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Lawrence Family JCC | JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, San Diego Jewish Academy, and Seacrest Village Retirement Communities to Sha’ar HaNegev.